KR20100129511A - Unmanned mooring system for underwater vehicle and operating method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An unmanned mooring system for underwater vehicle and an operating method thereof capable of the management of underwater vehicles using a single mooring system are provided to maximize the availability of the automatic type unmanned submarine. CONSTITUTION: An unmanned mooring system for underwater vehicle comprises power a generation and storage facility(12), a docking facility(14), a non-contact charge facility(16) and an integration management facility(24). The electrical energy is stored in the power generation and storage facility. The docking facility moors submarine within the accommodation space. The non-contact type charge facility offers the electrical energy saved in the power generation and storage facility to submarine after the submarine is docked.

Description

Unmanned mooring system for underwater vehicle and operating method

The present invention relates to a floating unmanned mooring apparatus for an unmanned submersible and its operation method, and more particularly, to use a mooring apparatus unmanned and floating at sea to perform periodic management in the operation of an autonomous unmanned submersible. The present invention relates to a floating unmanned mooring system for unmanned submersibles and a method of operating the unmanned submersible to maximize the utilization of the submersible submersible and to improve the economics by minimizing the help of the autonomous submersible. .

In general, Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are researches for exploring various marine ecological environments such as the topography of the seabed and the water temperature and salinity in physiologically exceeding human diving limits or in contaminated waters such as deep seabeds. It was developed for academic purposes and for military purposes, such as detecting and removing explosives, such as mines, from underwater, and replacing dangerous operations with potential loss of life and equipment, or for periodic underwater reconnaissance activities.

The end of the mission of the autonomous unmanned submersible developed for this purpose was the point when the internal battery was exhausted. Accordingly, the submersible submarine was lifted to the support ship, which was replaced by the submarine's battery, and the battery was replaced. It was.

In addition, in the autonomous unmanned submersible, when the battery is replaced, the diver must connect the cable between the supporting ship and the submersible, and in particular, to replenish the power of the unmanned submersible, the unmanned submersible must be unattended It is necessary to lift the submersible out of the water.

As a result, when long-term operation is required for periodic underwater reconnaissance, environmental monitoring activities, and acquisition of underwater information on a large sea area in an autonomous unmanned submersible, the operator periodically retrieves the unmanned submersible from the sea to recover the internal battery. Since there is a need to perform all the roles required for the operation of the unmanned submersible, such as replacement, there is a problem that must reside in the operating area of the unmanned submersible.

In addition, the battery replacement operation of the unmanned submersible because it is necessary to mobilize equipment and personnel, such as support vessels and divers, there is a problem that is vulnerable to disturbance caused by maritime conditions such as tide and weather changes.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned matters, and the periodic management in the operation of autonomous unmanned submersibles is more economical through the use of mooring apparatuses that are self-developed and accumulate while floating at sea. The objective is to ensure efficient implementation and to continuously carry out various tasks such as monitoring and exploration of sea areas.

In addition, the present invention can pursue economics by achieving an unmanned function that excludes the role of the supporting vessel in the periodic management of the autonomous unmanned submersible and by implementing effective management of multiple submersibles through a single mooring device. In particular, it aims to minimize the effects of disturbances caused by surrounding conditions such as changes in algae and weather at sea.

The present invention for achieving the above object, in the unmanned mooring apparatus for operating a submersible in the ocean, the power generation and power storage equipment for performing self-generation and storing the electric energy generated by self-power, and the submersible A docking facility for mooring in an accommodation space, a non-contact charging facility for providing electrical energy stored in the power generation and power storage facility to the submersible after docking, and controlling the operation of the power generation and storage facility, the docking facility and the non-contact charging facility. To provide a submersible unmanned mooring device having an integrated management facility.

In the present invention, the power generation and power storage equipment uses a photovoltaic device having a solar cell for converting solar energy into electrical energy or a chemical reaction of a wave power generator or material for converting kinetic energy by wave power into electrical energy. And a fuel cell for generating electrical energy, and a battery module for storing the generated electrical energy.

