TW202120958A - Underwater sonar measurement and calibration device and method thereof capable of remotely measuring and calibrating the size of an object to be measured - Google Patents

Abstract

An underwater sonar measurement and calibration device includes: a standard calibration block with an actual size; a floating body connected to the top of the standard calibration block; an acoustic transponder arranged on the top of the standard calibration block; a bottom anchor disposed under the bottom of the standard calibration block to stabilize the position of the standard calibration block; and an acoustic release device disposed inside the bottom of the standard calibration block and mechanically connected to the bottom anchor. When the acoustic release device receives a release command, the standard calibration block is separated from the bottom anchor.

Description

Underwater sonar measurement and correction device and method

The invention relates to an underwater sonar measurement and correction device, and more particularly to a correction method using the underwater sonar measurement and correction device.

The operation and maintenance of sonar offshore wind farms are highly difficult, high-risk, and the employees are highly mobile. Among them, the monitoring of underwater operation and maintenance is even more difficult. The surveying and mapping vessels go to sea to collect data and data, and each surveying and mapping needs to cost The cost is huge. Increasing the accuracy of each surveying and mapping data not only improves the reliability of the surveying and mapping data, but also reduces the possibility of re-surveying and mapping.

Sonar is an electronic device that detects and locates underwater targets. Using the propagation characteristics of sound waves under water, through electro-acoustic conversion and signal processing, the underwater detection task is completed. With the intervention of new marine technologies and the continuous upgrading of equipment, underwater terrain acoustic detection technology has achieved rapid development, and it has become one of the important research fields in marine surveying and mapping in ocean countries around the world. The equipment currently using sonar technology for marine surveying and mapping includes: single-beam echo sounder, side scan sonar, multi-beam echo sounder, shallow formation profiler, etc. However, these marine surveying and mapping equipment can only distinguish these sound signals to determine the range and orientation of the object, and there is no correction and compensation related technology.

The Republic of China Patent Certificate No. M406734 discloses a three-axis positioning underwater ultrasonic measurement system, which includes a three-axis positioning unit, an ultrasonic measurement unit and a processing unit. By moving the ultrasonic probe fixed on the three-axis positioning unit to the three-axis direction and transmitting and reflecting the received signal, accurate distance calculation is performed, and then the riverbed topography is drawn according to the calculated distance. However, the patent The underwater ultrasonic measurement system in the literature is only suitable for underwater measurement in shallow waters. Furthermore, the underwater ultrasonic measurement system of the patent document does not have a related technology for the correction and compensation of the size of the side object.

Therefore, there is a need to provide an underwater sonar measurement and correction device and method to solve the aforementioned problems.

An object of the present invention is to provide an underwater sonar measurement and correction device, which can provide a correction reference as error compensation.

According to the above objective, the present invention provides an underwater sonar measurement and calibration device, which includes: a standard calibration block with an actual size; a floating body connected to the top of the standard calibration block; and an acoustic transponder arranged on the standard On the top of the calibration block; a bottom anchor is set under the bottom of the standard calibration block to stabilize the position of the standard calibration block; and an acoustic release is set in the bottom of the standard calibration block and is mechanically connected to the bottom anchor, When the acoustic releaser receives a release command, the standard calibration block is separated from the anchor.

The present invention further provides an underwater sonar measurement and correction method, including the following steps: providing a work boat equipped with an acoustic transceiver and a sonar unit; driving the work boat to a target water area where an object to be measured is located; The work boat delivers the above-mentioned underwater sonar measurement and correction device near the object to be measured; drives the work boat away from the vicinity of the object to be measured and drives to a remote measurement location, wherein there is a first measurement between the work boat and the standard calibration block Distance, and there is a second measurement distance between the work boat and the object to be measured; the measurement size of the standard calibration block is obtained through the remote measurement of the sonar unit, and the error between the measurement size of the standard calibration block and the actual size establishes a height Standard size error reference value; use the sonar unit to remotely measure the measurement size of the object to be measured; and use the ratio of the first and second measurement distances and the height standard size error reference value to calibrate the measurement size of the object to be measured .

