JP5976506B2 - Measuring system and measuring method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a measurement system and a measurement method for monitoring the state of a hull.

  In order to grasp the behavior of the hull in a large vessel, various measurements (for example, distortion measurement) may be performed at various locations on the hull. In the measurement of the hull of the large ship, the measurement position where the sensor is attached and the position where the measurement data is collected (measurement room, etc.) are far away from each other. Work and maintenance work become enormous.

  On the other hand, a wireless sensor network technology has been developed in which a plurality of sensor units (wireless terminals with sensors) are arranged in a space, and measurement data indicating the state of the arrangement location is transmitted by radio signals. In the measurement system using this wireless sensor network technology, since the cable routed from the sensor can be eliminated, it is expected to reduce the man-hours for laying work and maintenance work of the measurement system.

  In addition, as an example of operating the wireless sensor network technology in a large structure, a measurement system constructed by providing a predetermined duct (waveguide) in an aircraft body structure and propagating a wireless signal of the wireless sensor in the duct Is disclosed (Patent Document 1).

JP 2012-101787 A

  However, when the wireless sensor network is applied to the large ship as described above, the following problems occur.

  First, since large ships are mostly made of metal such as steel, the metal becomes an obstacle to wireless communication. That is, there is a problem that a radio signal transmitted from a sensor unit installed near the bottom of the ship below the upper deck is shielded by the metal constituting the upper deck and cannot be transmitted to the measurement data receiver existing on the upper deck.

  Here, as an aircraft body described in Patent Document 1, a method of previously installing a duct through which a radio signal or a wired cable passes in the hull can be considered. However, if the hull of a large ship is large, it can reach several hundred meters, and the ducts that stretch around it can be enormous. Therefore, the cost for designing and manufacturing the duct increases, and the original purpose cannot be achieved. Also, in this case, it is difficult to respond to a flexible network construction such as adding measurement points afterwards to a ship that has already been completed.

  The sensor unit requires a power source as a device to transmit a radio signal. Here, a general sensor unit is generally equipped with a battery, but in this case, battery replacement is required for long-term monitoring. In particular, when the sensor unit is installed on the bottom of a ship that is not normally designed as an environment in which people enter and exit, the burden of battery replacement increases. In addition, when a repeater that relays a radio signal from the sensor unit to the measurement data receiver is used, the relay also needs some power supply source.

  Then, this invention aims at providing the measuring system and measuring method which can solve the above-mentioned problem.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems described above, the sensor unit transmits the measured data obtained by measuring predetermined state hull wirelessly the measurement data receiver for receiving the measurement data wirelessly, the A repeater that is installed in a wireless communication path between the sensor unit and the measurement data receiver and relays a radio signal, and the repeater is one of through holes that penetrate the upper deck or bulkhead of the hull. A relay receiving unit provided on the other side of the through-hole, and the relay receiving unit wirelessly receives the measurement data from the sensor unit. The transmission unit is a measurement system characterized in that the received measurement data is wirelessly transmitted to the measurement data receiver, and a gap between the through hole and the repeater is sealed with an insulator. .

  In the present invention, the sensor unit is provided at a predetermined position in a hold located below the upper deck of the hull, and the measurement data receiver is provided in a measurement chamber disposed at a predetermined position of the hull. The sensor unit and the measurement data receiver perform wireless communication through a wireless communication path that penetrates the upper deck or bulkhead of the hull.

  Further, according to the present invention, the repeater relays radio signals from the plurality of sensor units provided at a plurality of locations of the hull, and the measurement data receiver uses a predetermined identifier attached to the radio signal. Based on the plurality of sensor units, the source of the wireless signal is specified.

  Further, according to the present invention, the repeater uses any one of a battery, sunlight, wind power, or a combination thereof as a power supply source, and the battery is provided above the upper deck of the hull. Features.

  The present invention also provides a sensor unit that converts a predetermined state at a place where the sensor unit is installed into an electrical signal, a measurement data transmission unit that wirelessly transmits measurement data based on the electrical signal, and the measurement data transmission A power supply unit for a sensor that supplies power to the unit.

