NO344121B1

NO344121B1 - A geographical self-positioning buoy

Info

Publication number: NO344121B1
Application number: NO20180597A
Authority: NO
Inventors: Kjell Tore Bygdnes; Per Lund; Per Gundersen Lund
Original assignee: Dronebuoy As
Priority date: 2018-04-26
Filing date: 2018-04-26
Publication date: 2019-09-09
Also published as: WO2019207052A1

Description

The present invention relates to a geographical self-positioning buoy for marking a turning point or other boundary of a course used for training and/or races for sailing or power boats. In the following text the description refers to races, but the invention is equally applicable while training for such races.

BACKGROUND

In the field of sailboat or powerboat racing, a predetermined route or a designated course is set up prior to the race using a plurality of marking buoys which marks the turning point or a boundary of the route. During the race the boats are expected to maneuver around the marking buoys in a particular order until they finally reach the finish line. Normally, a race committee is located close to the start line and/or finish line of the race.

Prior to the race, the marking buoys which defines the route or course, have to be set up. The buoys are often deployed from work boats that drive to a predetermined position, where the buoy is connected to an anchor by a rope and anchored to the seafloor. Deploying and recovering of the anchors can be heavy and laborious work, and often require a special work boat with special equipment like a powered winch. Deep water and heavy winds and currents add to the challenge.

Very often, the predetermined location of the buoy is determined based on the conditions such as water current, waves and wind direction and strength. However, during the time from deployment to the start of the race, or during the actual race, the conditions may change and will require the buoys to be repositioned manually. This may cause interruption or postponement of the race. It is therefore desirable to reduce the time for planning the route of the race and the deployment time of setting out the buoys. Furthermore, it is desirable to provide a system that will eliminate the need to manually reposition the buoys when the conditions have changed.

The publication US 2016/0378107 discloses a programmable buoy system for marking a sailing route for a vessel. The buoy comprises a hull with two or more pontoons, such as a catamaran, a stationary rudder, a propeller, a motor for driving the propeller and a power source. Each of the buoys includes electronic hardware for autonomous and wireless operation.

One of several drawbacks of the programmable buoy of publication US 2016/0378107, is that the catamaran hull of the buoy is difficult to handle by hand and therefore not very suitable for deployment from a workboat. The deployment of a buoy from land is not preferable since it increases the distance the buoy needs to travel to the predetermined position. Another drawback is that the buoy comprises several moving and vulnerable parts making it more prone to damages or broken parts. Furthermore, the propeller is extending under the buoy such that it increases the possibility of damage during handling or grounding during operation. Yet another disadvantage is the catamaran hull which requires that the buoy need to make a big turn when it is drifted from its determined position and need to relocate back to the determined position.

The publication US 5577942 discloses a buoy system capable of maintaining a buoy in a fixed position without the use of an anchoring device. The buoy includes a navigation control system for determining the position of the buoy relative to a desired location and a propulsion system for maneuvering the buoy to and maintaining it at the desired location. The buoy has a shape of a spar buoy having a housing which is partially submerged in a body of water. The propulsor comprises at least one thruster mounted in a conduit and positioned at the hydrodynamic center of drag of said buoy. The propulsor system may also comprise two thrusters placed in respective first and second conduits and arranged substantially perpendicular to each other.

Firstly, the system disclosed in publication US 5577942 is not related to a marking buoy for marking a turning point or other boundary of a vessels sailing course. The publication is directed to a Sonobuoy which is adapted to collect data about the oceanic environment and/or underwater targets. Such buoys comprise a housing that extends greatly into the water, hence, having most of the equipment contained in the submerged part of the buoy. Only a small part of the buoy is visible from the surface, such as the antenna for sending and receiving signals. The buoy is big and complicated and is not suitable for deployment by hand from a workboat.

Secondly, the narrow and long shape of the spar buoy makes it unstable in water and more difficult to maneuver.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an autonomous buoy which can easily be transported and deployed from a workboat.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an autonomous buoy with less moveable parts which can be broken during handling or use.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an autonomous buoy that has a simple design that can be produced at a minimum cost.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an autonomous buoy which has high buoyancy, good stability and easy to maneuver.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an autonomous buoy which can quickly and effectively return to a predetermined position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the following, the term rotational symmetry, also known as radial symmetry, is referred to the property a shape has when it looks the same after some rotation by a partial turn. An object's degree of rotational symmetry is the number of distinct orientations in which it looks the same. Hence, the order of rotational symmetry of a shape is the number of times you can rotate a shape so that it looks the same.

