WO2023112246A1 - Floating body structure, control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

A floating body structure 1 comprises: a floating body 30 that can move by floating on the water surface; and an internal mechanism 10 that can move on the floating body 30. The floating body 30 comprises: a frame 31 on which the internal mechanism 10 moves; and propellers 33 for moving the floating body 30. The internal mechanism 10 comprises: a horizontality-maintaining platform 11; a V mechanism 13 that supports the horizontality-maintaining platform 11 and can be extended and contracted in the vertical direction; an H mechanism 14 for moving the plane inside the frame 31; and a control unit 15 for controlling the V mechanism 13 and the H mechanism 14 in order to keep the inclination and position of the horizontality-maintaining platform 11 in a desired state.

Description

FLOATING STRUCTURE, CONTROL METHOD AND PROGRAM

The present invention relates to a floating structure, control method, and program.

　Technologies for suppressing tilting and swaying on water have been researched and developed in the field of ships. For example, bilge keels, fin stabilizers, anti-rolling tanks, and gyro stabilizers are typical and widely used. A catamaran suppresses swaying due to the shape of the hull, while a marine suspension vessel suppresses swaying by dividing the hull into upper and lower parts and connecting the two with suspension. Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a tension mooring platform that suppresses the shaking of a floating structure by the force generated by buoyancy.

"TLP", MODEC, Inc., Internet < URL: https://www.modec.com/business/floater/tlp/ >

It is impossible for the ship to make small parallel movements other than in the direction of travel. That is, the ship cannot go backwards and sideways. Also, if the hull is enlarged, the hull will be larger than the wavelength, so it will be less affected by the waves and the swaying can be reduced, but it is difficult to suppress the swaying in a small ship.

Tension mooring can simultaneously control horizontal and vertical positional fluctuations and shaking, but once installed, it was difficult to change the mooring position.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a floating structure that can be easily moved to any position on the surface of the water and that maintains a platform at a desired position and inclination.

A floating structure according to one aspect of the present invention is a structure including a floating body that can float and move on a water surface and an internal device that can move on a plane above the floating body, wherein the floating body is a plane on which the internal device moves. and a propulsion device for moving the floating body, wherein the internal device includes a leveling table, a support section that supports the leveling table and is vertically extendable, and a moving section for moving the plane. and a control section for controlling the support section and the moving section in order to maintain the position and inclination of the leveling table in a desired state.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a floating structure that can be easily moved to any position on the surface of the water and that keeps the platform at a desired position and inclination.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a floating structure according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of movement of an internal mechanism. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an example of the arrangement of V-mechanisms. FIG. 4A is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processing by a control unit; FIG. 4B is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processing by the control unit; 4C is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processing by the control unit; FIG. FIG. 4D is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processing by the control unit; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a floating structure on which photovoltaic panels are installed. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a floating structure on which photovoltaic panels are installed. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a floating structure provided with drainage grooves. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a drain groove. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a floating structure having bellows. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a floating structure having bellows. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the state of the bellows in FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a control unit;

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[Configuration of floating structure]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a floating structure according to this embodiment. A floating body structure 1 shown in the figure includes a floating body 30 that can float and move on water, and an internal mechanism 10 that can move on the floating body 30 . Since the internal mechanism 10 and the floating body 30 move so as to maintain the position and inclination of the leveling platform 11 on the upper part of the internal mechanism 10, it can be used as an activity base where observation equipment vulnerable to positional deviation and shaking can be installed, and drones can take off and land. can

The floating body 30 includes a frame 31, a control section 32, a propulsion device 33, and a sensor 34.

The frame 31 is a member with a flat surface on which the internal mechanism 10 moves. One or more sensors 34 for grasping the positional relationship between the internal mechanism 10 and the floating body 30 are arranged on the plane. For example, sensors 34 are positioned near the center of frame 31 and the perimeter of frame 31 . The frame 31 may have side walls around the plane.

The control unit 32 controls the propeller 33 for moving the floating body 30 . The propeller 33 is attached to the outside of the frame 31 and used to move the floating body 30 . For example, propeller 33 is a propeller attached to the bottom of frame 31 . The floating body 30 may have a plurality of propellers 33 so that it can move in all directions. When the internal mechanism 10 moves close to the outer periphery of the frame 31 and can no longer move inside the frame 31, the control unit 32 drives the propeller 33 to move the floating body 30 so that the center of the frame 31 overlaps the reference position. make it

The internal mechanism 10 includes a leveling table 11, a middle plate 12, a V mechanism 13, an H mechanism 14, a controller 15, and a sensor 16.

