KR101422699B1 - Underwater station and underwater vehicle underwater vehicle management system - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an underwater station and an underwater locomotive operation system, and more particularly, to an underwater station for operating a plurality of underwater locomotives and an underwater locomotive operation system including the same. According to an aspect of the invention, an underwater station is launched from the mother ship into the water; And a plurality of underwater motors that oscillate from the underwater station to perform an underwater operation, wherein the underwater station includes an upper frame connected with the busbars and a cable, and a lower frame provided below the upper frame, An underwater locomotive operation system including a plurality of cages which provide a space in which the cages are accommodated can be provided.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a submersible station and a submersible vehicle operation system,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an underwater station and an underwater locomotive operation system, and more particularly, to an underwater station and an underwater locomotive operation system for operating a plurality of underwater locomotives.

Recently, as the marine industry has been actively developed including the development of seabed resources, there is a rapid increase in demand for an underwater vehicle that performs underwater work in an underwater environment in which human access is difficult. Typical examples of such an underwater vehicle include a remotely operated robot (ROV) or an autonomous unmanned vehicle (AUV).

When performing underwater work using such an underwater vehicle, a plurality of underwater vehicles are often operated simultaneously. For example, when exploring submarine geomorphology, several submersibles are divided into subsea areas, and when subsea equipment is installed, maintained, and operated, one submersible unit directly handles subsea facilities, The moving body can take a working image from the rear side.

A separate structure is provided between the underwater vehicle and the bus bar to connect them. For example, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2009-0074547 discloses a hybrid deep sea unmanned submersible system.

In the composite deep sea unmanned submersible system disclosed in the above publication, one remote control unmanned submersible is connected to one submersible device connected to the shipboard control system. Therefore, it is necessary to have several submersible devices in order to operate several remote control unmanned submersibles in water. The cable between the bus and submersible device or the cable between the submersible device and the remote control unmanned submersible becomes complicated when several underwater devices are located in the water. Therefore, several remote control unmanned submersibles have a problem that the cables become entangled during the operation. In addition, the operation time and the operation cost are increased because a plurality of submersible devices are required to be submerged.

Patent Document 1: Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2009-0074547

An object of the present invention is to provide an underwater station for operating a plurality of underwater vehicles and a method for operating an underwater vehicle.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims .

According to an aspect of the invention, an underwater station is launched from the mother ship into the water; And a plurality of underwater motors that oscillate from the underwater station to perform an underwater operation, wherein the underwater station includes an upper frame connected with the busbars and a cable, and a lower frame provided below the upper frame, An underwater locomotive operation system including a plurality of cages which provide a space in which the cages are accommodated can be provided.

In addition, the plurality of cages may be disposed symmetrically with each other at a lower portion of the frame.

In addition, a plurality of cable coupling members to which the cables are connected may be formed on the upper surface of the upper frame at positions corresponding to the plurality of cages.

In addition, the cable may include a pull cable connected to the cable coupling member from the bus bar, and a tether cable connected to the underwater vehicle from the bus bar.

Further, the upper frame may be provided in an annular ring shape or a polygonal shape when viewed from above.

In addition, the plurality of underwater vehicles may include a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) or an autonomous unmanned submersible vehicle (AUV).

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an upper frame provided in an annular ring shape or a polygonal shape when viewed from above. A plurality of cages provided symmetrically with each other on a lower surface of the upper frame and providing a space in which a plurality of underwater vehicles are accommodated; And a plurality of cable binding members formed symmetrically with each other on the upper surface of the upper frame and guiding a plurality of cables connected to the plurality of underwater vehicles from the bus bars, respectively.

According to the present invention, since one underwater station can accommodate a plurality of underwater vehicles, it is possible to operate a plurality of underwater vehicles by using a small number of vessels.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and the effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic diagram of an underwater vehicle operation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the underwater station of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a top view of the underwater station of Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a bottom view of the underwater station of Figure 2;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the cage of Figure 2;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a variant of the underwater station of Figure 2;
Figure 7 is a perspective view of the underwater vehicle of Figure 1;

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to be illustrative of the present invention and not to limit the scope of the invention. Should be interpreted to include modifications or variations that do not depart from the spirit of the invention.

The terms and accompanying drawings used herein are for the purpose of facilitating the present invention and the shapes shown in the drawings are exaggerated for clarity of the present invention as necessary so that the present invention is not limited thereto And are not intended to be limited by the terms and drawings.

In the following description, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an underwater vehicle operation system 100 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an underwater vehicle operation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The underwater locomotive operation system is a system for performing an underwater operation using an underwater locomotive (140).

