RU2753658C1 - Autonomous uninhabited underwater vehicle for cleaning marine areas from floating underwater objects - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: marine autonomous devices.SUBSTANCE: invention relates to marine technical devices and is intended for the search and localization of floating underwater objects. An autonomous uninhabited underwater vehicle for cleaning marine areas from floating underwater objects is an underwater net laying transporter that has a container with a network laid in it, damping and contact devices, control instruments, a power plant and/or a current source, an engine, propulsion, rudders, a depth gauge and a course indicator, devices for entering route assignments into control instruments. The control of the network setting is performed by turning the locking tabs at the ends of the rods, which coincide in shape and size with the shaped slots in the bushings of the containers located on their lid and bottom, with the help of which the containers are attached to the rods. The net is placed in each container, pulled out after the container lid comes off under the pressure of the oncoming water flow with the help of the lid and the exhaust chute attached to it, and is stretched to the working position with the help of the net slings. The container has an inflatable buoy with a signal device and a tightening cord attached at one end to the inflatable buoy, and the other through a ring to the slings of the net to pull it and the floating underwater objects caught in the net into a bag. The gas generator is driven by a cord attached to it and the lid of the next container, and in the last container to the fairing.EFFECT: ensuring the cleaning of marine areas from floating underwater objects, including mine-like ones that pose an environmental hazard and a threat to navigation.3 cl, 7 dwg

Description

The invention relates to marine technical devices and is intended for the search and localization of floating underwater objects, including those posing an environmental threat, in order to clear them from sea areas.

Pollution of water bodies at the beginning of the XXI century became critical. Even in the ocean, whole garbage islands appear, marine flora and fauna are dying. Robotics has not yet provided an effective solution to pollution control, but certain developments in this area are known.

A small unmanned ship of the school research project "Ecobot" is known - the work of a group of 10th grade schoolchildren of school No. 79 named after ON. Zaitsev from Nizhny Novgorod. The vessel is a belt elevator that allows you to lift floating debris from the surface of the reservoir for cleaning. The elevator can be replaced with an underwater mower to remove underwater vegetation, and the mower can be replaced with a dredger to remove silt from the bottom. The small size of the apparatus allows it to operate in shallow water [1].

The FRED project of the ClearBlueSea company (USA) is well known. The project is designed to collect plastic waste from the surface of the water and for its preliminary sorting. FRED platform length 30 m, width 27 m, power source - 4 sail wings, as well as a large capacity battery, rechargeable from a photovoltaic battery, maximum speed 2 knots. A sound signal is used to scare off sea animals [1].

The well-known project Seaswarm MIT (USA) - "Sea Swarm", which is a swarm of several thousand floating autonomous robots, each of which is a floating conveyor belt created from a thin hydrophobic nanomaterial capable of collecting oil spilled over the sea surface. Solar panels provide energy to such a robot. The prototype is 49 m long, 21 cm wide, and weighs 16 kg [1].

The well-known autonomous apparatus WasteShark RanMarine (Denmark), which, working five days a week, is capable of moving up to 15.6 tons of waste on the surface per year. His device looks primitive, since he does not recycle garbage, does not collect it in any traps or nets, but only pushes hard and large objects captured under the hull to the shore. Nevertheless, even such a contribution to the prevention of environmental pollution reduces the pressure on the water area. A single charge of the autonomous version of the marine robot is enough for 8 hours of operation, after which the device goes on its own to recharge. There is also support for telecontrol mode. Cheap and environmentally friendly "trash shark" is able to independently determine the places of accumulation of garbage. In addition, the robot can be equipped with sensors to collect data on the characteristics of water [1].

