RU2529940C2 - Method of submerged buoy functioning and installation and device for method implementation - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: measuring instrumentation.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions refers to procedure of ocean research by autonomous and automatic submarine stations of anchored type. Method involves probe movement within buoy with the use of changes and control of ratio of multidirectional forces, water displacement and weight, affecting the unit in vertical direction. The same forces unfold buoy rope, a cable link of assembly elements, into cable vertical during setting submersion. Device includes case with deformable ballast tank, probe drive consisting of ballast loading and discharge device with microcontroller, electric power source. Discharge device consists of mobile part in the form of gate valve in lower base of the case. Loading device in the upper base of the case includes loading choke which, in the upper position of ballast loading, enters immobile part of loading device, a constrictor connected to ballast injector attached rigidly on the floater and controlled by microcontroller. Constrictor embraces the choke tightly to form tight connection to the supply line of injector made in the form of water accumulation dosing cylinder.

EFFECT: repeated use of equipment in hydrophysical measurements.

3 cl, 4 dwg

Description

The invention relates to techniques for the study and development of the ocean, to autonomous and automated underwater vehicles of the anchored type - buoys.

The method uses for movement control of the ratio of acting multidirectional forces - displacement and weight, which affect the device vertically and carry out its movement as part of the buoy. The same forces deploy the buirp — the cable connection of the assembly elements into the cable vertical during the immersion process — in the process of setting the buoy, which includes a functional probe.

There are various ways of setting and functioning of submerged buoy devices scanning along a vertical cable line - buirp [1, 2], which is sequentially deployed in the process of setting between the anchor and the float, immersing them from the craft in the process of its drift using special ship devices and then set in motion.

The known and device [2] for moving the buoy along the buoyrep. This is an electric motor with a gearbox, pinch rollers, magnetic clutch and drive roller.

The disadvantages of the known solution are: the complexity of the setting method, the inaccurate setting caused by the drift of the carrier vessel, the drift of the cable line by internal currents and the high cost of ship time due to the duration of the process, as well as the unreliability of the cable-roller drive and large friction losses due to slipping of the buoyrp cable.

Closest to the proposed solution is a method of setting and functioning of a submerged oceanological buoy [3], which consists in a preliminary determination of the depths of setting the probe and the depth of the float, i.e. the corresponding lengths of the buoyrp, which is then built into a cable line from a recessed float with a controlled winch mounted on it and a pack of the buirp cable on a bifilar view, connecting its upper end to the float, and the lower end is passed into the guides of the probe carrier equipped with a drive and connected through a breaker with an anchor, then assemble the cable line into the assembly, fastening: an anchor, a probe with a carrier, a winch and a float with a coupler with a lock equipped with a depth (pressure) sensor, and immerse in a selected point in the water area, which the assembly, immersing, is disconnected, giving the anchor at the command of the depth sensor on the horizon of the float, as a result of which the anchor sinks and unwinds the cable line from the drum, and after the anchor touches the ground, turn on the carrier drive and begin to move the probe up and down along the guides along the buoyer, performing measurements.

A device is known for moving vertically in water by controlling the ratio of the action of multidirectional forces — displacement and weight that affect the underwater vehicle — a probe with a carrier [4], comprising: a durable body, and in it a deformable ballast tank and gas under pressure between the walls housing and capacity, the probe drive, consisting of a ballast loading and unloading device, and a source of electricity.

The known method is also not free from disadvantages. It also has the high complexity of a roller drive and converting the rotation of an electric motor into linear motion along a cable of a buirp. The method requires a large supply of electricity, recharging or replacing batteries, difficult to maintain electrical devices under water. It is subject to wear of the buyrep cable from the roller drive and, as a result, to slip in engagement, which reduces reliability and requires constant monitoring of adhesion. In addition, the use of the time-consuming operation of laying a buirep cable on a bifilar view is fraught with the confusion of the cable during unwinding during immersion and disruption of planned oceanological measurements.