The H mechanism 14 is arranged on the lower surface of the intermediate plate 12 . The H mechanism 14 is used to finely adjust the horizontal position of the internal mechanism 10 , that is, to move the internal mechanism 10 within the frame 31 . For example, the H mechanism 14 is a stepping motor-driven wheel that operates in pairs of at least three. By driving the wheels, the internal mechanism 10 is moved within the frame 31 .

A V-mechanism 13 is arranged on the upper surface of the middle plate 12 , and a leveling table 11 is arranged on the V-mechanism 13 . The V mechanism 13 is used to support the leveling table 11 and adjust the inclination and height of the leveling table 11 . For example, the V-mechanism 13 is a set of at least three electric cylinders that support the leveling table 11 .

A sensor 16 for grasping the positional relationship between the internal mechanism 10 and the floating body 30 is arranged at the center of the lower surface of the intermediate plate 12 . For example, sensor 16 measures the distance to sensor 34 located on floating body 30 . The sensor 16 may be arranged at a reference position of the internal mechanism 10 .

The control unit 15 includes an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor, detects the positional deviation and tilt of the internal mechanism 10, controls the H mechanism 14 and the V mechanism 13, and adjusts the position and tilt of the leveling table 11 to desired positions and tilts. keep on tilt. The acceleration sensor and the gyro sensor are preferably arranged on the intermediate plate 12 . The accelerometer provides relative position movement information (distance, direction) from the past. The control unit 15 controls the H mechanism 14 based on the obtained movement information to move the internal mechanism 10 to a desired position within the frame 31 . The tilt information of the internal mechanism 10 is obtained by the gyro sensor. The control unit 15 controls the V mechanism 13 based on the obtained tilt information to keep the tilt of the leveling table 11 at a desired angle. When the height variation value is obtained from the acceleration sensor, the control unit 15 controls the V mechanism 13 based on the variation value to keep the leveling platform 11 at a desired height.

The movement of the internal mechanism 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2(a) shows an initial state in which the floating body 30 is floated at a desired position on the water surface 100, the internal mechanism 10 is positioned at the center of the frame 31, and the leveling table 11 is set at a desired height. Indicates status. The internal mechanism 10 operates so that the position and inclination of the leveling table 11 are maintained as shown in FIG. 2(a).

As shown in FIG. 2B, when the water surface 100 changes and the floating body 30 moves or tilts, the controller 15 controls the H mechanism 14 to move the internal mechanism 10, is controlled to adjust the inclination and height of the leveling table 11, and the position and inclination of the leveling table 11 are kept in the initial state. In FIG. 2B, the control unit 15 controls the H mechanism 14 to move the internal mechanism 10 rightward in the drawing, extend the V mechanism 13 on the right side of the leveling table 11, and extend the V mechanism 13 on the left side. is contracted to keep the inclination of the level maintenance table 11 horizontal.

Next, an arrangement example of the V mechanism 13 and the H mechanism 14 will be described. A set of three V-mechanisms 13 may be provided in order to stably support the leveling table 11 . Further, by providing a plurality of sets of V-mechanisms 13 and switching the working set, the internal mechanism 10 can be continuously operated in consideration of the rated time of the V-mechanisms 13 . Rated time is the time that can be operated continuously. In order to operate the V-mechanism 13 safely, it should be operated so as not to exceed the rated time and rest for the same amount of time as the operating time.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an example of the arrangement of the V mechanism 13. FIG. In the figure, three sets of three V-mechanisms are arranged. Specifically, a total of nine electric cylinders 13A, 13B, 13C are arranged at equal intervals on a circle centered on the center of the intermediate plate 12. group, and C group. Each group is switched and operated within the rated time. For example, while A group is in operation, B group and C group are inactive, while B group is in operation, A group and C group are inactive, and while C group is in operation, A group and B group are inactive.

Similarly to the V mechanism 13, the H mechanism 14 may also be provided with a plurality of sets of three stepping motors and wheels, and the working sets may be switched. The arrangement example of the V mechanism 13 in FIG. 3 can also be applied to the arrangement of the H mechanism 14 .

