JP2018171960A - Underwater equipment and troubleshooting method of underwater equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide underwater equipment which can avoid entanglement in the fishing net in the vicinity of the water surface and a collision with other ship on the water surface during the trouble of underwater navigation, and a troubleshooting method of the underwater equipment.SOLUTION: The underwater equipment 1 navigating in underwater comprises a front watertight compartment 10, a rear watertight compartment 30 and a propeller 32, and also comprises an introducing device 41 of external water into the front watertight compartment 10 for self-submerging, and a propeller drive unit 42 and a power supply unit 43 in the rear watertight compartment 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  More particularly, the present invention relates to an underwater device and an underwater device that can reduce damage to the surroundings by causing the submerged device to sink when the underwater device breaks down during navigation. The present invention relates to a device failure countermeasure method.

  Various underwater equipment such as remotely operated unmanned explorer (ROV) and self-supporting unmanned submersible (AUV) controlled by the operator from the surface for undersea investigation of marine resources and undersea resources and underwater ruins of sunken ships Is used. Underwater equipment is generally equipped with thrusters, fins, etc. that generate propulsive force. Remotely operated unmanned explorers, etc. are equipped with optical cables, etc., for transferring operation data and observation data. The cable is connected.

  When underwater investigations are performed with underwater equipment, careful maintenance and adjustments are performed before turning on the equipment so that the underwater equipment does not break down. It is necessary to prepare for a case where the vehicle breaks down for some reason and makes underwater navigation difficult.

  Conventionally, when this underwater navigation is difficult, the weight of the underwater device is reduced by releasing ballast, etc., and the surface is lifted by the buoyancy of the underwater device itself, and by a position notification device such as a radio, The mother ship is informed of the position of the underwater equipment, and the mother ship collects the underwater equipment.

  In relation to this, although it is not a measure against failure, for example, in order to reliably deploy the balloon stored at the time of recovery of the underwater device, a high-pressure gas is applied to the balloon stored in a folded state in the inner cylinder. Has been proposed, and a floating recovery device for an underwater device has been proposed in which a balloon is exposed to the outer shell of the underwater device almost completely and inflated (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  However, if aquaculture nets or fishery nets are installed in the aquaculture area, if the underwater equipment rises in the event of a failure in such a water area such as a channel, there is a possibility that Can cause serious problems.

JP 2001-140588 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described situation, and the object of the present invention is to provide an underwater device and an underwater device capable of avoiding a tangled fishing net near the water surface and a collision of the water surface with another ship when a failure occurs during underwater navigation. It is to provide a failure countermeasure method.

  An underwater device of the present invention for achieving the above object is an underwater device that travels underwater, and includes a front watertight section, a rear watertight section, and a propelling device, and is self-sinking in the front watertight section. The external water introduction device is provided, and the propellant drive device and the power supply device are provided in the rear side watertight section.

  According to this configuration, when a submersible device breaks down, the self-sinking external water introduction device provided in the front watertight compartment reduces the buoyancy of the front watertight compartment and makes the front side heavier than the rear side. Since it is allowed to settle, the rear side protrudes when it reaches a relatively soft bottom such as the bottom where sludge accumulates, and it is easier to collect than when it settles on the bottom in a horizontal state And can be easily collected.

  Further, since the watertightness of the rear side watertight section provided with the propulsion device driving device and the power supply device remains maintained, the propulsion device driving device and the power supply device disposed in the rear side watertight section and the like, etc. Control data and the like can be maintained, and repair and reuse of the propulsion unit drive device and the power supply device after collection can be facilitated.

  In the above-described underwater device, when the propulsion device is provided outside the rear-side watertight compartment, the underwater device sinks with the front side down when the underwater device is bottomed, thereby reducing the possibility of damage to the propulsion device. It is possible to facilitate repair and reuse of the propulsion unit after collection.

  In the above-described underwater device, if the rear side watertight section or the outside thereof has an acoustic device having a position notification function, the possibility that the rear side watertight section side is exposed from sludge or the like when landing is high, There is a high possibility that the acoustic device can avoid damage at the time of landing or burying in sludge after landing, and it becomes easy to collect the underwater equipment by the mother ship.