The underwater sonar measurement and calibration device of the present invention can provide a calibration standard during detection. Since the prior art uses sonar to measure underwater objects under water, dimensional errors will occur. Therefore, the calibration reference provided by the underwater sonar measurement and calibration device of the present invention can be used as error compensation, and the compensation error can be corrected through calculation. Make underwater targets The measurement size of objects is more accurate.

1‧‧‧Work boat

111‧‧‧Standard calibration block

11‧‧‧Underwater sonar measurement and calibration device

1111‧‧‧Top

1112‧‧‧Bottom

112‧‧‧Floating body

113‧‧‧Acoustic transponder

114‧‧‧Level

115‧‧‧Bottom anchor

116‧‧‧Acoustic Release

117‧‧‧Size adjustment mechanism

118‧‧‧Connecting ring

12‧‧‧Acoustic Transceiver

13‧‧‧ Sonar Unit

14‧‧‧Object to be tested

AG‧‧‧Inclination angle

A‧‧‧First measuring distance

B‧‧‧Second measuring distance

D‧‧‧Measurement size

H1‧‧‧Actual size

H1’‧‧‧Measurement size

H2‧‧‧Actual size

L‧‧‧Vertical component

S‧‧‧Target waters

S10~S90‧‧‧Step

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of an underwater sonar measurement and calibration method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an underwater sonar measurement and correction method according to an embodiment of the present invention, which shows that a work boat is provided.

3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an underwater sonar measurement and correction method according to an embodiment of the present invention, which shows that the work boat is driven to the target water area where the object to be measured is located.

4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an underwater sonar measurement and correction method according to an embodiment of the present invention, which shows that a work boat delivers an underwater sonar measurement and correction device near the object to be measured.

Fig. 5a is a schematic cross-sectional view of an underwater sonar measurement and correction device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5b is a schematic cross-sectional view of an underwater sonar measurement and correction device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an underwater sonar measurement and correction device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an underwater sonar measurement and correction method according to an embodiment of the present invention, which shows that the work boat is driven away from the vicinity of the object to be measured and traveled to the remote measurement location.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an underwater sonar measurement and correction method according to an embodiment of the present invention, which shows that the acoustic release device releases the separated anchor.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an underwater sonar measurement and correction method according to an embodiment of the present invention, which shows the recovery of the underwater sonar measurement and correction device (but not including the bottom anchor) on a work boat.

In order to make the above-mentioned objectives, features and characteristics of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the relevant embodiments of the present invention are described in detail as follows in conjunction with the drawings.

Figure 1 is an underwater sonar measurement and correction method according to an embodiment of the present invention Flow chart of law. The underwater sonar measurement and correction method includes the following steps:

Please refer to FIG. 2. In step S10, a work boat 1 is provided, which is equipped with an acoustic transceiver 12 and a sonar unit 13. The acoustic transceiver 12 may be an acoustic transceiver of a short baseline (Ultra Short Baseline, USBL) underwater positioning system. For example, an ultra-short baseline underwater positioning system mainly includes an Acoustic Transceiver and an Acoustic Transponder, where the Acoustic Transceiver is composed of an array of Acoustic Transducers. Acoustic transceivers are usually installed on the bottom of the work ship, while acoustic transponders are installed on the underwater DUT. The positioning principle is that the acoustic transponder sends out a response signal first, and the acoustic transponder receives the response signal and then transmits a response signal to the acoustic transponder. The sonar unit emits an acoustic signal by itself. The change reflected by the acoustic signal after contacting an object is used as the data for calculating the relative position and distance of the object. The principle is similar to the Doppler effect. The angle between the direction of the sonar unit and the vertical line of the sea level is preferably between 15 and 35 degrees.

Please refer to FIG. 3, in step S20, the work boat 1 is driven to a target water area S where a test object 14 is located. The object 14 to be tested may be seabed topography, wave-eliminating blocks, shipwrecks, and the like.

