JP2010221922A - Constant water depth control mechanism and constant water depth floating body including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a constant water depth control mechanism achieving a power-saving control of water depth, and a constant water depth floating body including the constant water depth control mechanism. <P>SOLUTION: By controlling the amount of pouring sea water into a cylinder 47, the hollow volume of a hollow section of the constant water depth floating body 100, namely, the buoyancy of the constant water depth floating body 100 is controlled, thereby controlling the water depth of the constant water depth floating body 100. By transforming the rotary motion of a motor 42 into the lifting motion of a piston 46, the loss of energy transformation is minimized, achieving a power-saving position control of the piston 46. Thereby, the constant water depth floating body 100 can be driven for a long period of time. The constant water depth floating body 100 can be formed inexpensively because a known device or member is applicable thereto. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a constant water depth control mechanism and a constant water depth floating body including the constant water depth control mechanism, and more particularly to a constant water depth control mechanism capable of controlling water depth with power saving and a constant water depth floating body including the constant water depth control mechanism.

  Conventionally, various floating bodies for investigating tidal currents and water quality have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a buoy tethered to a water surface for measuring the marine environment state.

JP 2007-253888 A

  By the way, in recent years, red tides have occurred in coastal waters and bays, causing serious damage to fisheries and aquaculture. In order to control the occurrence and damage of red tides, Research is underway. Such research requires data such as tidal currents.

  Here, when using the buoy described in Patent Document 1 to acquire data such as tidal currents, it is necessary to install a mooring float for tethering the buoy, and the buoy is tethered to the water surface. Therefore, it is not possible to acquire data on a wide range of tidal currents. Therefore, it is considered that the above problem can be solved if data can be acquired using a floating body that is moved by a tidal current.

  However, when floating on the sea surface, it is affected by wind and waves, and there is a possibility that data such as tidal currents cannot be obtained with high accuracy, so a mechanism for diving the floating body to a predetermined depth in the sea is required. In addition, since tidal currents are affected by tides, moon phases, earth revolutions, etc., it is necessary to acquire data over a long period of time. To that end, a mechanism to control the water depth of floating bodies with power saving is necessary. It becomes.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a constant water depth control mechanism capable of controlling water depth with power saving and a constant water depth floating body including the constant water depth control mechanism.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is housed in a hollow part of a constant depth deep floating body having a lower opening capable of floating in water, and the hollow volume of the hollow part is changed to change the constant volume. In the constant water depth control mechanism for controlling the buoyancy of the water depth floating body, the constant water depth control mechanism is configured to inject the cylinder into the cylinder through a water supply / drain hole provided in the bottom of the cylinder by a lifting / lowering movement of the piston in the cylinder by a motor. It is configured to adjust the amount of water and control the buoyancy of the constant water depth floating body.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the rotational movement of the motor can be efficiently converted into the up-and-down movement of the piston, so that the water depth control can be performed with power saving.

  The invention according to claim 2 is a constant water depth floating body, comprising the constant water depth control mechanism according to claim 1.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the rotational motion of the motor can be efficiently converted into the up-and-down motion of the piston, it becomes possible to perform water depth control with power saving.

  Moreover, the invention which concerns on Claim 3 has the control part which controls the communication part which can communicate with the outside in the constant-water depth floating body of Claim 2, and the said communication part and the said constant-water depth control mechanism, The said control part Controls the constant water depth control mechanism so that a part of the constant water depth floating body is exposed from the water surface at a predetermined timing, and in a state where a part of the constant water depth floating body is exposed from the water surface, The communication unit is operated.

  According to the invention according to claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 2, it is possible to control the water depth such that a part of the constant water depth floating body is exposed from the water surface. It is possible to communicate with the outside with a part exposed from the water surface.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the constant water depth control mechanism which can control water depth by power saving, and the constant water depth floating body provided with the constant water depth control mechanism can be provided.

(A) is explanatory drawing which shows a mode that the constant water deep floating body which concerns on embodiment of this invention is floating in the sea, (b) is a part of constant water deep floating body which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows a mode that is exposed from the sea surface and a constant-water depth floating body is communicating with the exterior. (A) is the whole perspective view of the constant water depth floating body which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (b) is a perspective view of the constant water depth control mechanism part of the constant water depth floating body which concerns on embodiment of this invention. . (A) is an upper part expansion perspective view of the constant water depth control mechanism part of the constant water depth floating body which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (b) is AA arrow sectional drawing of the same figure (a). It is a side view of the constant water deep floating body which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram, such as a control unit of the constant water deep floating body which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of a water depth control process and a communication control process.