  In order to achieve the above object, the underwater equipment failure countermeasure method of the present invention includes a front watertight section and a rear watertight section provided in the underwater equipment in the underwater equipment failure countermeasure method for traveling underwater, The front watertight compartment is provided with an external water introduction device for self-sinking, and the rear watertight compartment is provided with a propulsion device drive device and a power supply device. By introducing into the compartment, the underwater device is allowed to settle by setting the front side below the rear side.

  According to this method, when the underwater equipment breaks down, by introducing external water into the front watertight compartment, the front side is set lower than the rear side, so that it reaches a relatively soft bottom such as sludge. Even when the rear side is protruded, it can be easily recovered. Furthermore, it is possible to maintain the propulsion device drive device and power supply device disposed in the watertight compartment on the rear side, control data thereof, etc., and facilitate the repair and reuse of the propulsion device drive device and power supply device after collection. be able to.

  According to the underwater device and the underwater device failure countermeasure method of the present invention, in the case of a failure during underwater navigation, the underwater device sinks from the front side and settles down, so that it may be entangled in a fishing net near the water surface or to another ship on the water surface Can avoid collisions.

It is a figure which shows typically the structure of the underwater apparatus of embodiment which concerns on this invention.

  Hereinafter, an underwater device and an underwater device failure countermeasure method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an underwater device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is an underwater device that travels underwater in a sea area, a lake water area, a river, or the like, and has a watertight partition wall 3 in a cylindrical casing 2. And is divided into a front-side watertight compartment 10, an intermediate compartment 20, and a rear-side watertight compartment 30. The intermediate section 20 is not essential in the present invention, and the intermediate section 20 may be omitted and the front watertight section 10 and the rear watertight section 30 may be partitioned by one watertight partition 3.

  The front part of the housing 2 is formed in a hemispherical shape, and is provided with various sensors for measurement or observation. In the configuration of FIG. 1, an observation camera 12 and two illumination lights 13 are illustrated. However, depending on the use of the underwater equipment, other sonar for fish school detection, water bottom shape detection, seabed resource detection, etc. May also be provided. Further, two front fins 11 are provided for controlling the posture and the like of the underwater device 1 during traveling. These front fins 11 may be fixed fins or may be movable fins whose directions can be changed depending on applications. Moreover, the front fin may not be provided.

  On the other hand, the rear portion of the casing 2 is provided with four rear fins 31 for controlling the posture and the like of the underwater device 1 during traveling. These rear fins 31 may be fixed fins or movable fins whose directions can be changed depending on applications. A propulsion unit 32 for sailing the underwater device 1 is provided at the rear end of the housing 2. The propulsion device 32 has a propeller 32a and a cylindrical protective duct 32b surrounding the propeller 32a. The propulsion device is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 1 and may be configured such that three thrusters are arranged in a triangle when viewed from the front.

  The rear side watertight section 30 is also provided with a control device (not shown) that takes charge of controlling the electric motor 42 and the external water introduction device 41 as necessary. When towing the cable 50, these controls may be performed through the cable 50 to control the electric motor 42 and the external water introduction device 41.

  In the present invention, the front-side watertight compartment 10 is provided with an external water introduction device 41 for self-sink, and the opening 41a of the housing 2 is opened so that external water can be introduced into the front-side watertight compartment 10. Configure. Further, the rear side watertight section 30 includes an electric motor (propulsion device driving device) 42 and a battery (power supply device) 43 that drive the propeller 32a of the propulsion device 32. The rotating shaft 42a of the electric motor 42 is connected to the propeller 32a, and the propeller 32a is rotated by driving the electric motor 42 using the battery 43 as a power source, and the underwater device 1 is propelled.

  Since this external water introduction device 41 is a device that is activated in the event of a failure, as a safety measure, when the signal from the cable 50 cannot be obtained, or when the power value for driving the electric motor 42 becomes abnormal, When the output power of the battery 43 becomes abnormal, when the detection values of various sensors become abnormal, or when an abnormality occurs in a device for maintaining the functions of other underwater devices 1, automatic The external water introducing device 41 is configured to operate.

  In addition, an acoustic device 44 having a position notification function for emitting ultrasonic vibration such as a transponder transmitter or the like to the water is provided on the rear side watertight section 30 or outside thereof. This notifies the mother ship of the position of the underwater device 1. This acoustic device 44 may be provided at the front or other part, but if it is provided at the rear side watertight section 30 or outside thereof, even if the front part sinks from the front part, Since the possibility of remaining exposed is increased, it is more preferable to provide the rear side watertight section 30 or the outside thereof.

