JP2002524354A - Mooring equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] The present invention mainly relates to structures on the sea, such as wind power plants, lighthouses, and structures for drilling and loading of crude oil, which are fixed to the sea floor or floated. The present invention relates to a mooring facility that enables safe and economical mooring of small vessels. The mooring facility is also used to moor two vessels, for example a pilotage vessel, to a larger vessel. The present invention relates to a connecting means (4), a moving member (5) provided at one end of the connecting means, a fixing device (6) provided at the other end of the connecting means, and a control means. The problem is solved by the mooring equipment including (8).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a mooring facility for mooring a marine vessel to a building. Furthermore, the present invention
The present invention relates to a marine vessel or building provided with such mooring equipment.

BACKGROUND When mooring small boats and boats to small offshore structures, certain problems arise due to the lack of protection against rough seas and strong winds. Here, the building is a building at the sea, such as a wind power plant, a lighthouse, or a building where drilling or loading of crude oil is performed, and may be fixed to the sea floor or in a floating state. Since these offshore structures are often uprooted by waves and winds, they must be of reasonable size, even if they can no longer be considered small structures as a horizontal spread. For most periods, except for very short periods of the year, transportation of people and goods is difficult and can lead to unacceptable risks. For example, slightly off the coast of Gotland in the Baltic Sea, 80% of the annual peak height exceeds one meter. This wave is also almost the limit at which small boats can remain moored at quays and docks.
Stationary devices are more difficult to use because the water level changes. This is even more so where the effects of tidal currents are significant.

[0003] Vessels do not in principle moor each other at sea, since no suitable mooring devices have been used so far which work even in very poor conditions. Therefore, pilots usually move between two ships without a static connection,
It will jump from a pilot boat or a piloted boat. This is a common occurrence. Thus dangerous situations and accidents occur.

[0004] Mooring devices in use today are in principle configured as a kind of ramp that descends from a ship or from a building that moores the ship. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,283 discloses a hydraulic power plant that balances mooring forces between a ship and a stationary building when the ship is moored.
power arrangement) is described. The present invention is intended to balance mooring forces after mooring a ship. However, it does not disclose how to build a mooring facility that enables mooring in rough seas.

US Pat. No. 4,083,072 describes a mooring installation that includes a mounting assembly and a swivel connection and anchoring device. When mooring, a person on the ship's deck must catch the rope suspended from the mounting assembly. The leash is then guided through a loop and pulled by winches arranged on the ship. This procedure of mooring a ship requires a person to walk ahead of the deck when mooring, which can be dangerous, especially if the sea is rough.

[0006] US Pat. No. 4,011,615 relates to a crossover that passes people between a ship and a stationary structure. This patent specification also intends to balance the mooring forces after mooring the vessel, i.e. it describes how to construct a substantially mooring assembly for safe mooring. Absent.

[0007] US Pat. No. 3,426,719 also relates to a ramp over which a person crosses between a ship and a stationary building. Just like the above-mentioned patent specification, this ramp is first and foremost designed to balance the mooring force when the ship is actually moored. The ramp is also provided in this case with ropes and substantial mooring functions in a corresponding manner as in US Pat. No. 4,083,072.

That is, all of the mooring facilities described so far are, first and foremost, made to balance the mooring force when the ship is fixed.

Accordingly, the mooring equipment required is a simple and safe surf, even in high waves, for passing people and goods between ships and small buildings at sea or between two ships. Mooring is possible, thereby providing a reliable static connection.

Description of the invention It is an object of the present invention to achieve a safe, reliable and inexpensive mooring installation that eliminates or reduces the above-mentioned problems.

The invention is achieved by a facility having the features disclosed in claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in dependent claims 2 to 10.

The present invention mainly relates to a small ship mounted on a sea, such as a wind power plant, a lighthouse, or a building for drilling or loading of crude oil, which is fixed to the sea floor or in a floating state. Applicable to mooring. Further, the present invention can also be used when mooring two ships while the sea is rough, for example, transferring a worker from a pilot ship to a large ship.