A plurality of sets of propellers 33 may also be provided, and the set of propellers 33 to be operated may be switched.

If the operating time of the floating structure 1 falls within the rated time, or if a mechanism that does not require consideration of the rated time is used, multiple sets of mechanisms may not be provided.

[Processing of control part]
Next, an example of the processing of the control unit 15 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 4A to 4D. It is assumed that the floating body 30 is arranged at a desired position on the water surface.

In step S11, the standards P0 and A0 of the leveling platform 11 are set. The reference P0 is the coordinates of the center of the leveling platform 11 to be maintained. For example, the coordinates of the reference P0 on the horizontal plane are the center of the frame 31 . The height of the reference P0 is set according to the movable range of the V mechanism 13. FIG. The reference A0 is the angle of the leveling platform 11 to be maintained. The angle is represented, for example, by the angle of the highest portion of the leveling table 11 in a spherical coordinate system with the center of the leveling table 11 as the origin. In the horizontal case, the zenith angle Θ=90 degrees and the azimuth angle φ=0 degrees.

At step S12, a horizontal maintenance start time T _Sn and an end time T _Fn are set. The period from the horizontal maintenance start time T _Sn to the end time T _Fn is the horizontal maintenance period for maintaining the horizontal maintenance base 11 at a desired position and inclination. A plurality of horizontal maintenance periods may be set intermittently. For example, the first horizontal maintenance period is set by horizontal maintenance start time _TS1 and end time _TF1 , and the second horizontal maintenance period is set by horizontal maintenance start time _TS2 and end time _TF2 . End time T _F1 <horizontal maintenance start time T _S2 . A period from the end time T _Fn of the horizontal maintenance period to the next horizontal maintenance start time T _Sn+1 is a rest period. The horizontal maintenance period is set according to the observation time of the observation device placed on the horizontal maintenance table 11 or the time required for the drone to take off from the horizontal maintenance table 11 and the scheduled landing time thereafter.

At step S13, the internal mechanism 10 is moved to the center of the frame 31. For example, the internal mechanism 10 is moved so that the sensor 16 of the internal mechanism 10 is directly above the sensor 34 arranged in the center of the frame 31 .

At step S14, the V mechanism 13 is set to the initial height, and the leveling table 11 is arranged at the desired height. When a plurality of sets of V-mechanisms 13 are provided, one set of V-mechanisms 13 is set to the initial height, and the remaining sets of V-mechanisms 13 are set to the lowest position and rested.

In the processing of steps S13 and S14, the leveling table 11 is placed at the reference P0 position with the inclination of the reference A0, and the internal mechanism 10 starts operating to keep the leveling table 11 at the references P0 and A0.

When the operation is started, the control unit 15 acquires the current time T in step S15, and determines whether or not the current time T is the horizontal maintenance period in step S16. When the current time T is between the horizontal maintenance period T _Sn and the end time T _Fn , it is the horizontal maintenance period.

When the current time T is the horizontal maintenance period, in step S17, the control unit 15 determines whether the operating V mechanism 13 or H mechanism 14 has exceeded the rated time.

If the V mechanism 13 or H mechanism 14 exceeds the rated time, in step S18, the control unit 15 suspends the V mechanism 13 or H mechanism 14 that has exceeded the rated time, and sets another set of V mechanism 13 or H mechanism. Activate mechanism 14 .

When the current time T is the level maintenance period, the control unit 15 executes the processing shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. do. The processing after step S15 and the processing shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 4B and 4C are repeated during the horizontal maintenance period.

If the current time T is not in the horizontal maintenance period, the control unit 15 determines whether or not to end the operation in step S19. The control unit 15 determines to end the operation when the current time T exceeds the end time _TFn of the last horizontal maintenance period. When the motion is not finished, that is, in the case of the rest period until the next horizontal maintenance period, the control section 15 executes the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4D. In the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4D, the control unit 15 moves the position of the internal mechanism 10 or the floating body 30 so that the level maintenance base 11 can be maintained at the desired position and inclination when the next level maintenance period starts. Let

Next, with reference to FIG. 4B, an example of a process in which the control unit 15 controls the H mechanism 14 will be described.

In step S21, the control unit 15 obtains the current coordinate P of the center of the leveling table 11 based on the relative position movement information obtained from the acceleration sensor, and determines whether the current coordinate P and the reference P0 are different. Determine whether or not. The reference P0 is the coordinates of the center of the leveling platform 11 to be maintained.