The most famous project is The Clean Ocean by Ocean Cleanup (Netherlands). The essence of the project is the launch of a horseshoe-shaped surface system into the currents existing in the oceans, the movement of which is slowed down by a floating anchor operating at a depth of about 600 m. , plastic. Such a system does not require an external source of energy to move and collect debris as it uses currents and drifts in the ocean. The U-shaped system can move freely, for example in the North Pacific Current, picking up plastic and other waste. From time to time, support vessels may collect trapped debris and deliver it to the coast. In 2017, the company developed a new design for a garbage collection trap. Instead of one giant system, rigidly anchored, a system was proposed, consisting of many relatively small free-floating structures, which are slowed down by a floating anchor submerged to a depth of about 600 m, since the water on the surface moves faster than in the thickness of the current. The difference in speed between such a system and the debris it collects will allow plastic to accumulate near the floating barrier. The design of one element of the system is a floating horseshoe with a “screen” fixed from below, which reaches a depth of 3 m in the center and gradually narrows with distance from the center. At its end points, it reaches a depth of 2 m, and at the edges of the U-shaped floating part it is completely absent. It is expected that this approach will allow the system to maintain its shape [1].

The well-known project Seabin (Australia), which is a floating garbage collector that collects plastic waste in the ocean. It is a recycle bin floating in bays, inland waterways, lakes and harbors, and traps floating debris and liquids. It has a device through which water is sucked from the surface, passed through the bottom of the structure, and the waste is collected in a bag. The designers are currently planning to move to mass commercial production of this project. The Seabin bin can be operated 24 hours a day throughout the year. It is designed to work to collect plastics and floating liquids within bays under relatively controlled conditions. Seabin is positioned on the surface and connected to a shore water pump. Water and floating debris is sucked into the bin, whereupon the water flows out through the bottom of the tank and enters the pump on the dock. Garbage bag is made of natural fiber, it is possible to install a separator for oil and water. The Seabin garbage collector is operated by one person and, due to its small size, can be installed on yachts [2].

A common significant drawback of the above devices and systems is their low mobility and the ability to collect objects only from the sea surface, or at depths not exceeding 3 m.

These disadvantages can be eliminated if an autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle is used as the carrier of the system.

Known is a device for protecting a ship from a torpedo, taken as a prototype of the invention, including an underwater carrier of an anti-torpedo network having a container, a damping and contact device, control devices, a power plant and / or a power source, an engine, a propulsion device, rudders, a gas generator, an inflatable chamber and signaling devices , depth gauge and heading indicator, devices for entering depth and heading into the control devices of the transporter with electric and / or manual drive, floating anchor. The transporter is carried out in small dimensions, which makes it possible to simplify its installation and operation on a ship or vessel, load in the required quantity and place it on the command or signal bridge and on the upper deck [3].

The disadvantage of this device is its one-time use and short operating time.

The aim of the invention is to develop an autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle for cleaning sea areas from floating underwater objects, collecting them in a network and designating a location for further boarding a vessel engaged in cleaning the area, or towing networks to the disposal area.

This problem is solved due to the fact that in an autonomous uninhabited underwater vehicle for cleaning sea areas from floating underwater objects, which is an underwater network transporter having a container with a network laid in it, a damping and contact device, control devices, a power plant and / or a current source , engine, propeller, rudders, depth gauge and heading indicator, devices for entering a route assignment into control devices, there are the following differences: the control devices of the underwater vehicle include an onboard navigation system, a fairing and two or more containers with a net installed using bushings are additionally located in the aft part on the rods that rotate about their axis by the turning mechanism, the containers are arranged sequentially one after the other in such a way that they can move along the rods under the action of the counter flow of water, due to which they come off the rods, and It is applied by turning the stopping pads at the ends of the rods, which coincide in shape and size with the shaped slots in the sleeves of the containers located on their lid and bottom and with which the containers are attached to the rods, while the shaped slots in the holes of the sleeves of the container lid and its bottom are unrolled relative to each other so as to exclude the simultaneous descent from the rods and the lid and the container with the net itself during one turn of the rod, the net laid in each container is pulled out after the container lid comes off under the pressure of the counter flow of water using the lid and the pilot chute attached to it , stretched to the working position with the help of the net slings, the container has an inflatable buoy with a signaling device and a lanyard attached at one end to the inflatable buoy, and the other through a ring to the net slings to tighten it and floating underwater objects caught in the net into a bag, a gas generator operated by a cord to inflate the buoy with signal m device, attached at one end to the starting device of the gas generator, and the other to the lid of the next container, and in the last container to the fairing.

And also instead of a gas generator, a compressed gas cylinder, a reducer and a valve can be installed in the container.