  This acoustic device 44 may notify the position at all times or regularly during underwater cruising, but generates sound, so in order to reduce the influence on other measuring devices, acoustic devices of other ships, etc. Only the position notification may be performed. Further, the position notification may be made only when a specific acoustic signal from a mother ship or the like is received. Only in these cases, the position notification is configured so that the power consumption for position notification is reduced, the position notification is generated for as long as possible at the time of failure, and the mother ship or the like can detect the position of the underwater device 1. By doing so, it is possible to smoothly cope with failure such as recovery of the underwater device 1.

  Next, a failure countermeasure method for the underwater device 1 when the underwater device 1 is broken will be described. In this failure countermeasure method for the underwater device 1 that travels underwater, the underwater device 1 is provided with a front watertight compartment 10 and a rear watertight compartment 30, and the front watertight compartment 10 is provided with an external water introduction device 41 for self-sinking, The side watertight section 30 includes a propulsion device drive device 42 and a power supply device 43. When a failure occurs, the external water introduction apparatus 41 is operated to introduce external water into the front watertight section 10 so that the front side is the rear side. This is a method of lowering the underwater device 1 below.

  According to the underwater equipment 1 and the underwater equipment failure countermeasure method configured as described above, when the underwater equipment 1 fails, the buoyancy of the front watertight compartment 10 is caused by the self-sinking external water introduction device 41 provided in the front watertight compartment 10. , The front side is made heavier and the front side is set lower than the rear side, so that the rear side protrudes when it reaches a relatively soft bottom such as the bottom where sludge accumulates. Thus, it is possible to make it easier to recover than when the water reaches the bottom in a horizontal state, and it can be easily recovered.

  Further, since the watertightness of the rear side watertight section 230 provided with the propulsion device driving apparatus 42 and the power supply device 43 remains maintained, the propulsion apparatus driving apparatus 42 disposed in the rear side watertight section 30 and The power supply device 43 and control data thereof can be maintained, and repair and reuse of the propulsion unit drive device 42 and the power supply device 43 after collection can be facilitated.

  Furthermore, since the propulsion device 32 is provided outside the rear-side watertight compartment 30, it sinks with the front side down when the underwater device is bottomed, so the possibility of damage to the propulsion device 32 can be reduced. Thus, repair and reuse of the propulsion device 32 after collection can be facilitated.

  In addition, since the rear watertight compartment 30 or the outside thereof has the acoustic device 44 having a position notification function, it is highly possible that the rear watertight compartment side 30 is exposed from sludge or the like at the time of landing. There is a high possibility that the acoustic device 44 can avoid damage at the time of landing or burial in sludge after the landing, and it becomes easy to perform processing such as recovery of the underwater equipment 1 by the mother ship.

  Therefore, according to the underwater device 1 and the underwater device failure countermeasure method according to the embodiment of the present invention, the submersible device 1 is settled from the front side and settles down when there is a failure during underwater navigation. It is possible to avoid entanglement and collision of the water surface with other ships.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Underwater apparatus 2 Case 3 Watertight partition 10 Front side watertight section 11 Front fin 12 Observation camera 13 Illumination light 20 Middle section 30 Rear side watertight section 31 Rear fin 32 Propeller 32a Propeller 32b Protection duct 41 External water introduction device 41a Opening 42 Electric motor (propulsion unit drive device)
42a Rotating shaft 43 of electric motor Battery (power supply device)
44 Audio equipment 50 Cable

Claims (4)

In underwater equipment that sails underwater,
A front watertight compartment, a rear side watertight compartment, and a propulsion device, a self-sinking external water introduction device in the front watertight compartment, and a propeller drive device and a power supply device in the rear side watertight compartment Underwater equipment characterized by.   The underwater device according to claim 1, wherein the propulsion device is provided outside the rear side watertight compartment.   The underwater apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an acoustic device having a position notification function on the rear watertight compartment or outside thereof. In the countermeasures against malfunction of underwater equipment that sails underwater,
The underwater equipment is provided with a front watertight compartment and a rear watertight compartment, the front watertight compartment is provided with an external water introduction device for self-sink, and the rear watertight compartment is provided with a propulsion device driving device and a power supply device.
A malfunction countermeasure method for an underwater device characterized in that, when a failure occurs, an external water introduction device is operated to introduce external water into the front watertight compartment, so that the underwater device is allowed to settle with the front side below the rear side.

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