Underwater work system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11964745-B2
Application number	US-202217590201-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2022
Priority date	Aug 9, 2019
Publication date	Apr 23, 2024
Grant date	Apr 23, 2024

Abstract

An underwater work system of the present disclosure acquires a relative position of an underwater vehicle relative to a surface ship at the start of searching work, the relative position being measured based on a sound wave transmitted from a wave transmitter. The underwater work system calculates a position of the underwater vehicle based on the acquired relative position. When a measurement error region whose center corresponds to the calculated position of the underwater vehicle and an expected laid region of a pipeline extending in a predetermined direction overlap each other, the underwater work system moves the underwater vehicle to such a position that the measurement error region and the expected laid region do not overlap each other, and then, makes the underwater vehicle perform crossing detection in which the underwater vehicle detects the presence or absence of the pipeline while crossing the expected laid region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An underwater work system comprising:
a surface ship located on water;
an underwater vehicle that performs searching work of finding a pipeline laid on a bottom of the water;
a wave transmitter that is mounted on the surface ship and transmits a sound wave used to measure a relative position of the underwater vehicle relative to the surface ship; and
circuitry configured to
acquire the relative position of the underwater vehicle relative to the surface ship at the start of the searching work, the relative position being measured based on the sound wave transmitted from the wave transmitter,
calculate a position of the underwater vehicle based on the acquired relative position, and
when a measurement error region whose center corresponds to the calculated position of the underwater vehicle and an expected laid region of the pipeline extending in a predetermined direction overlap each other, move the underwater vehicle to such a position that the measurement error region and the expected laid region do not overlap each other, and then, make the underwater vehicle perform crossing detection in which the underwater vehicle detects the presence or absence of the pipeline while crossing the expected laid region.

2. An underwater work system comprising:
a surface ship located on water;
an underwater vehicle that performs searching work of finding a pipeline laid on a bottom of the water;
a wave transmitter that is mounted on the surface ship and transmits a sound wave used to measure a relative position of the underwater vehicle relative to the surface ship; and
circuity configured to
acquire the relative position of the underwater vehicle relative to the surface ship at the start of the searching work, the relative position being measured based on the sound wave transmitted from the wave transmitter,
calculate a position of the underwater vehicle based on the acquired relative position, and
when an interval between a measurement error region whose center corresponds to the calculated position of the underwater vehicle and an expected laid region of the pipeline extending in a predetermined direction is not a predetermined distance, move the underwater vehicle to such a position that the interval between the measurement error region and the expected laid region becomes the predetermined distance, and then, make the underwater vehicle perform crossing detection in which the underwater vehicle detects the presence or absence of the pipeline while crossing the expected laid region.

3. An underwater work system comprising:
a surface ship located on water;
an underwater vehicle that performs searching work of finding a pipeline laid on a bottom of the water;
a wave transmitter that is mounted on the surface ship and transmits a sound wave used to measure a relative position of the underwater vehicle relative to the surface ship; and
circuitry configured to
in the searching work, acquire the relative position of the underwater vehicle relative to the surface ship while making the underwater vehicle perform crossing detection in which the underwater vehicle detects the pipeline while crossing an expected laid region of the pipeline extending in a predetermined direction, the relative position being measured based on the sound wave transmitted from the wave transmitter,
calculate a position of the underwater vehicle based on the acquired relative position, and
when the pipeline is not detected although the underwater vehicle moves to such a position that a measurement error region whose center corresponds to the calculated position of the underwater vehicle and the expected laid region do not overlap each other, change a proceeding direction of the underwater vehicle and make the underwater vehicle perform the crossing detection again.

4. An underwater work system comprising:
a surface ship located on water;
a transponder dropped from the surface ship to a bottom of the water; and
an underwater vehicle that includes a relative speed indicator that measures a relative speed of the underwater vehicle relative to the bottom of the water, and performs searching work of finding a pipeline laid on the bottom of the water based on the dropped transponder;
a wave transmitter that is mounted on the surface ship and transmits a sound wave used to measure a relative position of the transponder relative to the surface ship; and
circuitry configured to
acquire the relative position of the transponder relative to the surface ship at the start of the searching work, the relative position being measured based on the sound wave transmitted from the wave transmitter,
calculate a position of the transponder based on the acquired relative position, when a measurement error region whose center corresponds to the calculated dropped position of the transponder and an expected laid region of the pipeline extending in a predetermined direction overlap each other, set, as a target position, such a provisional dropped position of the transponder that the measurement error region and the expected laid region do not overlap each other,
after the underwater vehicle is moved to the dropped position of the transponder, move the underwater vehicle until the position of the underwater vehicle reaches the target position, while calculating a relative position of the underwater vehicle relative to the transponder based on the relative speed of the underwater vehicle relative to the bottom of the water acquired from the relative speed indicator, and
then make the underwater vehicle perform crossing detection in which the underwater vehicle detects the presence or absence of the pipeline while crossing the expected laid region.

5. The underwater work system according to claim 4 , wherein the circuitry sets the target position on a virtual line that passes through the dropped position of the transponder measured at the start of the searching work and is orthogonal to the expected laid region of the pipeline.

6. The underwater work system according to claim 1 , wherein when the pipeline is not detected even by performing the crossing detection once or plural times, the circuitry moves the underwater vehicle along a direction in which the expected laid region of the pipeline extends, and then, makes the underwater vehicle perform the crossing detection again.

7. The underwater work system according to claim 1 , wherein when the pipeline is not detected even by performing the crossing detection once or plural times, the circuitry lengthens a travel distance of the underwater vehicle in the crossing detection and makes the underwater vehicle perform the crossing detection again.

Assignees

• Kawasaki Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Okaya Noriyuki
• Fukui Koichi

Classifications

• B63G8/39 Primary

  Arrangements of sonic watch equipment, e.g. low-frequency, sonar · CPC title

• B63G8/001

  Underwater vessels adapted for special purposes, e.g. unmanned underwater vessels; Equipment specially adapted therefor, e.g. docking stations (self-propelled or direction controlled diving chambers with mechanical link to a base B63C11/42) · CPC title

• G01S15/74

  Systems using reradiation of acoustic waves, e.g. IFF, i.e. identification of friend or foe · CPC title

• B63C11/48 Primary

  Means for searching for underwater objects (means for indicating the location of sunken objects B63C7/26; locating by use of the reflection or reradiation of radio or other waves G01S {; mountings of acoustic transducers in underwater equipment G10K11/006}) · CPC title

• B63C11/00 Primary

  Equipment for dwelling or working underwater; Means for searching for underwater objects (composition of chemical substances for use in breathing apparatus A62D9/00; swimming aids or equipment A63B31/00 - A63B35/00; submarines B63G8/00) · CPC title