RU2468961C1 - Underwater apparatus with docking and suction chamber and device for centering and hauling - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: transport.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to underwater technical and rescue works performed with the help of underwater apparatus. Underwater apparatus consists of hull and docking and suction chamber. Exit hatch is arranged at hull bottom. Docking and suction chamber is rigidly secured on exit hatch body. Said chamber is composed of top, central and bottom belts and can revolve. Said belts are jointed by means of sealed flanges. Joint bottom and top surfaces make the angle not smaller than maximum angle of underwater structure coaming platform inclination. Belt flanges are bolted together. Excess opening of flange joints with removed bolts is ruled out by several brackets with rollers arranged on outer cylindrical surfaces of top flanges. Said roller make a support for central and bottom belt flanges.

EFFECT: higher operating performances.

2 cl, 4 dwg

Description

The invention relates to the field of underwater technical and rescue operations using an underwater vehicle.

Known underwater vehicle with a docking device (French patent No. 2264713, IPC B63G 6/40, publ. 17.10.75), made in the form of a landing chamber and suction cup with a support flange and a seal.

A disadvantage of the known underwater vehicle with a docking device is the limited operational characteristics, since it can only be docked with the horizontal coaming pad of the underwater object, which significantly limits the possibility of docking with an emergency underwater object.

There are other underwater vehicles with docking devices that allow you to dock an underwater vehicle, such as a diving, to ship deck decompression systems "... from above from the side, and sometimes from below ...", (G. Hauks. Underwater equipment. - L .: Shipbuilding, 1972, p. .255, 256). However, such docking devices cannot be reoriented to land on an object having a different inclination angle of the receiving device.

It is known to use a docking device as part of an underwater vehicle (RF patent No. 2250858 C1, IPC B63G 8/40, publ. 04/27/2005) with an underwater object, mainly an emergency submarine, including a landing camera and a suction cup mounted on a fixed base with a support flange and gaskets made of upper, intermediate and lower belts, interconnected by means of flanges with tightening clips, as well as a turning mechanism of the intermediate and lower belts, made in the form of an external epicyclic gear, the upper belt is rigidly connected with the fixed base, and the intermediate belt is made so that the lower plane of its connector forms an angle with the upper plane of its connector equal to the angle of inclination of the coaming pad of the underwater object to the horizon. Selected as the closest analogue of the claimed invention.

A disadvantage of the known docking device of the rescue apparatus lies in the complexity of the design of the drives of the intermediate and lower belts, the increase in weight and size characteristics of which complicates their placement, given the saturation of the rescue deep-sea apparatus with equipment, and reduces the number of received rescued.

The objective of the invention is to improve the operational characteristics of underwater vehicles with the advance installation of the support flange of the docking chamber and suction cup at the required angle in the conditions of the carrier ship of the underwater vehicle without the use of lifting means to land it on an underwater object having an inclined coaming area (for example, on an underwater a boat lying on the ground and having a roll or trim), as well as the reliability and speed of docking and securing it on the coaming site of the underwater object and hold during maneuvering for centering in underwater conditions, which ultimately increases the efficiency of rescue crews from emergency submarines.

The problem is solved due to the fact that in an underwater vehicle with a docking chamber and a suction cup made of upper, middle and lower belts with the possibility of rotation relative to each other, mated through connectors with flanges with seals, the middle and lower belts are made in this way, that the lower plane of the connector forms an angle with the upper plane of the connector at least half the maximum angle of inclination of the coaming pad of the underwater object. The flanges of the belts are bolted together to prevent excessive disclosure of the conjugation of the flanges of the belts, for which there are several brackets with rollers on the outer cylindrical surfaces of the upper flanges that support the flanges of the middle and lower belts.

In addition, in the docking and suction chamber, a device for centering and pulling up to the coaming site of the underwater object, made in the form of three hydraulic cylinders, two of which are double-acting telescopic and are located as vertically as possible, is installed. The upper end is pivotally mounted on the inner surface of the upper chamber belt, and the lower end is pivotally fixed at one point on the movable grip with the possibility of extension of the grip by hydraulic cylinders outside the docking chamber and suction cup.