And also an autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle additionally has a sonar and a video camera for detecting floating underwater objects, recognizing them and calculating a maneuver to capture them into the net.

The essence of the invention is illustrated by drawings, where FIG. 1 shows a general view of an autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle (AUV), FIG. 2 shows containers with a net fixed in the aft part of the AUV, FIG. 3 shows the device of a container with a net, FIG. 4 shows the separation of the lid of the 1st container and the pulling of the net from it with an exhaust parachute; FIG. 5 shows the network in a working position, FIG. 6 shows the capture of floating underwater objects by the network and its separation from the AUV, FIG. 7 illustrates the ascent of the net with the objects captured by it to the surface of the water.

Here the numbers indicate:

1 - AUV building,

2 - power plant,

3 - engine,

4 - drive of the rod turning mechanism,

5 - contact device,

6 - damping device (spring),

7 - steering wheel,

8 - mover,

9 - fairing,

10 - container,

11 - inflatable buoy with a signaling device,

12 - gas generator (compressed gas cylinder),

13 - network,

14 - rod,

15 - locking cap,

16 - container lid,

17 - sleeve (eyelet) of the container lid,

18 - sleeve (eyelet) of the bottom of the container,

19 - mechanism for turning the guide rods,

20 - communication equipment,

21 - onboard navigation system,

22 - onboard control system,

23 - sonar,

24 - video camera,

25 - device for entering data (route assignment) into the on-board control system,

26 - transmitting and receiving antenna of communication equipment,

27 - the bottom of the container,

28 - a hole with a figured cutout in the sleeve (eyelet) of the container bottom,

29 - net border,

30 - hole with a figured cutout in the sleeve (eyelet) of the container lid,

31 - ring for the passage of the net slings and the pulling cord,

32 - tightening cord,

33 - nipple,

34 - gas hose,

35 - reducer,

36 - gas generator starter (gas valve),

37 - hole in the bottom of the container,

38 - cord for turning on the gas generator starter or opening the gas valve,

39 - carabiner for attaching the cord to the lid of another container,

40 - pilot parachute cord,

41 - pilot chute,

42 - movement vector (course) of the AUV,

43 - net slings,

44 - floating underwater objects,

45 - the ascent of an inflatable buoy with a signaling device under the action of the force of Archimedes after inflation with gas,

46 - water surface,

47 - radiation of the signaling device.

An autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle for cleaning sea areas from floating underwater objects (Fig. 1) has a body (1), in which a power plant (2), an engine (3), a drive of the turning mechanism (4) of rods (14) are installed, which serve for towing containers (10) and controlling the setting of the network (13), including the separation of the container lid (16), pulling the network (13) into the working position, overrunning floating underwater objects, triggering the contact device (5) and generating a signal that a given mass has entered the network floating underwater objects, separation of the container from the AUV, to prevent sudden jerks when floating underwater objects enter the network, a damping device (6) serves fairing (9), to control the rods there is a mechanism for their reversal (19) with a drive (4). In addition, the AUV has communication equipment (20) with a control point and a transmitting-receive antenna (26), an on-board navigation system (21) to provide the AUV with geographical coordinates when moving along a given route, an on-board control system (22) to generate commands to control the rudders, the propeller. , rods and communication equipment, a device for entering data into it (route assignment) (25). Additionally, the AUV has a sonar (23) and a video camera (24) for detecting and recognizing floating underwater objects in the water.

In the aft part of the AUV, containers (10) are installed on the rods (14) using bushings (lugs) on the cover (17) and bushings (lugs) on the bottom (18), the rods have locking pads (15) (Fig. 1, 2 and 3), serving to control the setting of the network (13). The containers are arranged sequentially one after another and can move along the rods (14) under the action of the counter flow of water. The operation of the network setting (13) is controlled by turning the curly locking pads (15) at the ends of the rods (14), which coincide in shape and size with the curly slots (28) and (30) in the bushings (lugs) (17) on the cover and (18) the bottom of the containers, while the openings with shaped slots (28) of the bottom and (30) and the lids are rotated relative to each other so as to prevent the simultaneous separation of the lid (16) of the container and the container (10) itself with the bottom (27). The container (10) contains a net (13) intended for catching floating underwater objects, an inflatable buoy with a signaling device (I) to indicate its place, which has a nipple (33), a gas hose (34) connecting it with a gearbox (35 ) a gas generator (12) or a compressed gas cylinder. A gas valve (36) and a cord to turn on the gas generator starter (opening the gas valve) (38), passing through the hole (37) in the bottom of the container and fixed with a carbine (39) on the cover (16) of the adjacent container. The hole in the bottom of the container (37) serves to lead out the cord for turning on the gas generator starter (opening the gas valve) (38) and connecting the inner cavity of the container (10) with the environment to equalize the pressure inside the container with the outer one and easily open the lid (16).