The known device [4] for moving vertically in water by controlling the ratio of the action of multidirectional forces - displacement and weight, also has its drawbacks. It requires external control, designed for human participation, and is not intended to organize the process of automatic scanning probe movement along the buirp.

The proposed solution allows us to avoid these drawbacks associated with the difficulty of converting the rotation of the electric motor to linear motion along the buoyrp cable, to exclude the use of bifilar view and the risk of tangling of the buirp in the process of setting the buoy, which will extend the life of the buoyrp cable, and also to eliminate the possibility of a chaotic, not stabilized relative to the horizontal currents of the probe, leading to rotation around the buirp. In addition, it will allow organizing the autocyclic process of moving the probe along the buirp for oceanological measurements of the hydrophysical parameters of sea water.

This effect is achieved by the fact that in the known method of setting and functioning of a submerged oceanological buoy, which consists in a preliminary determination of the depths of setting the buoy and the depth of the float, i.e. the corresponding lengths of the buoyrp, in the subsequent construction of the cable vertical from a buried float with a controlled winch and a package of the buirp cable fixed to it, connecting its upper end to the float, and the lower end is passed into the guides of the probe carrier equipped with a drive with a microcontroller, and connected through the disconnector with with an anchor, then the cable line is assembled into the assembly, fastening the anchor, the probe with the carrier, the winch and the float with a tie with a lock equipped with a depth (pressure) sensor, and immersed in the selected water point , in which the assembly, when immersed, is disconnected at the command of the depth sensor on the horizon of the float, giving up the anchor, as a result of which the anchor sinks and unwinds the cable line from the packing drum, and after the anchor touches the ground, turn on the carrier drive and begin to move the probe up and down along the guides along buyrepa, performing oceanological measurements, while the package is placed on the winch drum, and the movement is carried out according to the microcontroller program, changing the ratio of the forces of weight in water and displacement of the carrier with the probe, for this use a probe block with a carrier of constant displacement and variable weight, providing it with a hydrodynamically stabilizing external shape and a pressure-resistant housing in which a variable-volume ballast tank is placed, with ballast loading and unloading devices, in addition, the probe block is provided with external buoyancy, providing design, excess over weight in water, displacement for the probe to move upward along the buyrep cable, which is carried out by unloading the ballast at the lower point with the unloading device, and when reaching the upper point, the fitting of the ballast capacity of the injector loading valve, mounted on a hydrodynamically stabilized float, injects a new portion of the ballast into the ballast tank, sufficient for the calculated downward movement, which leads to immersion, i.e. the probe is moved down, and then the process is cyclically repeated.

A device for implementing a method of moving along a buirep cable by controlling the ratio of displacement and weight in water, comprising: a strong body and a deformable ballast tank in it, in which gas under pressure between the walls of the body and the tank, as well as a probe drive, consisting of a device loading and unloading of ballast, characterized in that the device for unloading ballast from the ballast tank consists of a movable part - a discharge relief valve in the lower base of a durable housing and a loading device with a check valve including a loading union in the upper base of the robust housing, which in the upper position for loading the ballast into the ballast tank enters through the pharynx into the fixed part of the loading device - a sphincter valve connected hydraulically via an electrohydro valve to the ballast injector fixedly mounted on the float and controlled by a microcontroller by a signal a sensor for the presence of the fitting in the sphincter, and the loading pressure is greater than the gas pressure between the walls of the strong body and the ballast tank, for which the sphincter with the help of of its pressure reducing valve can tightly enclose the fitting, which is elastically deformable under pressure by the inner wall for hydraulically tight connection of the fitting with the pressure line of the injector, which is made in the form of a pump accumulator, hydraulically connected to the sphincter with its pressure cavity, which is limited by the wall of the end face of the cylinder and the piston supported on the other hand, on a working spring, which on the opposite side rests on the opposite wall of the end of the cylinder and is able to move the piston, in addition, the cylinder has an electric lock that fixes the position of the piston and the compressed spring, as well as a high pressure hydraulic pump connected by a pipeline through the check valve to the pressure chamber of the metering cylinder, in addition, the spring is equipped with a pre-setting preload mechanism between the rugged case on the outside contains an integrated gas filling valve and guides for moving along the buoyrp from one side, and hydrodynamic stubs from the opposite side recuperators on the brackets.