The third piston hydraulic cylinder is located as horizontally as possible and at one end it is pivotally mounted on the inner surface of the upper chamber belt, the other end is pivotally mounted on one of the telescopic hydraulic cylinders.

The invention is illustrated in figure 1, which presents a General view of a fragment of an underwater vehicle with a docking and suction chamber, as well as with a centering and pulling device. Figure 2, 3 presents the same camera underwater vehicle with a centering and pulling device at the time of capture of the pin 24 and in the working position.

The underwater vehicle with the exit hatch installed in the lower part (Fig. 1) contains a docking and suction chamber fixed to the housing 1 of the exit hatch 15, including an upper belt 2, rigidly connected to the housing 1 of the entrance hatch 15, as well as the middle 3 and lower belts 4, which are made with flange connectors 5 and 6.

The lower zone 4 has a support flange 9, which provides for the camera to land on an underwater object. The upper plane of the connector 5 of the middle belt 3 is horizontal, and its lower plane of the connector 6 is located at an angle not less than half the maximum angle of inclination of the coaming area of the underwater object on which landing is provided.

The flanges of the belts 2, 3, 4 of the landing and suction chambers are equipped with seals 10, 11 and 12. The upper belt 2 and the middle belt 3 are aligned, the vertical axis 13 is the axis of the upper connector and the rotation of the intermediate belt 3, and the rotation of the lower belt 4 occurs around the inclined axis 14 of the lower connector of the intermediate belt 3, perpendicular to the plane of the intermediate 3 and lower 4 zones.

The rotation of the belts is carried out manually with the help of removable handles, while to prevent excessive disclosure of the mating of the flanges of the belts with the mounting bolts removed, several brackets 7 with rollers 8 are installed on the outer cylindrical surfaces of the upper flanges. The rollers 8 are supports for the flanges of the middle and lower belts.

Figure 2 shows a centering and pulling device mounted on an underwater vehicle with a docking and suction chamber, consisting of three hydraulic cylinders. Two double-acting telescopic hydraulic cylinders 16 are arranged V-shaped in a vertical plane. The upper end of the hydraulic cylinders by means of a hinge 19 is fixed on the inner surface of the upper belt 2 of the docking and suction chamber, and the lower end is fixed by a hinge 17 at one point on the movable gripper 18.

The movable gripper 18 may extend beyond the docking chamber and the suction cup. The third piston cylinder 20 is located as horizontally as possible. By means of hinge 22, it is fixed on the inner surface of the upper belt 2 of the docking and suction chamber, and at the other end by means of hinge 21 it is fixed on one of the telescopic hydraulic cylinders 16.

To explain the operation of the device, FIG. 3 shows a coaming pad 23 of an underwater object, a pin 24 for attaching a gripper 18 on the manhole cover 25.

The possibility of docking is determined by the angle of inclination of the coaming pad of the underwater object, for example 45 ° relative to the horizontal plane, and is provided by the advance installation of the middle and lower belts of the docking chamber and suction of the underwater vehicle at a given angle on the carrier vessel.

On the carrier vessel, the connector 6 of the flanges of the lower 4 and middle 3 belts of the docking and suction chamber is disconnected, allowing relative movement of these belts. Then, the lower belt 4 of the suction chamber at a predetermined angle of inclination of the coaming area is deployed and the support flange 9 of the lower belt is installed at an angle equal to the angle of inclination of the coaming area of the emergency underwater object to the horizon.

After that, the middle 3 and lower 4 belts are fastened with bolts to the connector 6 of their flanges. Next, disconnect the connector 5 of the flanges of the middle 3 and upper 2 belts of the docking and suction chamber, and then deploy the middle belt 3 together with the lower belt 4 so that the support flange 9 occupies a position parallel to the coaming pad, and then the middle 3 and upper 2 belts connector 5 fasten with bolts.

Brackets 7 with rollers 8, mounted on the upper flanges of connectors 5 and 6, provide support and rotation of the middle and lower belts with the mounting bolts removed. In this case, the return of the bolt connections of the flanges of the belts and the turn of the intermediate and lower belts of the landing and suction cups are carried out manually.

