JPH03274482A - Apparatus for observing moving body - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To set a hydrophone to an aimed depth of water correctly automatically and to enable measurement of the vertical distribution of water temperature by providing a reel in the main body of a buoy and by providing a braking device, a water temperature detecting means and a thermocline detecting circuit. CONSTITUTION:An observing apparatus is dropped at a prescribed position onto the surface of the sea. The main body 1 of a buoy floats on the surface of the sea and a cable 2 is let out automatically from a reel 3 and sinks. While the cable 2 sinks, a water temperature detecting element 8 operates and outputs temperature information sequentially to a thermocline detecting circuit 9, transmitting also water temperature information from an antenna 11. The thermocline detecting circuit 9 monitors a thermocline from the temperature information, and detecting it, the circuit outputs a signal to a stop delay circuit 19 in a braking device 4. This stop delay circuit 19 is a circuit for stopping a hydrophone 7 at a desired depth set beforehand under the thermocline, after the thermocline is detected. By the operation of the braking device 4, sinking of the cable 2 is stopped and the hydrophone 7 is disposed correctly at the desired depth under the thermocline.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention is for observing objects moving in seawater.

(Prior art) A moving object observation device suspends a cable with a hydrophone attached to the tip from a buoy body floating on the water surface, and uses the hydrophone to observe acoustic information emitted by the moving object to determine the distance to the target. It is designed to transmit from an antenna installed on the buoy body. There are two types of systems: Badgeftaibu, which only receives acoustic information, and Actifutaibu, which transmits and receives acoustic information.

Conventionally, it was not possible to measure the distance to a target or to measure the direction, so we installed a number of observation devices in a certain pattern and calculated the distance information from there to find the distance and direction. was. In recent years, devices that can also measure direction have appeared, and it has become possible to measure direction and distance using a single observation device.In order to improve detection accuracy, many observation devices are being installed in a certain pattern as in the past. I have to.

In any case, there is no doubt that the hydrophone is used to collect acoustic information from objects moving in seawater.

However, there is a thermocline in seawater, and the state of sound wave propagation differs above and below it. Because moving objects are often below the thermocline, conventional observation devices are configured to switch the length of the cable into two or three stages, and detect water temperature changes based on the vertical distribution of water temperature observed in advance. The instrument was dropped to the sea surface after selecting a length that would reach the appropriate position below the layer.

However, the vertical distribution of water temperature changes depending on various conditions such as ocean area, season, tidal currents, ocean current convection, internal waves, and the presence of ice blocks, and the depth of the thermocline also changes. In particular, the seas around Japan are geographically long stretches of sea from north to south in the mid-latitudes, and the seasons change significantly.In addition, the ocean currents are both warm and cold, so the sound speed structure is complex and changes frequently. Therefore, the probability that the hydrophone can be accurately installed at the target water depth is low if the length of the cable is changed in two or three steps.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) The present invention eliminates the above conventional problems and provides a moving object observation device that can automatically correctly install a hydrophone at a target water depth and measure the vertical distribution of water temperature. The purpose is to

(Means for Solving the Problems) Therefore, in the present invention, a water temperature detecting means is attached to the tip of a cable, and the cable is wound around a reel provided inside the buoy body, and the cable is reeled from the reel and settled. A braking device is provided to stop the cable being held, and when the cable is sinking, the seawater temperature is measured by the water temperature detection means,
The present invention is characterized in that it includes a thermocline detection circuit that detects the thermocline from the measured temperature and operates the braking device.

(Function) The method of use is the same as the conventional method, in which the device is dropped onto the sea surface from a predetermined position. The buoy itself floats on the surface of the sea and is automatically reeled out from a cable or reel to sink. The settling water temperature detection means of the cable operates and sequentially outputs temperature information to the cline detection circuit, and also transmits water temperature information from the antenna. The thermocline detection circuit monitors the thermocline based on the temperature information, and when it is detected, outputs a signal to the stop delay circuit in the braking device. This stop delay circuit is a circuit that stops the hydrophone at a preset desired depth below the thermocline after detection of the thermocline.The operation of the braking device causes the cable to sink or stop, allowing the hydrophone to properly jump to the thermocline. It can be placed at a desired depth under the layer.

(Example) The buoy main body 1 of the example is cylindrical, and includes a reel 3 for winding an electronic circuit and a cable 2 therein, and a braking device 4 for stopping the rotation of this reel and stopping the cable 2 from sinking.
It has At the tip of the cable 2, there are attached a tambour robe 5, a temporometer 6, a hydrophone 7, and a water temperature detector 8, which also serves as a weight, at the tip. Before dropping to the sea surface, the cable 2 or the reel 3 is wound up, and each member attached to the tip of the cable 2 is also housed within the buoy body.