Please refer to FIG. 4, in step S30, the work boat 1 delivers an underwater sonar measurement and correction device 11 near the object 14 to be measured. Please refer to Figure 5a, the underwater sonar measurement and correction device 11 includes: a standard calibration block 111 (such as a cement block), a floating body 112 (such as a floating ball), an acoustic transponder 113, and a bottom anchor 115 (such as discarded Rubber tires) and an acoustic release 116. The standard calibration block 111 has a size (ie, the actual size H1). The floating body 112 is connected to the top 1111 of the standard calibration block 111. The acoustic transponder 113 is arranged on the top 1111 of the standard calibration block 111. The acoustic transponder 116 may be an acoustic transponder of an ultra-short baseline underwater positioning system. The bottom anchor 115 is arranged under the bottom 1112 of the standard calibration block 111 to stabilize the position of the standard calibration block 111. An acoustic release 116 is arranged in the bottom 1112 of the standard calibration block 111 and is mechanically connected to the bottom anchor 115. When the acoustic release 116 receives a release command, it releases the separated bottom anchor 115. For example, the acoustic release 116 is a A mechanical device remotely controlled by an acoustic signal. After receiving the release command, the motor is activated to unlock the connecting ring 118 between the bottom anchor 115 and the acoustic release 116, or the tenon is burned to release the bottom anchor 115 and the acoustic release 116 The connecting ring 118 between the two separates the standard calibration block 111 from the bottom anchor 115.

5b, in another embodiment, the underwater sonar measurement and calibration device 11 further includes: a level 114, which is set in the standard calibration block 111, used to record the standard calibration block 111 at different times Angle of inclination AG. The vertical component L of the actual size H1 of the standard correction block 111 is calculated by the inclination angle AG of the standard correction block 111, so as to facilitate the calculation of the subsequent correction steps. For example, the total weight of the standard calibration block 111, the floating body 112, the acoustic transponder 113, the level 114, the bottom anchor 115, and the release 116 is greater than the total buoyancy, so the underwater sonar measurement and correction device 11 can sink to the bottom.

Please refer to FIG. 6. In another embodiment, the standard calibration block 111 includes a size adjustment mechanism 117 for changing the actual size of the standard calibration block 111 from H1 to H2. According to the size of the object to be measured, the actual size of the standard calibration block 111 can be correspondingly changed in advance to facilitate the calculation of the subsequent calibration steps.

Please refer to FIG. 7, in step S40, the work boat 1 is driven away from the vicinity of the object 14 to be measured and traveled to a telemetry location, wherein there is a first measurement between the work boat 1 and the standard calibration block 11 There is a distance A, and there is a second measuring distance B between the work boat 1 and the object 14 to be measured. For example, the sonar unit 13 is used to remotely detect that there is a first measurement distance A between the work boat 1 and the standard calibration block 111, and the sonar unit 13 is used to remotely measure that there is a first measurement distance between the work boat 1 and the object 14 to be measured. 2. Measure the distance B. When the first measurement distance A is equal to the second measurement distance B, the slant distance between the work boat 1 and the object 14 to be measured can be obtained through the signal transmission and response of the acoustic transceiver and the acoustic transponder.

Please refer to FIGS. 7 and 5a again. In step S50, the sonar unit 13 is used to remotely measure the measured size H1' of the standard calibration block 111, wherein the measured size H1' of the standard calibration block 111 is compared with the actual The error of the size H1 establishes a reference value for the height standard size error. In step S60, the sonar unit 13 is used to remotely detect the The measured size D of the object 14 to be tested. In step S70, the ratio of the first and second measured distances A and B and the height standard size error reference value are used to calibrate the measured size D of the object 14 to be measured. For example, if the measured size H1' and the actual size H1 of the standard calibration block 111 are 5.5 and 6 meters, respectively, the reference value of the height standard size error is +0.5 meters. If the first and second measurement distances A and B are 200 and 250 meters, respectively, and the measurement size D of the test object 14 is 3 meters, then the corrected measurement size of the test object 14 D is 3+0.5×200/250=3+0.4=3.4 meters.

Please refer to FIG. 8, in step S80, when the acoustic release 116 receives a release command, the acoustic release 116 releases and separates the anchor 115. For example, the total weight of the standard calibration block 111, the floating body 112, the acoustic transponder 113, the level 114, and the release 116 is less than the total buoyancy. Therefore, after the bottom anchor 115 is separated, the underwater sonar measurement and calibration device 11 will Float to the surface.

Please refer to FIG. 9, in step S90, the work boat 1 retrieves the underwater sonar measurement and correction device 11 (but does not include the bottom anchor 115), and the bottom anchor 115 stays at the bottom of the water.

