EP1327029A1 - Underwater earth moving machine - Google Patents

Underwater earth moving machine

Info

Publication number
EP1327029A1
EP1327029A1 EP01931867A EP01931867A EP1327029A1 EP 1327029 A1 EP1327029 A1 EP 1327029A1 EP 01931867 A EP01931867 A EP 01931867A EP 01931867 A EP01931867 A EP 01931867A EP 1327029 A1 EP1327029 A1 EP 1327029A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
thruster
vehicle according
vehicle
pair
thrust
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP01931867A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Inventor
John Peter Reece
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Soil Machine Dynamics Ltd
Original Assignee
Soil Machine Dynamics Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from GB0013246A external-priority patent/GB0013246D0/en
Application filed by Soil Machine Dynamics Ltd filed Critical Soil Machine Dynamics Ltd
Publication of EP1327029A1 publication Critical patent/EP1327029A1/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
    • E02F—DREDGING; SOIL-SHIFTING
    • E02F5/00—Dredgers or soil-shifting machines for special purposes
    • E02F5/02—Dredgers or soil-shifting machines for special purposes for digging trenches or ditches
    • E02F5/10—Dredgers or soil-shifting machines for special purposes for digging trenches or ditches with arrangements for reinforcing trenches or ditches; with arrangements for making or assembling conduits or for laying conduits or cables
    • E02F5/104—Dredgers or soil-shifting machines for special purposes for digging trenches or ditches with arrangements for reinforcing trenches or ditches; with arrangements for making or assembling conduits or for laying conduits or cables for burying conduits or cables in trenches under water
    • E02F5/106—Dredgers or soil-shifting machines for special purposes for digging trenches or ditches with arrangements for reinforcing trenches or ditches; with arrangements for making or assembling conduits or for laying conduits or cables for burying conduits or cables in trenches under water using ploughs, coulters, rippers
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63C—LAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS
    • B63C11/00—Equipment for dwelling or working underwater; Means for searching for underwater objects
    • B63C11/34—Diving chambers with mechanical link, e.g. cable, to a base
    • B63C11/36—Diving chambers with mechanical link, e.g. cable, to a base of closed type
    • B63C11/42—Diving chambers with mechanical link, e.g. cable, to a base of closed type with independent propulsion or direction control
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
    • E02F—DREDGING; SOIL-SHIFTING
    • E02F5/00—Dredgers or soil-shifting machines for special purposes
    • E02F5/02—Dredgers or soil-shifting machines for special purposes for digging trenches or ditches
    • E02F5/10—Dredgers or soil-shifting machines for special purposes for digging trenches or ditches with arrangements for reinforcing trenches or ditches; with arrangements for making or assembling conduits or for laying conduits or cables
    • E02F5/102—Dredgers or soil-shifting machines for special purposes for digging trenches or ditches with arrangements for reinforcing trenches or ditches; with arrangements for making or assembling conduits or for laying conduits or cables operatively associated with mole-ploughs, coulters
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
    • E02F—DREDGING; SOIL-SHIFTING
    • E02F5/00—Dredgers or soil-shifting machines for special purposes
    • E02F5/02—Dredgers or soil-shifting machines for special purposes for digging trenches or ditches
    • E02F5/10—Dredgers or soil-shifting machines for special purposes for digging trenches or ditches with arrangements for reinforcing trenches or ditches; with arrangements for making or assembling conduits or for laying conduits or cables
    • E02F5/104—Dredgers or soil-shifting machines for special purposes for digging trenches or ditches with arrangements for reinforcing trenches or ditches; with arrangements for making or assembling conduits or for laying conduits or cables for burying conduits or cables in trenches under water
    • E02F5/105—Dredgers or soil-shifting machines for special purposes for digging trenches or ditches with arrangements for reinforcing trenches or ditches; with arrangements for making or assembling conduits or for laying conduits or cables for burying conduits or cables in trenches under water self-propulsed units moving on the underwater bottom
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
    • E02F—DREDGING; SOIL-SHIFTING
    • E02F5/00—Dredgers or soil-shifting machines for special purposes
    • E02F5/02—Dredgers or soil-shifting machines for special purposes for digging trenches or ditches
    • E02F5/10—Dredgers or soil-shifting machines for special purposes for digging trenches or ditches with arrangements for reinforcing trenches or ditches; with arrangements for making or assembling conduits or for laying conduits or cables
    • E02F5/104—Dredgers or soil-shifting machines for special purposes for digging trenches or ditches with arrangements for reinforcing trenches or ditches; with arrangements for making or assembling conduits or for laying conduits or cables for burying conduits or cables in trenches under water
    • E02F5/107—Dredgers or soil-shifting machines for special purposes for digging trenches or ditches with arrangements for reinforcing trenches or ditches; with arrangements for making or assembling conduits or for laying conduits or cables for burying conduits or cables in trenches under water using blowing-effect devices, e.g. jets
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63G—OFFENSIVE OR DEFENSIVE ARRANGEMENTS ON VESSELS; MINE-LAYING; MINE-SWEEPING; SUBMARINES; AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
    • B63G8/00—Underwater vessels, e.g. submarines; Equipment specially adapted therefor
    • B63G8/14—Control of attitude or depth
    • B63G8/26—Trimming equipment

