JPH0471990A - Underwater towing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To three-dimensionally increase towing range of an underwater towed body and drastically increase a collecting quantity of environment information of the sea by tractively connecting an underwater towed body provided with an observation device to an underwater towed body operating device provided on the stern part of a marine research ship through a plurality of towing cables. CONSTITUTION:An underwater towed body operating device 2 is fitted and fixed on the stern deck of a marine research ship 1, and the device 2 is tractively connected to an underwater towed body 3 through two towing cables 4, 5. The underwater towed body 3 is constituted out of main beam members 6,7,8 forming a triangle, auxiliary beam members 9,10 reinforcing the main beam members, and a sail 11 coveringly fixed with the respective skeleton members. The two towing cables 4,5 are respectively fitted to the main beam members 6,7,8 through respective three supporting wires 12,13. An observation device 14 is fitted to the auxiliary beam member 9 on the position of center of gravity. Hereby, by adjusting the length of the cables 4,5, underwater posture of the underwater towed body 3 is changed to right or left.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Fields of Application] The present invention is applicable to marine environmental information, such as physical and chemical information such as water temperature, salinity, water depth, fish, and shipwrecks, or scattering, fluorescence, etc. obtained by remote sensing. This invention relates to an underwater towing device for conducting ocean observation to collect image information such as transmittance.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, in underwater towing devices that continuously measure or record ocean environmental information from an underwater towing body suspended by a cable from a moving oceanographic observation vessel, the underwater towing body is suspended by a single cable. The underwater towing body can be moved up and down by operating the steering blades using electrical signals from the ship, and the cable length of the underwater towing body can be adjusted to allow it to be towed underwater while moving up and down, thereby measuring ocean environmental information. was.

[Problem to be solved by the invention] By the way, since the ocean has a vast three-dimensional structure that changes drastically over time, it is necessary to be able to observe the ocean quickly and inexpensively, and to obtain high-quality information. be done. (In addition, for ocean observation using observation vessels, which are extremely expensive due to operational costs, etc., it is important to increase the amount of information collected per unit cost. However, with the conventional underwater towing device described above, Because measurements were taken in a straight line along the direction of travel, the measurement range was limited, and the quality of the observation data was affected by the determination of the observation vessel's route rather than the position of the underwater towing body. .

The present invention solves the above problems and provides an underwater towing device that can three-dimensionally increase the towing range of an underwater towing body and dramatically increase the amount of marine environmental information collected. The purpose is to

[Means for Solving the Problems] For this purpose, the underwater towing device of the present invention includes an underwater towing body control device 2 provided at the rear of an ocean observation vessel 1, and a plurality of towing cables 4 in the underwater towing body control device 2. .5, and an observation device 14 attached to the underwater towing body 3, and the plurality of towing cables 4.
The underwater towing body 3 is characterized in that the underwater attitude of the underwater towing body 3 is changed by adjusting the length of the underwater towing body 5, thereby enabling the underwater towing body 3 to meander.

Note that the numbers added to the above configurations are for comparison with the drawings to facilitate understanding, and the configurations of the present invention are not limited thereby.

[Function] In the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, for example, the movement of the underwater towing body 3 suspended into the water from the rear of the oceanographic observation vessel 1 is similar to that of a conventional underwater towing body. By adjusting the length of multiple towing cables 4.5, the underwater posture of the underwater towed body can be changed from side to side by being pulled by short towing cables, in addition to vertical movement in a straight line, similar to the wake of an oceanographic research vessel. It can meander left and right around the wake of the oceanographic observation vessel 1, and the observation device 14 can obtain information about a wide ocean space more quickly and effectively than before.

[Embodiments] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1st
The figure is a plan view showing one embodiment of the underwater towing body according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing how the underwater towing device of the present invention is used, and FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the trajectory of the underwater towing body. be.

In FIG. 2, an underwater towing body control device 2 is attached and fixed to the stern deck of an oceanographic observation vessel 1, and the underwater towing body control device 2 and the underwater towing body 3 are connected by two towing cables 4.5. It is connected to traction. The control device 2 is provided with an operating lever (not shown) for changing the towing length of the two towing cables 4.5.