  In the invention, it is preferable that the sensor power supply unit includes a piezoelectric element that converts vibration of the hull into electric power.

  In the invention, it is preferable that the sensor unit is a strain gauge that converts strain at an installed location into an electric signal.

In the present invention, a sensor unit provided at a predetermined position in the hold located below the upper deck of the hull wirelessly transmits measurement data obtained by measuring a predetermined state of the hull. A repeater provided in a through hole penetrating the bulkhead wirelessly receives the measurement data at one of the through holes and wirelessly transmits the received measurement data at the other of the through holes. A measurement data receiver provided in a measurement chamber arranged at a predetermined position of the radio receives the measurement data transmitted by the repeater wirelessly, and a gap between the through hole and the repeater is sealed with an insulator. It is the measuring method characterized by being.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a hull measurement system and a measurement method that can reduce laying work and maintenance work.

It is a 1st figure which shows the structure of the measurement system by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the repeater 12 installed in the hull 2. FIG. It is the figure which looked at the structure of the repeater 12 installed in the hull 2 from planar view lower part. It is a figure which shows the structure of the sensor unit 10 installed in the hull 2. FIG. It is a chart figure which shows the communication processing flow of the measurement system 1 by this embodiment. It is a 2nd figure which shows the structure of the measurement system by one Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, a measurement system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a first diagram showing a configuration of a measurement system according to the present embodiment. In this figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a measurement system. The measurement system 1 is installed on the hull 2, and includes at least a sensor unit 10 that wirelessly transmits measurement data obtained by measuring a predetermined state of the hull 2, and a measurement data receiver 11 that wirelessly receives the measurement data. And. The sensor unit 10 and the measurement data receiver 11 perform wireless communication through a predetermined wireless communication path in the hull 2.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the sensor unit 10 is provided on the ship bottom 22 as a predetermined position in the hold located below the upper deck 21 of the hull 2. The measurement data receiver 11 is provided in a measurement chamber 23 located above the upper deck 21 as a predetermined position of the hull 2. The sensor unit 10 and the measurement data receiver 11 perform wireless communication via a wireless communication path having a path that penetrates the upper deck 21 of the hull 2. That is, the measurement system 1 has a repeater 12 that relays a radio signal in its wireless communication path, and the repeater 12 extends over the upper deck through a through hole 21 a that penetrates the upper deck 21. is set up. Here, “relay” means that the repeater 12 receives the radio signal from the sensor unit 10 and transmits the measurement data again to the measurement data receiver 11 by transmitting a radio signal. At this time, the radio frequency and the communication protocol before and after the relay are not necessarily the same as long as the contents of the measurement data match before and after the relay.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the repeater 12 may aggregate and relay radio signals from a plurality of sensor units 10 provided at a plurality of locations on the ship bottom 22. In this case, each of the plurality of sensor units 10 attaches a predetermined uniquely assigned identifier to a radio signal transmitted by itself, and the measurement data receiver 11 uses a plurality of identifiers based on the identifier attached to the radio signal. The sensor unit may have a function of specifying the transmission source of the wireless signal. In addition, instead of the sensor unit 10 itself attaching an identifier, the repeater 12 may have a function of attaching an identifier for each received signal and transmitting it.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the repeater 12 installed in the hull 2.
As shown in FIG. 2, the repeater 12 includes at least a relay receiving unit 12a provided below the through hole 21a penetrating the upper deck of the hull 2, and a relay transmitting unit 12b provided above the through hole 21a. And. The relay receiving unit 12a wirelessly receives measurement data from the sensor unit 10, and the relay transmitting unit 12b wirelessly transmits the received measurement data to the measurement data receiver 11.

