JP7726543B2 - Work boat - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to technology that allows workers to check the construction status of a rubble foundation on the seabed.

Port structures (offshore wind turbines, breakwaters, etc.) are built on rubble foundations constructed on the seabed. Rubble foundations are constructed by forming rubble mounds on the seabed and then tamping them down.

As shown in Patent Document 1, for example, a rubble mound is formed by depositing rubble dumped onto the seabed from above. As shown in Patent Document 2, for example, a rubble foundation is constructed by compacting a rubble mound formed on the seabed with weights.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-161673 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-161674

However, in order to construct a rubble mound according to design, it is necessary to check the condition of the rubble mound during construction at appropriate times. For example, during the work process of forming a rubble mound, it is checked to see if there are any areas where the rubble piled on the seabed is higher or lower than the design height. In other words, it is checked for areas where rubble piled on the rubble mound needs to be removed (areas where the rubble piled on the seabed is higher than the design height) and areas where additional rubble needs to be added to the rubble mound (areas where the rubble piled on the seabed is lower than the design height).

For example, during the work process of compacting the top surface and slope of a rubble mound, we check for any areas where compaction is insufficient and whether the rubble foundation has been constructed as designed.

Previously, the condition of rubble foundations during construction was checked by divers who were sent underwater. In other words, divers who were underwater visually checked the condition of the rubble foundations during construction.

Recently, there has been an increase in cases where rubble foundations are constructed in deep water, and divers are tending to dive deeper. In addition, the number of divers is decreasing, making it difficult to arrange divers to check the condition of rubble foundations during construction, which can result in longer construction times for rubble foundations.

For these reasons, there is a need for a method to check the condition of rubble foundations during construction without relying on divers.

The purpose of this invention is to provide technology that allows the condition of rubble foundations under construction to be checked without relying on divers.

To achieve the above objectives, the workboat of this invention is configured as follows:

The work vessel of this invention is used to check the construction status of rubble foundations when they are being constructed on the seabed.

The surveying device surveys the seabed. The surveying device may be, for example, a known sonar device. The surveying device can be used to survey a rubble foundation being constructed on the seabed.

The display device displays the results of seabed surveying by the surveying device on the display. Therefore, the display shows the shape, size, etc. of the rubble foundation being constructed on the seabed as the surveying results by the surveying device. In other words, workers can check the construction status of the rubble foundation being constructed by the surveying device's surveying results displayed on the display.

In addition, an opening is formed in the outer plating of the bottom of the vessel, allowing visibility outside the vessel from inside. This opening is formed in a part that is located below the water level (i.e., underwater) when the work vessel is floating on the sea.

In addition, a transparent plate that completely covers the opening is attached to the outer panel where the opening is formed. When the work vessel is afloat on the sea, seawater will not enter the vessel through the opening. The transparent plate may be, for example, an acrylic plate, tempered glass, or any other material as long as it has a certain degree of transmittance (for example, a transmittance of 50% or more). However, the transparent plate is made thick enough to ensure strength against water pressure, etc.

Workers can visually check the construction status (shape, size, etc.) of the rubble foundation being constructed through the opening.

Therefore, workers can check the construction status of the rubble foundation by visually inspecting and viewing the surveying results displayed on the display. By using this work boat, it is possible to check the status of the rubble foundation under construction without relying on divers.

The work vessel may also be equipped with, for example, a positioning device that measures its own position, and the display device may convert the results of seabed surveying by the surveying device based on the position of the vessel measured by the positioning device, and display the converted surveying results on the display.

With this configuration, the absolute position (e.g., latitude, longitude, altitude) of the rubble foundation being constructed can also be confirmed from the survey results displayed on the display.

Furthermore, the work vessel may be provided, for example, with an inspection room at the bottom of the vessel where workers can enter to check the construction status of the rubble foundation. This inspection room may be the space where an opening formed in the outer plating is located. In this case, the inspection room may be a space separated by a bulkhead, which may include a first bulkhead and a second bulkhead, with the first bulkhead and the second bulkhead positioned opposite each other with a gap between them. With this configuration, even if the transparent plate is damaged by some kind of impact, the area through which seawater can enter can be limited to the inspection room.

The inspection room may also be located, for example, on the bow side, starboard side, or port side.

The work vessel may also be a crane barge equipped with a crane. This crane may be used in the process of dumping riprap onto the seabed from the sea surface and depositing the riprap on the seabed, or in the process of lifting a weight and dropping it onto a riprap mound formed by riprap deposited on the seabed to compact the riprap, or it may be used in both of these processes.