The term horizontal symmetry axis is related to an object that can be divided into two or more identical pieces about a horizontal axis. For example, a square has totally four axis of symmetry, two along the diagonals and two of the axis of symmetry perpendicular to the opposite sides. A triangle has a total of three symmetry axis, and a circle has infinite number of axis of symmetries.

The term “sailing” is in the following directed to both sailing boats and powerboats.

The present invention is directed to a geographical self-positioning buoy for marking a turning point or other boundary of a vessels sailing course. The turning point or other boundary is a predetermined geographical position. The geographical self-positioning buoy comprises a hull arranged to be at least partially submerged in a body of water, which buoy further comprises:

- a propeller system,

- an autonomous self-positioning system connected to the propeller system,

- a power source for supply of electric power to the propeller system and the selfpositioning system. The buoy is arranged for maneuvering towards said predetermined position and keep station upon a signal from the autonomous selfpositioning system.

According to the invention, the hull is annular and tube shaped, having an inner center opening. Other describing shape of the hull is “donut” or “life-buoy” shaped. This preferable shape provides good stability in water, high buoyancy center and easy to maneuver in water. The propeller system comprises at least two thrusters mounted to an underside of said hull. The thruster propellers can be fixed thruster propellers or they can be rotatable thrusters.

The hull of the geographical self-positioning buoy is forming a watertight enclosure and is made of a non-corroding material such as aluminum, stainless steel, fiberglass, polyvinylchloride, or any other suitable plastic, metal, or composite material.

The annular and tube shape of the hull has a large surface area for mounting components, and provides good buoyancy. Furthermore, the shape provides good stability and is easy to maneuver. The annular shape of the hull has infinite order of rotational symmetry which allows the buoy to handle different environmental impacts (wind, current and waves) as well, regardless of the direction.

According to the present invention, the propeller system comprises at least two thruster propellers fixedly arranged at a bottom/underside side of the hull. The thruster propellers are arranged symmetric about a horizontal symmetry axis of the buoy, and wherein each propeller is driven by a separate electric motor.

The thrusters of the propeller system are configured to be controlled individually, with respect to each other, in direction and amount of thrust. This preferable propeller system allows the buoy to orientate towards the predetermined geographical position by rotating about its own vertical center axis. The infinite order (degree) of rotational symmetry of the hull provides a quick positioning of the hull, towards the predetermined geographical position.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the propeller system comprises two thruster propellers defining a first pair of thrusters or a first and a second thruster. The thrusters of the first pair are arranged symmetric about a crosssectional centerline of the hull.

Each propeller is driven by a separate electric motor and configured to be controlled individually, with respect to each other, in direction and amount of thrust, such that said buoy can orientate towards the predetermined geographical position by rotating about its own vertical center axis.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the propeller system comprises a second pair of thrusters (third and fourth thruster) arranged diametrically and parallel as the first pair (first and second thruster) of thrusters, and wherein the first pair of thrusters and the second pair of thrusters, are oriented 90 degrees relative to each other. Each thruster of the propeller system is configured to be controlled individually, with respect to each other, in direction and amount of thrust. This preferable propeller system with four propellers, allows the buoy to move directly towards said position without having to rotate.

This preferred embodiment allows the buoy to lie more at ease without having to make big turns in order to relocate towards the predetermined geographical position. The preferable shape of the geographical self-positioning buoy allows the buoy to handle all environmental impacts (wind, current and waves) as well, regardless of direction.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hull has a shape of an annular tube, such as a “life buoy” or a “donut”, having an inner center opening. The inner center opening of the tube is adapted to receive an inflatable marking buoy.

This combination of geographical self-positioning buoy and an inflatable marking buoy, provides a buoy system having; light weight, great buoyancy, good stability and easy to transport, deploy and store. In addition, the inflatable buoy is easy to replace and produce and can be adapted with different expressions and to different purposes. The tube can also be adapted to a standard inflatable marking buoy already available in the market today.

Preferably the inflatable marking buoy comprises ballast weight extending towards the seafloor. According to different purposes, the ballast weight can be located together with the inflatable making buoy or it can be lowered in a preferred depth below the inflatable marking buoy.

The geographical self-positioning buoy according to the present invention comprises an autonomous self-positioning system connected to the propeller system. The autonomous self-positioning system is a system for keeping the buoy at a desired location or position, which is the predetermined geographical position. This system includes means for determining the real-time position of the buoy. This real-time position determining means comprises an antenna for receiving signal from a satellite based global positioning system (GPS) and/or from land based stations. A computer calculates distance and compass course from the measured position to the predetermined position. If the distance is larger than a preset value representing the maximum allowable radius from the predetermined position, the computer initiates an autopilot function that maneuvers the buoy back to the determined position by generating control signals to the propulsion system. Hence, the self-positioning system comprises a navigational system to navigate the buoy to the predetermined geographical position and keeping it at said position, in response to the real-time positioning signal.

