Buoy with integrated motion compensation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10202174-B2
Application number	US-201515501012-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 12, 2015
Priority date	Aug 12, 2014
Publication date	Feb 12, 2019
Grant date	Feb 12, 2019

Abstract

A floating buoy includes a buoy hull having a tower that extends outwardly from the hull. A plurality of sensors are mounted either on the buoy hull, within the buoy hull, and/or on the tower. The plurality of sensors includes at least one met-ocean sensor, at least one ecological sensor, and at least one wind speed measurement sensor. The floating buoy further includes an autonomous power system that is configured to provide electrical power to each of the plurality of sensors. The wind speed measurement sensor may be a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) wind speed measurement sensor, a surface level wind speed sensor, an ultrasonic wind speed sensor, or SODAR.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A floating buoy comprising:
a buoy hull;
a tower attached to the hull, the tower including a plurality of tower legs extending outwardly from the hull, and at least one annular member attached to the legs and substantially parallel with a deck of the hull;
a first wind speed measurement sensor mounted to the tower;
a plurality of solar panels mounted to the annular member of the tower and arranged circumferentially thereon; and
an autonomous power system configured to provide electrical power to each of at least one second sensor;
wherein the wind speed measurement sensor is arranged such that it is mounted within the circumferentially arranged solar panels and between an upper edge and a lower edge of each solar panel; and
wherein the at least one second sensor is one of a met-ocean sensor, an ecological sensor, and a second wind speed measurement sensor, and is mounted are on one of the buoy hull, within the buoy hull, and on the tower.

2. The floating buoy according to claim 1 , wherein the buoy hull is configured as wave rider type buoy hull.

3. The floating buoy according to claim 1 , wherein the met-ocean sensor is one of a surface level wind speed sensor, a wave height, wave period, and wave direction sensor, an air pressure and temperature sensor, a water temperature sensor, and a current speed and direction sensor.

4. The floating buoy according to claim 1 , wherein the ecological sensor is one of a bird/bat acoustic monitoring sensor, a fish acoustic tracking sensor, and a marine mammal acoustic monitoring sensor.

5. The floating buoy according to claim 1 , wherein the second wind speed measurement sensor is one of a surface level wind speed sensor, an ultrasonic wind speed sensor, and SODAR.

6. The floating buoy according to claim 1 , wherein the first wind speed measurement sensor is a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) wind speed measurement sensor.

7. The floating buoy according to claim 1 , wherein the autonomous power system includes at least one battery positioned in a watertight battery storage housing in the buoy hull, and wherein a portion of the battery storage housing extends outward of the buoy hull such that the portion of the buoy hull and the at least one battery positioned therein extend below a waterline of a body of water in which the floating buoy is deployed to ensure that a temperature within the battery storage housing is maintained at a consistent level.

8. The floating buoy according to claim 7 , wherein the battery storage housing defines a substantially flat hull support surface at a lower end thereof, the substantially flat hull support surface configured to allow the floating buoy to be placed upon a substantially flat surface.

9. The floating buoy according to claim 7 , wherein the at least one battery defines ballast.

10. The floating buoy according to claim 1 , wherein the annular member is a first annular member, wherein the floating buoy further includes a second annular member attached to the tower, and wherein the second sensor is mounted to the second annular member.

11. The floating buoy according to claim 10 , wherein the first wind speed measurement sensor includes a lens and is attached to the first annular member attached to the hull, and wherein the first wind speed measurement sensor is positioned relative to the second annular member such that a line of sight from the lens through the plurality of sensors is maintained.

12. A floating buoy comprising:
a buoy hull;
a tower attached to the hull, the tower including a plurality of tower legs extending outwardly from the hull, and at least one annular member attached to the legs and substantially parallel with a deck of the hull;
a wind speed measurement sensor mounted to the tower;
a plurality of solar panels mounted to the annular member of the tower and arranged circumferentially thereon; and
an autonomous power system configured to provide electrical power to each of at least one second sensor;
wherein the wind speed measurement sensor is arranged such that it is mounted within the circumferentially arranged solar panels and between an upper edge and a lower edge of each solar panel;
wherein the autonomous power system includes at least one battery positioned in a watertight battery storage housing in the buoy hull; and
wherein a portion of the battery storage housing extends outward of the buoy hull such that the portion of the buoy hull and the at least one battery positioned therein extend below a waterline of a body of water in which the floating buoy is deployed to ensure that a temperature within the battery storage housing is maintained at a consistent level.

13. The floating buoy according to claim 12 , wherein the battery storage housing defines a substantially flat hull support surface at a lower end thereof, the substantially flat hull support surface configured to allow the floating buoy to be placed upon a substantially flat surface.

14. The floating buoy according to claim 12 , wherein the at least one battery defines ballast.

15. The floating buoy according to claim 12 , wherein the wind speed measurement sensor is a first wind speed measurement sensor, and wherein the at least one second sensor is one of a met-ocean sensor, an ecological sensor, and a second wind speed measurement sensor, and is mounted are on one of the buoy hull, within the buoy hull, and on the tower.

Assignees

• Univ Maine System

Inventors

• Dagher Habib J
• Pettigrew Neal
• Viselli Anthony M
• Joyce Rachael
• Wallinga John
• Fikes Patrick
• Fisher Neil R

Classifications

• B63B2022/006

  specially adapted for measuring or watch purposes · CPC title

• B63B2211/02

  Oceanography · CPC title

• B63B2209/18

  solar energy · CPC title

• B63B2035/446

  for converting wind energy into electric energy · CPC title

• G01P5/00

  Measuring speed of fluids, e.g. of air stream; Measuring speed of bodies relative to fluids, e.g. of ship, of aircraft (application of speed-measuring devices for measuring volume of fluid G01F) · CPC title