The underwater sonar measurement and calibration device of the present invention can provide a calibration standard during detection. Since the prior art uses sonar to measure underwater objects under water, dimensional errors will occur. Therefore, the calibration reference provided by the underwater sonar measurement and calibration device of the present invention can be used as error compensation, and the compensation error can be corrected through calculation. Make the measurement of underwater targets more accurate.

To sum up, it only describes the preferred embodiments or examples of the technical means adopted by the present invention to solve the problems, and is not used to limit the scope of implementation of the patent of the present invention. That is to say, all changes and modifications that are consistent with the scope of the patent application of the present invention or made in accordance with the scope of the patent of the present invention are all covered by the scope of the patent of the present invention.

11‧‧‧Underwater sonar measurement and calibration device

111‧‧‧Standard calibration block

1111‧‧‧Top

1112‧‧‧Bottom

112‧‧‧Floating body

113‧‧‧Acoustic transponder

114‧‧‧Level

115‧‧‧Bottom anchor

116‧‧‧Acoustic Release

118‧‧‧Connecting ring

H1‧‧‧Actual size

Claims (10)

An underwater sonar measurement and correction device, including: A standard calibration block with an actual size; A floating body connected to the top of the standard calibration block; An acoustic transponder is set on the top of the standard calibration block; A bottom anchor is set under the bottom of the standard calibration block to stabilize the position of the standard calibration block; and An acoustic release is arranged in the bottom of the standard calibration block and is mechanically connected to the bottom anchor. When the acoustic release receives a release command, the standard calibration block is separated from the bottom anchor. The underwater sonar measurement and correction device described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the acoustic transponder is an acoustic transponder of an ultra-short baseline underwater positioning system. In the underwater sonar measurement and calibration device described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, the standard calibration block includes a size adjustment mechanism for changing the actual size of the standard calibration block. The underwater sonar measurement and calibration device described in item 1 of the scope of the patent application further includes: a level, which is set in the standard calibration block, and is used to record the inclination angle of the standard calibration block at different times. The underwater sonar measurement and calibration device described in item 4 of the scope of patent application, wherein the total weight of the standard calibration block, the floating body, the acoustic transponder, the level gauge, the bottom anchor and the release device is greater than the buoyancy The sum, and the sum of the weights of the standard calibration block, the floating body, the acoustic transponder, the level and the release is less than the sum of the buoyancy. The underwater sonar measurement and correction device described in item 4 of the scope of patent application, wherein the vertical component of the actual size of the standard correction block is calculated by the inclination angle of the standard correction block. An underwater sonar measurement and correction method includes the following steps: Provide a work boat equipped with an acoustic transceiver and a sonar unit; Drive the work boat to the target water area where the object to be tested is located; The work boat delivers an underwater sonar measurement and correction device near the object to be measured, wherein the underwater sonar measurement and correction device includes: a standard calibration block with an actual size; and an acoustic transponder arranged on the On the top of the standard calibration block; and a bottom anchor set under the bottom of the standard calibration block; Drive the work boat away from the vicinity of the object to be measured and drive to a remote measurement location, wherein there is a first measurement distance between the work boat and the standard calibration block, and there is a distance between the work boat and the object to be measured A second measuring distance; The measured size of the standard calibration block is obtained by remote measurement by the sonar unit, wherein the error between the measured size of the standard calibration block and the actual size establishes a height standard size error reference value; Use the sonar unit to remotely measure the measured size of the object to be measured; and The ratio of the first and second measurement distances and the height standard size error reference value are used to calibrate the measurement size of the object to be measured. The underwater sonar measurement and correction method according to item 7 of the scope of patent application, wherein the underwater sonar measurement and correction device further includes: a floating body connected to the top of the standard calibration block; and an acoustic release device , Is set in the bottom of the standard calibration block, and further includes the following steps: when the acoustic release device receives a release command, it releases and separates the bottom anchor. The underwater sonar measurement and calibration method described in item 8 of the scope of patent application, wherein when the first measurement distance is equal to the second measurement distance, the acoustic transceiver and the acoustic transponder are used to transmit and receive signals And respond to know the slant distance between the work boat and the object to be measured. In the underwater sonar measurement and correction method described in item 7 of the scope of patent application, the vertical component of the actual size of the standard calibration block is calculated by the inclination angle of the standard calibration block.

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