The buoy comprises a communication device that can receive and transmit signals to a remote controller or central control unit. The remote controller or central control unit can transmit to the buoy a desired position or take direct control over the thrusters so that the buoy can be driven in a desired direction at a desired speed. The buoy can transmit to the remote controller or central control unit its actual position, status for its different systems like battery voltage, fault status etc. The onboard computer can trigger an alarm if the position is outside the predetermined maximum radius which can be transmitted to the central control unit. This alarm can also be presented by a light or a speaker on the buoy.

The buoy also comprises one or more first sensors like an accelerometer which can detect if a racing vessel touches the buoy, an action that in races can involve a penalty for the vessel. Such incident can also trigger an alarm to the remote controller or central control unit, or on a light or a speaker installed on the buoy.

Other sensors, described as second sensors, can be fitted to the buoy for measuring environment conditions such as; weather sensors like wind direction, wind speed, air pressure, humidity, etc.

According to the present invention, the buoy comprises an activation device for affixing the self-positioning system to its current geographical position. When activated, the computer stores the current position and initiates its position-keeping function as previously described. In an embodiment of the present invention, the activation device is a switch provided on the buoy. The switch may be any one of a device or button for turning on or off. During the setup of the sailing course, the switch may be activated from the workboat prior to or after deployment of the geographical self-positioning buoy into the sea, “locking” the said buoy to its current position.

According to another aspect of the invention, the activation device can also be activated from a remote controller and/or from a central control unit, which gives the possibility for activation from a land based central or a central located in the committee boat. The remote controller and/or central can also send a position that differs from the buoys’ current position. In this case the buoy will start to automatically maneuver towards this position.

Hence, the autonomous self-positioning system of the present invention is adapted to maintain a geographic position based on satellite and/or land based stations. The geographical self-positioning buoy comprises a switch that can be activated when the buoy is in the correct position. The position “lock” can also be obtained by a remote control or from a central control unit that controls a plurality of geographical self-positioning buoys according to the present invention. The remote control or central control unit can also send a new desired position to each buoy. When a buoy is drifted outside a predefined distance/radius from the predetermined geographical position, the buoy will automatically orientate towards the predetermined geographical position and return to said position.

The buoy further comprises a battery for providing electric power to the propeller system and the autonomous self-positioning system.

A major advantage of the present invention is that the geographical self-positioning buoy has a portable size such that it can easily be transported in a small boat for deployment at site by hand. The buoy is compact and arranged with less moveable parts which can be broken during handling or use. The geographical self-positioning buoy according to the present invention can easily be stored on top of or beside each other in a workboat.

The present invention is also directed to a system comprising of at least one geographical self-positioning buoy.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the invention is directed to a geographical self-positioning buoy system, for marking a vessels route. The system comprises at least one geographical self-positioning buoy according to claims 1-14, wherein each buoy is being capable of connecting to a buoy command center for communication and navigating towards a predetermined geographical position.

Each of the geographical self-positioning buoys can be linked to a larger system of buoys that can be controlled from a common control center. The control center can send signals to each buoy to move positions. This allows quick moving of the route in case of changes in wind, current or wave conditions.

FIGURES

The description above, as well as further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1a) shows the geographical self-positioning buoy according to the present invention viewed from the top.

Fig. 1b) shows the embodiment viewed from the side.

Fig. 1c) shows the embodiment viewed from above.

Fig. 2a) shows another embodiment of the present invention comprising a first and a second pair of propellers.

Fig. 2b) shows the embodiment of 2a) viewed from the side.

Fig. 2c) shows a view from above of the embodiment of 2a) and 2b).

Fig. 2 d) shows an underside view of the geographical self-positioning buoy according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1a)-1c) shows an embodiment of the geographical self-positioning buoy 10 where the hull 11 is annular and tube-shaped. The shape is similar to a “life-buoy” or “donut” shape. The buoy 10 further comprises a propeller system 12 arranged on the underside of hull 11 and having two thrusters 13,14 mounted symmetric about a horizontal center axis (axis of symmetry). The two thruster propellers 13,14 can also be arranged on the same diameter line and parallel to each other (not shown in the figures). The annular tube-shaped buoy 10 comprises an inner center opening 18 adapted for receiving an inflatable marking buoy (not shown). Such inflatable marking buoys are well known in the boat racing environment today. Accordingly, and within the scope of the invention, the annular tube-shaped hull 11 of the buoy 10 can be adapted to various inflatable making buoy available in the market, or the inflatable marking buoy can be adapted to a special design of the tube-shaped hull 11 of the geographical self-positioning buoy 10.

