KR101692471B1 - System and method using rov for detecting damage point submarine power cable - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and a method for detecting a damage point of a submarine power cable, which can easily verify a damage position of a power cable by enabling an acoustic sensor to have high receiving sensitivity and to receive a discharging sound generated in a damage point of the power cable while the acoustic sensor approaches as much as possible to the power cable by an ROV capable of freely floating around a sea-bed. The system comprises: a sled drawn by a vessel to move by approaching to the power cable along the sea-bed; a second acoustic sensor installed in the sled, and receiving the discharging sound generated in the damage point of the power cable; and a controller for analyzing the discharging sound received in the second acoustic sensor, and estimating a position of the damage point of the power cable.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a method for detecting a damaging point of a submarine power cable using ROV,

More particularly, the present invention relates to an ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) capable of freely floating near a sea floor, and has a high reception sensitivity in a state where the acoustic sensor is as close as possible to a power cable, The present invention relates to a damage detection system and a damage point detection method for detecting damage points of a power cable by receiving a discharge sound generated at a point.

In general, submarine power cables are buried several kilometers to several hundred kilometers below sea floor, and various methods are being implemented to detect the damage point of such submarine power cables.

Detection of the damage point of the submarine power cable is mainly performed by visual inspection depending on the actual observation of the diver and photographing the camera of the small unmanned submersible equipped with the camera. Therefore, a search device capable of accurately detecting the failure point of a submarine cable or a pipeline has become an urgent task. Various methods for solving such problems are being sought.

For example, in Korean Patent Registration No. 0594349, which was registered on June 21, 2006, a continuous path detecting apparatus and method of a DC transmission line and a cast iron pipe embedded in the seabed by a three-axis magnetic field measurement has been proposed. According to this apparatus and method, a three-axis magnetic field measuring sensor for sensing a magnetic field while moving the sea floor, a four channel low noise multiplexer for connecting three-axis magnetic field measuring sensors to measure three components within 1 msec, A high precision digital measurement unit for calculating a direction of a transmission line and a cast iron pipe embedded in a seabed with a sigma delta resolution of 25 bits or more and connected to a low noise multiplexer to convert an analog signal into a digital signal, A real time precise position tracking unit and a main computer for integrating / controlling / measuring / processing / analyzing each of the above devices, so that the weak three-axis component from the three-axis magnetic field measuring sensor and the four- It has an amplifier and a noise canceling filter that amplify the signal and remove the noise, In the sea area where the cable / cast iron pipe is expected to pass through, it is necessary to integrate and process the measured values of the 3-axis magnetic field measurement sensor close to the sea floor and the measured values by the DGPS-RTK method so that the continuous path of the transmission line / optical cable / There is a problem that the treatment facilities are complicated, the installation cost is high, and the electric power is consumed.

For reference, in Korean Patent No. 0594349, the depth of the submarine cable is investigated rather than the detection of the merit.

Korean Patent No. 1468033 discloses a submarine power cable fixed point detection system 10 using an underwater acoustic signal. As shown in FIG. 1, the submarine power cable fixed point detection system 10 includes a discharge A multi-channel underwater acoustic receiver (11) for receiving a sound signal; An underwater human body (12) for towing the multi-channel underwater acoustic receiver (11) straight on top of the submarine power cable to determine the underwater position of the multi-channel underwater acoustic receiver (11); An underwater position determination unit (13) for determining the position of the multi-channel underwater acoustic receiver (11) in water; A surge generator for inputting a voltage to the submarine power cable at predetermined time intervals; And a data processing unit 14 for processing and storing the acoustic signals received by the multi-channel underwater acoustic receiver 11 underwater.

However, in the case of the conventional art having such a configuration, since the underwater acoustic receiver 11 is not in proximity to the sea floor and the underwater human body 12 can be operated only in the water, An attempt is made to receive a discharge sound at a remote location. Therefore, it is difficult to receive discharging sound, and even if a discharge sound is received, the receiving sensitivity is remarkably decreased, so it is not easy to accurately grasp the position of the power cable.