Referring to FIG. 1, an underwater locomotive operating system 100 includes an underwater station 120 and an underwater locomotive 140.

The underwater station 120 may be launched from the bus 10 into the water. The bus bar 10 can lift the underwater station 120 using a crane or the like. The underwater station 120 can be launched from the bus bar 10 in the water or recovered from the water bus bar 10.

In addition, the underwater station (120) can receive the underwater vehicle (140). The underwater vehicle 140 accommodated in the underwater station 120 can oscillate from the underwater station 120 when the underwater station 120 is launched and can perform an underwater operation. In addition, the underwater vehicle 140 that has completed the underwater operation can return to the underwater station 120 and can be recovered to the underwater station 120.

Generally, the sea surface is strong because the effect of wind directly acts on the sea surface. Therefore, when the underwater vehicle 140 is launched from the busheets 10 directly through the sea surface, disturbance due to algae may be applied to the underwater vehicle 140, thereby disturbing the movement of the underwater vehicle 140, The posture control of the vehicle can be unstable. Particularly, in the case of the underwater vehicle 140 such as a remote work robot, since the tether cable 11b is connected to the bus bar 10 through the tether cable 11b, the tether cable 11b is directly affected by the waves of the sea surface Which may interfere with the operation of the underwater vehicle 140.

On the other hand, when the underwater station 120 is launched to a predetermined depth and then the underwater vehicle 140 oscillates to the underwater station 120, the underwater station 120 performs an anchor according to its own weight, The operation of the moving body 140 can be facilitated. In addition, since the tether cable 11b is connected to the underwater vehicle 140 through the underwater station 120 serving as an anchor and the copper wire of the underwater vehicle 140 is shortened, the usable range of the tether cable 11b is also reduced, The cable 11b is prevented from being twisted and the tether cable 11b can be easily managed.

Here, the underwater vehicle 140 is a concept encompassing an apparatus for moving in water or performing a predetermined underwater operation. The underwater vehicle 140 may be a device that receives remote control from the bus 10 or performs an operation according to a predetermined routine by a predetermined program. Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) or Autonomous Unmanned Vehicle (AUV), which is so-called an underwater robot, is a representative example of the underwater vehicle 140.

For example, the underwater vehicle 140 can perform underwater operations to install, maintain, and operate the subsea facilities. Remote work robots can be used mainly for such underwater work.

Here, the term "seabed facility" refers to the facilities installed on the seabed. Subsea facilities can be used in a variety of industries that are undertaken underwater. For example, seabed facilities can be used to extract various seabed resources buried in the seabed, including crude oil and natural gas from the sea floor. In addition, seabed facilities can be used in various fields such as exploration of seabed topography and subsea power generation facilities.

A typical example of the seabed facility used for the submarine crude harvesting is the wellhead tree 13 or the manifold 14.

The well head tree 13 is installed in the wellhead of the seabed well. The well head tree 13 can extract crude oil from the seabed well. Further, the well head tree 13 can control the pressure of the crude oil ejected from the seabed well, thereby preventing the crude oil of the seabed from leaking to the oceans. When there are a plurality of ditches of the well, the wellhead tree 13 can be installed for each dock.

The manifold 14 is mounted on the undersurface of the periphery of the well head tree 13 and is connected to the well head tree 13 via a flow line 15 or a jumper 16. The manifold 14 collects the crude oil extracted from the wellhead tree 13 via the flow line 15 and temporarily stores it.

The manifold 14 is also connected to the refinery 18 via a pipeline 17 or a riser 17. The refinery (18) may be located on an offshore structure or on an offshore vessel. The manifold 14 delivers the crude oil collected through the pipeline 17 or the riser 17 to the refinery 18 and the refinery 18 primarily refines the crude oil. The refined crude oil can be delivered to the land via an oil pipeline or transported to the land via a ship, which can be refined and then supplied to the general public.

In general, various submarine facilities including the wellhead tree 13 and the manifold 14 described above are installed on the sea floor of the deep water ranging from hundreds to thousands of water depths, so that it is impossible for the human operator to operate the water well. Accordingly, the underwater vehicle 140 can control the operation of the operation means provided on the seabed facility on behalf of the human being by manipulating the operation means.

In addition, the underwater vehicle 140 may explore submarine resources or seabed topography. The autonomous unmanned submersible can be used for such underwater work.

Hereinafter, the underwater station 120 of the above-described underwater vehicle operation system 100 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 2 to FIG.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the underwater station 120 of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a top view of the underwater station 120 of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the underwater station 120 of FIG.

