Ships – Submersible device – Having attitude control
Patent
1985-10-09
1988-01-26
Peters, Jr., Joseph F.
Ships
Submersible device
Having attitude control
114330, 114332, 441 25, B63G 800
Patent
active
047210559
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to remotely operated underwater vehicles which are used for site preparation, maintenance and repair operations in connection with sea bed oil drilling rigs.
BACKGROUND ART
Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) which have been used in the past are of a type wherein a deployment cage is suspended from a surface vessel, and the vehicle is teathered to the cage, the vehicle being of substantially neutral buoyancy and therefore able to adjust its own vertical position by slightly altering its buoyancy.
With such prior art arrangements, the lifting capacity of the ROV is determined by the degree of positive buoyancy which it can attain, and therefore lifting capacity is usually relatively low. Further, since at least a part of the weight of the teather between the ROV and the deployment cage must be borne by the ROV, it is necessary to use a relatively light teather cable and as this cable incorporates all of the electrical wiring between the ROV and the deployment cage, breakages of signal wiring often occur. This problem is accentuated by continual flexing of the teather due to the heaving motion of the deployment cage, which is caused by the motion of the surface vessel in response to swell and chop.
Another problem which can be experienced with ROVs is that as the amount of instrumentation in the ROV is increased, the size of the teather and umbilical cables increase due to the requirement for more wiring to carry signals back and forth between the ROV and remote surveillance and control panels in the surface vessel. One known method of overcoming this problem is to use signal multiplexers and demultiplexers to reduce the number of signal wires required, however, such equipment is relatively complex and expensive and in the event of equipment failure can lead to long down times and costly spare parts inventories.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention consists in a remotely operated submersible vehicle, the vehicle comprising positive buoyancy means, a winch, a cable stored on said winch and passing through guide means, said cable being adapted to have a clump weight attached to a free end thereof, such that when said clump weight is made sufficiently heavy to overcome the buoyancy of the positive buoyancy means, the vertical position of the vehicle from a sea bed over which it is operating can be adjusted by winding cable onto, or off from, said winch, the guide means being horizontally movable within the vehicle to maintain the trim of the vehicle.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, measuring instruments fitted to the vehicle have their gauges and indicators fitted within a waterproof container, the container having a transparent cover through which the gauges and indicators are visible, a television camera fitted within the vehicle being directable onto the cover of the container, and the camera being adapted to be connected to a television system, such that readings of the gauges and indicators may be remotely taken by viewing a television monitor connected to said television system.
Preferably, embodiments of the invention will also include thrusters for positioning of the vehicle, particularly during lowering of the vehicle on an umbilical cable.
Vehicles in accordance with the invention can be fitted with various types of instrumentation such as temperature, pressure and flow sensors to measure water ambient conditions, sonar for detection of submerged objects and television cameras for remote viewing of work in progress. The vehicles are also preferably fitted with gripping arms and manipulators for performing various tasks such as lifting, moving, positioning and connecting of equipment, and recovery of materials.
In a second mode of operation of the ROV of the present invention, the clump weight is selected to be only just sufficiently heavy to overcome the positive buoyancy of the ROV, such that the ROV can be made to "free swim" by moving the clump weight to alter the attitude of the ROV and then using the thrusters to manoeuvr
REFERENCES:
patent: 3492962 (1970-02-01), Brainard
patent: 3500648 (1970-03-01), Daniell
patent: 3527184 (1970-09-01), McCarty
patent: 3625171 (1971-12-01), Bailey
patent: 3635183 (1972-01-01), Keatinge
patent: 3675607 (1972-07-01), Dorschel
patent: 3880103 (1975-04-01), Tarkington
patent: 3965512 (1976-06-01), Bennett
patent: 3987745 (1976-10-01), Chaverebiere
patent: 4096598 (1978-06-01), Mason
patent: 4246671 (1981-07-01), Swenson
patent: 4455962 (1984-06-01), Gongwer
patent: 4580987 (1986-04-01), Walden
Bartz Clifford T.
Peters Jr. Joseph F.
Underwater Systems Australia Limited
LandOfFree
Remotely operated underwater vehicle does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Remotely operated underwater vehicle, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Remotely operated underwater vehicle will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-1463392