  Hereinafter, the constant water depth floating body which concerns on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated concretely, referring drawings.

[1. Overview of constant water depth floater]
As shown to Fig.1 (a), the constant water depth floating body 100 which concerns on this embodiment dives in the sea, and floats in the sea by tidal current. The water depth of the constant water depth floating body 100 is controlled by the constant water depth control mechanism 40 accommodated in the hollow part of the constant water depth floating body 100 so as to become a predetermined water depth. Moreover, the constant water depth control mechanism 40 can perform water depth control with power saving.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG.1 (b), when it becomes a predetermined timing, the upper part of the constant water deep floating body 100 will be exposed to the sea surface, the positional information will be acquired from GPS, and the said positional information and the constant water deep floating body 100 acquired. Send water quality information to the observation system. In addition, when the light emitting unit 67 emits light, the presence of the constant water depth floating body 100 can be notified to the surroundings. The observation system analyzes data such as tidal currents based on the received information.

  As described above, the constant water depth floating body 100 can float in the sea by a tidal current without being affected by wind and waves, and can transmit position information and water quality information as research data to the observation system at every predetermined timing. Moreover, the constant water depth control mechanism 40 can perform water depth control with power saving.

[2. Configuration of constant water depth floating body 100]
Next, the configuration of the constant water depth floating body 100 of the present embodiment will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 2A is an overall perspective view of the constant water depth floating body 100, FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the constant water depth control mechanism 40 of the constant water depth floating body 100, and FIG. 3A is a constant water depth. FIG. 4 is an enlarged top view of the control mechanism 40, FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow AA, FIG. 4 is a side view of the constant water depth floating body 100, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the control unit and the like.

  The constant water depth floating body 100 includes a housing 30, a constant water depth control mechanism 40, and a control unit 60.

  The housing 30 is formed in a cylindrical shape and includes a lid portion 11, a first cylindrical portion 12, a second cylindrical portion 16, and a third cylindrical portion 19. The height of the housing 30 is 50 to 80 cm, and the diameter of the cylinder is about 15 cm. In the present embodiment, the size of the housing 30 is not particularly limited.

  The lid part 11 and the first cylindrical part 12 are made of acrylic, and the lid part 11 and the flange part 13 formed on the outer periphery of the upper end of the first cylindrical part 12 are in close contact with a bolt or the like. Thereby, seawater is prevented from entering the housing 30 from the joint portion between the lid portion 11 and the first cylindrical portion 12. In addition, you may adhere | attach the cover part 11 and the flange part 13 of the 1st cylindrical part 12 with an adhesive agent.

  A pressure taking hole 15 is formed at a predetermined location of the first cylindrical portion 12, and a pressure sensor 71 is arranged at a position corresponding to the pressure taking hole 15 on the inner peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion 12 (FIG. 4). The size of the pressure-receiving hole 15 can be set as appropriate. The pressure value acquired by the pressure sensor 71 is used when the current water depth of the constant water depth floating body 100 is obtained by the control unit 60 described later.

  A control unit 60 is accommodated in the internal space (hollow portion) of the housing 30 formed by the first cylindrical portion 12. As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 60 includes a control unit 61, a communication unit 65, a timer 66, a light emitting unit 67, and a power supply unit 68.

The control unit 61 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 62, a working RAM (Random Access Memory) 63, and a ROM 64 that records various programs. The control unit 61 reads various programs stored in the ROM 64. Are executed to control the entire constant water depth floating body 100.
The RAM 63 stores information necessary for controlling the constant water depth floating body 100.

The communication unit 65 is for communicating with GPS or an observation system, and various known devices can be used as the communication unit 65.
The timer 66 is used when determining the timing at which the constant water deep floating body 100 communicates with the outside.
The light emitting unit 67 is configured by, for example, an LED, emits light when the upper part of the constant water depth floating body 100 is exposed to the sea surface, and is used to notify the presence of the constant water depth floating body 100 around.
The power supply unit 68 is for supplying power necessary for the operation of the constant water deep floating body 100, and various known batteries can be used as the power supply unit 68.

The control unit 60 is connected to a motor 42, a pressure sensor 71, and a water quality sensor 72, which will be described later.
The control unit 61 can control the buoyancy of the constant water depth floating body 100 as described later by controlling the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the motor 42.
The pressure value acquired by the pressure sensor 71 is written in a predetermined area of the RAM 63 at every predetermined timing.
Water quality values (for example, salinity value and oxygen concentration) acquired by the water quality sensor 72 are written as predetermined water quality information in a predetermined area of the RAM 63 at predetermined timings. The water quality sensor 72 can be installed at a predetermined position of the constant water depth floating body 100.