2 through 4, the underwater station 120 includes an upper frame 121, a cable coupling member 122, and a cage 123. [

The upper frame 121 is connected to the bus bar 10 to support the cage 123. The upper frame 121 is connected to the bus bar 10 through a cable 11 connected to a cable coupling member 122 provided on the upper surface thereof and supports a cage 123 installed on a lower surface thereof.

The upper frame 121 may be provided so as to have a sufficient weight to serve as an anchor. If the upper frame 121 is too light, disturbance such as algae becomes unstable and it becomes difficult to perform an anchor function with respect to the lower cage 123, the cable 11 and the underwater robot. Conversely, An unnecessary load may be applied to the crane of the bus bar 10 for raising and lowering it.

The upper frame 121 may have an annular ring shape or a polygonal shape as viewed from the upper surface. At this time, the upper frame 121 may be provided in the form of an empty central region when viewed from above. The upper frame 121 of this type is less likely to disturb the flow of algae or the like, and thus can receive less disturbance.

A cable 11 is connected to the cable coupling member 122 from the bus bar 10.

Here, the cable 11 may include a pull cable 11a and a tether cable 11b. The tow cable 11a can be used to support the weight of the underwater station 120 or lift the underwater station 120. The tow cable 11a can be provided so as to withstand the tension due to the self weight of the underwater station 120. For example, the tow cable 11a may be a chain, iron wire, or the like. The tether cable 11b connects the bus bar 10 and the underwater vehicle 140 to supply power to the underwater vehicle 140 from the bus bar 10 or to function as a communication path between the bus bar 10 and the underwater vehicle 140 Can be performed.

The cable coupling member 122 can be coupled to the tow cable 11a. The tow cable 11a can bear the weight of the underwater station 120 as the tow cable 11a is bound to the cable binding member 122. [ The opposite side of the tow cable 11a is connected to the crane of the bus 10 so that the tow cable 11a can be wound or lifted by the crane. The tether cable 11b may be connected to the underwater station 120, which is accommodated in the cage 123 through the cable coupling member 122. [

The cable coupling member 122 may be installed on the upper surface of the upper frame 121. The cable coupling member 122 may be one or more. A plurality of cables 11 can be connected to each of the plurality of cable binding members 122 so that the self weight of the underwater station 120 is dispersed and the tension applied to the cable 11 can be reduced.

The plurality of cable coupling members 122 may be arranged to be symmetrical with respect to the upper frame 121. Accordingly, since the load of the underwater station 120 is uniformly dispersed, the underwater station 120 can easily maintain a more stable posture. For example, four cable coupling members 122 may be arranged at right angles to each other in an annular ring-shaped upper frame 121.

The cage 123 provides a space in which the underwater vehicle 140 is accommodated. The underwater vehicle 140 may be oscillated in the water in the state accommodated in the cage 123 or may be collected in the cage 123 and recovered to the underwater station 120 after finishing the underwater operation.

5 is a perspective view of the cage 123 of FIG. Referring to FIG. 5, the cage 123 may have a framework structure. The frame structure cage 123 can advantageously receive the underwater vehicle 140 stably and less affected by disturbance such as algae.

The cage 123 may be installed on the lower surface of the upper frame 121. The cages 123 may be provided in one or a plurality. Each of the plurality of cages 123 can house one underwater vehicle 140. Accordingly, it becomes possible to operate a plurality of underwater vehicles 140 with one underwater station 120.

The plurality of cages 123 may be arranged to be symmetrical to the lower portion of the upper frame 121. The underwater vehicle 140 is connected by the bus bar 10 and the tether cable 11b. When a plurality of underwater vehicles 140 are operated, the tether cables 11b may be tangled with each other. At this time, when the cages 123 receiving the underwater vehicle 140 are symmetrically arranged and are spaced apart from each other, the tether cable 11b can be prevented from being twisted. For example, four cable coupling members 122 may be arranged at right angles to each other in an annular ring-shaped upper frame 121.

On the other hand, the cage 123 and the cable coupling member 122 may be provided in a corresponding number. Accordingly, the tether cable 11b connected to the underwater vehicle 140 can be connected to the underwater vehicle 140 accommodated in the corresponding cage 123 through the cable coupling member 122, respectively. Accordingly, since the plurality of tether cables 11b are individually guided by the cable coupling member 122 and connected by the underwater vehicle 140, the tether cable 11b can be easily managed.

The cage 123 and the cable coupling member 122 may be disposed at positions corresponding to each other. That is, a cable coupling member 122 may be provided on the upper surface of one point of the upper frame 121, and a cage 123 may be provided on the lower surface of the cable coupling member 122. The tether cable 11b is connected to the underwater vehicle 140 housed in the cage 123 located immediately below the cable coupling member 122 so that the plurality of tether cables 11b are prevented from being twisted .