Furthermore, in Korea, submarine cable is used to protect the cable by installing a cast iron pipe or using UP-Pipe to protect the submarine cable. Generally, cables are usually buried at depths of 2m or more, or in the case of rock sections, they can not be sold trenches, so they cover a stone of 30cm ~ 50cm in diameter or cover a stone bag to protect the cable. In this case, when the discharge sound is generated at a high advantage, since the sound source is attenuated due to the first and second protection facilities, the reception sensitivity is significantly reduced without approaching the high advantage. Therefore, the position of the sound source It was difficult to do.

Korean Registration Bulletin No. 1468033 (November 26, 2014)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the problems of the related art as described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an ROV that can freely swing near the sea floor, The present invention also provides a method for detecting a damage point of a submarine power cable in which a damage position of a power cable can be easily detected by receiving a discharge sound generated in a point of view.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for detecting a damage point of a submarine power cable, the system comprising: receiving a discharge sound generated at a damaged point of a power cable; A first acoustic sensor for receiving the discharge sound generated at the damaged point of the electric power cable is mounted on the ROV moving near the electric power cable while swimming near the sea floor where the electric power cable is buried As a technical feature.

Here, the first acoustic sensors may be arranged in parallel at a frontmost position protruding forward from the body front end of the ROV, or may be arranged in series in parallel.

A sled which is pulled by the ship to move close to the power cable along the bottom surface where the power cable is embedded; Further comprising a second acoustic sensor mounted on the sled to receive a discharge sound generated at a point of damage of the power cable, the controller further analyzing the discharge sound received at the second acoustic sensor, And estimates the point position.

In addition, one of the ROV and the sled moves along the power cable in a zigzag form for detecting a damaged point of the power cable, and the other one moves along the longitudinal direction of the power cable in a straight line And moves in a mutually complementary manner.

In addition, a camera may be mounted on the body of the ROV so that a sled and its surrounding area moving on the sea floor can be photographed and monitored.

A buoyant body which is pulled by the ship at sea level; Further comprising a third acoustic sensor for receiving a discharge sound generated in a damaged state of the submarine power cable, the third acoustic sensor being drained in water while being supported by the buoyant body, And estimating a damage point position of the power cable.

The third acoustic sensor is supported by the buoyant body by a supporting line and is drained into the buoyant body. A bobbin for controlling the height of the third acoustic sensor rotates while the supporting line is wound around the buoyant body, And a motor for providing a rotating force to the bobbin is installed. In order to prevent the vibration of the third acoustic sensor, a weight module is installed on the lower side of the third acoustic sensor in a hanging manner, A frame having a pair of vertical portions formed with vertical guide grooves on inner surfaces of the pair of vertical portions, and a plurality of unit weight portions each having a pair of vertical portions inserted in the guide grooves of the pair of vertical portions, Wherein both end portions of the unit weight body are formed in a plate shape bent so as to protrude from the left side of the unit weight body, It may have a curved plate-like shape both ends of the unit weight can be characterized in that the insertion portion cut in a slit shape is formed such that.

Meanwhile, the method of detecting a damaged point of a submarine power cable according to an embodiment of the present invention receives a discharge sound generated at a damage point of a power cable and analyzes a received discharge sound to estimate a damage point location of the power cable A first acoustic sensor for receiving a discharge sound generated at a damaged point of a power cable is mounted on an ROV that moves near a power cable while swimming near a sea floor where a power cable is embedded. .

Here, the sled having the second acoustic sensor is towed by the ship, moved along the sea floor to the vicinity of the power cable, the buoyant body supported by the third acoustic sensor is lifted by the vessel, The second acoustic sensor, and the third acoustic sensor to further analyze the discharge sound to estimate the damage point position of the power cable.