In addition, the injector may consist of a metering hydraulic cylinder that is hydraulically connected to the sphincter with its front base, containing a piston, a return spring in the pressure cavity between the front base of the cylinder and the piston, and a hydraulic valve for leakage of overboard water, and the opposite base of the cylinder contains a powder gas inlet from automatic gas generator, made in the form of an electrically controlled microcontroller automatic feeding and firing, special powder cartridges packed in automatic shop, at the command of the sensor of the presence of the fitting in the sphincter, while the gas generator device is placed in a pneumatic sealed box, docked to the rear end base of the hydraulic cylinder, in which the valve for the discharge of exhaust powder gases under pressure of the return spring is integrated.

Possibility of implementation

The essence of the method is illustrated in schematic Figures 1-4.

Figure 1 schematically shows the assembly of an oceanological buoy with a probe, ready for immersion. Here: a streamlined float 1 with stabilizers 2 is assembled into a tie 3, containing a lock with a depth sensor 4, with a probe 5 and a carrier 6, an anchor 7 and a breaker 8. A controlled winch 9 is fixed to the float, through which the cable 10 is connected with the upper end to float 1, and then passed through the guides of the carrier 11 and connected with the lower end to the disconnector 8. The carrier contains a durable pressure-resistant housing 12, inside of which there is a ballast tank of variable volume 13, the lower base of which ends with a supporting exhaust valve 14 m, and the upper - 15 fitting with check valve 16. The space is rugged ballast vessel filled with gas under pressure "P" is greater than the design pressure on an anchor depth. The injector 17 is a ballast water loading device, mounted on a float, contains a power unit and a microcontroller 18. Zev 19 is a guiding funnel installed at the entrance to the valve channel for the nozzle 15 to enter the sphincter 20 of the loading valve 21, which inside contains the presence sensor of the nozzle 22 (FIG. .2) when the latter enters the valve in its upper position.

The pressure-resistant robust housing 12 also contains an external balancing buoyancy 23 and a gas filling valve 24. On the opposite side, two motion stabilizers 25, which prevent rotation around the buirp, are mounted on brackets 11 on the housing.

Figure 2 and 3 schematically shows a device for controlling the ratio of displacement and weight in water for implementing the method of movement along the cable buirep. Here, FIG. 2 shows the position of the fitting 15 in the loading valve of the sphincter 20, in the loading valve 21 of the injector 17. The fitting is compressed by a deformable wall of the sphincter 26 under pressure of ballast water, for the passage of which holes are made in the chambers 27 of the valve. The chambers 27 are interconnected by a pressure reducing valve 28, which separates the deformable part of the valve from the non-deformable. The sphincter 20 is made in the form of a cylindrical valve having an internal cavity formed by an elastically deformable cylindrical wall, which, under the action of pressure in the chambers, can be deformed in the direction of the cylinder axis. The ballast that has passed into the ballast tank is held by a non-return valve 16, which is connected to an elastic ballast tank 13. The sphincter 20 is connected via an electrohydrovalve 29 to the pressure chamber of the pumped storage metering cylinder 30 of the injector 17, which is limited by the piston 31, and the latter rests on the other side on a working spring 32 and a device for its preliminary installation preload 33, located in the rear wall of the injector 17. The electric lock 34 fixes the position of the piston 31 in the position of the compressed spring. The pressure pump 35 with the pipeline and the check valve 36 are used to fill the ballast of the accumulating metering cylinder 30.

Figure 3 schematically shows another device of the ballast injector 17, using the energy of the powder gases from an automatic pulse gas generator 37 from the powder cartridges 38 located in the automatic supply and firing magazine 39, located in a pneumatic box 40, docked to the base 45 of the accumulating metering cylinder 41 with a channel 42 of the exit of powder gases. Thus, the powder gases flow into the space 43 between the piston 44 and the wall 45. The gas pressure can move the piston 44 by compressing the return spring 46 and injecting ballast water through the channel 47 connecting the injector to the sphincter 20. A discharge valve is built into the hydraulic cylinder to discharge the exhaust gases. 48, and for ballasting, a seawater leakage valve 49.