In the present invention, the underwater station 120 is not limited to the above example. 6 is a perspective view of a variation of the underwater station 120 of FIG.

Referring to FIG. 6, a connection bar 124 may be formed on the upper frame 121 of the underwater station 120. The connection bar 124 extends obliquely upward from the upper surface of the upper frame 121. The plurality of connection bars 124 may extend from different points of the upper frame 121 and may be connected to each other at an upper portion of the central portion of the upper frame 121. At this time, the plurality of connection bars 124 may be provided to be symmetrical to each other. Thus, the underwater station 120 can be stably balanced. For example, the upper frame 121 may extend from a point where four connecting bars 124 are perpendicular to each other in the upper frame 121.

In a modification, the cable coupling member 122 may include a main cable coupling member 122a and an auxiliary cable coupling member 122b.

The main cable binding member 122a is formed at a portion where the connecting bars 124 are connected to each other. The main cable coupling member 122a is coupled to the pull cable 11a so that the weight of the underwater station 120 can be sustained.

The auxiliary cable binding member 122b may be provided on the upper surface of the underwater frame. The auxiliary cable coupling member 122b may be provided in the same number as the number of the cages 123. [ In addition, the auxiliary cable binding members 122b may be provided so as to be symmetrical to each other. The auxiliary cable binding member 122b may be formed at a position corresponding to the position where the cage 123 is installed.

The auxiliary cable coupling member 122b serves to guide the tether cable 11b to the underwater vehicle 140 along the respective cages 123. [ That is, the tether cables 11b are individually connected to the auxiliary cable coupling member 122b through the main cable 11 coupling member and the auxiliary cable coupling member 122b is connected to the cage 123 And is connected to the underwater vehicle 140. As described above, the tether cable 11b can be prevented from twisting or tangling by separating the tether cable 11b extending from the main cable coupling member 122a.

Hereinafter, the underwater vehicle 140 of the above-described underwater running system 100 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. However, in the following description, the remote work robot will be described with reference to the underwater vehicle 140. However, since this is merely for the convenience of explanation, the submersible vehicle 140 is not limited to the remote work robot in the present invention, and the submersible vehicle 140 may include an autonomous submersible, And the like.

7 is a perspective view of the underwater vehicle 140 of FIG. 7, the underwater vehicle 140 includes a body frame 141, a cable port 142, a propeller 143, a floating member 144, a robot arm 145, and a photographing unit 146.

The body frame 141 forms the body of the underwater vehicle 140. Other components of the underwater vehicle 140 may be installed in the body frame 141. The body frame 141 is provided with a material having high pressure resistance. Accordingly, deformation and breakage of the underwater vehicle 140 in the high-pressure environment of the deep sea can be prevented.

A tether cable 11b is connected to the cable port 142. The tether cable 11b can be connected from the bus bar 10 to the cable port 142 of the underwater vehicle 140 via the cable coupling member 122. [ The tether cables 11b can be prevented from twisting when the plurality of underwater vehicles 140 are operated. The tether cable 11b supplies power to the underwater vehicle 140 and supplies power to the underwater vehicle 140 And the bus bar 10 can communicate through the tether cable 11b.

The propeller 143 is installed in the body frame 141, and the propeller 143 outputs propulsion. For example, the propeller 143 may be a propeller or a jet nozzle. When the propeller 143 outputs thrust, the underwater vehicle 140 can be moved or the attitude of the underwater vehicle 140 can be adjusted.

A plurality of propellers 143 may be provided in the underwater vehicle 140. A plurality of propellers 143 may be provided on different sides of the body frame 141. Accordingly, the propeller 143 can precisely control the posture of the underwater vehicle 140 or allow the underwater vehicle 140 to move freely in multiple axes.

The floating member 144 provides buoyancy. For example, the floating member 144 may be provided as a low-density material such as styrofoam or polyurethane, or may be provided as a container containing gas such as air or nitrogen. The floating member 144 may be installed on the upper portion of the body frame 141. When the floating member 144 is installed on the upper portion of the body frame 141, the buoyancy of the floating member 144 makes it easier for the body frame 141 to maintain the flatness.

The robot arm 145 may be installed to face the body frame 141 in a forward direction. The robot arm 145 may be provided with a multi-joint drive structure, and the body frame 141 may be provided with a plurality of robot arms 145. For example, the underwater vehicle 140 may have a five-joint robot arm 145 and a seven-joint robot arm 145.

The robot arm 145 can perform an underwater operation. For example, the robot arm 145 can install, maintain, and repair subsea facilities. As another example, the robot arm 145 may operate the seabed facility. When there are a plurality of robot arms 145, different motions may be assigned to the respective robot arms 145.