In the present invention, the photovoltaic device is equipped with a satellite navigation device and an optical sensor to detect the optimum angle of incidence of sunlight through the medium to implement the direction change to the solar cell by the operation of the tracker to self-power and battery modules Characterized in that the charging of the.

In the present invention, the docking facility is a path guide facility for inducing the entry of the submersible into the interior of the receiving space via a visual or audio signal, and restraint facility for limiting the movement of the submersible entered into the interior of the receiving space. Characterized in having a.

In the present invention, the non-contact charging facility is characterized in that consisting of a power feeding device for performing a non-contact charging method using the induced current to the power receiving device of the submersible.

The present invention further includes a communication facility for exchanging information with the outside including the submersible, wherein the integrated management facility exchanges the information obtained through the path guide facility of the docking facility by using the communication facility. It is characterized by determining whether or not the collision when docking with.

The present invention further includes a mission recording and monitoring facility for monitoring the position and attitude information of the submersible in real time and receiving and storing valid output information obtained from the submersible exploration facility together with time information. It is characterized by determining whether the submersible and recovery of the submersible after completion of the charge using the information obtained through the mission record and monitoring equipment.

The present invention is characterized in that it further comprises a buoyancy and self-navigation facility to float the unmanned mooring apparatus at sea and sail to a desired position.

In addition, the present invention includes the steps of detecting the approach of the submersible to the unmanned mooring device, the step of inducing the entry of the submersible into the receiving space of the unmanned mooring device, the rendezvous determination step of detecting the success of the submersible in the receiving space of the unmanned submersible, When the rendezvous determination is detected in the rendezvous determination step, the docking step of limiting the movement of the submersible in the receiving space of the unmanned submersible, providing the electric energy stored in the unmanned mooring device to the submersible battery module as inductive charging, the position of the submersible The charging and information exchange step of receiving position and status information and valid exploration information along with time information, the status checking step for determining whether the submersible is abnormal based on the information received from the submersible, and the submersible in the status checking step If not, perform a re-launch of the submersible and, if an abnormality occurs, recover the submersible to the support vessel. It provides a method of operating a submersible unmanned mooring device comprising the step of proceeding.

The present invention after the step of detecting the approach of the submersible, the current unmanned mooring device determines whether to dock with another submersible, in the process of not docking in this process outputs a signal to allow access to the submersible, and with another submersible If the docking further comprises the step of outputting a standby signal to the submersible approach.

In the present invention, the step of inducing the entry of the submersible into the receiving space of the unmanned mooring device outputs an acoustic signal or a luminescent signal from the unmanned mooring device to the submersible, which the submersible receives and adjusts the nose angle in the entry direction. It characterized in that the configuration is made so that the safe access path is made.

In the present invention, the setting of the access route between the unmanned mooring device and the submersible by exchanging the position information for each other using underwater acoustic communication or light emitting communication, through which the safe access path of the submersible into the receiving space of the unmanned mooring device It generates and follows the generated safe approach path, characterized in that the entry of the submersible is made.

In the present invention, when the rendezvous determination step does not detect the success of the submersible in the receiving space of the unmanned mooring device, it is characterized in that for transmitting the guidance signal for docking to the submersible.

In the present invention, it is characterized in that to give a modified mission when the mission modification for the submersible in the state check step.

According to the submersible unmanned mooring apparatus and its operation method according to the present invention, in the long-term operation of the autonomous unmanned submersible for periodic underwater reconnaissance and environmental monitoring activities and obtaining a wider underwater information, replenishing and obtaining power of the submersible A series of periodic management tasks, such as the exchange of information, can be performed using floating mooring devices unmanned at sea, thereby maximizing the utilization of autonomous unmanned submersibles.

In particular, when the power supply for autonomous unmanned submersible submersible can be made by inductive charging of the contactless method at sea through the unmanned mooring device, it can be irrelevant to the effects of disturbance such as algae, and also by replacing the battery module by lifting the submersible The power replenishment work can be carried out autonomously at sea, which eliminates the need for related services and prevents the occurrence of various safety accidents.

In addition, since the present invention can efficiently perform the periodic management of the autonomous unmanned submersible using the unmanned mooring device, it is possible to faithfully continue all duties such as monitoring and exploration of the sea area through the unmanned submersible.