Also, for example, the outer panel may have multiple openings formed therein, and these openings may be covered by a single transparent panel. This configuration reduces the pressure applied to the transparent panel and the risk of the panel being damaged.

This invention allows the condition of rubble foundations to be checked during construction without relying on divers.

1A and 1B are schematic diagrams showing a crane barge for constructing a rubble foundation on the seabed. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the connections of the main equipment equipped on the crane barge. This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the inspection chamber in the overall length direction of the crane barge. This is a schematic plan view of the outer plating of the part where the inspection work chamber is located, viewed from the bow side of the crane barge in the direction of the crane barge's entire length. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the state in which a rubble mound formed on the seabed is visually inspected. This is a schematic plan view of the outer plate of the part where the inspection work chamber is located, viewed from the bow side of the crane barge in another example, in the direction of the entire length of the crane barge.

The following describes an embodiment of this invention.

Figures 1(A) and (B) are schematic diagrams showing a crane barge that constructs a rubble foundation on the seabed. Figure 1(A) is a schematic diagram of the process of forming a rubble mound on the seabed, and Figure 1(B) is a schematic diagram of the process of compacting the rubble mound formed on the seabed.

In this example, the crane barge 1 corresponds to the work boat referred to in this invention. The crane barge 1 is equipped with a crane 2. In this example, the crane 2 is attached to the bow side of the crane barge 1.

The crane 2 may be attached to the stern side of the crane barge 1, or midway between the bow and stern.

As shown in Figure 1(A), when the process of forming a rubble mound on the seabed is carried out, a grab bucket 3 is attached to the wire of a crane 2. Also, as shown in Figure 1(B), when the process of compacting the rubble mound formed on the seabed is carried out, a weight 4 is attached to the wire of the crane 2. In Figure 1(B), the weight 4 that compacts the top surface of the rubble mound is attached to the wire of the crane 2.

The process of constructing a rubble mound includes the process of piling rubble on the seabed to form a rubble mound, and the process of compacting the top surface and slope of the rubble mound that has been formed. Various methods (for example, the methods shown in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, mentioned above) are known for the process of forming a rubble mound and the process of compacting the top surface and slope of the rubble mound. In this example, any known method may be used for the process of forming the rubble mound and the process of compacting the top surface and slope of the rubble mound. In other words, in this example, any method may be used to form the rubble mound on the seabed, and any method may be used to compact the top surface and slope of the rubble mound.

For example, the rubble used to form the rubble mound is loaded on a crane barge 1. A crane 2 uses a grab bucket 3 to grab the rubble loaded on the crane barge 1 and dumps the grabbed rubble into the sea from the sea surface, forming the rubble mound on the seabed. The crane 2 also drops a weight 4 onto the top surface and slope of the rubble mound formed on the seabed to compact it.

The crane barge 1 is provided with an inspection workroom 10 on the bow side. This inspection workroom 10 is a space (room) where workers can check the shape, size, etc. of the rubble mound formed on the seabed, as well as the condition of the top surface of the rubble mound formed on the seabed and the rubble foundation being constructed by tamping the slope.

Figure 2 shows the connections of the main equipment installed on the crane barge. In this example, the crane barge 1 is equipped with a surveying device 11, a positioning device 12, an integration device 13, and a display 14.

The surveying device 11 surveys the seabed using the ship's position as a reference position. The surveying device 11 is, for example, a known sonar device. By surveying the seabed, the surveying device 11 obtains the shape, size, etc. of rubble mounds and rubble foundations formed on the seabed. The surveying device 11 outputs the results of the seabed survey to the integrated device 13.

The positioning device 12 determines the ship's absolute position (latitude, longitude, and altitude). The positioning device 12 is, for example, a well-known GPS (Global Positioning System) device. The positioning device 12 outputs the positioning results (the ship's absolute position) to the integrated device 13.

The integrating device 13 calculates the absolute positions of the rubble mounds and rubble foundations formed on the seabed based on the surveying results of the surveying device 11 and the positioning results of the positioning device 12. The integrating device 13 generates screen data showing the absolute positions, shapes, sizes, etc. of the rubble mounds and rubble foundations formed on the seabed, and outputs this to the display device 14. The integrating device 13 corresponds to the display device referred to in this invention.

The display 14 displays a screen according to the screen data output by the integrated device 13.