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
  • Civil Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Structural Engineering (AREA)
  • Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
  • Control Of Position, Course, Altitude, Or Attitude Of Moving Bodies (AREA)

Abstract

A remotely operated underwater earth moving vehicle (200) has a vehicle body (220) and a pair of jetting legs (223). A pair of thrusters (225) can be pivoted about pivots (227) to generate substantially forward thrust, substantially vertical thrust, or to be arranged at an intermediate position between the positions in which substantially forward or substantially vertical thrust is generated. A further pair of thrusters (229) generates horizontal thrust laterally to longitudinal axis (230), and a further pair of thrusters (231) generates substantially vertical thrust.

Claims

- 18 - CLAIMS
1. An underwater earth moving vehicle comprising:
earth moving means;
a vehicle body supporting said earth moving means and adapted to actuate said earth moving means by moving in a forward direction;
first thruster means connected to said vehicle body and arranged rearwardly of said earth moving means, said first thruster means having a first position in which said first thruster means in use generates substantially forward thrust, a second position in which said first thruster means in use generates substantially vertical thrust, and at least one third position in which said first thruster means in use generates thrust in a direction between said substantially forward and substantially vertical directions;
second thruster means comprising at least one first thruster and at least one second thruster spaced substantially forwardly of a said first thruster, wherein said second thruster means is adapted to generate substantially sideways thrust; and
third thruster means for generating at least substantially vertical thrust.
2. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said first thruster means is at least partially pivotable between said first and at least one said third position and/or between said second and at least one said third position.
3. A vehicle according to claim 2, wherein said first - 1 9 - thruster means is arranged on at least one support member pivotable relative to said vehicle body, such that said first thruster means is higher in said third position than in said first position.
4. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first thruster means comprises at least one pair of thrusters.
5. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one said first and/or second thruster is arranged outwardly of said vehicle body in said substantially forward direction.
6. A vehicle according to claim 5, wherein said second thruster means comprises at least one pair of thrusters comprising a said first thruster and a said second thruster arranged adjacent diagonally opposite corners of said vehicle body.
7. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one said first thruster is driven independently of at least one said second thruster.
8. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said third thruster means' is adapted to selectively generate substantially forward thrust or substantially vertical thrust.
9. A vehicle according to claim 8, wherein said third thruster means is adapted to generate thrust in at least one direction between said substantially forward and substantially vertical directions.
10. A vehicle according to claim 9, wherein said third -20- thruster means is at least partially pivotable between said substantially forward and said substantially vertical directions .
11. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said third thruster means comprises at least one third thruster and at least one fourth thruster spaced sideways of a said third thruster.
12. A vehicle according to claim 11, wherein at least one third thruster and at least one fourth thruster are arranged adjacent opposite lateral sides of the vehicle body.
13. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising electric and/or hydraulic drive means for driving said first and/or second and/or third thruster means.
14. A vehicle according to claim 13, wherein at least one pair of said thrusters is driven in parallel by a respective single drive means.
15. A vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the or each said single drive means is hydraulic and comprises at least one valve means for adjusting flow of driving fluid to the individual thrusters of a respective pair of thrusters.
16. A vehicle according to claim 15, wherein the or each said valve means comprises a respective valve body having a respective pair of fluid passages therethrough, and a respective throttle means for restricting fluid flow in one passage of said pair without restricting flow in the other passage of said pair.
17. A vehicle according to claim 16, wherein the or each said -21- throttle means comprises a respective throttle member moveable relative to the corresponding pair of passages and having a pair of fluid passage portions, each of which is wider than the corresponding passage.
18. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising adjusting means for adjusting the position of the centre of gravity and/or the centre of buoyancy of the vehicle.
19. A vehicle according to claim 18, wherein said adjusting means comprises weight means movable between a first position and a second position rearwardly of said first position.
20. A vehicle according to claim 19, wherein said adjusting means comprises buoyancy means movable between a first position and a second position forwardly of said first position.
21. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the earth moving means comprises jetting means pivotably attached to the vehicle body.
22. A vehicle according to claim 21, wherein the jetting means comprises at least one pair of jetting legs adapted to straddle an elongate product to be buried by the vehicle.
23. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising control means for controlling said first and/or second and/or third thruster means in response to input signals representing forces acting on the vehicle.
24. A vehicle according to claim 23, further comprising ground contact means, and wherein said input signals represent forces acting on said ground contact means in a direction -22- substantially perpendicular to said substantially forward direction.
25. An underwater earth moving vehicle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 5 to 13 of the accompanying drawings .
EP01931867A 2000-05-31 2001-05-17 Underwater earth moving machine Withdrawn EP1327029A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0013246A GB0013246D0 (en) 2000-05-31 2000-05-31 Underwater earth moving machine
GB0013246 2000-05-31
GB0022996A GB0022996D0 (en) 2000-05-31 2000-09-20 Underwater earth moving machine
GB0022996 2000-09-20
PCT/GB2001/002207 WO2001092650A1 (en) 2000-05-31 2001-05-17 Underwater earth moving machine