The holes in the sleeves (lugs) of the bottom of the container (28) and the container lid (30) ensure the sliding of the container (10) along the rod (14) and stopping it depending on the angle of rotation of the locking pads (15). Under the pressure of the counter flow of water, the cover (16), which is not locked by reliably (15), is separated from the container (10), pulls the pilot chute (41) behind it, and then, using slings (43), stretches the network (13) laid in the container (Fig. 4, fig. 5). As can be seen in the example shown in FIG. 3 and 4: when turning the pads (15) of the rods (14) into the vertical plane, the container (10) moves back to the stop with the lugs (18) of the bottom into the locking pads (15), since their shaped cutout (28) is oriented in the horizontal plane. The separation of the container (10) with the net (13) and objects trapped in it is carried out after the contact device (5) is triggered, while the rods (14) turn the locking pads (15) into a horizontal plane, and the container is separated. Attached to the lid (16) of the next container (10), the cord (38) stretches and unfolds the valve (36), as a result, gas is launched from the gas generator or compressed gas cylinder (12) through the gas hose (34) into an inflatable buoy with a signaling device ( 11), which floats to the surface of the water (46) (Fig. 6 and Fig. 7) and indicates its location (47) with the help of a bright color and a signaling device, which can be a corner reflector stretched inside the buoy shell (aka inflatable corner reflector), a marker beacon and / or a light-signaling device used to detect the buoy (11) using radar or by visual optical means at night. The net (13) with the floating underwater objects (44) caught in it is pulled together when the inflatable the buoy (11) into the bag, preventing the loss of objects caught in it, and the signaling device indicates the location of the buoy (11) or transmits information (47) about its location to the control point.

An autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle for cleaning sea areas from floating underwater objects works as follows. At a given point corresponding to the entered route assignment, the AUV starts setting up the network (13), for which the reversal mechanism (19) with the drive (4) rotates the rods (14) around the axis, on which the containers (10) are installed at an angle until their locking the overlays (15) will not coincide with the location of the shaped cutouts (30) in the bushings of the lid (17) of the first container (10). Under the pressure of the counter flow of water, the containers (10) move along the rods (14) back to the stop of the bottom bushings (18) of the first container (10) against the locking pads of the rods (15), the lid of the first container (16) by inertia and under the pressure of water is disconnected from container (10) and with the help of the pulling parachute (41) pulls out the net (13) from the container (10), which is stretched into the working position. The AUV, in accordance with the assignment, starts fishing in the net of floating underwater objects (44). After the objects of a given mass hit the network, the contact device (5) is triggered, the rods are turned by the turning mechanism (19) at an angle until the locking pads (15) coincide with the shaped cutouts (28) of the bottom bushings (18) of the first container and the container (10 ) under the pressure of water is separated from the AUV, and the next container (10) takes its place with the stop of its lid (16) in the locking pads (15). The cord (38) of the separated container, fastened with a carabiner (39) with the lid (16) of the next container, is pulled and actuates the valve (36) of the reducer (35) of the gas generator or a compressed gas cylinder (12), after which the gas enters the inflatable buoy with signaling device (11), and it floats to the surface of the water (46), pulls the net (13) with objects (44) into the bag and the signaling device indicates its location or transmits information about this (47) to the control point (on not shown).

For better detection of floating underwater objects and their recognition, the AUV is additionally equipped with a sonar (23) and a video camera (24).

An example of the use of an autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle for cleaning sea areas from floating underwater objects is shown in Fig. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.

