JPS6341293A - Tugging for underwater tugging body - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To ensure holding of a tugging body in a position in water, by a method wherein an underwater tugging body on which to mount detectors is connected through a cable, and a flexible relative position stabilizing member, extended from the rear part of the tugging body through water to a parent ship, is situated. CONSTITUTION:An underwater tugging body 2, on which various detectors, e.g. air guns, adapted to investigate submarine resources, is connected by means of a pair of ropes 6 in a state to be inclined at a given angle with the advancing direction of a parent ship 1, and is suspended down to a given depth by means of a buoy 3. A flexible relative position stabilizing member 5 is situated from the rear part of a tugging body 2 through water to the parent ship 1, and the end part of the stabilizing member is connected to a fixed body 7 on the parent ship 1. The stabilizing member 5 incorporates a compressed air feed pipe to an air gun in the tugging body 2, and a control signal feed wire. During sailing, the relative position stabilizing member 5 prevents the underwater tugging bodies 2 from making contact with each other and with the parent ship 1, and enables ensurance of the tugging body in a position in water.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a device for towing an underwater towing body by a ship, and in particular, the present invention relates to an apparatus for towing an underwater towing body by a ship, and in particular, an underwater towing device equipped with various detectors, etc. The present invention relates to a towing device suitable for use in towing a towed body.

[Conventional technology]

Generally, when a ship such as an undersea resource exploration ship or an ocean research ship is traveling, a plurality of underwater towing bodies equipped with various detectors are towed by the ship via a tow cable.

In order to prevent these underwater towing bodies from interfering with each other during towing, each underwater towing body is conventionally equipped with attitude control fins or thrusters, and these fins or thrusters allow each underwater towing body to Position control is performed to maintain a predetermined position with respect to the underwater towing body and the above-mentioned ship.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, in the conventional position control means as described above,
Since the underwater towing body itself is affected by changes in the direction of water flow, etc., there is a problem in that the relative position of the underwater towing body cannot be reliably maintained within a certain range even with fins, thrusters, etc.

The present invention attempts to solve such problems, and aims to provide a towing device for an underwater towing body that can reliably hold the underwater towing body at a predetermined position underwater. .

[Means for solving problems]

Therefore, the towing device for an underwater towing body of the present invention is provided with a tow cable for connecting the underwater towing body to the vessel so that the underwater towing body is towed by a ship, and the towing cable is provided to connect the underwater towing body to the vessel, and when towing, the underwater towing body is moved outwardly. In order to suppress this, a flexible relative position stabilizing member is provided that extends from the rear of the underwater towing body to the vessel via the water.

[For production]

In the above-described towing device for an underwater towing body of the present invention, the underwater towing body is towed by a ship via a towing cable, and the underwater towing body is prevented from moving outward by a flexible relative position stabilizing member. be done.

〔Example〕

Below, a towing device for an underwater towing body as an embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view thereof, Fig. 3 is a schematic side view thereof, and Fig. 3 is a schematic side view thereof. It is an enlarged view of the ■ part.

In this embodiment, a case will be described in which a device according to the present invention is applied to a submarine resource exploration vessel. This submarine resource exploration vessel towed an underwater towing body equipped with an air gun at a depth of 811m.
1), the i7 wave is fired from an air gun toward the ocean floor (about several thousand tens of thousands of meters deep). Then, by receiving the reflected waves from the seabed with a stringer cable towed by the seabed resource exploration vessel, the presence or absence of seabed resources such as oil fields is investigated based on the reception results.

In such a submarine resource exploration vessel, as shown in Figure 1.2, the cruising speed of the hull 1 (forward speed ■,
), a pair of left and right underwater towing bodies 2, 2 are towed. Each underwater towing body 2 is connected to the hull 1 by a rope 6 as a towing cable.
It is connected to the buoy 3 and is arranged at a predetermined inclination angle θ with respect to the traveling direction −2, and is suspended by a buoy 3 at a predetermined depth (approximately 8+o in this embodiment).

