Shipboard winch with computer-controlled motor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9957142-B2
Application number	US-201514841466-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2015
Priority date	Aug 29, 2014
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

A winch is employed for deploying a probe to a precise depth within a water column for making and recording physical measurement within such water column. More particularly, the winch rapidly unspools a line from an underway vessel, while maintaining minimal but constant line tension, as a probe, tethered to such line, descends within the water column in a “near” free-fall to a predetermined depth and then stops. The line lacks means for communicating its depth to the winch. The probe achieves a predictable descent behavior, even though it is tethered by a line to a winch onboard an underway vessel of unknown velocity and in variable weather conditions. The predictable descent behavior is achieved by maintaining a minimal constant tension on the line within a narrow range. The descent behavior of a probe in “near” free-fall has sufficient predictability to construct an algorithm to correlate descent time with depth. The predictability is sufficient to reduce the risk of collision between the probe and the water bottom to an acceptable level.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A winch for unspooling, halting, and re-spooling a line attached thereto, the line tethering the winch to a probe having negative buoyancy for descending through a water column, the winch comprising:
a frame;
a spool supported by said frame and rotatable thereon, the line being attached thereto;
a drive supported by said frame and rotationally coupled to said spool for applying clockwise, resistive, and counterclockwise torque thereto for unspooling, halting, and re-spooling the line;
a boom supported by said frame and extending distally from said spool;
a block affixed to said boom distally from said spool for reeving and supporting the line;
a tension meter supported by said frame, said tension meter being engageable with the line between said spool and said block for generating a line tension signal as the line unspools; and
a controller electronically coupled to said tension meter for receiving the line tension signal and electronically coupled to said drive for controlling the unspooling speed for maintaining the line tension signal constant at a set point;
whereby the winch maintains the line tension constant at the set point when the line unspools from the winch and the probe descends by negative buoyancy through the water column.

2. The winch according to claim 1 , the probe descending no further than a target depth within the water column, wherein:
said controller employing an algorithm for calculating a descent time required for the probe to descend to the target depth under conditions where the line tension is maintained constant at the set point, said controller, at the conclusion of the descent time, transmitting a halt signal to said drive for halting the descent of the probe,
whereby, at the conclusion of the descent time, the winch halts the unspooling of the line from said spool and the probe descends no further than the target depth.

3. The winch according to claim 2 , the probe re-ascending through the water column after reaching the target depth, wherein:
said controller, after halting the unspooling of the line from said spool at the conclusion of the descent time, transmitting a re-spooling signal to said drive for re-spooling the line onto said spool,
whereby, after halting the unspooling of the line from said spool, the winch re-spools the line onto said spool and the probe re-ascends through the water column.

4. The winch according to claim 3 wherein the driver is an electric motor.

5. The winch according to claim 3 , the winch further comprising:
a level-wind coupled to said spool for unspooling and re-spooling the line evenly onto said spool.

6. The winch according to claim 5 , the winch further comprising:
a proximity sensor attached to said boom proximal to said block for sensing the proximity of the probe to said block and generating a proximity signal when said probe is proximal to said block, said proximity sensor electronically coupled to said controller for transmitting the halt signal to said drive for halting the re-ascent of the probe when the probe is proximal to said block.

7. The winch according to claim 6 , the winch further comprising:
a brake having an engaged and an unengaged state, said brake, in its engaged state being engaged with said spool for halting the rotation of said spool, said brake, in its unengaged state, being unengaged with said spool, said brake being electronically coupled to said controller for receiving the halt signal for switching said brake to its engaged state.

8. The winch according to claim 7 wherein said brake is a solenoid brake.

9. The winch according to claim 8 , the winch being mountable onto a vessel and further comprising:
a base attached to and supporting said frame, said base including a fastener for fastening the winch to the vessel.

10. The winch according to claim 9 , wherein:
said base including a swivel for rotating said frame about an upright axis.

11. The winch according to claim 9 further comprising:
a power supply for powering said drive.

12. The winch according to claim 7 , wherein:
said tension meter includes a dancer.

13. The winch according to claim 12 , wherein:
the dancer includes a rotary encoder for generating the tension signal.

14. The winch according to claim 12 , wherein:
the dancer includes a load pin for generating the tension signal.

15. A process for lowering a probe within a column of water to a target depth, the probe being coupled to a line and having negative buoyancy, the line being spooled onto a winch, the process comprising the following steps:
Step A: suspending the probe from the line above the column of water; then
Step B: unspooling the line from the winch for releasing the probe to descend within the column of water by negative buoyancy while simultaneously controlling the rate of unspooling for maintaining a constant line tension within the line, the magnitude of the constant line tension being greater than zero but less than the magnitude of the negative buoyancy; and then
Step C: at a time calculated for the probe to reach the target depth under the conditions of said Step B, halting the unspooling of said Step B for halting the descent of the probe within the column of water at the target depth;

whereby the descent of the probe within the column of water halts at the target depth.

16. The process according to claim 15 further comprising the following additional step:
Step D: after the halting of said Step C, re-spooling the line onto the winch for retrieving the probe from the column of water.

17. The process according to claim 16 further comprising the following additional step:
Step E: when the probe breaks the surface of the water after said Step D, halting the re-spooling of the line onto the winch.

Assignees

• Teledyne Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Klinke Jochen
• Abordo Adrian M
• Moldovan Matthew A
• George Ronald A
• Lovejoy Mariah Shannon

Classifications

• B66D1/505 Primary

  electrical · CPC title

• B63B27/08

  of winches · CPC title