[0013] Various embodiments of the invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Preferred Embodiments of the Invention In this description, the system of co-ordinating ship and building shown in FIG.
ate). The x-axis represents the longitudinal direction of the vessel, the y-axis represents the transverse direction of the vessel, while the z-axis extends vertically. There are a total of six degrees of freedom for this ship's movement (x,
movement in the y and z directions, rotation about the x, y and z axes). If the vessel is stationary and not affected by external forces, the vessel will assume a neutral position in each of the various degrees of freedom.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show schematic diagrams of mooring equipment mounted on the small boat 1, respectively, during mooring operation and when the boat is moored at the building 2. Various embodiments are described below with reference to these figures. This structure is composed of a structure which is mainly limited in size in the vertical direction and is fixed to the sea floor or a floating structure. On the bow 3 of the ship there is a connecting means 4 which is mounted so as to be swingable, this means being a load-bearing girder (load-bearing girder) which can also be used as a transfer plate for passing personnel and goods.
irder). This connection means 4 is assisted by the motive member 5 of the ship and is positioned at a certain selected angle and can be lowered or raised to the rest position as required. In the simplest case, the mobile member consists of a stationary support. Preferably, at the forward end of the connecting means there is a part of the fastening device 6 and of the control means 8, which part engages the hinge 7 and may also have elastic and damping properties. The control means 8 may include one or several wheels, reels and the like. Also, the control means can be made by appropriately designing the end of the connection means. The part 9 other than said part of the anchoring device comprises mounting means, which in this particular case are provided on the building 2. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the anchoring device 6 may for example be in the form of a clutch 11 which grips a round rod. This rod is fixed so as to surround the building at a predetermined distance coaxially with the building 2 and forms a corresponding part 9 of the fixing device. According to the principle described above, mooring is performed from whichever direction is selected. As the wind and waves change direction, the ship will passively follow. Preferably, the fixing device shown is automatically fixed in response to the contact of these two parts. The clutch 11 may be provided with, for example, a spring (not shown) to prevent it from being inadvertently fixed. Also, for example, a hydraulic cylinder (not shown) can be operated to start disengaging at an arbitrary place. Immediately thereafter, the ship is left.

In another embodiment, the round rod of the anchoring device 9 is replaced by a steel cable fastened between supports, which is fixed to the tower in a manner similar to the round rod. In this case, the steel cable is easy to bend, so that it is often in an advantageous load state, and the material and cost can be reduced.

Alternatively, a fixing device may be provided in connection with the mounting means 3, so that the connecting means 4 and the building 2 are permanently connected by the crossover plate 7.
The rest of the fastening device is then adapted to this embodiment.

Normally, the mounting means that can rotate with three degrees of freedom are arranged so as to perform movement limited to three degrees of freedom at the same time. Further, the attachment means may be provided with a brake or a spring which suppresses further rotation or movement to create a return movement. When the moving member 5 whose main function is to arrange the connecting means 4 at a selected angle is made of, for example, a hydraulic cylinder, when this hydraulic cylinder is associated with a limiting function, the braking function is provided. When combined with a pressure function (accumulator), it exerts a spring action. By the action of the force thus obtained, the momentum about the y-axis in the mounting means can be balanced. The corresponding operation is performed on both mounting means with other degrees of freedom. The arrangement of the connecting means 4 is non-rigid, and the movement, braking and spring function of the mounting means can be completely or partially replaced by this connecting means.

Further, the building may have a platform 10 having a position and a shape that matches the girder 4.

At the start of the mooring procedure, the ship moves forward in the water, ie, at a certain speed in the x direction in the ship-building correlation system of FIG. The connecting means 4 is thus normally arranged at a positive angle below the fastening device 9 to ensure that the front end of the connecting means will eventually hit the building. The connection means is positioned at an angle of 0 to 90 degrees with respect to a horizontal plane (xy plane). Here, a typical angle when mooring is 45 degrees. After the end of the connecting means has come into contact with the building, if the vessel moves further in the x direction, this end will then move upward in the z direction. When the moving member 5 has a braking function, the function slows down the movement of the boat. The above process continues until both the respective parts 6 and 9 of the anchoring device have joined together, which results in an automatic engagement. Manual engagement is also possible. In order to perform this process, a wheel or the like is provided in the control means 8. Due to this arrangement of the relevant parts, the subsequent movement of energy is hardly absorbed as the bow of the ship is pressed downward and changes the trim (rotates around the y-axis). become. In FIG. 2, this change in trim is shown as the angle α between the original outline of the ship drawn in solid lines and the new outline of the ship drawn in broken lines. When you stop moving forward, the trim returns as the ship moves slightly in the negative x direction. Energy is
Such a change in the degree of freedom of movement allows the wave to be continuously absorbed by the accumulation and friction of waves, and braking is performed without exerting a large force on the building.

The building can also be designed on the assumption that the connecting means 4 is positioned at a corresponding negative angle with respect to the horizontal plane. The forward end of the connecting means will then move downward during the mooring and anchoring procedure. Furthermore, the round rods and steel cables of this anchoring device will be arranged below the building 2, unlike before.

FIG. 5 shows that if the building has a convex cross section within the actual area (has a convex cross section), the mooring of the wheel 8 against the movement of the connecting means during mooring It shows how the connecting means 4 is centered on the building 2 by arranging it outward at a suitable angle (β) (toe-out). If the centering is incorrect, only one of the wheel pairs will make contact with the building. To angle at this toe-out means to guide the front end of the connecting means to the relevant side of the building and also to contact the other wheel of the pair that has not yet contacted, thereby providing both This means that the side-conveyance of the wheels is compensated for each other and the connecting means is kept moving towards the center. However, to correct a large mistake made in the calculation in the lateral direction, it is better to arrange several pairs of wheels. When the toe-out is at a large angle, this can relax the passive wind direction.
If the wheels are resiliently fixed, both wheels can come into contact with the building, even if the centering is incorrect. Also in this case, centering is effective because the pressure applied to the building from the two wheels differs depending on the wheel.

