WO2013157977A1

WO2013157977A1 - An underwater self-propelled robotic system

Info

Publication number: WO2013157977A1
Application number: PCT/RU2012/000303
Authority: WO
Inventors: Evgeny Igorevich ESAULOV
Original assignee: Esaulov Evgeny Igorevich
Priority date: 2012-04-19
Filing date: 2012-04-19
Publication date: 2013-10-24

Abstract

The invention relates to measuring-and-operation remotely-controlled robotic systems to carry out works on the water area floor and to perform maintenance, repairs, and periodic inspection of hulls surfaces, hydraulic engineering and oil and gas infrastructures, and it can be applied for precise determination of deformations, chips, appeared cracks, cavities and other defects on the surface of and inside the inspected object, and as well for maintenance, repairs, extra equipment installation, grouting, slinging and moving objects, including dangerous ones in water areas, and other complicated underwater technical works, including works in remote controlled mode.

Description

AN UNDERWATER SELF-PROPELLED ROBOTIC SYSTEM

The invention relates to remote-controlled robotics systems to carry out underwater technical operations in water area, namely to a variety of systems providing precision inspections including methods of non-destructive testing, photo and video shooting and profiling, as well as to carry out operations at underwater objects with surfaces of any slant including submerged objects, and also it can be applied to robotize technological works on inspection, repair, extra equipment installation, grouting, holes drilling, underwater welding, surface cleaning, machining, fixing and assembling, cutting and dismantling, slinging and removing objects, including dangerous ones, in underwater areas and etc., and in remote controlled mode as well.

The known underwater vehicle (RU, Patent 2101210) with increased manoeuvrability, applying to inspect underwater objects and ocean bed, has a streamline body and a propulsion system, comprising a group of athwartship bow thrusters and a group of three or four stern sustainers reverse thrusters. Reversible water-jet propulsion devices are mounted as sustainers thrusters installed in the rear section of the hull with water-jet pipes, the input and output stub-pipes of the thrusters are rigidly fixed to the body of the vehicle. Input stub-pipes are deflected from the longitudinal axis at an angle of 20 ÷ 50°, whereas the output stub-pipes are installed at an angle of 0 ÷ 25° to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. The inlets of the input stub-pipes of the sustainers thrusters should preferably form an annular slit on perimeter of vehicle in cross sectional view. Guide plates should preferably be installed in the output stub-pipes of water-jet stern sustainers thrusters with their chords inclined towards the longitudinal axis of the vehicle at an angle of 5 ÷ 30°.

The known underwater vehicle (RU, Patent 21 16930), applying for inspecting underwater objects and the ocean bed, contains a supporting structure, strong waterproof enclosures, buoyancy units, and fairings. The fairings are made as four identic sections of the streamlined shell with jointing planes, passing through the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and oriented in pairs towards the horizontal and vertical transverse axes of the vehicle. The supporting structure has fairings, which are filled with damage-proof floating material and interconnected by rigid terminal elements, and which are oriented towards the vertical transverse axis of the vehicle. The fairings, oriented towards the horizontal transverse axis of the vehicle, are made of easily removable and installed between rigid terminal elements and the fairings, are oriented towards the vertical transverse axis of the apparatus. Buoyancy units, in which other strong waterproof casings are arranged, are installed between the fairings.

Both of these known vehicles have two disadvantages: the lack of any research equipments, as well as their fundamental unsuitability to perform above said repairs.

The closest analogue of the developed design can be found in the deepwater, unmanned, survey micro-vehicle (RU, Patent 33550), containing an underwater unit, which consists of a carrier with an electronic control unit, at least one power thruster, a television camera, an illuminator, and at least one cable accumulator, as well as an above-water unit, containing a console, a power source, a screen for presenting underwater information, and a cable connecting the underwater and above- water units. The underwater unit also contains a multifunctional assembly, consisting of at least two well-spaced seats, located near each other at any angle, designed for at least one transmitter and/or at least one radiation detector, and/or at least one manipulator grip, and/or at least one sampling probe, and/or at least one pressure sensor, and/or depth sensor, and/or at least one water parameter sensor, and/or at least one gas analyzer, and/or at least one sensor detecting underwater objects. At least one couple of additional power thrusters is located on the underwater unit. The scheme of the electronic control unit is designed so that, under command of the operator's console, it emits signals to the manipulator grip, which grasps the object and/or the sample, and to the power thrusters, whose propeller screws spin in one direction or in the opposite direction according to the sequence commanded by the operator. At least one power thruster is hermetically sealed without rope packing. In this case, all the signals from the above-water unit to the underwater unit, and from the underwater unit to the above-water unit, are transmitted at different frequencies through one core cable.

