Floor device capable of up-down movement for vessels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9340268-B2
Application number	US-201113877152-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 20, 2011
Priority date	Sep 29, 2010
Publication date	May 17, 2016
Grant date	May 17, 2016

Abstract

Provided is a floor apparatus which is vertically movable with a thruster canister within a vertical trunk of a hull. The floor apparatus includes a floor frame which is installed in an upper space of a vertical trunk of a ship, that is, a space above a thruster canister. The floor frame is installed to be vertically movable along the vertical trunk. The side of the floor frame is installed to be vertically movable while being guided along the sidewall of the vertical trunk. In particular, at least one pair of guide frames which guide the side of the floor frame are symmetrically installed on the sidewall of the vertical trunk.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A ship
a vertical trunk provided within a hull of the ship and comprising sidewalls;
a thruster canister engaged with the vertical trunk and movable along a vertical direction within the vertical trunk; and
an elevator floor positioned above and separate from the thruster canister, the elevator floor movable along the vertical direction within the vertical trunk,
wherein the thruster canister is configured to push the elevator floor from below for moving the elevator floor between a first level and a second level.

2. The ship according to claim 1 , wherein the ship is an arctic drill ship, the first and second levels are located below a main deck of the ship, and the elevator floor is configured to transport cargo between the first and second levels.

3. The ship according to claim 1 , further comprising guide frames connecting the elevator floor to at least one sidewall of the vertical trunk to guide the elevator floor along the at least one sidewall of the vertical trunk.

4. The ship according to claim 1 , further comprising floor stops extending from at least one sidewall of the vertical trunk, wherein the floor stops are configured to support the elevator floor and restrict downward movement of the elevator floor below the second level when the thruster canister is at a level where the at least one floor support does not push the elevator floor.

5. The ship according to claim 1 , wherein a top surface of the elevator floor has a smaller area than a top surface of the thruster canister.

6. The ship according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one floor support is positioned on a top surface of the thruster canister and configured to contact a bottom surface of the elevator floor when the thruster canister pushes the elevator floor between the first and second levels.

7. The ship according to claim 1 , further comprising an openable hatch through the elevator floor to provide access to a top surface of the thruster canister.

8. The ship according to claim 1 , wherein the elevator floor is separated from the thruster canister when a bottom end of the thruster canister is positioned below the hull.

9. The ship according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one floor support further comprises shock absorbing members, wherein the shock absorbing members contact a bottom surface of the elevator floor when the thruster canister pushes the non-driven elevator floor between the first and second levels.

10. The ship according to claim 9 , wherein the shock absorbing members are formed from rubber.

11. The ship according to claim 5 , wherein the elevator floor has a T-shape when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the top surface of the elevator.

12. The ship of claim 1 , further comprising at least one shock absorbing member provided between the thruster canister and the elevator floor, wherein the at least one shock absorbing member is configured to be in contact with or separated from the elevator floor as the thruster canister moves along the vertical direction.

13. The ship of claim 12 , further comprising at least one floor support provided between the thruster canister and the elevator floor, wherein the at least one floor support is configured to be in contact with or separated from the elevator floor as the thruster canister moves along the vertical direction, wherein the at least one floor support comprises the at least one shock absorbing member.

Assignees

• Choi In Gi
• Brittin D Scott
• Transocean Sedco Forex Ventures Ltd
• Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine

Inventors

• Choi In Gi
• Brittin D Scott

Classifications

• B63B19/12

  Hatches; Hatchways (hatch coamings B63B3/54) · CPC title

• B63H5/125 Primary

  movably mounted with respect to hull, e.g. adjustable in direction {, e.g. podded azimuthing thrusters}({outboard units or Z-drives B63H20/00; } movably mounted for steering purposes only, {rudders carrying propellers} B63H25/42) · CPC title

• B63B11/06

  Propeller-shaft tunnels · CPC title

• B63H2005/1254

  Podded azimuthing thrusters, i.e. podded thruster units arranged inboard for rotation about vertical axis · CPC title

• B63B2211/06

  Operation in ice-infested waters · CPC title