The first acoustic sensor, the second acoustic sensor, and the third acoustic sensor are mounted with a sled, an ROV, and a buoyant body, respectively, and are positioned with a height difference from the sea floor to the sea surface. One of the sleds moves gradually along the electric power cable while drawing the left and right zig-zag shapes to detect the damage point of the electric power cable, and the other one moves along the longitudinal direction of the electric power cable in a straight line shape, And the height of the third acoustic sensor is periodically adjusted while being pulled by the ship to detect a damage point of the power cable.

The present invention provides a system and method for detecting a damage point of a submarine power cable having a high reception sensitivity in a state in which an acoustic sensor is as close as possible to a power cable by an ROV that can freely move near the sea floor, The damage position of the power cable can be easily grasped.

In addition, in addition to the acoustic sensors of ROV, the present invention can be applied to an acoustic sensor of a sled moving along a seabed surface and an acoustic sensor drained downward to the sea surface, It is possible to receive the discharge sound three-dimensionally, thereby enabling quick and accurate detection.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a prior art
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state of use for explaining a configuration of a damage detection system for a submarine power cable according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
3 is a block diagram of a damage point detection function in a damage detection system for a submarine power cable according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a ROV photographed in a damage detection system for a submarine power cable according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a sled photograph of a submarine power cable damage point detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention
6A is a view for explaining a sled and an ROV in a system for detecting a damage point of a submarine power cable according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6B is a view for explaining a height adjustment operation of the first acoustic sensor in the damage detection system for a submarine power cable according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a method for estimating the position of a submarine power cable by receiving a discharge sound in a submarine power cable damage point detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention; and FIG.
8 is a top view of the inside of the buoyant body in the undersea power cable damage point detection system according to the embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a perspective view for explaining a configuration of a weight module in a damage detection system for a submarine power cable according to an embodiment of the present invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is capable of various modifications and various forms, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. Like reference numerals are used for like elements in describing each drawing. In the accompanying drawings, the dimensions of the structures are enlarged to illustrate the present invention, and are actually shown in a smaller scale than the actual dimensions in order to understand the schematic structure.

Also, the terms first and second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component. On the other hand, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries are to be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the contextual meaning of the related art and are to be interpreted as either ideal or overly formal in the sense of the present application Do not.

FIG. 2 is a use state diagram for explaining a configuration of a system for detecting a damage point of a submarine power cable according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a damage point detection function in a system for detecting a damage point of a submarine power cable according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a photograph of ROV applied to a damage detection system for a submarine power cable according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a ROV image of a saddle power cable damage detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6A is a reference view for explaining a sled and ROV operating method in a damage detection system for a submarine power cable according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a system for detecting a damage of a submarine power cable according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 7, FIG. 8 is a plan view of the inside of a buoyant body in a system for detecting damage points of a submarine power cable according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. And FIG. 9 is a perspective view for explaining a configuration of a weight module in a damage detection system for a damaged submarine power cable according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the drawings, the system for detecting damage points of a submarine power cable according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a sled 120 moving with different motions at different positions, a ROOT 110 And a buoyant body 130 and includes a second acoustic sensor 140b, a first acoustic sensor 140a, and a third acoustic sensor 140c mounted on each of them.

According to the above configuration, the sled 120 moves closer to the power cable C along the sea floor around the ROV 110 swimming near the sea floor where the power cable C is buried. The first acoustic sensor 140a, the second acoustic sensor 140b, and the third acoustic sensor 140c mounted on the floating members 130 move with different motions at different positions, and the first acoustic sensor 140a, the second acoustic sensor 140b, It is possible to three-dimensionally receive the discharge sound generated at the damage point OP of the cable C, so that the damage point OP of the electric power cable C can be detected more accurately and quickly.

Hereinafter, a system for detecting damage points of a submarine power cable according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described, focusing on each of the above components.