　If the current coordinate P is the same as the reference P0, the control unit 15 executes the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4C without controlling the H mechanism 14. Note that the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4C is also executed when only the height direction positions of the coordinate P and the reference P0 are different.

If the current coordinate P and the reference P0 are different, in step S22, the control unit 15 determines whether there is room for the internal mechanism 10 to move, that is, whether the internal mechanism 10 will collide with the side wall. Specifically, the control unit 15 corrects the positional deviation obtained from the acceleration sensor to the position within the frame 31 obtained from the sensor 16 , and determines whether the position of the internal mechanism 10 after correction is within the frame 31 . Determine whether or not.

If there is no room for the internal mechanism 10 to move, in step S23 the control unit 32 controls the propeller 33 to move the floating body 30 so that the coordinate PD of the center of the frame 31 approaches the reference P0. For example, the control unit 15 transmits the movement direction and movement amount to the control unit 32 , and the control unit 32 moves the floating body 30 based on the movement direction and movement amount received from the control unit 15 . By bringing the floating body 30 closer to the reference P0, there is room for the internal mechanism 10 to move.

At step S24, the control unit 15 controls the H mechanism 14 to move the internal mechanism 10 so that P=P0.

After controlling the H mechanism 14, the control unit 15 executes the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4C.

Next, with reference to FIG. 4C, an example of processing for controlling the V mechanism 13 by the control unit 15 will be described.

In step S31, the control unit 15 obtains the current tilt A of the leveling table 11 based on the tilt information of the internal mechanism 10 obtained from the gyro sensor, and determines whether the current tilt A is different from the reference A0. do. The reference A0 is the tilt of the leveling table 11 to be maintained.

If the current inclination A is the same as the reference A0, the control unit 15 advances the process to step S35.

When the current inclination A and the reference A0 are different, in step S32, the control unit 15 determines whether or not the height of the leveling table 11 has changed Vc. The height change Vc is obtained from an acceleration sensor.

If the current inclination A is different from the reference A0 and there is a change Vc in the height, in step S33 the control unit 15 controls the V mechanism 13 so that A=A0 and Vc=0. The inclination and height of the leveling table 11 are adjusted.

When the current tilt A and the reference A0 are different, in step S34, the control unit 15 controls the V mechanism 13 to adjust the tilt of the leveling table 11 so that A=A0.

On the other hand, if the current inclination A is the same as the reference A0, in step S35, the control unit 15 determines whether or not the height of the leveling table 11 has changed Vc.

When there is a change Vc in height, in step S36, the control unit 15 controls the V mechanism 13 to adjust the height of the leveling table 11 so that Vc=0.

After controlling the V mechanism 13, the control unit 15 returns to step S16 in FIG. 4A and checks the rated time.

The process of FIG. 4B may be executed after the process of FIG. 4C, or the process of FIG. 4B and the process of FIG. 4C may be executed in parallel.

Next, with reference to FIG. 4D, an example of processing of the control unit 15 during the rest period will be described.

In step S41, the control unit 15 determines whether or not the coordinate P of the center of the horizontal maintenance table 11 is a position that can be returned to the reference P0 by the next horizontal maintenance start time T _Sn+1 .

When the internal mechanism 10 is at a position where it cannot be returned to the reference P0, the controller 15 moves the internal mechanism 10 toward the reference P0 in step S42. If necessary, the propeller 33 is controlled to move the floating body 30 .

[Modification]
Next, a modified example of the floating structure 1 will be described.

5 and 6 are diagrams showing modifications in which the sidewalls of the frame 31 are thickened and the photovoltaic panel 35 is installed on the upper surface of the sidewalls. The frame 31 and internal mechanism 10 in FIG. 5 are circular, and the frame 31 and internal mechanism 10 in FIG. 6 are square.

The power generated by the photovoltaic panel 35 may be transmitted to the power supply that supplies power to the V mechanism 13 and the H mechanism 14 by wireless power supply or the like, or may be used as power for the propeller 33 of the floating body 30.

The frame 31 or the level maintenance table 11 may be equipped with a function for grasping the surrounding situation such as a camera, radar, or sensor, and collision avoidance may be performed when the propeller 33 is driven to move the floating body 30. .