Here, specific modes of the relay receiving unit 12a and the relay transmitting unit 12b will be described. As one aspect, the relay receiving unit 12a is a receiving antenna that extends from the lower surface of the relay transmitting unit 12b, which is a main body, to the region below the upper deck 21 through the inside of the through hole 21a (see FIG. 2). ). The relay receiving unit 12 a receives, as an antenna, measurement data (wireless signal) transmitted wirelessly by the sensor unit 10, and outputs the received measurement data to the relay transmission unit 12 b that is the main body of the repeater 12. On the other hand, the relay transmission unit 12b is a main body of the repeater 12 disposed above the upper deck 21. The relay transmitter 12b wirelessly transmits the measurement data received by the relay receiver 12a to the measurement data receiver 11.
In the repeater 12 according to the present embodiment, the aspects of the relay receiving unit 12a and the relay transmitting unit 12b may be reversed. That is, the repeater 12 is a mode in which the relay receiving unit 12a is a main body, and the relay transmitting unit 12b is a transmitting antenna that extends through the through hole 21a to an area above the upper deck 21. Also good.

Further, the repeater 12 according to the present embodiment includes a relay power supply unit 12c as a power supply source. Here, the repeater 12 according to the present embodiment may use any one of a battery, sunlight, wind power, or a combination thereof as a power supply source. When the power supply source of the repeater 12 is a battery, the repeater 12 includes a battery and a battery holder as one aspect of the relay power supply unit 12c. In this case, it is preferable that the relay power supply unit 12c is provided above the upper deck 21 in consideration that the operator can easily replace the battery (see FIG. 2). When the power supply source of the repeater 12 is sunlight, the repeater 12 may have a solar panel as one aspect of the relay power supply unit 12c. Similarly, when wind power is used as a power supply source, a windmill may be provided as one aspect of the relay power supply unit 12c. Even if the power supply source is sunlight or wind power, the relay power supply unit 12c is preferably provided above the upper deck 21. The relay transmission unit 12b installed above the upper deck 21 may include the relay power supply unit 12c. Further, when the repeater 12 operates by combining a plurality of the above-described power supply sources, the repeater 12 may include a supply power management unit (not shown) that centrally manages the power from each power supply source. .
In addition, if the repeater 12 of this embodiment can be laid without a burden, it may replace with the said aspect and may connect with the main power supply line of the hull 2, and may obtain electric power.

FIG. 3 is a view of the configuration of the repeater 12 installed in the hull 2 as seen from below in plan view.
In FIG. 3, the mode when the repeater 12 is seen through the through-hole 21a from the upper deck lower surface is shown. As shown in FIG. 3, the relay receiving unit 12 a of the repeater 12 passes through the inside of the through hole 21 a and extends downward (upward in the drawing) of the upper deck 21. Here, in the measurement system 1 according to the present embodiment, a gap generated between the through hole 21a and the relay receiving unit 12a may be sealed with the insulator 3. The insulator 3 is preferably a substance excellent in processability and waterproofness, such as resin, but is not limited to this in the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a view showing the structure of the sensor unit 10 installed in the hull 2.
As shown in FIG. 4, the sensor unit 10 includes at least a sensor unit 10 a that converts a predetermined state at an installed location into an electrical signal, a measurement data transmission unit 10 b that wirelessly transmits measurement data based on the electrical signal, And a sensor power supply unit 10c that supplies power to the measurement data transmission unit 10b.

  As one aspect, the sensor unit 10a is a strain gauge that converts a strain at a place where the ship bottom 22 is installed into an electrical signal and outputs the electrical signal. The measurement data transmission unit 10b inputs an electrical signal corresponding to the strain at the installation location from the sensor unit 10a which is a strain gauge. The measurement data transmission unit 10b digitally processes the electrical signal to generate distortion measurement data, and transmits the measurement data wirelessly. The sensor power supply unit 10c supplies power for the measurement data transmission unit 10b to realize the above processing. Here, in the present embodiment, the sensor power supply unit 10c is installed on the bottom 22 of the hull 2 where vibration is particularly large, and a piezoelectric element that converts vibration into electric power (also referred to as a piezoelectric element). It has. Here, the piezoelectric element is an element that generates and outputs electric power from pressure applied to itself by vibration.