The disadvantage of this vehicle consists in its impossibility to perform any repair works, as well as a lack of self-orientation in space, and limited movements on the surface under study. All of the fore-mentioned facts limit the capabilities of this known vehicle. The technical task, to be resolved by the proposed technical solution, is to provide robotic technological operations for underwater surface surveys of stationary infrastructure objects and submersed objects with regard to various external damages, including methods of non-destructive testing and carrying out complicated technical operations: grouting, holes drilling, underwater welding, surface cleaning, machining, fixing and assembling, cutting and dismantling, slinging and removing objects, including dangerous ones, in underwater areas and others, including works in remote controlled mode.

The technical result consists in ensuring capabilities for inspection, reconstructive maintenance of infrastructure objects, dismantling and lifting submerged objects including dangerous ones.

To obtain the above stated technical result we offer to use the remote controlled robotic self-propelled system.

The developed system comprises at least one remote controlled vehicle with substatic structure combining replaceable units connected by rigid joints or rotating devices, and fitted by thrusters with electrical, hydraulic or other drives, and with installed hold-down and propelling thrusters to provide its free move by using buoyancy variation system and as well as to ensure its hold-down to the object while inspecting it and working under water, and the vehicle is designed for working and moving on underwater objects' surfaces and as well at the seabed by at least wheeled/tracked thrusters, and by mounting on the vehicle at least one autonomous device which is at least a manipulating module, and/or a researching module, and/or a module to carry out technical works.

These hold-down thrusters are installed in/on the vehicle's carrier. During work operations, the hold-down is formed due to the strong flow of water, which is carried in the opposite direction, away from the object, and so, ensures the hold-down of the carrier to researching and/or processing surface of the underwater object regardless of the vehicle's orientation in space. The hold-down thrusters work in the whole vehicle's propulsion control system. On the carrier, in addition to the stated hold-down thrusters, there are preferably installed the buoyancy variation system and the wheeled/tracked thrusters, ensuring free move as along the objects' surfaces and as well as in the water area.

Some developed vehicle versions include a manipulator module, which may contain at least a hydraulic/electro-mechanical manipulator, a control subsystem, a pumping station, and a power unit. Preferably, the unit should be powered through a cable, which transmits electricity from the shore-based/marine generator to the carrier.

Some developed vehicle versions include a research module, which may contain at least measurement, information, and detection equipment. The type of equipment depends on the actual tasks. In particular, the research module may contain equipment for non- destructive technical control, laser, X-ray and ultrasonic scanning of surface, equipment for radiological measurements, photo and video systems and other systems and facilities.

The module to carry out technical works, preferably but not only, contains facilities for welding, cutting, grinding, loads moving and so on executed automatically or/and by an operator.

The developed carrier solutions ensure despotic, programmed, or controlled by the operator move of research modules and/or operation modules along guide elements, which are additionally mounted on the carrier, or are parts of carrier's construction, by means of fixed to them devices ensuring their moves. This ensures work area increasing on the objects' surfaces or on seabed without replacing the carrier.

To put the carrier afloat there is pulling-and-running mechanism shore or onboard based. The type of mechanism depends on conditions of system's exploitation and remote controlled carrier configuration as well.

In order to prevent negative consequences, when the carrier putting afloat or lifting, and to ensure carrier's maneuvering ability, while moving under water, and to provide effective connecting with objects under operations, the carrier's geometrical configuration can be forcefully changed by means of rotating fixing mechanisms of some carrier's construction elements and conjugated units. By doing so preferably, positions of all the operation and research modules, placed on the carrier and conjugated to the carrier, change in automatic mode.

The system may also include a universal transport and operational container with control and information storage subsystems, which will ensure that the elements of the system are transported and stored safely.

In some cases, the system and certain structures, where placed operation modules, can be additionally equipped with a hydraulic mechanism to ensure the positioning of measuring devices at the proper distance from the inspected or serviced surface.

Since the developed system is designed to carry out works on the areal seabed, or a submerged object, or a hydraulic structure without moving for long distances, the system preferably can comprise an inertial navigation subsystem as well.

Depending on assigned tasks and conditions for their solution, the carrier is capable to change dimensions and configuration in controlled mode.

The system is capable to use its own carriers' propulsion systems to carry out vertical and horizontal movements of the whole system's construction, by buoyancy variation system as well.

Lowering parts modules configurations depends on assigned tasks and designed separately for each case. The capability to joint several carriers into one construction will ensure to increase scientifically the functionality of the developed system by increasing options for use of all the many required execution modules.

Elements of the system are examined more in details below.