Water temperature information from the water temperature detection section 8 and acoustic information from the hydrophone 7 are transmitted to the electronic circuit within the buoy body 1 via the cable 2. The electronic circuit in the buoy body 1 includes a thermocline detection circuit 9 that uses the water temperature information as input to observe the thermocline, and operates the braking device 4 when it is detected;
A preset circuit 18 that can set a rough target water depth, a stop delay circuit 19 that controls the set depth according to the preset, and a transmission circuit that transmits acoustic information and water temperature information from the hydrophone 7 from the antenna 1. 10 is included.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram including a block diagram of the embodiment, and is an example of a braking device 4 that stops the rotation of the reel 3 and stops the cable from settling.

Acoustic information from the hydrophone 7 is passed through a bandpass filter 12, amplified by a first amplifier 13, and sent to a transmitter 10 by an antenna 1.
Send from 1. On the other hand, temperature information from the thermistor 8a provided in the water temperature detection unit 8 is outputted to the cline detection circuit 9 and the transmission circuit 10 via the second amplifier 14, and is also transmitted from the antenna 11. The cline detection circuit 9 calculates the temperature information and outputs a stop command signal to the stop delay circuit 19 after detecting the thermocline. The signal causes the stop delay circuit 19 to operate, and at the same time, a braking force is applied to the reel 3, resulting in deceleration and payout. After the stop delay circuit 19 starts operating, the cable is brought out to a preset desired depth below the thermocline and stopped. - The purpose of first decelerating and descending a predetermined distance is to protect the cable 2 and to accurately stop at the set depth without overrunning.

In addition, in the embodiment, when the thermocline is detected, the stop delay circuit 19
is activated, and the braking device 4 is automatically activated at the target depth.
Since the hydrophone 7 is configured to operate, the hydrophone 7 will always stop at the target depth below the first thermocline, but if necessary, a re-feeding signal will be sent to send the hydrophone 7 below the second thermocline. It is also possible to move the phone and add a timer circuit to stop it at a desired depth below the thermocline using a preset toggle switch.

The number of thermistors 8a for detecting the water temperature is not limited to one, but a plurality of thermistors can be provided at several locations to improve the accuracy of detecting the cline.

Electrical signals are exchanged between the rotating reel 3 and the cable 2 being fed out through a well-known slip ring 15.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment, which differs from the one in FIG. 2 in the structure of the reel 16 and the structure of the braking device 17. That is, in this embodiment, the reel 16 has a structure that does not rotate. Therefore, instead of stopping and braking the rotation of the reel, the settling of the cable 2 is braked by, for example, clamping the cable itself with the braking device 17. The rest is the same as the previous embodiment, and there is no particular difference in operation from the previous embodiment.

As before, a scuttling mechanism is provided to scuttle the vessel after a certain period of time has been measured.

(Effect of the invention) As described above, the present invention provides water temperature detection means in the cable,
By using this water temperature information to detect the thermocline, and then stopping the cable from sinking, we can ensure that the hydrophone is placed at the target depth below the thermocline.
In addition to acoustic information, temperature information can also be measured.

In addition, there is no need for extra operations such as measuring temperature information in advance and changing the cable length based on that data as in the past, so observations can be made quickly.
Even in cases of emergency, observation can be started immediately upon arrival at the site. Therefore, it is possible to save labor and improve detection ability.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings relate to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the device in use, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electrical circuit, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an electrical circuit of another embodiment. l... Buoy body 2... Cable 3...
Reel 4... Brake device 5... Damper rope 6...-Next width device 7... Hydrophone
8...Water temperature detection section 8a...Thermistor 9
...Cline detection circuit 10...Transmitter 11
... Antenna 12 ... Bandpass filter 15 ... Slip ring 17 ... Brake device 19 ... Stop delay circuit 13, 14 ... Amplifier 16 ... Reel 18 ... Preset circuit

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A moving object observation device in which a cable having a hydrophone at the tip is suspended from a buoy body floating on the water surface, and underwater sound information observed by the hydrophone is transmitted from an antenna provided on the buoy body. A reel installed inside the buoy body around which the cable is wound, a braking device that stops the cable that is unwound from the reel and sinking, a water temperature detection means installed at the tip of the cable, and temperature information detected by this water temperature detection means. A moving object observation device comprising: a thermocline detection circuit that detects the thermocline and operates the braking device when the hydrophone reaches a target depth below the thermocline.