The ROV 110 is provided to move the power cable C as close as possible while freely swimming near the bottom surface where the power cable C is embedded. A plurality of first acoustic sensors 140a are mounted on the ROV 110 to receive discharge sounds generated at the damage point OP of the power cable C and a second transponder 113 is also installed, SH) of the ROV 110 while transmitting and receiving signals to and from the transceiver 150 installed in the RO. In the case of the ROV 110, the sled 120 and its peripheral area are photographed by the camera 114 for photographing installed in the body 111 to carry the first acoustic sensor 140a, To the controller (170) of the ship (SH), the operating state of the sled (120), the working environment of the surrounding area, and the buried state of the power cable can be continuously monitored. The ROV 110 moves in a straight line along the power cable C unlike the sled 120 as shown in FIG. 6A. In this case, when the sled 120 moves linearly, the ROV 110 draws a zigzag pattern so as to move in a complementary manner, thereby effectively receiving the discharge sound. This allows the first acoustic sensor 140a mounted on the ROV 110 to relatively swim near the power cable C buried in the seabed so as to receive the discharge sound generated at the damage point OP.

As shown in the photograph attached to FIG. 4, the ROV 110 is small enough to be able to swim near the sea floor. The ROV 110 is provided with a support protruding forward from the tip of the body 111, and is arranged side by side A plurality of first acoustic sensors 140a arranged in series or in parallel are installed. A plurality of first acoustic sensors 140a provided in parallel at the front end of the ROV 110 body 111 are mounted on the ROV 110. The ROV 110 simulates a natural tongue insulator, It is very suitable for receiving notes. The ROV 110 is connected to the ship SH by a communication and power cable H3 in the same manner as the sled 120 so that information received by the first acoustic sensor 140a is transmitted to the controller 170 ). ≪ / RTI >

The sled 120 is connected to the ship SH by a tow cable H1 and is pulled and moved along the bottom surface. Since the sled 120 moves along the seabed, the power cable C embedded in the seabed surface can be located as close as possible to the abnormal area. The sled 120 is also connected to a communication and a power cable H2 so that communication with the ship SH and application of power are performed. The body 121 of the sled 120 may be formed of a simple triangle frame having durability as shown in FIG. 5. The body 121 of the sled 120 has a plurality of second The acoustic sensor 140b is mounted to receive a discharge sound generated at the damage point OP of the electric power cable C. [ A first transponder 123 is installed on the body 121 of the sled 120 so as to inform the position of the sled 120 while transmitting and receiving the transceiver 150 installed on the ship SH . The information received by the second acoustic sensor 140b is transmitted to the controller 170 installed on the ship SH through the communication and power cable H2.

One notable aspect related to the sled 120 is that it is not simply moved along the cable in the sea floor as shown in FIG. 6A, but is moved in a zigzag form like a rattlesnake while the length of the power cable C It moves gradually along the direction. Due to the operation mode of the sled 120, the second acoustic sensor 140b can receive the discharge sound generated at the damage point OP of the electric power cable C without missing. The movement mode of the sled 120 is complementary to the movement mode of the ROV 110 so that any one of the ROV 110 and the sled 120 may damage the power cable C For point detection, move left and right in a zig-zag pattern, move gradually along the power cable, and the other one moves in a straight line along the length of the power cable)

The buoyant body 130 is installed on the towing cable H4 pulled by the ship SH and supports the third acoustic sensor 140c to prevent the third acoustic sensor 140c from falling completely by buoyancy. As shown in FIG. 8, the buoyant body 130 is provided with a box-shaped housing 131 having an internal space for eliminating a certain volume of seawater. A support wire 134 supporting the third acoustic sensor 140c is wound on the inside of the housing 131 so that the support wire 134 is loosened or wound around the bobbin 131c A motor 131b for providing a rotational force to the bobbin 131c and a gear assembly 131d for connecting the motor 131b and the bobbin 131c. The bobbin 131c and the motor 131b thus installed operate under the control of the controller 170 and adjust the height of the third acoustic sensor 140c as shown in FIG. 6b.