The system is a combination of measuring and/or operating devices on a composite configurable self-propelled carrier and represents the multi-sectional, remotely-operated vehicle with variable buoyancy and with hold-down propellers thrusters to enable the vehicle to effectuate hold-downs and automatic fixation on inspected objects while underwater operating, and also according to the assigned tasks the carrier can be equipped with at least the following modules with autonomous mechanisms and devices: a operation module with a hydraulic/electro-mechanical manipulator, a control system, a pumping station, if necessary, and a power unit, a research module with measurement, information, and detection equipment, including equipment for non-destructive engineering controls, laser, X-ray, and ultrasound equipment for scanning surfaces, equipment for radiological measurements, photo and video and other systems, a module to carry out technical works on welding, cutting, grinding, and other types of operations. This list of carrier's equipment is not limited. Depending on the assigned tasks, as well as conditions for their solution, other not specified in the list modules, or separate units of equipment, or devices can be installed on the carrier.

If needed, as above stated, the system can be equipped with its own shore or onboard based pulling-and-running mechanism, and universal transport-and-exploitation containers' solution with control and information storage subsystems, and other mechanisms required for the functioning of subsystems.

Applying the remote control mode, the operator makes use of the shore/onboard based control unit to navigate the mobile underwater platform along the site of the inspecting object of interest, thus obtaining required visual information on the monitor.

Use of the proposed system ensures to examine carefully the object through visual, laser, acoustic, and other means, and to carry out the surface cleaning, cutting, welding, lifting, moving the objects in water area, and other technical works including manipulative actions with dangerous objects without engaging divers to risk their lives and health.

The system can be equipped with transport and storage modules to carry out, for example, works on gathering separate objects on the seabed, their packing, proofing, short-term storing, and preparing to further transportation, including strapping, roping and etc. Areas where this invention can be applied: underwater parts of marine or river objects of hydraulic and oil-and-gas infrastructures, hydraulic power plants dams, lock chambers, artificial mounds and reinforced concrete constructions, barrages, underwater parts of floating semi-submersible drilling rigs and submersible oil and gas platforms, and as well as cleaning up pollutions and dangerous objects on the water area floor, objects dismantling, elements strapping and their lifting onto surface and so on.

Claims

Patent claim.

1. Universal self-propelled robotic system to carry out complicated underwater technical operations on the water area floor, characterized in that the system is developed for inspecting, servicing and repairing surfaces of underwater parts of hulls, and hydraulic and oil-and-gas infrastructure, and carrying out complicated underwater technical works, ensuring high-accuracy inspecting including methods of non-distractive control, photo and video shooting, profiling and repairing over water, mostly vertical, and under water, with any pitch angle of technical objects surfaces, and can be applied for robotization of technological operations, namely surface cleaning, precise determination of deformations, chips, appeared cracks, cavities and other defects on the surface, and as well ensuring capability for maintenance, repair, extra equipment installation, cutting and underwater welding, grouting, dismantling, slinging and providing lifting onto surface and other complicated technical works, and in remote controlled mode as well.

2. The system of claim 1 characterized in that the manipulator module comprises at least a hydraulic/electromechanical manipulator, a control subsystem, a pumping station, and a power unit.

3. The system of claim 1 characterized in that the research module comprises at least measurement, information, and detection equipment.

4. The system of claim 1 characterized in that the research module comprises equipment for non-destructive technical controls, laser, X-ray, and ultrasound equipment for scanning of surfaces, equipment for performing radiation measurements, and photo and video systems.

5. The system of claim 1 characterized in that the module, to carry out underwater technical works, comprises instruments for automatic and/or controlled welding, cutting, grinding, drilling, boring, slinging and removing objects, including dangerous ones etc.

6. The system of claim 1 characterized in that it can be equipped with an additional shore or onboard based pulling-and-running mechanism.

7. The system of claim 1 characterized in that it additionally comprises a universal transport and operational container with control and information storage subsystems.

8. The system of claim 1 characterized in that it is additionally equipped with a hydraulic mechanism to ensure the positioning of measuring devices and operation devices at the proper distance from the inspected surface.

9. The system of claim 1 characterized in that it additionally comprises a propulsion system, represented by tracked/ wheeled drives, installed to ensure horizontal and vertical movements on the surface.

10. The system of claim 1 characterized in that it additionally comprises an inertial navigation subsystem.

1 1. The system of claim 1 characterized in that the carrier designed with option to change the size and configuration.

12. The system of claim 1 characterized in that it is designed to work in conjunction with any navigational, information, and technical facilities, which function in variable wetting zones, in order to ensure precise positioning, and the possibility of switching electrical signals and power lines.

13. The system of claim 1 characterized in that it can be equipped with special containers for short-term storing of spare and extra operation modules, packing facilities, and objects to lift .

14. The system of claim 1 characterized in that the carrier produced with variable buoyancy.