RU2314229C2 - Method of complex illumination of external underwater situation of habitable submersible vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: measurement technology; methods of investigation of ocean and performance of underwater jobs.

SUBSTANCE: proposed method is based on use of complex system for illumination of underwater situation having long-range, medium-range and short-range zones; proposed method is used for finding the objects with the aid of habitable submersible vehicles. Habitable submersible vehicle makes all-round observation in area equipped with sound beacons with the aid of complex illumination system. In case of absence of positive result pertaining to detection of sought-for object, it comes to another point orienting by sound beacons at distance of reliable action of illumination system and procedure of all-round observation is repeated. In recording the objects which may be sought-for target, system gives priority to target and furnishes the data to navigation system for motion of vehicle to sought-for object and target designation to equipment of medium- and short-range illumination zones for finding and recording the selected target. All information from complex illumination system is constantly furnished to control consoles having black-and-white and color monitors through central computer; hydroacoustic information is obtained in form of 3-d chart showing positions of objects in this zone.

EFFECT: increased radius of action of complex illumination system; reduction of time required for search of objects; enhanced safety of underwater work.

2 dwg

Description

The present invention relates to vehicles in the aquatic environment, measuring technique and methodology and can be used in oceanological research, performing underwater technical work, searching for various objects from the habitable underwater vehicle, as well as ensuring the safety of navigation of inhabited underwater vehicles (OPA).

The level of technology.

Illumination of the external environment of inhabited underwater vehicles is necessary to ensure the solution of problems when carrying out underwater technical works with their use, namely: to ensure safe navigation at the bottom and when raising and lowering the device; search and detection of sunken objects; underwater inspection (revision) of underwater structures; mapping of objects and bottom topography; conducting experimental oceanological and archaeological research and other works.

Known means and methods of lighting the external (underwater) environment inhabited underwater vehicles:

optical means of observing the environment - portholes, lighting;

sonar stations;

sonar systems capable of operating in the mode of sector review, side view, profiling of the seabed;

underwater photo television systems;

tethered and remote-controlled uninhabited underwater vehicles designed to examine underwater objects in hard-to-reach places;

laser television systems, the use of special digital signal processing systems [1, 2, 3].

Existing underwater lighting systems are currently represented by a wide range of serial stations with different purposes and technical capabilities. Each station has the ability to solve one or two problems.

But it should be noted that all these methods and means of illuminating the external environment of underwater inhabited vehicles do not allow inhabited underwater vehicles to independently solve the whole range of tasks they face, due to the lack of a systematic approach to organizing lighting of the underwater environment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention solves the problem of increasing the radius of action of the lighting system of the external environment of inhabited underwater vehicles, reducing the time of searching for an object, observing or researching it, increasing the safety of carrying out underwater technical operations from the board of inhabited underwater vehicles by creating a new technology and structure of a multi-level surveillance system.

To implement the proposed invention, a comprehensive system of lighting means for the underwater environment of the inhabited underwater vehicle has been developed, which is an integral part of the stationary equipment of the underwater habitable vehicle. Figure 1 shows its structural diagram. Three means of searching for objects: distant, middle and near in accordance with their technical characteristics are composed of environmental illumination products that make up the integrated system. The main element of the integrated lighting system for the underwater environment of the OPA is the central computer (15), which provides information output to a unified control panel of the entire system (16), information output to the operator panel (18) and, at the command of the operator, data output to the motion and navigation systems (17) , and the entire area of work is equipped with acoustic beacons.

At the beginning of work, a number of features of the desired objects are introduced into the central control computer, the far-field detection mode is set to a circular view mode, and when registering an object that may be the desired target, the system sets the priority of the detected target and provides data to the navigation system on the movement of the target to the desired object , and at the same time produces data to the search equipment of the middle and near lighting zone of the underwater environment for the search and registration of the selected target. Information on the operation of the integrated underwater lighting system is constantly displayed on the central operator’s console and control panels in black and white and color in the form of a three-dimensional map of the area with the data on the location of the desired object. Options for building maps of the surveyed area are shown in figure 2. With an erroneous determination of the desired target, the OPA shifts in the search zone by the distance of stable visibility of objects by means of the far detection zone, and the entire search procedure is repeated. When implementing the proposed method for illuminating the underwater environment of the OPA, its technical capabilities for searching for objects are greatly expanded, and the safety of underwater technical and research work in the bottom region of the ocean is increased.

The possibility of implementation.

The integrated lighting system for the underwater environment, on the instructions of the operator, solves the whole range of tasks for searching, detecting, tracking and issuing target designations in three range zones: long-range (I), medium (II) and near (III). The structural diagram of the integrated system is shown in figure 1.

The composition of the lighting equipment for the underwater situation in the far zone includes: the low-frequency tract of the sonar station of the sector survey (1); low-frequency channel of the side-view sonar station (2); multi-beam echo sounder (3). These technical means provide lighting of the underwater environment right at the heading, along the sides and in the lower hemisphere.