The third acoustic sensor 140c supported by the buoyant body 130 assists the second acoustic sensor 140b to sense or receive a discharge sound generated at the damage point OP of the submarine power cable C And is drained from the buoyant body 130 by the support line 134.

Each second acoustic sensor 140b, first acoustic sensor 140a, and third acoustic sensor 140c mounted on the sled 120, the ROV 110, and the buoyant body 130, as described above, When receiving the discharge sound generated from the damage point OP at the point C, since the reception intensity of the discharge sound is different at each point, the controller 170 basically determines which acoustic sensor of each acoustic sensor has the strongest reception intensity And analyze the reception intensity received at each point to more precisely grasp the position of the damage point (OP). In particular, the system for detecting damage points of a submarine power cable according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a second acoustic sensor 140b, a first acoustic sensor 140a, and a third acoustic sensor 140c, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. Since the sled 120, the ROV 110, and the buoyant body 130, which are mounted, are configured to move individually by different types of movements, the discharge sound is generated at various points while varying the front-back position, And receive strength can be compared. Therefore, it is possible to acquire more data about the reception position of the discharge sound, the reception depth of the discharge sound, and the reception intensity of the discharge sound from each acoustic sensor, thereby quickly and precisely determining the damage point (OP It is possible to estimate the position.

The second acoustic sensor 140b mounted on the sled 120 is relatively close to the power cable C as compared with the first acoustic sensor 140a or the third acoustic sensor 140c, Information can be provided. Therefore, the controller 170 sets the weight of the information received from the second acoustic sensor 140b relative to the other first acoustic sensor 140a or the third acoustic sensor 140c to estimate the position of the damage point OP .

When each acoustic sensor receives the discharge sound generated at the damage point OP of the submarine power cable C, the location of the damage point OP is estimated using the reception intensity of the received discharge sound. The method and procedure are as summarized in FIG.

Meanwhile, the weight module 133, which is supported by the buoyant body 130 under the third acoustic sensor 140c, serves to prevent the third acoustic sensor 140c supported by the support line from shaking. To this end, the weight module 133 includes a frame 133a having a vertical part formed of a metallic material as a whole as shown in FIG. 9 and having vertical guide grooves 133a-1 formed on inner sides facing each other, And a plurality of unit weights 133b that are inserted between the pair of vertical guide grooves 131a and the pair of vertically spaced apart unit weight 133b-1. A slit-shaped cutout 133a-2 is formed on the front wall of the frame 133a so that both end portions 133b-1 of the unit weight 133b are inserted. It should be noted that the weight module 133 is not made of a single mass but is formed by stacking the unit mass 133b. According to such a configuration, the weight of the unit weight 133b can be flexibly adjusted by adjusting the number of the unit weights 133b stacked so that the first sound sensor 140a is not shaken according to an increase in depth of water or movement of seawater.

On the other hand, the GPS receiver 160 is provided for grasping the ship SH, but may be installed in the buoyancy body 130 in a pair with the GPS receiver 160. When the GPS receiver 160 is installed in the buoyant body 130 in addition to the ship SH, it is convenient to set the reference position.

The controller 170 analyzes the intensity of the discharge sound received from the second acoustic sensor 140b, the first acoustic sensor 140a and the third acoustic sensor 140c to estimate the position of the damage point OP do. 3, the controller 170 receives the discharge sound signal received from the second acoustic sensor 140b, the first acoustic sensor 140a, and the third acoustic sensor 140c through the amplifier 180 and the DAQ The position coordinates received from the first transponder 123, the second transponder 113 and the third transponder 133 via the transceiver 150 and the position coordinates received from the depth sensor 130 The measured depth is comprehensively analyzed to estimate the damage point (OP) of the sea power cable (C). Although not shown in detail, the water depth sensor 135 may be installed in the third acoustic sensor 140c. When the water pressure is measured by the controller 170, The underwater depth of the third acoustic sensor 140c can be calculated.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. It is clear that the present invention can be suitably modified and applied in the same manner. Therefore, the above description does not limit the scope of the present invention, which is defined by the limitations of the following claims.