According to the present invention, the propeller system 12 comprises at least two thruster propellers 13,14 submersible through a nozzle device provided on the hull 11. Figure 1c) shows that the nozzle is thoroughgoing, extending from the top side of the hull 11 to the underside.

Each thruster propeller 13,14 is driven by a separate electric motor (not shown), and wherein each thruster propeller 13,14 are configured to be controlled individually, with respect to each other, in direction and amount of thrust. This preferable propeller system allows the buoy 10 to orientate towards a predetermined geographical position by rotating about its own vertical center axis. The infinite order (degree) of rotational symmetry of the tube-shaped hull 11 provides a quick positioning of the hull 11 towards the predetermined geographical position. This preferred embodiment allows the buoy 10 to lie more at ease without having to make big turn in order to relocate towards the predetermined geographical position. The preferable tube-shaped hull of the geographical self-positioning buoy 10 allows the buoy 10 to handle all environmental impacts (wind, current and waves) as well, regardless of direction. Furthermore, the “simple” design makes the buoy easy to manufacture. It can be stored on top of each other and are easy to deploy from a workboat.

Figure 2a)-2d) shows another embodiment of the present invention where the propeller system comprises a second pair of thrusters arranged diametrically and parallel as the first pair of thrusters, and wherein the first pair of thrusters and the second pair of thrusters, are oriented 90 degrees relative to each other. Each thrusters of the propeller system are configured to be controlled individually, with respect to each other, in direction and amount of thrust. This preferable propeller system with four propellers, allows the buoy to move directly towards said position without having to rotate.

Claims

1. A geographical self-positioning buoy (10) for marking a turning point or other boundary of a vessels sailing course, which turning point or other boundary is a predetermined geographical position,

wherein the buoy (10) comprises a hull (11) arranged to be at least partially submerged in a body of water, which hull is arranged with:

- a propeller system (12),

- an autonomous self-positioning system connected to the propeller system (12),

- a power source for supply of electric power to the propeller system (12) and the self-positioning system,

the buoy (10) is arranged for maneuvering towards said predetermined position and keep station upon a signal from the autonomous self-positioning system (12),

characterized in that

the hull (11) is annular and tube-shaped having an inner center opening (18), and the propeller system (12) comprises at least two thrusters (13), each mounted on an underside of said hull (11).

2. The buoy (10) according to claim 1, wherein the thruster system (12) comprises a first and second thrusters (13,14), which thrusters (13,14) are arranged symmetric about a centerline of the hull (11).

3. The buoy (10) according to claim 2, wherein the thruster system comprises a third and fourth thrusters (15,16), and wherein the first and second thrusters (13,14) and the third and fourth thrusters (15,16) are oriented 90 degrees relative to each other.

4. The buoy (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each thruster (13,14,15,16) of the propeller system (12) is configured to be controlled individually, with respect to each other, in direction and amount of thrust.

5. The buoy (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inner center opening (18) is adapted to receive a marking buoy.

6. The buoy (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the autonomous self-positioning system comprises a real-time positioning determining means comprising an antenna and connected to a receiver for receiving a real-time global positioning signal.

7. The buoy (10) according to claim 6, wherein the autonomous self-positioning system comprises a navigational system to navigate the buoy to the predetermined geographical position in response to the real-time global positioning signal.

8. The buoy (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the buoy (10) comprises one or more first sensors which can detect whether a vessel touches the buoy (10).

9. The buoy (10) according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the buoy (10) comprises one or more second sensors for measuring weather such as wind speed, wind direction, air pressure and humidity.

10. The buoy (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the buoy comprises an activation device for affixing the self-positioning system to the predetermined geographical position.

11. The buoy (10) according to claim 10, wherein the buoy (10) navigates towards the predetermined geographical position received from the activation device.

12. The buoy (10) according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the activation device is activated by a switch provided on the buoy (10).

13. The buoy (10) according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the activation device is activated from a remote controller and/or from a central control unit.

14. A geographical self-positioning buoy system for marking a vessel sailing route, which system comprises at least one geographical self-positioning buoy (10) according to claims 1-13, wherein each buoy (10) is being capable of connecting to a buoy command center for communication and navigating towards a predetermined geographical position.