The display 14 is installed in the confirmation work room 10. The surveying device 11, positioning device 12, and integrated device 13 may be installed in the confirmation work room 10 or in other locations. However, the surveying sensor (e.g., ultrasonic sensor) used by the surveying device 11 to survey the seabed is installed in a location where seabed surveying can be performed, and the positioning sensor (e.g., GPS sensor) used by the positioning device 12 to determine the ship's position is installed in a location where it is easy to receive GPS signals from satellites.

Next, the inspection work room 10 will be described. As shown in Figure 1, the crane barge 1 in this example has the inspection work room 10 located on the bottom of the vessel on the bow side. Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the inspection work room along the entire length of the crane barge. The inspection work room 10 is a space whose bow side faces the outer plating 21 of the crane barge 1. The side of the inspection work room 10 that does not face the outer plating 21 is a space partitioned off by a bulkhead.

The side walls (excluding the surface facing the outer panel 21) and the top wall of the inspection work chamber 10 in the example shown in Figure 3 have a double-wall structure. Specifically, the side walls (excluding the surface facing the outer panel 21) and the top wall of the inspection work chamber 10 are separated by an outer partition wall 25 and an inner partition wall 26, which are arranged opposite each other with a gap between them. The outer partition wall 25 and the inner partition wall 26 are arranged opposite each other with a gap of, for example, about 1 m between them. The space between the outer partition wall 25 and the inner partition wall 26, which are arranged opposite each other, is referred to here as the air chamber.

The floor of the inspection work room 10 may also have a double-wall structure.

Figure 4 is a schematic plan view of the outer panel of the portion of the crane barge where the inspection chamber is located, viewed from the bow of the crane barge along its entire length. An opening 21a is formed in the outer panel 21 located within the inspection chamber 10. A transparent plate 22 is attached to completely cover this opening 21a. The transparent plate 22 may be made of, for example, an acrylic plate, tempered glass, or other material with a certain degree of transmittance (e.g., 50% or more). However, the transparent plate 22 must be thick enough to withstand a certain degree of water pressure (enough to withstand the water pressure experienced during normal navigation). For example, the transparent plate 22 is several centimeters thick (e.g., approximately 3-7 cm). The size of the transparent plate 22 is several meters (1-3 m) vertically and several meters (1-3 m) horizontally. The vertical and horizontal lengths of the transparent plate 22 may be the same or different. Additionally, although the transparent plate 22 shown here has a rectangular outer shape, it may have other shapes such as a circular shape.

Furthermore, door 25a shown in Figure 3 opens and closes the passageway for workers entering and exiting between the outside of the inspection work room 10 and the air chamber. Further, door 26a shown in Figure 3 opens and closes the passageway for workers entering and exiting between the inside of the inspection work room 10 and the air chamber. For example, a worker entering or exiting the inspection work room 10 from the outside opens and closes door 25a to enter the air chamber, and then opens and closes door 26a to enter the inspection work room 10. Doors 25a and 26a are preferably equipped with so-called door closers to prevent workers from forgetting to close them. As is well known, door closers transition doors 25a and 26a from an open state to a closed state.

Workers who enter the inspection workroom 10 can visually inspect the rubble mound formed on the seabed and the rubble foundation constructed on the seabed through the transparent panel 22 and opening 21a. In other words, in the inspection workroom 10, workers can visually inspect the condition of the rubble mound formed on the seabed and the rubble foundation constructed on the seabed.

Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the state in which a riprap mound formed on the seabed is visually inspected. In this example, the crane barge 1 has the inspection workroom 10 located on the bow side, so the bow is positioned facing the riprap mound to be visually inspected. Workers entering the inspection workroom 10 visually inspect the riprap mound through the transparent plate 22 covering the opening 21a. The workers check the surface of the riprap mound for any depressions or protrusions in the piled riprap.

The surveying device 11 surveys the seabed using the position of the crane barge 1 (surveying sensor) as the reference position. The positioning device 12 measures the absolute position (latitude, longitude, altitude) of the crane barge 1 (positioning sensor). Since the mounting positions of the surveying sensor on the crane barge 1 and the positioning sensor on the crane barge 1 are known, the absolute position of the surveying sensor on the crane barge 1 can be obtained from the positioning results of the positioning device 12.