110: ROV 113: first transponder
120: sled 123: second transponder
130: Buoyancy body 133: Third transponder
140a, 140b, 140c: Acoustic sensor 150: Transceiver
160: GPS receiver 170: Controller
180: amplifier 190: DAQ

Claims (10)

A submarine power cable damage point detection system for detecting a damaged point of a submarine power cable,
A controller for receiving the discharge sound generated at the damage point of the power cable and estimating the damage point position of the power cable by analyzing the received discharge sound, The sensor is mounted on an ROV that moves close to the power cable while swimming near the sea floor where the power cable is buried,
A buoyant body which is towed at sea level by the ship; Further comprising a third acoustic sensor for receiving a discharge sound generated in a damaged state of the submarine power cable, the third acoustic sensor being drained in water while being supported by the buoyant body, And the third acoustic sensor is supported by the supporting body by the support wire and is drained in the water, and the support wire is wound in the buoyancy body so as to rotate in the state where the supporting acoustic wave is wound, A bobbin for adjusting the height of the sensor and a motor for providing a rotational force to the bobbin are installed. In order to prevent the vibration of the third acoustic sensor, a weight module is mounted on the lower side of the third acoustic sensor Wherein the weight module includes a pair of vertical portions having vertical guide grooves formed on inner sides facing each other, And a plurality of unit weights having both ends inserted into the guide grooves of the pair of vertical portions and stacked between a pair of the vertical portions so that the both ends of the unit weight protrude from the left side Wherein a slit-shaped incision is formed in a front wall of the frame to insert both end portions of the unit weight having a bent plate shape. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein a plurality of the first acoustic sensors are disposed in parallel at a frontmost position protruding forward from a body front end portion of the ROV, and are arranged in series or in parallel with each other. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
A sled towed by the ship to move proximate to the power cable along the bottom surface where the power cable is embedded;
Further comprising a second acoustic sensor mounted on the sled for receiving a discharge sound generated at a damaged point of the power cable,
Wherein the controller further analyzes the discharge sound received by the second acoustic sensor to estimate a damage point location of the power cable. The method of claim 3,
One of the ROV and the sled moves gradually along the power cable in a zigzag shape for detecting a damaged point of the power cable,
And the other one moves in a linear form along the longitudinal direction of the power cable to move in a mutually complementary manner. The method of claim 3,
Wherein a camera is mounted on the body of the ROV so that the sled and its surrounding area can be photographed and monitored while the sea floor is moving. delete delete Claims 1. A method for detecting a damage point of a submarine power cable for detecting a damaged point of a submarine power cable,
A controller for receiving the discharge sound generated at the damage point of the power cable and estimating the damage point position of the power cable by analyzing the received discharge sound, The sensor is mounted on an ROV that moves close to the power cable while swimming near the sea floor where the power cable is buried,
The sled having the second acoustic sensor is towed by the ship and moves along the sea floor in the vicinity of the power cable and the buoyant body supported by the third acoustic sensor is lifted by water is towed by the ship, The damage sound point of the power cable is estimated by additionally analyzing the discharge sound received from the acoustic sensor and the third acoustic sensor,
The first acoustic sensor, the second acoustic sensor, and the third acoustic sensor are mounted with a sled, an ROV, and a buoyant body, respectively, and are positioned at a height difference from the sea floor to the sea surface. One of which moves in a zigzag form in left and right zigzag form to detect a damaged point of the power cable and moves along the electric power cable and the other one moves along the longitudinal direction of the electric power cable in a straight line shape, Wherein the height of the third acoustic sensor is periodically adjusted while being pulled by the ship for detection of a damaged point of the third acoustic sensor. delete delete

Images