Returning to FIG.
The second cylindrical portion 16 is made of acrylic, and the flange portion 14 formed on the outer periphery of the lower end of the first cylindrical portion 12 and the flange portion 17 formed on the outer periphery of the upper end of the second cylindrical portion 16 are in close contact with a bolt or the like. Yes. This prevents seawater from entering the housing 30 from the joint between the first cylindrical portion 12 and the second cylindrical portion 16. Note that the flange portion 14 of the first cylindrical portion 12 and the flange portion 17 of the second cylindrical portion 16 may be in close contact with an adhesive.

  In the internal space (hollow part) of the housing 30 formed by the second cylindrical portion 16, a motor 42 having a rotating shaft 43, a male screw 44 fixed to an end of the rotating shaft 43, a male screw 44 and a screw A mating female screw 45, a fixed portion 50 having a female screw 45 fixed at the center, and a part of the piston 46 fixed to the fixed portion 50 are accommodated. Further, the upper portion of the motor 42 is fixed to the inner peripheral portion of the upper end of the second cylindrical portion 16 via the fixing portion 41.

  The third cylindrical portion 19 is made of acrylic, and the flange portion 18 formed on the outer periphery of the lower end of the second cylindrical portion 16 and the flange portion 20 formed on the outer periphery of the upper end of the third cylindrical portion 19 are in close contact with a bolt or the like. Yes. This prevents seawater from entering the housing 30 from the joint between the second cylindrical portion 16 and the third cylindrical portion 19. Note that the flange portion 18 of the second cylindrical portion 16 and the flange portion 20 of the third cylindrical portion 19 may be in close contact with an adhesive.

  In addition, a ballast 21 is fixed on the outer periphery of a predetermined portion of the third cylindrical portion 19, and the center of gravity is adjusted by the ballast 21 so that the constant water depth floating body 100 always stands upright in the longitudinal direction. The position and shape of the ballast 21 can be changed as appropriate.

  In an internal space (hollow part) of the housing 30 formed by the third cylindrical part 19, a cylinder 47 in which the piston 46 can be raised and lowered is accommodated. Further, the flange portion 48 formed on the outer periphery of the upper portion of the cylinder 47 and the upper end inner edge of the third cylindrical portion 19 are in close contact with each other. As a result, seawater is prevented from entering the junction between the cylinder 47 and the third cylindrical portion 19. An opening 22 is provided at the lower end of the third cylindrical portion 19, and seawater flows into the hollow portion from the opening 22. In addition, a water supply / drain hole 49 communicating with the opening 22 of the third cylindrical portion 19 is provided at the lower end of the cylinder 47, and seawater is supplied into the cylinder through the water supply / drain hole 49. Seawater is drained.

  Further, a seal portion 54 is disposed at the lower end portion of the piston 46, and the outer peripheral portion of the seal portion 54 and the inner peripheral surface of the piston 46 are in close contact with each other. Thereby, since no gap is generated between the piston 46 and the cylinder 47, seawater is prevented from entering the housing 30.

  A guide bar 52 is disposed in parallel with the male screw 44, and both end portions thereof are fixed by a fixing portion 41 and a flange portion 48, respectively. Further, since the notch 51 of the fixing portion 50 and the guide bar 52 are engaged with each other, the rotational movement of the female screw 45 fixed to the fixing portion 50 is limited, and the male screw 44 and the female screw 45 are prevented from rotating together. The rotational movement of the male screw 44 is converted into the vertical movement of the female screw 45. In addition, the shape of the fixing | fixed part 50 can be changed suitably.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the amount of injected seawater in the cylinder 47 changes according to the position of the piston 46. In the state where the piston 46 is lowered as shown in FIG. 4A, the hollow volume of the hollow portion of the constant depth floating body 100 is increased by reducing the amount of water injected into the cylinder 47. As a result, the constant water depth floating body 100 is increased. As the buoyancy increases, the constant depth floating body 100 floats.

  On the other hand, when the piston 46 is raised as shown in FIG. 4B, the hollow volume of the hollow portion of the constant depth floating body 100 is reduced by increasing the amount of seawater injected into the cylinder 47. The buoyancy of the deep water floating body 100 becomes small, and the constant water deep floating body 100 dives.