In addition, the present invention can not only exclude the operation of the mother vessel support vessel in the periodic management of the autonomous unmanned submersible, but also because it can manage a plurality of autonomous unmanned submersible as a single unmanned mooring device sequentially. There is a significant advantage in terms of.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying exemplary drawings.

The unmanned mooring apparatus for submersibles according to the present invention is to perform replenishment by charging of exhausted power through periodic recovery of submersibles and collection of information obtained from underwater reconnaissance in the operation of submersibles in the sea.

To this end, the unmanned mooring device 10 is a power generation and power storage facility 12, docking facility 14, a non-contact charging facility 16, communication facility 18, mission recording and monitoring facilities (shown in FIG. 20), a floating structure having buoyancy and self-defense facilities 22, and integrated management facilities 24.

The power generation and power storage facility 12 serves as a sustainable renewable energy system to implement and store the generation of electrical energy by self-generation. To this end, the power generation and power storage facility 12 is a photovoltaic device having a solar cell that converts solar energy into electrical energy using photoelectrons or a wave power generator that converts kinetic energy by wave power into electrical energy. A power generation facility using a fuel cell that generates electric energy by using a generation or chemical reaction of materials is constructed, and a power storage facility for storing the electric energy produced through the power generation facility in a battery module. In addition, in the power generation and power storage facility 12, the solar power generation device is equipped with a GPS and an optical sensor, and detects an optimal angle of incidence of sunlight through the medium and operates the tracker to the solar cell. It is to improve the efficiency of self-power generation by implementing the redirection.

The docking facility 14 is a facility for the periodic management of the submersible 50 has a receiving space in the form of a structure capable of temporarily mooring the submersible 50, the receiving space is an unmanned mooring device (10) It is provided integrally with the docking facility 14 for), the inlet has an expanded cross-sectional area, such as a funnel to help the submersible 50 enter.

In addition, the docking facility 14 is a path guide facility (14a) for inducing the entry of the submersible 50 into the interior of the receiving space via a visual or audio signal, and the submersible 50 entered into the interior of the receiving space. It is further provided with a restraint facility 14b for limiting the movement.

For example, the path guidance system 14a may provide a plurality of light sources around the docking facility 14 to provide route information to the visual device of the submersible 50 when docking with the submersible 50. It may be implemented in such a way, or equipped with a device for generating an omnidirectional aquatic acoustic signal of the omnidirectional may be implemented in a manner to provide the acoustic route information to the submersible 50 through this. In addition, the path guidance system 14a exchanges information on the position and the direction of entry using a local area network with the path tracking facility 52 provided in the submersible 50 to facilitate the smoothness of the submersible 50 into the accommodation space. It may also lead to entry.

In addition, the restraint facility 14b is a device capable of physically restraining the exterior of the submersible 50 with respect to the receiving space when the submersible 50 is completely entered into the receiving space of the docking facility 14. It can be configured with various types of mechanical restraint devices such as a formula (interlocking by contact) or a self-weighting (interlocking by self-weight).

The non-contact charging facility 16 is to provide electrical energy stored in the power generation and power storage facility 12 to the power storage facility 54 of the submersible 50 after docking with the submersible 50, wherein the The non-contact charging facility 16 is provided with a power supply device for performing a non-contact charging method using the induced current (Induced current) for the power receiving device of the submersible (50).

Accordingly, the non-contact charging facility 16 can perform a non-contact charging method using an induced current even when the submersible 50 is in the water when charging the power storage facility 54 of the submersible 50. . That is, since there is a risk of a short circuit in the cable charging of the existing cable method, the charging cable is connected between the unmanned mooring device 10 and the submersible 50 after the submersible 50 is lifted out of the water. In order to lift the submersible 50 and install the cable, there is an inconvenience such as requiring the mobilization of the diver, but in the present invention, the time required for periodic management such as replenishing the main power of the submersible 50 and This can be compared with the conventional method in that the service requirements can be greatly reduced.