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a modification in which grooves 36 are provided on the plane of frame 31. FIG. Water entering the frame 31 can be drained by providing grooves 36 that gradually become deeper in one direction. In the example of FIG. 7, grooves 36 are provided in a grid pattern. The grooves 36 may be provided radially.

8 shows a cross-sectional view of the side wall portion of the frame 31. FIG. A drainage hole is provided where the groove 36 is at its deepest. The hole is connected to the outside of the frame 31 and has a check valve 37 at the tip of the hole. The water that has flowed through the grooves 36 is discharged out of the frame 31 through the holes.

9 and 10 are diagrams showing a modification provided with a bellows 38 connecting the leveling table 11 and the frame 31. FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the state of the bellows 38 in FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG. By connecting the leveling table 11 and the frame 31 with the bellows 38, the movement of the leveling table 11 is not hindered, and water or living things can be prevented from entering the frame 31. - 特許庁The bellows 38 can follow even when the leveling table 11 is tilted.

In order to prevent water from accumulating in the trough portion of the bellows 38, the level maintaining base 11 may be raised periodically, or a drain valve may be provided in the middle of the bellows 38. A rod for supporting the bellows 38 may be provided, and the frame 31 may be provided with a ventilation function.

As described above, the floating structure 1 of this embodiment includes the floating body 30 that can float and move on the water surface and the internal mechanism 10 that can move on the floating body 30 . The floating body 30 includes a frame 31 on which the internal mechanism 10 moves and a thruster 33 for moving the floating body 30 . The internal mechanism 10 includes a leveling table 11, a V mechanism 13 that supports the leveling table 11 and can be expanded and contracted in the vertical direction, an H mechanism 14 for moving the plane inside the frame 31, and a position of the leveling table 11. and a controller 15 for controlling the V mechanism 13 and the H mechanism 14 in order to keep the inclination in a desired state. As a result, the leveling table 11 can be maintained at a desired position and inclination. As a result, it is possible to install an observation device that is vulnerable to position shift and shaking on the level maintenance platform 11 for observation, and to use the level maintenance platform 11 as an activity base from which drones can take off and land. In addition, since the floating structure 1 is not moored, it can be moved to any position, and flexible observation can be performed.

The control units 15 and 32 described above include, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) 901, a memory 902, a storage 903, a communication device 904, an input device 905, and an output device as shown in FIG. 906 can be used. In this computer system, the control units 15 and 32 are implemented by the CPU 901 executing a predetermined program loaded on the memory 902 . This program can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, or semiconductor memory, or distributed via a network.

1 Floating Structure 10 Internal Mechanism 11 Leveling Table 12 Middle Plate 13 V Mechanism 14 H Mechanism 15 Controller 16 Sensor 30 Floating Body 31 Frame 32 Controller 33 Propeller 34 Sensor 35 Photovoltaic Panel 36 Groove 37 Check Valve 38 Bellows

Claims (8)

A floating structure comprising a floating body that can float and move on the surface of water and an internal device that can move on a plane above the floating body,
The floating body is
a plane in which the internal device moves;
Equipped with a propulsion device for moving the floating body,
The internal device is
a leveling table;
a support part that supports the leveling table and is vertically expandable;
a moving part for moving the plane;
A floating structure comprising a control section that controls the support section and the moving section in order to maintain the position and inclination of the leveling table in a desired state. The floating structure according to claim 1,
The control unit moves the floating body when the internal device reaches the outer periphery of the plane and cannot move. The floating structure according to claim 1 or 2,
The support portion is at least three electric cylinders,
The floating structure, wherein the moving part is at least three wheels. The floating structure according to claim 3,
The support unit operates by switching between a plurality of sets of electric cylinders within a rated time,
A floating structure in which the moving part operates by switching a plurality of sets of wheels within a rated time. A floating structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A floating structure comprising a bellows that connects the floating body and the leveling platform. A control method for a floating structure comprising a floating body that can float and move on a water surface and an internal device that can move on a plane above the floating body,
the computer
moving the internal device on the floating body based on the measurement value of an acceleration sensor arranged in the internal device;
A control method, comprising: controlling a support section for supporting a leveling table included in the internal device based on a measurement value of a gyro sensor arranged in the internal device. The control method according to claim 6,
The computer is
A control method for moving the floating body when the internal device reaches the outer periphery of the plane and cannot move. A program that causes a computer to execute the control method according to claim 6 or 7.

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