The method operates as follows.

After determining the depth of the position and depth h of the position of the flooded float, the assembly of FIG. 1 is filled with gas through valve 24 at a pressure "P" exceeding the pressure at the depth of setting of the armature. Then the assembly is ballasted: external displacement 23 creates a displacement force G, which is set greater than the weight P in water without taking into account ballast ("dry probe"), by the amount of:

ΔP = G-P.

After which, adding the amount of ballast 13, ΔP appoint the excess of weight over the displacement B-ΔP = ΔP, where B = 2ΔP, i.e. the magnitude of the lifting and deepening forces is equal to ΔP and is assigned by the experimenter, based on the research task. The ratio of these values, which determine the speed of movement along the buirep, is laid down in the program of the microcontroller 18, which is mounted in the injector 17. It controls the dosage and the motion sequence. It automatically measures a given ballast value, providing the estimated speed of immersion and ascent, which are determined by the required conditions for measuring oceanological parameters.

After gas charging and ballasting, the assembly is immersed at a given point in the water area. Figure 4 shows the three stages of setting (I, II and III) and the deployment of the cable vertical. When immersed, the assembly reaches the position horizon of the float h, as shown (I), where the depth sensor 4 (pressure) is triggered, and the assembly is disconnected (II), giving the anchor 7 having the weight prevailing over the buoyancy of the float, which, when immersed, unwinds the buoyrp cable 10 from the winch drum 9, building the entire cable vertical with a predetermined length. After the anchor touches the ground (III) and transmits the signal, the microcontroller turns on the winch and pulls the buoyer. The next command, if there is a signal from sensor 22, is the beginning of work. According to this command, the first portion of ballast water 13 is injected through the loading valve 21 under a pressure higher than the gas pressure in the durable housing 12. For this, the sphincter with an internal elastic wall 26 under the pressure of the injected water by the installed pressure reducing valve 28 seals the fitting 15 and forms a filling channel in ballast tank 13 through the non-return valve 16. After refueling, the pressure of the ballast water drops, and the sphincter releases the fitting, and the weighted probe starts to move down, while the ballast is held back by apan 16. Having reached the anchor, at the bottom the probe is supported by a supporting exhaust valve 14 and unloads 2ΔP of ballast under gas pressure, which leads to an excess of buoyancy over weight and the probe begins to float. The up and down movement in Fig. 4 is indicated by arrow V. When moving up the buoyrp, the probe retains its original orientation in the flow due to the guides 11 and stabilizers 2 and 25 of the float and probe, which allows the fitting 15 to adequately dock with the pharynx 19 and the loading valve 21, where the presence sensor 22 is activated, which transmits a signal to the microcontroller, which starts the ballast loading process. The process is repeated according to the program that the researcher sets. The depth of the float h is set for reasons of safety of navigation and the exclusion of the influence of surface waves on the cable line of the buirep.

A device for implementing the method is a functioning complex of the sphincter 20, injector 17, guides 11, valves and ballast water flows under pressure. In the injector with the pump circuit, a marine pump 35 is used, which pumps the ballast into the pressure cavity of the hydraulic cylinder 30 while the probe moves up and down and the valve 29 is closed. As a result, the piston 31, moving, compresses the working spring 32 to “snap” the electric lock 34, accumulating a pressure pulse in the spring, the magnitude of which is set by the initial compression of the spring 32, the device 33 is pressed during debugging of the cyclogram. To prevent overflow, check valve 36 is used at the end of the pipeline. After the signal from the presence sensor 22, the microcontroller opens the electrohydrovalve 29 and the electric lock 34. As a result, the ballast under pressure fills the lower cavities of the sphincter, the elastic walls 26 of which compress the nozzle 15, and the increasing pressure opens the pressure relief valve 28 after the walls 26 compress the nozzle 15. This ensures the flow of ballast from the accumulating metering cylinder 30 into the container 13, which drives the probe 12. Next, the microprocessor closes the valve 29 and the injector begins to pump the next portion of ballast.