The communication facility 18 is a device for information exchange with the outside, such as a supporting vessel including the submersible 50, the communication facility 18 is Near Field Communication (NFC), RFID (Radio- Wireless PAN (Personal Area Network) which can be implemented by short range communication of Frequency IDentification, international communication of wireless WAN, etc., and also expands the range of activity by relaying ultrasonic signals (for high-speed communication) by arranging fixed or mobile nodes. ), A wireless local area network (LAN), a wireless metropolitan area network (MAN), a wireless wide area network (WAN), or the like.

The mission recording and monitoring facility 20 monitors the position and attitude information of the submersible 50 in real time and receives valid output information obtained from the exploration facility 58 of the submersible 50 together with time information. It is the equipment to store.

The buoyancy and self-defense facility 22 means a self-propelled type self-propelled self-propelled facility having a buoyancy facility capable of floating the unmanned mooring apparatus 10 at sea, and the buoyancy. And buoyancy equipment in the self-propelled equipment 22 is to allow the unmanned mooring device 10, which is a structure, to float on the sea by the ballast control method like a general ship, and the self-supporting equipment requires the unmanned mooring device 10 at sea. To be able to navigate to a position, for example, a device such as an azimuth thruster.

The integrated management facility 24 includes the power generation and power storage facility 12, the docking facility 14, the contactless charging facility 16, the communication facility 18, the mission recording and monitoring facility 20, and the It is a device that collectively controls the operation of the buoyancy and self-defense facility (22). In particular, the integrated management facility 24 is to ensure that the appropriate power is always charged to the battery module provided in the unmanned mooring device 10 for controlling the operation of the power generation and power storage facility 12, the docking facility By controlling the operation of the 14 to detect the position and state of the submersible 50 in real time and to determine in advance whether the collision with the submersible 50 during docking, as well as for safe docking for the submersible 50 Provide access routes. In such a series of processes, the integrated management facility 24 may exchange various necessary information through the wireless communication using the communication facility 18 with the submersible 50 or an external mother ship.

In addition, the integrated management facility 24 also controls the operation of the non-contact charging facility 16 so that the appropriate power can be provided to the power storage facility 54 of the submersible 50.

In addition, the integrated management facility 24 controls the operation of the mission recording and monitoring facility 20 through the information on the position and attitude of the submersible 50 and the exploration facility 58 of the submersible 50. The obtained valid output information can be provided along with the time information.

In addition, the integrated management facility 24 may move to the position of the submersible 50 by controlling the operation of the buoyancy and self-defense facility 22, if necessary, such as an emergency such as lack of power of the submersible 50 in the ocean When the occurrence of the submersible 50 can be more actively coped with the recovery.

In addition, the series of operation control performed by the integrated management facility 24 as described above allows the unmanned mooring device 10 to be managed in a state that can be substantially unmanned by using related technologies such as artificial intelligence. .

In addition, the integrated management facility 24 diagnoses the overall condition for the submersible 50 using information obtained through the mission record and monitoring facility 20 after docking with the submersible 50, Through this, the submersible 50 may be determined to be re-launched or recovered to the support ship which is the mother ship.

Hereinafter, with reference to Figure 2 will be described in detail the operation method of the submersible unmanned mooring apparatus according to the present invention. In this case, the process of power generation and power storage in the unmanned mooring apparatus 10 is a normal case, so the description of the detailed process is omitted, and the docking process with the submersible 50 and the charging and information exchange after docking, and the submersible ( The entire process of re-launching or retrieval according to the state grasp of 50) will be described in detail.

When docking unmanned mooring device 10 detects the position of the submersible 50 and detects the approach (S10). At this time, the current unmanned mooring device 10 determines whether the dock with the other submersible 50 (S12), if there is no docking with the other submersible 50 in this process, the submersible 50 approaches the corresponding Output a signal to allow (S14). At this time, when docked with another submersible 50, the standby signal is output to the submersible 50 to approach (S11).

Subsequently, the unmanned mooring device 10 induces the entry of the submersible 50 into the accommodation space (S16). In this process, the unmanned mooring device 10 outputs an acoustic signal or a light emitting signal to the submersible 50, the submersible 50 receives the control of the nose angle in the entry direction to set a safe access path. do.