  However, the description of each functional unit described above does not limit the components of the sensor unit 10. For example, the sensor unit 10a may be a temperature / humidity sensor, an impact sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a water detection sensor, or the like in addition to the strain gauge. Similarly, the sensor power supply unit 10c may be a piezoelectric element, a thermoelectric conversion element, a battery, or the like. If the sensor power supply unit 10c can be laid without burden, it is connected to the main power line of the hull 2 to obtain power. (In this case, the sensor power supply unit 10c refers to the main power supply line).

  Note that the measurement system 1 according to the present embodiment may include a plurality of sensor units 10 as described above, but all the plurality of sensor units 10 have at least the configuration illustrated in FIG. 4. However, the plurality of sensor units 10 may individually include components other than the configuration shown in FIG. 4 as necessary. Further, the plurality of sensor units 10 do not have to be the same up to the specific mode in each functional unit of FIG. For example, one sensor unit 10 includes a piezoelectric element in the sensor power supply unit 10c and uses vibration energy as a power supply source, while another sensor unit 10 includes a thermoelectric conversion element in the sensor power supply unit 10c. It is also possible to adopt a mode in which heat energy is used as a power supply source. However, when the sensor unit 10 using the thermoelectric conversion element as a power supply source is used, the sensor unit 10 is desirably installed around a high temperature region such as a boiler mounted on the hull 2.

FIG. 5 is a chart diagram illustrating a communication processing flow of the measurement system 1 according to the present embodiment.
Next, specific processing of the measurement system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described step by step with reference to FIG.
First, the sensor unit 10a (strain gauge) of the sensor unit 10 installed on the ship bottom 22 outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the strain at the installation location (step S1). Next, the measurement data transmission unit 10b receives power necessary for processing from the sensor power supply unit 10c, digitally processes the electrical signal to generate distortion measurement data, and then wirelessly transmits the generated measurement data ( Step S2).
Next, the relay receiving unit 12a of the repeater 12 receives the measurement data wirelessly transmitted by the measurement data transmitting unit 10b of the sensor unit 10 (step S3). The signal (measurement data) received by the relay receiver 12a is immediately output to the relay transmitter 12b (step S4), and is input by the relay transmitter 12b (step S5). Subsequently, the relay transmitter 12b wirelessly transmits the measurement data to the measurement data receiver 11 (step S6).
The measurement data receiver 11 installed in the measurement chamber 23 receives the measurement data transmitted by the relay transmission unit 12b of the repeater 12 (step S7). The measurement data receiver 11 displays the measurement data on an appropriate monitor screen, thereby notifying the operator of the measurement chamber 23 of the measurement value (degree of distortion at various locations on the bottom 22). In this manner, the operator can grasp the degree of distortion at various locations on the hull 2 in the measurement chamber 23.

  According to the measurement system 1 of the present embodiment, the sensor unit 10 and the measurement data receiver 11 transmit and receive measurement data via a predetermined wireless communication path, so that the cable conventionally routed from the sensor can be eliminated. It is possible to reduce the man-hours for laying work and maintenance work of the measurement system 1.

  Moreover, according to the measurement system 1, the sensor unit 10 installed on the ship bottom 22 below the upper deck 21 transmits by mediating the repeater 12 installed in the through hole 21a of the upper deck 21 in the wireless communication path. The radio signal can be transmitted to the measurement data receiver 11 existing above the upper deck 21 without being blocked by the metal constituting the upper deck 21. That is, in the wireless communication between the sensor unit 10 and the repeater 12, since the relay receiving unit 12a exists on the bottom 22 of the area below the upper deck 21, the wireless communication path is shielded with metal. There is nothing. On the other hand, the relay transmission unit 12b itself is installed above the upper deck 21, and outputs a radio signal for relay from above the upper deck 21, so that the measurement data receiver 11 also installed above the upper deck 21 is connected. The wireless communication path between them is not shielded. Thus, by ensuring the wireless communication path through which the repeater 12 penetrates from the lower side of the upper deck 21 to the upper side, the wireless signal of the sensor unit 10 is not shielded by the upper deck 21, and the measurement data receiver 11 Wireless communication can be realized.