When using the energy of the powder charge to pump ballast into the tank 13, a powder gas generator 37 is used based on blank live cartridges 38 from automatic firearms, for which there are many reliable mechanisms 39 for firing. A variety of selling calibers of the same cartridges used for construction pistols, allows you to choose the necessary charge for your research purpose. The powder mechanism is located in a pneumatic box 40 from where the powder gases flow out of the gas generator, which are then removed by the gas relief valve 48 through the channel 42. A return spring 46 is placed on the pressure portion of the pump accumulator cylinder 46, on which the piston rests. Powder gases flowing from the gas generator through the channel 42 into the space 43 act on the piston 44 and move it, compressing the return spring 46, squeezing the ballast into the loading valve 21. After filling the ballast with the ballast 13, the return spring 46 returns the piston to its original position, valve 48, gases are removed, and the next portion of ballast is collected through the overflow water valve 49.

From the moment the anchor is laid, the buoy is considered installed. He activates external means of communication, releases a beacon and proceeds to stand-alone program work, performing measurements of the parameters of the environment during the scan along the buiree cable. After the research program is completed, an acoustic command is sent from the support vessel to the acoustic breaker 8. It activates and gives the buoyer. The buoy pops up and is removed for routine maintenance and reloading, leaving anchor 7 at the bottom.

The essential features listed above make it possible to provide a method for setting and functioning of an autonomous oceanological probe, using for movement control of the ratio of acting multidirectional forces - displacement and weight, which avoids drift and curvature of the cable vertical, twisting of the buoyer and slipping of the drive mechanism, i.e. without the aforementioned disadvantages, therefore, reduce the complexity, reduce shipping time and costs.

A real embodiment of the proposed method is possible using any craft of the corresponding carrying capacity: a carrier vessel with a cargo boom or a pontoon with an inclined slip for reloading the assembly into the water. The float 1 can be made of steel hollow with a protective anticorrosive color according to the type of diverting buoys in shipbuilding or glued from foam, for example, grade PS-100. The choice of float type is determined by considerations of cost, durability and period of use. For screed 3 layouts, a simple metal strip made of ornamental steel with protective coloring or nylon tape can be used. The lock 4 located thereon is of an automatic hydrostatic type or electromagnetic type, controlled by a microprocessor from a pressure (depth) sensor, for example, the Probe-10SD-1210 type or the GE DRUK strain gauge. As winch 9, you can use an electric winch with an enlarged drum of the Sport Way PS 12000 12V type or a helicopter winch of the LPG-300 type equipped with an electric friction brake. Durable pressure-resistant housing 12 can be made of titanium alloy type 1X18H9T or AMG6 with anodizing. Ballast capacity of elastic type - from automotive rubber GOST 29007-91. External buoyancy can be made of epoxy-based spheroplastics of the Syntactic EDS-7A type and dosed by a set of discrete elements. The stabilizers can be made of fiberglass, as well as the pharynx 19 of the loading valve. The breaker 8, for example, type AGAR-ECHO developed by OKB OT, is connected with an anchor from the anchor 7, which can serve as a concrete block. As a microprocessor, an Atmel Mega 128 processor or similar is used. For the power source, you can use lithium-ion batteries. The depth of the water area of the setting can be measured with a Furuno type marine echo sounder.

When using a pontoon with an inclined slip or boom, a displacement of about 3 tons and a small boat for towing is necessary, but a research vessel of the Aquanaut or Rift type can also be used.

Information sources

1. Kenneth W. Dherty, Jon M. Toode, Daniel E. Frye; Moored water profiling apparatus, US Patent No. 5,869,756. Feb 9, 1999.