The rope 6 is connected to the winch 4 on the hull 1 and is wound up and let out, so that the underwater towing body 2 can be pulled up and recovered by winding up the rope 6. ing.

On the other hand, a flexible relative position stabilizing member 5 is provided between each underwater towing body 2 and the hull 1 so as to extend from the rear of the underwater towing body 2 to the hull 1 via the water.

The relative position stabilizing member 5 includes an air gun pipe 5a that supplies compressed air to an air gun (not shown) installed on the underwater towing body 2, and a control system for intermittently driving the air to the air gun. A signal cable 5b for transmitting signals is built-in.

Note that the relative position stabilizing member 5 is attached to a fixed object 7 on the hull 1.
is combined with

Further, in FIG. 2, reference numeral 8 indicates a water line.

The towing device for an underwater towing body as an embodiment of the present invention has a groove structure as described above, so that when being towed by the hull 1, a resistance force proportional to the speed of the water flow is applied to the underwater towing body 2 due to the water flow. Furthermore, due to the inclination θ of the underwater towing body 2, an outward component force ``acts''.

At the same time, a resistance force proportional to the speed of the water flow acts on the relative position stabilizing member 5 due to the water flow, and an inward component force r acts on the relative position stabilizing member 5.

In this embodiment, by balancing these component forces f and r, the movement of the underwater towing body 2 toward the outside is suppressed, and the underwater towing body 2 is kept at a predetermined position (indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 1) with respect to the hull 1. The underwater towing body 2 is subjected to position maintenance control 4 at a position at a distance from the hull center line shown in FIG.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the action of the relative position stabilizing member 5 makes it possible to reliably hold the underwater towing body 2 at a predetermined relative position, and prevent the underwater towing bodies 2 and the hull 1 from interfering with each other. can.

In addition, since the resistance force acting on the underwater towing body 2 and the relative position stabilizing member 5 is proportional to the towing speed (velocity of water flow), the underwater towing body 2 is stable enough to sufficiently respond to changes in the same speed. This has the effect of holding the position.

In this embodiment, the relative position stabilizing member 5 is provided separately from the rope 6, but a plate-shaped water flow resistor or the like may be attached to the rope 6 so that it also serves as the relative position stabilizing member 5.

Further, instead of the buoy 3, a ballast tank may be provided inside the underwater towing body 2.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the case where two underwater towing bodies are towed has been described, but the number of underwater towing bodies may be one or three.
The number may be more than 1, and the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

In addition, although this embodiment shows an example in which the device is applied to a submarine resource exploration vessel, the device of the present invention can be applied not only to the submarine resource exploration vessel described above, but also to general vessels towing an underwater towing body such as an ocean research vessel. It can be applied in the same way as the example.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As detailed above, according to the towing device for an underwater towing body of the present invention, in order to tow the underwater towing body by a ship, the underwater towing body is provided with a tow cable that connects the underwater towing body to the vessel, and when towing the underwater towing body, the towing cable is provided. In order to suppress the outward movement of the underwater towing body, a flexible relative position stabilizing member is provided that extends from the rear of the underwater towing body through the water to the vessel, which is an extremely simple structure. This makes it possible to reliably hold it in the specified position.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 3 show a towing device for an underwater towing body as an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view thereof, FIG. 2 is a schematic side view thereof, FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the section ■ in FIG. 1. 1. Hull, 2. Underwater towing body, 3. Buoy, 4. Winch, 5. Relative position stabilization member, 5a. Pipe for air gun, 5b. Signal cable, 6. As towing line. Rope, 7. Fixed object, 8. Water line.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In order to tow the underwater towing body by a ship, a tow line is provided to connect the underwater tow body to the vessel, and in order to suppress the outward movement of the underwater tow body during towing, a tow line is provided from the rear of the underwater tow body. A towing device for an underwater towing body, characterized in that a flexible relative position stabilizing member is provided that reaches the vessel via the vessel.