  Further, as described above, the repeater 12 of the measurement system 1 can collect and relay radio signals from the plurality of sensor units 10 provided at a plurality of locations on the ship bottom 22. Therefore, the measurement data receiver 11 can be placed on the bottom 22 of the hull 2 as long as at least one through hole 21a and a repeater 12 are installed in each region divided by a bulkhead that partitions the bottom 22 in the vertical direction. Measurement data can be received from each of the arranged sensor units 10 via each repeater 12. As a result, the number of through holes 21a can be minimized, and the number of man-hours for laying work can be reduced without impairing the function and reliability of the hull.

  In addition, the repeater 12 of the measurement system 1 is provided with a gap having a certain width between the through hole 21a and the relay receiver 12a, and the gap is sealed with a resin having excellent processability and waterproofness as the insulator 3. The configuration is as shown in FIG. Therefore, the burden of the installation work itself of the repeater 12 is reduced, and the installation work of the repeater 12 can be flexibly performed after grasping in advance the position where the communication is good. Moreover, even if it is desired to expand the measurement system 1 afterwards, the main work is only the opening work of the through hole 21a and the installation and fixing work of the repeater 12, so that the flexible and simple expansion can be performed. . Furthermore, by insulating the periphery of the relay receiving unit 12a, which is an antenna, the occurrence of nulls (a phenomenon in which the radio signal intensity is locally weakened significantly due to reflection and interference of electromagnetic waves) in the relay receiving unit 12a. And a highly reliable wireless communication network can be constructed.

  Further, as described above, the repeater 12 of the measurement system 1 may have a configuration in which a battery and a battery holder are provided above the upper deck 21 as the relay power supply unit 12c. As a result, when the battery of the repeater 12 runs out, it is on the upper deck 21 that can be freely accessed by the worker, so that the effect of facilitating the battery replacement work can be obtained. The load can be reduced.

In addition, the sensor unit 10 according to the present embodiment may include a piezoelectric element in the sensor power supply unit 10c. In this way, the sensor unit 10 can obtain electric power from the vibration energy at the ship bottom 22, so that the battery replacement work becomes unnecessary and the load of the maintenance work is reduced. Note that the ship bottom 22 in the hull 2 is generally known as a place where the vibration is large due to the closeness of the engine and the strong influence of the ocean current, and even if the power supply source is only the piezoelectric element, The electric power necessary for the sensor unit 10 to periodically transmit measurement data by radio is sufficiently obtained.
On the other hand, a solar panel or a windmill may be used for the relay device 12 as the relay power supply unit 12c. If it does in this way, since the repeater 12 can also obtain electric power from sunlight or a wind force, a battery exchange operation | work becomes unnecessary. In addition, the repeater 12 is configured such that the relay power supply unit 12c is composed of a plurality of combinations of the battery, sunlight, and wind power. Thus, it is possible to supply power stably and maintain the reliability of the wireless communication network in the measurement system 1 while obtaining the effect of reducing the load of maintenance work.

  As described above, according to the measurement system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a hull measurement system that can reduce laying work and maintenance work.

FIG. 6 is a second diagram illustrating the configuration of the measurement system according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 6, the measurement system 1 according to the present embodiment takes a wireless communication path that reaches the measurement data receiver 11 while a plurality of repeaters 12 relay the wireless signal transmitted by the sensor unit 10. It doesn't matter. In the above example, the case where there is no metal wall that obstructs this other than the upper deck 21 in the wireless communication path connecting the sensor unit 10 and the measurement data receiver 11 has been described. In addition, there may be a case where a plurality of metal walls exist in a layered manner (not shown). In such a case, by providing one through hole 21a and one repeater 12 for each metal layer, a wireless communication path from the sensor unit 10 arranged in the lowermost layer to the measurement data receiver 11 located in the uppermost layer May be secured. In the measurement system 1 according to the present embodiment, the plurality of sensor units 10 and the repeaters 12 are not limited to the functions described above. For example, the sensor unit 10 may have a function as the repeater 12. That is, the sensor unit 10 is installed in the through hole 21 a of the upper deck 21, and measures the distortion at the location and transmits it wirelessly, and also has a function of relaying the wireless signal of another sensor unit 10 installed on the ship bottom 22. You may have.