Based on the surveying results of the surveying device 11 and the positioning results of the positioning device 12, the integrated device 13 displays the absolute position, shape, size, etc. of the rubble mound formed on the seabed on the screen of the display device 14. For example, the screen of the display device 14 displays an image in which the absolute position is superimposed on the seabed topography surveyed by the surveying device 11.

As a result, workers can visually inspect the rubble mound through the transparent plate 22 covering the opening 21a and check on the screen of the display 14 any areas where they feel the rubble piled up may be sunken or protruding. Furthermore, workers can check areas where irregularities have occurred in the rubble mound from the seabed topography displayed on the display screen, and carefully visually inspect the irregularities they have identified through the transparent plate 22 covering the opening 21a. Therefore, workers can easily and accurately visually inspect the condition of the rubble mound in the inspection workroom 10 of the crane barge 1.

In the above explanation, we have used the example of a worker visually inspecting a rubble mound, but even for the top surface of a rubble mound and a rubble foundation where the slope has been compacted, workers can easily and accurately visually inspect the condition of the rubble foundation in the inspection work chamber 10 of the crane barge 1.

In addition, since the inspection work chamber 10 is a space separated by a partition wall with a double-wall structure, if the transparent plate 22 covering the opening 21a is damaged, the flooded area through which seawater can enter is limited to within the inspection work chamber 10.

As explained above, the crane barge 1 in this example allows workers who enter the inspection work chamber 10 to visually inspect the condition of the rubble mound and rubble foundation. Therefore, the condition of the rubble foundation under construction can be inspected without relying on divers.

Also, as shown in Figure 6, multiple openings 21b may be formed in the outer panel 21 located inside the inspection work chamber 10. In this case, a transparent panel 22 may be provided to cover each opening 21b, or, as shown in Figure 6, all openings 21b may be covered with a single transparent panel 22.

Note that the arrangement of the multiple openings 21b shown in Figure 6 is just one example, and any other arrangement is acceptable.

In addition, in the above explanation, the inspection workroom 10 is located on the bow side of the crane barge 1, but it may also be located on the starboard or port side.

Furthermore, the work vessel according to this invention is not limited to the crane barge 1 described in the above example, but may be any type of vessel (for example, a rock dumping barge).

Furthermore, the partition separating the inspection chamber 10 does not have to have a double-wall structure. Furthermore, the space in which the opening 21a formed in the outer panel 21 is located may be a space that is not separated by a partition.

Note that this invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the components can be modified and embodied in practice without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, various inventions can be created by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above-described embodiment. For example, some components may be omitted from all of the components shown in the embodiment.

1...Crane barge 2...Crane 3...Grab bucket 4...Download weight 10...Inspection work room 11...Surveying device 12...Positioning device 13...Integration device 14...Display 21...Outer plate 21a, 21b...Opening 22...Transparent plate 25...Outer bulkhead 26...Inner bulkhead 25a, 26a...Door

Claims (8)

a surveying device for surveying the seabed ;
a display device that displays the results of seabed surveying by the surveying device on a display,
At the bottom of the ship, there is a space separated by a bulkhead called the inspection room.
the partition wall has a first partition wall and a second partition wall, and the first partition wall and the second partition wall are disposed opposite each other with a gap therebetween,
In the inspection room , an opening through which the outside of the ship can be seen from inside the ship is formed in the outer plating of the bottom of the ship,
A work boat, wherein a transparent plate that completely covers the opening is attached to the outer plate in which the opening is formed. a surveying device for surveying the seabed;
a display device that displays the results of seabed surveying by the surveying device on a display,
The outer hull of the ship has multiple openings that allow the outside to be seen from inside the ship.
The workboat, wherein the plurality of openings are covered by a single transparent plate. The outer plate is formed with a plurality of the openings,
The work boat according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of openings are covered by one of the transparent plates. An inspection room is provided at the bottom of the ship.
The work vessel according to claim 2 , wherein the inspection chamber is a space in which the plurality of openings formed in the outer plate are located. Equipped with a positioning device that determines the ship's position,
A work vessel as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the display device converts the results of the seabed survey by the surveying device based on the position of the vessel determined by the positioning device, and displays the converted survey results on the display. 5. The work vessel according to claim 1 , wherein the inspection chamber is provided on the bow side. A work vessel as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, equipped with a crane for dumping riprap onto the seabed from the sea surface and depositing the riprap on the seabed. A work vessel as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, equipped with a crane that lifts a weight and drops the lifted weight onto a rubble mound formed by rubble piled on the seabed, thereby compacting the rubble mound.