The underwater vehicle is docked with the underwater object in the underwater position as follows: the underwater vehicle moves, controlled by its own propulsion and steering system, enters the zone of the underwater object and, taking a possible or convenient landing position (depending on the underwater situation, for example, the current ), hangs over the coaming site of the emergency facility.

The device for centering and pulling the underwater vehicle works as follows: in the stowed position, the telescopic hydraulic cylinders 16 are located in the upper part of the suction cup (Fig. 1) and do not interfere with the free opening of the underwater hatch cover 15 of the underwater vehicle, while the horizontal cylinder 20 is extended.

Before pulling and securing the underwater vehicle to the coaming pad 23, the rod of the horizontal hydraulic cylinder 20 is retracted, the telescopic hydraulic cylinders 16 are rotated on the upper hinges 4 to the lower position, then the extension of the rods of the hydraulic cylinders of the retraction 16, the gripper 18 is lowered and put on the pin 24.

By moving the rod of the horizontal hydraulic cylinder 20, the docking and suction chamber of the underwater vehicle is installed exactly above the coaming pad 23. After this, the rods of the telescopic hydraulic cylinders 16 are retracted, the underwater vehicle is pulled to the coaming pad 23 and pressed against it by the supporting flange 9, thereby fixing the underwater vehicle.

After fixing, a “suction” of the underwater vehicle to the coaming platform 23. The rods of the telescopic hydraulic cylinders 16 and the rod of the horizontal hydraulic cylinder 20 are extended, the gripper 18 is removed from the butt 24, the rods of the telescopic hydraulic cylinders 16 are retracted to their original position, the horizontal cylinder 20 moves the device to the upper traveling position . O-rings 10 and 11 provide tightness in closed flange connectors 5, 6, and O-ring 12 between the supporting flange 9 of the landing and suction chamber of the underwater vehicle and the coaming pad of the emergency underwater object.

Under the influence of external hydrostatic pressure, the underwater vehicle is pressed against the coaming site of the underwater object, providing rigidity and tightness of the contact, which allows, after pumping water from the transition zone of the landing chamber and suction inside the tanks located inside the underwater vehicle, to open the hatch 15 of the device, the hatch 25 of the emergency underwater facility and accept or transfer people and goods.

The invention improves the operational characteristics of the underwater vehicle due to improved conditions for rescue operations in extreme situations, as well as due to the operational provision of both complete tightness of the connectors of the flanges of the rotary belts of the landing and suction cups, and the ease of their relative movement. In addition, the efficiency of rescue crews from emergency submarines is increased, and the speed of docking assistance to those in distress is increased.

Claims (2)

1. An underwater vehicle for underwater technical and rescue operations carried out with a dock with an underwater object, mainly with an emergency submarine, consisting of a hull with an exit hatch installed in the lower part, fixed motionless on the exit hatch of the docking chamber and a suction cup made from the upper, the middle and lower belts with the possibility of rotation, mated through connectors with flanges with seals, while the middle and lower belts are made such that the lower plane of the connector forms with the upper with a gloss of the connector, an angle not less than half the maximum inclination angle of the coaming pad of the underwater object, characterized in that the docking and suction chamber is made with the connection of the belt flanges by fixing bolt joints to prevent excessive opening of the coupling of the belt flanges when the fixing bolts are removed by means of the upper cylindrical surfaces on the outer surfaces flanges of several brackets with rollers, while the rollers are supports for the flanges of the middle and lower chords. 2. The underwater vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that in the docking chamber and suction cup a centering and pulling device for the underwater object is pulled to the coaming site, made in the form of three hydraulic cylinders, two of which are double-acting telescopic and are arranged V-shaped in a vertical planes, the upper end pivotally mounted on the inner surface of the upper chamber belt, and the lower pivotally fixed at one point on the movable grip with the possibility of extension of the capture of the hydraulic cylinders outside the chamber joint Application and suction, a third cylinder piston is maximally horizontally and one end pivotally mounted on the inner surface of upper chamber zone, the other end is pivotally mounted on one of the telescopic hydraulic cylinders.

Images