To set up the network (13), the rods (14), on which the containers (10) are installed, are turned by the mechanism for turning the rods (19) of the AUV at an angle at which the holes with the figured cutouts of the cover bushings (30) of the first container (10) coincide with the location of the locking the attachments (15) of the rods (14), the container lid (16) is detached and, together with the pilot chute (41), pulls the net (13) out of the container (10). The AUV moves along the route and catches in the net floating underwater objects (44) on the route. The contact device (5) serves to signal the capture by the network (11) of underwater objects of a given mass (44), corresponding to the required tension force of the lines of the network (43).

FIG. 6 shows the moment when several floating underwater objects (44) enter the network (13), the container (10) with the network is separated from the AUV (1), the inflatable buoy with the signaling device (11) is filled with gas and lifted to the water surface. FIG. 7 shows how the net (13) with trapped underwater objects (44) is pulled together by a cord (32) and a ring (32) into a bag and drifts together with an inflatable buoy with a signaling device (11) floating on the water surface (46), which indicates its location or transmits information about it (47) to the control point. The remaining containers are moved along the guide rods (14) back until they stop in the locking pads (15) (Figs. 1 and 2), and everything starts all over again.

With the help of sonar and a video camera, the AUV detects and identifies floating underwater objects (44) that are located away from the route, and if they correspond to the task, it goes to them and also captures them in the network (13), while the sonar and video camera help to correctly calculate maneuver of approaching the object to touch it.

The technical result of the invention is an autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle, which serves to cleanse sea areas from floating underwater objects, including mine-like ones, representing an environmental hazard and a threat to navigation, capable of localizing them in a given sea area.

Sources of information

1. Alexey Boyko (ABloud), Robots for cleaning the ocean from garbage, Robotrends, http://robotrends.ru/robopedia/roboty-dlya-ochistki-okeana-ot-musora

2. Natali. A floating waste collector collects plastic waste in the ocean. Ecotechnology magazine FacePla.net 12/28/2015. http://www.facepla.net/the-news/5331%D0%BC%D1%83%D1%81%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B9%D0% BA% D0% BE% D0% BB% D0% BB% D0% B5% D0% BA% D1% 82% D0% BE% D1% 80.html

3. Novikov AV, Zharovov AK, Device for protecting the ship from torpedoes, Patent No. 2703832. Moscow: FIPS, 2019.Bul. from 22.10.2019 No. 30.

Claims (3)

1. An autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle for cleaning sea areas from floating underwater objects, which is an underwater network transporter with a container with a network laid in it, a damping and contact device, control devices, a power plant and / or a current source, an engine, a propeller, rudders , a depth gauge and a heading indicator, devices for entering a route assignment into control devices, characterized in that an onboard navigation system is included in the control devices of the underwater vehicle, a fairing and two or more containers with a net installed with bushings on rods rotating relative to its axis by the turning mechanism, the containers are arranged sequentially one after the other in such a way that they can move along the rods under the action of the counter flow of water, due to which they come off the rods, and the network setting is controlled by turning the locking pads at the end ax rods, matching in shape and size with the shaped slots in the sleeves of the containers located on their lid and bottom and with which the containers are attached to the rods, while the shaped slots in the holes of the sleeves of the container lid and its bottom are turned relative to each other so as to exclude simultaneous descent from the rods and the lid and the container with the net itself during one reversal of the rod, the net laid in each container is pulled out after the container lid has come off under the pressure of the counter flow of water with the help of the lid and the pilot chute attached to it, stretched into the working position with the help of the network lines, the container contains an inflatable buoy with a signaling device and a lanyard attached at one end to the inflatable buoy, and the other through a ring to the network lines, a gas generator driven by a cord for inflating the buoy with a signaling device attached at one end to the gas generator starting device , and others to the lid of the next container, and in the last container to the fairing. 2. An autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle for cleaning sea areas from floating underwater objects according to claim 1, characterized in that instead of a gas generator, a compressed gas cylinder, a reducer and a valve can be installed in the container. 3. An autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle for cleaning sea areas from floating underwater objects according to claim 1, characterized in that it additionally has a sonar and a video camera.

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