The photographing unit 146 photographs an image. The photographing unit 146 may include a camera 146a and an illumination member 146b. The illumination member 146b outputs light, and the camera 146a captures an image. The photographed image can be transmitted to the bus bar 10 through the tether cable 11b. In the cockpit of the bus bar 10, an image photographed through the display is displayed, and the pilot can control the underwater vehicle 140 using the displayed image.

The underwater robot and the bus bar 10 can be connected via the tether cable 11b. At this time, the tether cable 11b can be connected to the underwater robot from the bus 10 through the underwater station 120 as described above. The tether cable 11b can supply power from the bus 10 to the underwater robot. In addition, the tether cable 11b can serve as a path for communication performed between the bus bar 10 and the underwater robot. For example, the tether cable 11b can transmit a steering signal from the bus 10 to an underwater robot, or vice versa, and transmit information collected by the underwater robot from the underwater robot to the bus 10.

Further, the bus bar 10 can remotely control an underwater robot. The bus bar 10 may be provided with a user interface for controlling the underwater robot. For example, the user interface may comprise input means such as a display for outputting an image to the pilot and a joystick, a mouse, and a keyboard receiving the steering signal from the pilot.

On the other hand, a controller (not shown) may be further provided to the underwater vehicle 140. A controller (not shown) may control each element of the underwater vehicle 140. For example, a controller (not shown) may be programmed with a predetermined routine to be performed by the underwater vehicle 140, thereby controlling the components of the underwater vehicle 140 to perform an underwater operation. In another example, a controller (not shown) may communicate with the bus 10 through the cable port 142 and receive control signals of the bus 10 to control the underwater vehicle 140 based on the signals. The controller (not shown) may be implemented in a computer or similar device using software, hardware, or a combination thereof.

The hardware controller (not shown) may be implemented as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays ), Micro-controllers, microprocessors, and electrical devices for performing control functions that are well known to those skilled in the art.

A software controller (not shown) may be implemented by a software code or a software application written in one or more programming languages. The software is stored in a memory and can be executed by a hardware configuration of a controller (not shown). The software may be transmitted from the bus 10 via the tether cable 11b and installed in a hardware configuration of a controller (not shown) of the underwater vehicle 140. [

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention.

Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to illustrate rather than limit the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present invention should be construed according to the following claims, and all technical ideas falling within the scope of the same shall be construed as falling within the scope of the present invention.

100: underwater running system 10: mother ship
120: underwater station 121: upper frame
122: cable connecting member 123: cage
140: underwater vehicle

Claims (7)

An underwater station launched from the mother ship into the water; And
And a plurality of underwater vehicles that oscillate from the underwater station to perform an underwater operation,
The underwater station includes:
An upper frame connected with the bus bar and a cable,
And a plurality of cages installed at a lower portion of the upper frame and providing a space for accommodating the plurality of underwater vehicles,
Wherein the plurality of cages are disposed symmetrically with each other at a lower portion of the frame,
And a plurality of cable coupling members to which the cables are connected are formed on the upper surface of the upper frame at positions corresponding to the plurality of cages. delete The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a plurality of connecting bars extending from different points of the upper frame and connected to each other at an upper portion of the center of the upper frame,
The cable binding member
A main cable binding member formed at a portion where the connecting bars are connected to each other; And
And an auxiliary cable coupling member formed on a top surface of the upper frame at a position corresponding to a position where the cage is installed. The method according to claim 1,
The cable including a traction cable connected to the cable coupling member from the bus bar and a tether cable connected to the underwater vehicle from the bus bar. The method according to claim 1 or 3,
Wherein the upper frame is provided in an annular ring shape or a polygonal shape when viewed from above. The method according to claim 1 or 3,
Wherein the plurality of underwater vehicles include a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) or an autonomous unmanned vehicle (AUV). An upper frame provided in an annular ring shape or a polygonal shape when viewed from above;
A plurality of connecting bars extending from different points of the upper frame and connected to each other at an upper side of the central portion of the upper frame;
A plurality of cages provided symmetrically with each other on a lower surface of the upper frame and providing a space in which a plurality of underwater vehicles are accommodated; And
And a plurality of cable coupling members symmetrically formed on the upper surface of the upper frame and guiding a plurality of cables connected to the plurality of underwater vehicles from the bus bar, respectively;
The cable binding member
A main cable binding member formed at a portion where the connecting bars are connected to each other; And
And an auxiliary cable binding member formed on a top surface of the upper frame at a position corresponding to a position where the cage is installed.

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