2. A. G. Ostrovsky, A. G. Zatsepin, V. A. Derevinin, S. S. Nizov, S. G. Poyarkov, A. L. Tsibulsky, D. A. Shvoev. Anchored automatic measuring system "Aquazond" for vertical profiling of the marine environment. Oceanology, 2008, Volume 48, No. 2, pp. 297-306.

3. Zatsepin A. G., Ostrovsky A. G., Komarov V. S., Shvoev D. A., Soloviev V. A. The method of setting a submerged oceanological buoy. RF patent No. 2404081 from 10.20.2012.

4. Mosquitoes B.C., Hawks B.C. A method for controlling the buoyancy of an underwater vehicle and a device for its implementation. A.S. USSR No. 1519102 dated 1.07.1989

Claims (3)

1. A method for moving a probe of a submerged oceanological buoy, characterized in that the probe is moved up and down the buirep cable according to the microcontroller program, changing the ratio of displacement and weight in water in the carrier with the probe, for this, use the probe block with a carrier of constant displacement and variable weight, providing it with a hydrodynamically stabilizing external shape and a pressure-resistant housing in which a variable-volume ballast tank is placed, with ballast loading and unloading devices, to In addition, the probe block is provided with external buoyancy, providing the design displacement, which is excessive over the weight in water, for displacement of the probe upward along the buiree cable, which is carried out by unloading the ballast at the lower point of the ballast, and when the nozzle reaches the ballast capacity at the upper point, fixed on a hydrodynamically stabilized float, a new portion of ballast is injected into the ballast tank, sufficient for the calculated downward movement, which leads to immersion, i.e. downwardly, and then the process is repeated cyclically. 2. The device for implementing the method according to claim 1, containing a durable body, and in it a deformable ballast tank, in which gas under pressure is between the walls of the body and the tank, as well as a probe drive, consisting of a ballast loading and unloading device with a microcontroller, and an electric power source, characterized in that the device for discharging ballast from a ballast tank consists of a movable part in the form of a support valve for unloading in the lower base of a durable housing and a loading device with a check valve, including in the upper of a strong housing, the loading choke, which in the upper position for loading the ballast into the ballast tank, enters through the throat into the fixed part of the loading device — a valve with a sphincter, hydraulically connected to the ballast injector fixedly mounted on the float and controlled by a microcontroller according to the signal of the choke presence sensor in sphincter, and the loading pressure is greater than the gas pressure between the walls of the strong body and the ballast tank, for which the sphincter using its reduction of the valve can tightly enclose the fitting, which is elastically deformable under pressure by the inner wall for hydraulically tight connection of the fitting with the pressure line of the injector, which is made in the form of a pump accumulator, hydraulically connected to the sphincter with its pressure cavity, which is limited by the end wall of the pump accumulator and piston leaning on the other hand on the working spring, and the latter on the opposite side rests on the opposite the bottom of the end base of the accumulating metering cylinder and is able to move the piston, in addition, the hydraulic accumulating metering cylinder has an electric lock that fixes the position of the piston and the compressed spring, as well as a high pressure pump connected by a pipe through the check valve to the pressure chamber of the hydraulic accumulating metering cylinder, in addition , the spring is equipped with a pre-setting preload mechanism, meanwhile, the robust housing on the outside contains an integrated gas filling valve and a guide for movement along the buoyrp from one side, and from the opposite side, hydrodynamic stabilizers on the brackets. 3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that the injector consists of a hydraulic accumulator-metering cylinder hydraulically connected to the sphincter with its front base, containing a piston, a return spring in the pressure cavity between the front base of the hydraulic accumulator-metering cylinder and the piston, as well as an outboard hydraulic valve water, and the opposite base of the cylinder contains a channel for the entrance of powder gases from an automatic gas generator, made in the form of an automatic firing machine microcontroller s idle ammunition from automatic firearms, packaged in an automatic magazine, triggered by the presence of a fitting in the sphincter, the gas generator is placed in a pneumatic airtight box, docked to the rear end base of the accumulating metering cylinder, in addition, a relief valve is built into the box exhaust powder gases under pressure return spring.

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