In addition, when setting the series of access paths as described above, the unmanned mooring device 10 and the submersible 50 exchange position information with respect to each other using underwater acoustic communication or light emitting communication, and through this unmanned mooring. The entrance of the submersible 50 is made by generating a safe access path of the submersible 50 into the accommodation space of the device 10 and following the generated safe access path. This is possible by exchanging visual or audio route information through a plurality of light sources or omnidirectional aquatic acoustic signal generators provided in the path guidance facilities 14a of the docking facility 14, and in particular, the path guidance facilities ( 14a) exchanges information about a position and an entrance direction using a local area network with the path tracking facility 52 of the submersible 50, which is implemented using the communication facilities 18 and 56.

Subsequently, the unmanned mooring device 10 performs a rendezvous process for determining whether the entry of the submersible 50 is successful in the receiving space (S18). In this process, if it is not possible to detect the success of the submersible 50 in the accommodating space of the unmanned mooring apparatus 10, it retransmits the guidance signal for docking to the submersible 50, and if the success of the entry is detected, the subsequent process is performed. To perform. At this time, whether or not the entrance of the submersible 50 made in the receiving space of the unmanned mooring device 10 can be made in various embodiments, for example, it can be made through the position detection by a limit switch or a photo switch.

Subsequently, upon detecting the completion of the rendezvous of the submersible 50 in the accommodation space of the unmanned mooring apparatus 10, a docking process for limiting the movement of the submersible 50 is performed (S20). Such a docking process is limited to the movement of the submersible 50 in the receiving space of the unmanned mooring device 10 through the mechanical restraint facility, or in addition to a separate means for controlling the fluid inside the submersible 50 It is also possible to control the movement of the submersible 50 entered into the receiving space without using the power of the submersible 50, in this case, a separate means for controlling the movement of the submersible 50 in the receiving space Of course, to provide.

Subsequently, the electric energy stored in the battery module of the unmanned mooring device 10 is provided as inductive charging to the battery module of the submersible 50, and various information is exchanged with the submersible 50 (S22). This information exchange process is implemented by the input / output of a variety of information using a short-range wireless communication network between the unmanned mooring device 10 and the submersible 50, in particular the information on the position and attitude of the submersible 50 Of course, the information on the presence or absence of the various equipment provided in the submersible 50, and valid exploration information obtained through the various exploration facilities 58 mounted on the submersible 50 will be transmitted with the time information.

Subsequently, based on the information transmitted from the submersible 50, a process of checking the state of determining whether there is an abnormality for the submersible 50 is performed (S24). If no abnormality can be detected in the submersible 50 in the course of such a state check, the submersible 50 is re-counted (S26), and if an abnormality is detected, the recovery of the submersible 50 proceeds to the support ship. (S28). In particular, in the case of the state check as described above, if the mission modifications to the submersible 50 is necessary, the modified mission is also transmitted.

As described above with reference to the accompanying drawings for the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is not limited by the above-described specific embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs Various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth below. In particular, the submersible applied to the unmanned mooring apparatus and its operation method of the present invention can be applied to the general autonomous unmanned submersible (AUV), as well as other various types and types of submersibles.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a submersible unmanned mooring apparatus according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operating the submersible unmanned mooring apparatus according to the present invention.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

10-Unmanned Mooring System 12-Power Generation and Storage Equipment

14-docking equipment 16-contact charging equipment

18-Communication Equipment 20-Mission Record and Monitoring Equipment

22- Buoyancy & Self-Defense Equipment 24-Integrated Management Equipment

50-Submersible 52-Path following facility

54-electric storage equipment 56-communication equipment

58-Exploration Equipment 60-Self Navigation System

62-Integrated Management Facility

Claims (14)