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1327029A1 true EP1327029A1 (en) 2003-07-16

Family

ID=26244397

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP01931867A Withdrawn EP1327029A1 (en) 2000-05-31 2001-05-17 Underwater earth moving machine

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1327029A1 (en)
AU (1) AU2001258558A1 (en)
WO (1) WO2001092650A1 (en)

Families Citing this family (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2444259B (en) * 2006-11-29 2011-03-02 Rotech Holdings Ltd Improvements in and relating to underwater excavation apparatus
GB2446142B (en) * 2007-01-30 2011-04-06 Engineering Business Ltd Trenching machines and methods
EP2845793A1 (en) * 2013-09-06 2015-03-11 Soil Machine Dynamics Limited Apparatus and method for deploying an object to a sea floor
NL2014308B1 (en) * 2015-02-18 2016-10-12 Tideway B V Submersible vehicle for providing a trench in a subsea bottom.
NL2014307B1 (en) * 2015-02-18 2016-10-12 Tideway B V Submersible vehicle for providing a trench in a subsea bottom.
BE1024130B1 (en) 2016-02-05 2017-11-20 Baggerwerken Decloedt En Zoon N.V. Dredging head and associated method for forming a channel in an underwater bottom
WO2019028693A1 (en) * 2017-08-09 2019-02-14 深圳微孚智能信息科技有限公司 Underwater robot having multiple degrees of freedom for navigation
EP3889360A1 (en) * 2020-04-02 2021-10-06 Soil Machine Dynamics Limited Apparatus for removing material from a floor of a body of water

Family Cites Families (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4010619A (en) * 1976-05-24 1977-03-08 The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy Remote unmanned work system (RUWS) electromechanical cable system
FR2377521A1 (en) * 1977-01-18 1978-08-11 Commissariat Energie Atomique Submarine nodule pick=up machine - has scoop and screw conveyor to transfer nodules into internal storage chamber with weight compensating system
FR2455162A1 (en) * 1979-04-27 1980-11-21 Commissariat Energie Atomique SUBSEA VEHICLE FOR DREDGING AND LIFT OF LARGE DEPTH MINERALS
JPS619391A (en) * 1984-06-21 1986-01-16 Agency Of Ind Science & Technol Foldable type robot for submerged service
JPH08216985A (en) * 1995-02-10 1996-08-27 Mitsui Eng & Shipbuild Co Ltd Submerged bucket device
NL1009277C2 (en) * 1998-05-28 1999-11-30 Francois Bernard Method and device for accurately placing relatively heavy objects on and removing heavy objects from the seabed.
JP2000134752A (en) * 1998-10-19 2000-05-12 Fujikura Ltd Machine for burying subaqueous cable and installation thereof
GB2348448A (en) * 1999-04-01 2000-10-04 Sonsub Int Ltd Forming an underwater trench using separate rov and trenching apparatus

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See references of WO0192650A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2001092650A1 (en) 2001-12-06
AU2001258558A1 (en) 2001-12-11

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Effective date: 20021223

AK Designated contracting states

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Effective date: 20041201