  By configuring the constant water depth floating body 100 as described above, the water depth of the constant water depth floating body 100 is controlled by the buoyancy based on the water injection amount of seawater into the cylinder 47, and the water injection amount is determined by the piston 46. It is controlled by the position in the cylinder 47. Here, in order to drive the constant water depth floating body 100 for a long time, it is necessary to control the position of the piston 46 with power saving.

[3. Description of operation of constant water depth control mechanism 40]
Next, the operation of the constant water depth control mechanism 40 will be specifically described.
The motor 42 is constituted by, for example, a DC motor, and the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the motor 42 are controlled based on a control signal from the control unit 61.

  A male screw 44 is fixed to the end of the rotating shaft 43 and rotates with the rotation of the rotating shaft 43. Hereinafter, a case where a right screw (a screw that exerts a force in a direction in which the screw groove advances downward (screw tightening direction) when rotated clockwise) will be described as the male screw 44.

  As described above, the fixed portion 50 is fixed to the upper portion of the piston 46, and the female screw 45 is fixed to the central portion of the fixed portion 50. The female screw 45 is screwed with the male screw 44. Yes. Further, as described above, since the motor 42 is fixed to the housing 30, when the motor 42 rotates clockwise and the groove of the male screw 44 advances downward, the female screw 45 moves relatively upward. Since the piston 46 is fixed to the female screw 45 as described above, the piston 46 also moves upward as the female screw 45 moves.

  As the piston 46 moves upward, the amount of water injected into the cylinder 47 increases, so that the hollow volume of the hollow portion of the constant depth floating body 100 decreases, and as a result, the buoyancy of the constant water depth floating body 100 decreases. The constant water depth floating body 100 will be submerged.

  On the other hand, when the motor 42 rotates counterclockwise and the groove of the male screw 44 tries to move upward, the female screw 45 moves relatively downward. Since the piston 46 is fixed to the female screw 45 as described above, the piston 46 also moves downward as the female screw 45 moves.

  As the piston 46 moves downward, the amount of water injected into the cylinder 47 is reduced, so that the hollow volume of the hollow portion of the constant depth floating body 100 is increased. As a result, the buoyancy of the constant water depth floating body 100 is increased. As a result, the constant water depth floating body 100 floats.

  By configuring the constant water depth control mechanism 40 as described above, the water depth of the constant water depth floating body 100 can be controlled based on the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the motor 42. Although the pressure in the housing 30 varies due to the movement of the piston 46, the strength of the housing 30 is configured to withstand this pressure variation.

  Further, by configuring as described above, by converting the rotational motion of the motor 42 into the lifting motion of the piston 46 via the male screw 44 and the female screw 45, the energy conversion loss can be reduced. As a result, the position control of the piston 46 can be performed with power saving. Thereby, the constant water deep floating body 100 can be driven for a long time. Moreover, since the power supply unit 68 can be reduced by controlling the position of the piston 46 with power saving, the weight of the constant depth floating body 100 can be reduced. As a result, the water depth of the constant depth floating body 100 can be reduced. Control becomes easy.

[4. Control of constant water depth floating body 100]
The control of the constant water depth floating body 100 will be specifically described. The control unit 61 executes a water depth control process for controlling the water depth of the constant water depth floating body 100 and a communication control process for the constant water depth floating body 100 to communicate with the outside. Further, the water depth control process and the communication control process are executed in parallel.

  First, the water depth control process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  The water depth control process is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle while the constant water depth floating body 100 is driven.

  In step S <b> 101, the control unit 61 acquires a target value of water depth from the RAM 63. It is assumed that the target value of the water depth is determined in advance at the start of driving of the constant water depth floating body 100. Moreover, it changes by the communication control process mentioned later.

  In step S <b> 102, the control unit 61 acquires the current value of the water depth from the RAM 63. The current water depth value stored in the RAM 63 is converted from the pressure value acquired by the pressure sensor 71.

In step S <b> 103, the control unit 61 calculates a control amount of the motor 42. Here, if the difference value between the target value and the current value is zero, the control amount of the motor 42 is “0”. When the target value is larger, the rotation direction of the motor 42 is set to “right” in order to submerge the constant water depth floating body 100. Further, the rotation amount is determined by the absolute value of the difference value.
On the other hand, when the current value is larger, the rotation direction of the motor 42 is set to “left” in order to float the constant water depth floating body 100. Further, the rotation amount is determined by the absolute value of the difference value.