In the unmanned mooring device for operating a submersible at sea, Power generation and power storage facilities for performing self-generation and storing electrical energy generated by self-generation; Docking facilities for mooring the submersible in the receiving space; A non-contact charging facility for providing the submersible with electrical energy stored in the power generation and power storage facility after docking; And A submersible unmanned mooring apparatus having an integrated management facility for controlling the operation of the power generation and power storage facility, the docking facility and the non-contact charging facility. The method according to claim 1, The power generation and power storage equipment is a photovoltaic power generation device having a solar cell that converts solar energy into electrical energy or a wave power generator that converts kinetic energy by wave power into electrical energy or electric energy by using a chemical reaction of the material A submersible unmanned mooring device, comprising a fuel cell and a battery module for storing the generated electrical energy. The method according to claim 2, The photovoltaic device is equipped with a satellite navigation device and an optical sensor to detect the optimum angle of incidence of the solar light and implement the redirection to the solar cell to perform self-power generation and charging with the battery module. Unmanned mooring device for submersible. The method according to claim 1, The docking facility may include a path guide facility for inducing the submersible to enter the accommodation space through visual or audio signals, and a restraint facility for restricting movement of the submersible entering the interior of the accommodation space. Unmanned mooring apparatus for submersible. The method according to claim 1, The non-contact charging facility is a submersible unmanned mooring device, characterized in that consisting of a feeder for performing a non-contact charging method using an induction current to the power receiving device of the submersible. The method according to claim 1, The apparatus further includes a communication facility for exchanging information with the outside including the submersible, wherein the integrated management facility exchanges information obtained through the communication facility to determine whether a collision occurs when docking with the submersible. Unmanned mooring device for submersible. The method according to claim 1, And a mission record and monitoring device for monitoring position and attitude information of the submersible and receiving and storing valid output information obtained from the submersible exploration facility with time information, and the integrated management facility includes the mission record and monitoring. The unmanned mooring apparatus for submersibles, characterized in that by using the information obtained through the equipment to determine the recovery and re-decommission of the submersible after completion of charging. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, The unmanned mooring apparatus for submersibles further comprising buoyancy and self-navigating facilities to float the unmanned mooring apparatus at sea and sail to a desired position. Detecting the approach of the submersible with an unmanned mooring device; Inducing entry of a submersible into an accommodation space of an unmanned mooring apparatus; A rendezvous determination step of detecting the success of the entry of the submersible in the receiving space of the unmanned submersible; A docking step of limiting the movement of the submersible in the accommodation space of the unmanned submersible upon detecting the completion of the rendezvous in the rendezvous determination step; A charging and information exchange step of providing electric energy stored in the unmanned mooring device to the submersible battery module as inductive charging, and receiving the submersible position / posture and status information and valid exploration information together with time information; Checking the status of the submersible based on information received from the submersible; And The submersible unmanned mooring apparatus comprising the step of performing the re-evaluation of the submersible if there is no abnormality in the state check step, and the recovery of the submersible to the support vessel when the abnormality occurs. The method according to claim 9, After detecting the approach of the submersible, it is determined whether the current unmanned mooring device docked with another submersible, outputs a signal to allow access to the submersible if not docking in this process, and docking with another submersible Operation method of the submersible unmanned mooring device further comprises the step of outputting a standby signal to the submersible approach. The method according to claim 9, Inducing the entry of the submersible into the receiving space of the unmanned mooring device outputs an acoustic signal or a light emitting signal from the unmanned mooring device to the submersible, and the submersible receives the control of the nose angle in the entry direction to set the safe access path. Operation method of the submersible unmanned mooring device, characterized in that configured to be made. The method of claim 11, When setting the access route, the submarine and the submersible exchange position information about each other using underwater acoustic communication or light emitting communication, and through this, generate a safe access route of the submersible into the receiving space of the unmanned mooring apparatus. Operation method of the submersible unmanned mooring device, characterized in that the entry of the submersible by following the safe access path. The method according to claim 9, If the rendezvous determination step does not detect the success of entering the submersible in the receiving space of the unmanned mooring device operating method of the submersible unmanned mooring device, characterized in that the retransmission of the guidance signal for docking to the submersible. The method according to claim 9, Method for operating a submersible unmanned mooring device, characterized in that to give a modified mission when the mission modification for the submersible in the state check step.

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