The composition of the middle lighting zone of the underwater environment includes: a high-frequency tract of a sector-wide sonar station (4); high-frequency path of a side-scan sonar station (5); all-round sonar (6); profiler (7); laser television vision system (8); means of sound vision (9); laser-illuminated television remote sensing (10); remote-controlled or tethered underwater vehicle (11). Means of the middle zone provide illumination of the underwater environment right on the course, along the sides and in the lower and upper hemispheres.

The composition of the near lighting zone of the underwater environment includes: means of near search and surveillance based on color television cameras (12); portholes (13). The operation of optical television means is provided by an outdoor lighting system (14).

The main means of an integrated lighting system for the underwater environment of an inhabited underwater vehicle is a special computing device (central computer) (15), which provides information output to the unified control panel of the entire integrated lighting system for the underwater environment (16), the issuance of target designations of the operator (18) and the issuance of data to the systems movement and navigation (17).

The methodology for illuminating the underwater environment in a given area of the seabed of an inhabited underwater vehicle is as follows. After the arrival of the OPA to the work area, acoustic beacons are installed and a survey-search survey of the area with hydroacoustic means of the far zone and hydroacoustic means of the middle zone with a navigation reference is carried out. During the inspection, the detected object is automatically conducted by the system and can be transferred from one station to another without losing contact with it. The information obtained is processed by a computer and displayed to the operator in the form of a three-dimensional map of the area with the data on the location of objects in the area (figure 2) [4].

The operator of the underwater inhabited apparatus makes a decision on the search for discovered objects. The search order is set by the operator. The search is carried out according to the data obtained in the course of a survey and search survey of the seabed with the help of lighting underwater conditions in the middle zone. All information received is processed by a special computing device. At the same time, according to the decision of the operator, the information is issued to the movement system of the inhabited underwater vehicle for transmitting contact with the object to the observation means of the near lighting zone of the underwater environment.

During the search for an object, information from technical means enters a computer, is processed and displayed on monitors for the primary classification of the detected object. At the same time, the information obtained during the search and search operations is corrected, after which this information is displayed to the operator in the form of an updated three-dimensional map of the seabed. At the same time, the movement of the inhabited apparatus is coordinated according to a survey and search survey of the seabed.

With the detection of an object, the contact is transmitted from the means of the middle lighting zone to the means of the near lighting zone of the underwater environment with subsequent access to visual contact for a detailed examination of the detected object.

If the search result is positive, the operator has the opportunity to visually verify the correctness of the target found and proceed to the work or observations provided for in this dive at the desired object.

The proposed invention allows: to reduce the search time of the object of study, streamline the search process and to some extent guarantee a positive result, facilitate the work of the operator and increase the safety of navigation on a inhabited underwater vehicle.

Information sources

1. Voitov D.V. "Underwater habitable vehicles". M. Publishing House ACT, 2002.332 s.

2. Paramonov A.A. Storozhev P.P. Telecommunication complex for the deep-sea manned apparatus "Consul". Materials of the VI International Scientific and Technical Conference "Modern Methods and Means of Oceanological Research". Moscow, 2000, p. 195-198.

3. Belenky V.N. and others. "Analysis of the current state and development trends of inhabited underwater vehicles for integrated oceanological research." Materials of the VI International Scientific and Technical Conference "Modern Methods and Means of Oceanological Research". Moscow, 2003, p.205-228.

4. Visions in Sonar / Magasine Underwater nov-dec 2000, 35 p.

Claims (1)

The method of integrated lighting of the external (underwater) environment of inhabited underwater vehicles (OPA), according to which a system of means of lighting the external environment of the OPA is created, which includes the far, middle and near lighting zones of the underwater environment, the first of which is performed with low-frequency tracts of sonar stations of the sector and side survey and multi-beam echo sounder, the second - with high-frequency tracts of sonar stations of sector and side view, sonar station of circular view, profilog fom, laser television vision system, sound vision, long-range television with laser illumination, remote control or tethered uninhabited apparatus, and the third - with color television cameras, portholes and an external lighting system, as well as a central control computer, remote control, data output unit in the movement and navigation systems and the data output unit for the operator, characterized in that characteristic features of the desired objects are introduced into the central control computer after the arrival of the OPA in the area of work, the latter is equipped with acoustic beacons, a circular survey of the area is carried out using the far-field lighting, when registering objects that may be the desired target, using the central control computer, set the priority of the detected target and provide data to the navigation system on the movement of the OPA to the desired object and target designation of the means of the middle and near lighting zones of the underwater environment for the search and registration of the selected target, all the information from the system of environmental lighting they secretly output through the central control computer to the operator’s console and control panels with monitors of black-and-white and color images of television and hydroacoustic information in the form of a three-dimensional map with data on the location of objects in the area.

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