  In step S <b> 104, the control unit 61 controls the motor 42 by outputting a control signal corresponding to the calculated control amount to the motor 42.

  By the water depth control process described above, the control unit 61 can perform the water depth control of the constant water depth floating body 100.

  Next, communication control processing will be described. The communication control process is executed by the control unit 61 when the time counted by the timer 66 reaches a predetermined time. Further, it is assumed that the determined time is stored in the RAM 63.

  In step S <b> 201, the control unit 61 sets a target value for the water depth in the RAM 63. The target value of the water depth is a water depth value at which the upper part of the constant water depth floating body 100 is exposed to the sea surface. The past target value set in the RAM 63 is saved in a predetermined area of the RAM 63.

  In step S <b> 202, the control unit 61 acquires the current value of the water depth from the RAM 63. The current water depth value stored in the RAM 63 is converted from the pressure value acquired by the pressure sensor 71.

  In step S203, the control unit 61 determines whether or not the current value of the water depth matches the target value, that is, whether or not the upper part of the constant water depth floating body 100 is exposed to the sea surface. In this process, when it is determined that the two do not match (S203: NO), the control unit 61 returns the process to S202. Thereby, the process of S202 and S203 is repeated until the upper part of the constant water deep floating body 100 is exposed to the sea surface. Further, while the processes of S202 and S203 are repeated, the constant water depth floating body 100 continues to float by the water depth control process described above.

  In step S <b> 204, the control unit 61 controls the light emitting unit 67 to perform light emission control of the constant water deep floating body 100. Specifically, the control unit 61 outputs a control signal instructing the light emitting unit 67 to emit light. Thereby, the presence of the constant water depth floating body 100 can be notified to the circumference | surroundings.

  In step S <b> 205, the control unit 61 controls the communication unit 65 to perform communication control of the constant water depth floating body 100. Specifically, the control unit 61 acquires a signal from GPS via the communication unit 65 and acquires the current position as position information. Then, the position information and the water quality information stored in the RAM 63 are transmitted to the observation system via the communication unit 65.

  In step S206, the control unit 61 sets the past water depth target value saved in S201 in the RAM 63 as a new water depth target value. Thereby, the constant water depth floating body 100 is dived to the original water depth by the water depth control process.

  By the communication control process described above, the constant water depth floating body 100 can rise to the sea surface at every predetermined timing, and can transmit position information and water quality information to the observation system.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, by controlling the amount of seawater inside the cylinder 47, it is possible to control the hollow volume of the hollow portion of the constant water depth floating body 100, that is, the buoyancy of the constant water depth floating body 100, As a result, the water depth of the constant water depth floating body 100 can be controlled. Further, by converting the rotational movement of the motor 42 into the lifting / lowering movement of the piston 46 via the male screw 44 and the female screw 45, the energy conversion loss can be reduced. As a result, the position of the piston 46 can be reduced with less power consumption. Control can be performed. Thereby, the constant water deep floating body 100 can be driven for a long time. Moreover, since the known deep water floating body 100 can use a well-known device and member, it can be produced at low cost.
In addition, high-accuracy data can be acquired and transmitted to the observation system without being affected by wind and waves, which can contribute to various researches for suppressing the occurrence and damage of red tides.

  Although one embodiment according to the present invention has been specifically described, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications based on the technical idea of the present invention are possible. In particular, the shape of the constant water depth floating body 100 can be changed as appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Constant water depth floating body 40 ... Constant water depth control mechanism part 42 ... Motor 46 ... Piston 47 ... Cylinder 61 ... Control part 65 ... Communication part

Claims (3)

In the constant water depth control mechanism that controls the buoyancy of the constant water depth floating body by storing in the hollow portion of the constant water depth floating body that can float in water and changing the hollow volume of the hollow portion,
The constant water depth control mechanism adjusts the amount of water injected into the cylinder through a water supply / drain hole provided at the bottom of the cylinder by the vertical movement of the piston in the cylinder by a motor, and controls the buoyancy of the constant water depth floating body. A constant water depth control mechanism in a constant water depth floating body configured to be performed.   A constant water depth floating body comprising the constant water depth control mechanism according to claim 1. A communication unit capable of communicating with the outside, a control unit for controlling the communication unit and the constant water depth control mechanism,
The control unit controls the constant water depth control mechanism so that a part of the constant water depth floating body is exposed from the water surface at a predetermined timing, and a part of the constant water depth floating body is exposed from the water surface. Operating the communication unit in a state;
The constant water depth floating body of Claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned.

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