  In the above description, the measurement system 1 according to the present embodiment has shown an example in which the repeater 12 is installed in order to secure a wireless communication path across the upper deck 21. However, the present embodiment is not limited to such an aspect. For example, even when the sensor unit 10 is disposed in one region of the “partition” that is a predetermined position in the hold, and the measurement chamber 23 is disposed in the other region across the “partition”. Good. In such a case, the measurement system 1 according to the present embodiment performs wireless communication via a wireless communication path that penetrates the partition wall. Specifically, the repeater 12 installed in the wireless communication path is provided on the other side of the through hole 21a and the relay receiving unit 12a provided on one side of the through hole 21a penetrating the bulkhead of the hull 2. What is necessary is just to provide the transmission part 12b for relay.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Measurement system 10 ... Sensor unit 10a ... Sensor part 10b ... Measurement data transmission part 10c ... Electric power supply part 11 for sensors ... Measurement data receiver 12 ... Repeater 12a ... Relay receiving unit 12b ... Relay transmitting unit 12c ... Relay power supply unit 2 ... Hull 21 ... Upper deck 22 ... Bottom 23 ... Measurement chamber 3 ... Insulator

Claims (8)

A sensor unit that wirelessly transmits measurement data obtained by measuring a predetermined state of the hull; and
A measurement data receiver for wirelessly receiving the measurement data;
A repeater that is installed in a wireless communication path between the sensor unit and the measurement data receiver and relays a wireless signal;
With
The repeater is
A relay receiving portion provided in one of the through holes penetrating the upper deck or bulkhead of the hull;
A relay transmitter provided on the other side of the through hole;
With
The relay receiver is
Wirelessly receiving the measurement data from the sensor unit;
The relay transmitter is
The received measurement data is wirelessly transmitted to the measurement data receiver,
A measurement system , wherein a gap between the through hole and the repeater is sealed with an insulator . The sensor unit is
It is provided at a predetermined position in the hold located below the upper deck of the hull,
The measurement data receiver is
Provided in a measurement room located at a predetermined position on the hull,
The sensor unit and the measurement data receiver are:
The measurement system according to claim 1, wherein wireless communication is performed via a wireless communication path that penetrates the upper deck or bulkhead of the hull. The repeater is
Relaying radio signals from a plurality of the sensor units provided at a plurality of locations on the hull,
The said measurement data receiver specifies the transmission origin of the said radio signal among the said some sensor units based on the predetermined identifier attached | subjected to the said radio signal. The claim 1 or Claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. The measurement system described in 1. The repeater is
One of battery, solar power, wind power, or a combination thereof is used as a power supply source.
The measurement system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the battery is provided above the upper deck of the hull. The sensor unit is
A sensor unit for converting a predetermined state at the installed location into an electrical signal;
A measurement data transmitter for wirelessly transmitting measurement data based on the electrical signal;
A sensor power supply for supplying power to the measurement data transmitter;
The measurement system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , further comprising: The sensor power supply unit includes:
The measurement system according to claim 5 , further comprising: a piezoelectric element that converts vibration of the hull into electric power. The sensor unit is
The measurement system according to claim 5 or 6 , wherein the measurement system is a strain gauge that converts strain at an installed location into an electrical signal. A sensor unit provided at a predetermined position in the hold located below the upper deck of the hull transmits measurement data obtained by measuring a predetermined state of the hull wirelessly,
A repeater provided in a through-hole penetrating the upper deck or bulkhead of the hull wirelessly receives the measurement data at one of the through-holes and wirelessly transmits the received measurement data at the other of the through-holes. Send in
A measurement data receiver provided in a measurement room arranged at a predetermined position of the hull receives measurement data transmitted by the repeater wirelessly ,
A measuring method , wherein a gap between the through hole and the repeater is sealed with an insulator .

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