As shown in FIG. 1, the underwater towing body 3 includes main aggregates 6, 7, and 8 forming a substantially triangular cane, sub-aggregates 9, 10 that reinforce these main aggregates, and main aggregates 6, 7, and 8. 7.8 and secondary aggregates 9.1
It consists of a sail 11 fixed so as to cover 0. These aggregates are made of glass fiber, carbon fiber, etc., and the sail 11 is made of cloth, synthetic resin, etc.

The two towing cables 4.5 are then attached to the main aggregate 6.7.8 by three support wires 12.13 each. Furthermore, an observation device 14 is attached to the sub-aggregate 9 at the center of gravity of the underwater towing body 3 . This observation device 14 includes various sensors for measuring water temperature, salinity, etc., an ultrasonic oscillator for detecting water depth, fish schools, etc., a television camera for photographing underwater, etc., and these sensors, ultrasonic oscillators, or television cameras are It has a mechanism that controls its attitude by gravity so that its observation direction always points toward the ocean floor.

Furthermore, the observation device 14 is connected to a signal cable 15 built into one of the towing cables 4 .

Next, the operation of the underwater towing device of the present invention having the above configuration will be explained.

If the underwater towing body 3 is towed with the towing lengths of the two towing cables 4.5 being the same, the underwater towing body 3 will be maintained with its underwater attitude facing downward along the wake of the oceanographic observation vessel 1, and the towing speed will be reduced. By slowing down, the water depth of the underwater towing body 3 can be maintained shallow, and by increasing the towing speed, the water depth of the underwater towing body 3 can be maintained deep. This is because when the water resistance that the underwater towing body 3 receives is large, it becomes a water depth force on the towing body, and a force acts to try to dive deep from the underwater state.

Of the two towing cables 4.5, if the underwater towing body 3 is towed by shortening the towing length of the left towing cable 4, the underwater towing body 3 can be moved to the left towing cable 4, which is short in the center of the channel. Pulled by, it changes its underwater attitude to the left and moves to the left of the center of the wake.

When the towing device of the right towing cable 5 is gradually changed to a shorter length while leaving the center of the wake to some extent, the underwater attitude of the underwater towing body 3 gradually changes to the right and moves to the right. Eventually, it crosses the center of the wake, and when it is a certain distance away from the center of the wake, the towing device of the left towing cable 4 is gradually changed to a shorter length, and the underwater attitude of the underwater towing body 3 gradually changes to the left. Go left.

By repeating the above operations, the underwater towing body 3 will meander from side to side centering on the wake of the oceanographic research vessel 1, as shown in FIG. It becomes possible to obtain the information more quickly and effectively than before.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications can be made.

For example, in the above embodiment, the shape of the underwater towing body 3 is approximately triangular, but it may be a polygon such as a quadrangle or a pentagon.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the towing cable 4.5 is
Although it is a book, it may be multiple books such as 3 or 4 books.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the towing cable 4.5 is extended directly into the sea from the underwater towing body control device 2.
A rod may be extended into the seawater at the rear of the oceanographic research vessel 1, and the towing cable 4.5 may be extended from the tip of the rod under the sea. In this way, vibration of the towing cable 4.5 caused by disturbance of the wake can be prevented.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, there is provided an underwater towing body control device provided at the rear of an ocean observation vessel, and an underwater tow body that is towed and connected to the underwater tow body control device by a plurality of towing cables. and changing the underwater attitude of the underwater towing body by adjusting the length of the plurality of towing cables,
Since the underwater towing body is made meanderable, the towing range of the underwater towing body can be increased three-dimensionally, and the amount of ocean environmental information collected can be dramatically increased.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing one embodiment of the underwater towing body according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the usage state of the underwater towing device of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a plane view showing the trajectory of the underwater towing body. It is a diagram. 1... Marine observation vessel, 2... Underwater towing body control device, 3
... Underwater towing body, 4.5... Towing cable, 14.
...Observation equipment. Applicant Marine Science and Technology Center

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) An underwater towing body control device installed at the rear of a marine observation vessel, an underwater towing body towed and connected to the underwater towing body control device by a plurality of towing cables, and an observation device attached to the underwater towing body. An underwater towing device comprising: a submersible towing device, characterized in that the underwater attitude of the underwater towing body is changed by adjusting the lengths of the plurality of towing cables, so that the underwater towing body can meander.