The presence of wave and wind movements when the ship is moored means that the ship can move with several degrees of freedom. Forward and backward movements (positive and negative movements in the x direction) in the movement of the ship are absorbed by changes in trim around the y axis. Similarly, changes in pitching / trim are converted from rotation about the y-axis to partial movement in the x-direction. Vertical movement (movement in the z direction) is also converted to movement in the x direction. And movement in the y direction causes movement in the x direction and rotation about the z axis. If the structure is movable, rolling (rotation about the x-axis) will occur, but this will not interfere with the mooring function.

In order to be moored to another vessel, the other vessel may be provided with a vertical plane and have mounting means 9 at an appropriate height so that the vertical plane crosses the direction of movement. . Preferably, the smaller vessel is raised and moored until it is parallel to the larger vessel. This is to be continued until the front part of the connecting means 4 contacts the vertical surface and the mounting means 9, as in the case described above, moored to a stationary or floating structure.

The fact that most of the movements in degrees of freedom where the mooring function cannot be maintained without control are converted to movements in other degrees of freedom, so that they can be processed in a controlled and well-known manner. This is one of the advantages provided by the present invention. Furthermore, since such a measure is taken regarding the degree of freedom of movement, mooring on the sea can be maneuvered even in high waves or strong winds. In the present invention, it is particularly emphasized that forces can be absorbed by braking rather than by inelastic pulling. Since the movement is well known, the calculation of the force is easy, which is a great practical advantage in development, especially for authorities and classifying bodies to inspect buildings.

According to the present invention, a moored ship can approach a building and approach it in a wave or wind excellence (pr
(evalent) direction. This allows
There is no longer any need to risk the ship being thrown out of the building by the breaking waves.
After being moored, it passively assumes a longitudinal direction according to the prevailing direction of the wind and waves.

In high waves, the motion of the moored vessel is disturbed and it is difficult to operate the anchoring device accurately. The present invention allows for significant errors in height calculations due to adjustment errors, waves and water levels. In the end, the invention makes it possible to easily and safely release the mooring and leave the place.

With a suitable structure, the entire means of the present invention can actually be placed on a ship. Then, various settings can be made. This is an economic system.
Another advantage is that maintenance and repairs can be performed while protected within the port.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a correlation system between a ship and a building.

FIG. 2 shows a mooring facility when mooring to a building.

FIG. 3 shows a mooring facility when a ship is moored to a building.

FIG. 4 shows a building-side mooring facility when a ship is moored to a building.

FIG. 5 shows how a cross board is centered on a building.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ship 2 Building 3 Bow part, attachment means 4 Connection means, girder 5 Mobile member 6 Fixing device 7 Hinge, transition board 8 Control means, Wheel 9 Mounting means, Fixing device 10 Platform 11 Clutch, gripping device α angle β angle

[Procedural Amendment] Submission of translation of Article 34 Amendment of the Patent Cooperation Treaty

[Submission date] November 2, 2000 (2000.11.2)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claim 1

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claim 2

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Procedure amendment 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claim 4

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claim 10

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A mooring facility for mooring a ship to a building (2), comprising a connecting means (4).
A moving member (5) disposed at a first end of the connecting means (4) for adjusting an angle between the connecting means (4) and a horizontal plane, and disposed at a second end of the connecting means (4). In the mooring facility including the anchoring device (6) which is provided and fixes the ship to the building (2) at the time of mooring, a control means (8) is provided at a second end of the connecting means (4), and Said mooring facility, assisted by the movement of the vessel, guiding the anchoring device (6) into engagement with the mounting means (9). 2. Mooring installation according to claim 1, wherein the mobile member (5) is arranged on the ship by mounting means (3). 3. The mooring installation according to claim 1, wherein the connecting means is adjustable within a range of 0 to 90 degrees with respect to a horizontal plane. 4. The mounting means (9) according to claim 1, characterized in that mounting means (9) are formed such that the ship (1) assumes a certain position in the radial direction with respect to the building (2). Mooring facilities described in Crab. 5. The control means (8) comprises at least one pair of wheels, which are arranged in pairs spaced apart from each other and obliquely outward from the direction of the intended movement. The mooring facility according to any of the preceding claims. 6. At least one of the connecting means (4) or its mounting means (3, 9) has a spring function (5), which spring function corresponds to at least one of the degrees of freedom of movement of the ship. Mooring facility according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it acts to return the connecting means (4) to a neutral position. 7. At least one of the connecting means (4) or its mounting means (3, 9) has a braking function (5), which is provided for at least one of the degrees of freedom of movement of the ship. Mooring facility according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it acts to return the connecting means (4) to a neutral position. 8. A gripping device (1) in which a fastening device (6) surrounds a mounting means (9).
Mooring equipment according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises (1). 9. The mooring installation according to claim 1, wherein the fixing device (6) in contact with the mounting means (9) is automatically fixed to the mounting means (9). 10. A ship or building comprising a mooring facility according to any of the preceding claims.