阅读说明：本技术 用于船舶的摆线动态推进或定位系统 (Cycloidal dynamic propulsion or positioning system for a ship ) 是由 T·达美 F·豪维尔 J-A·阿斯托尔菲 于 2019-12-13 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种用于停靠在表现出流动方向的水域中的船舶的摆线动态推进或定位系统(100),并且所述摆线动态推进或定位系统包括：框架；转子(102),所述转子被安装成能够在所述框架上绕与所述流动方向成直角的主轴线(104)旋转移动并且包括相对于所述主轴线(104)径向延伸的多个臂(108)；主电动机(106),所述主电动机配备有旋转编码器并且驱动所述转子(102)旋转；用于每个臂(108)的叶片(110),所述叶片被安装成能够在所述臂(108)上绕平行于所述主轴线(104)的副轴线(112)旋转移动；用于每个叶片(110)的辅电动机(114),所述辅电动机配备有旋转编码器并且驱动所述叶片(110)旋转；用于至少一个叶片(110)的负荷传感器(202),所述负荷传感器被布置成能够评估施加在所述叶片(110)上的负荷；以及控制单元(150),所述控制单元连接到每个旋转编码器、所述应变传感器(202)以及每个电动机(106,114)并且在角度和速度两个方面控制每个电动机(106,114)的旋转。(The invention relates to a cycloidal dynamic propulsion or positioning system (100) for a vessel parked in a body of water exhibiting a flow direction, and comprising: a frame; a rotor (102) mounted so as to be able to move in rotation on the frame about a main axis (104) at right angles to the flow direction and comprising a plurality of arms (108) extending radially with respect to the main axis (104); a main motor (106) equipped with a rotary encoder and driving the rotor (102) in rotation; a blade (110) for each arm (108) mounted so as to be able to move in rotation on the arm (108) about a secondary axis (112) parallel to the main axis (104); an auxiliary motor (114) for each blade (110), equipped with a rotary encoder and driving the blade (110) in rotation; a load sensor (202) for at least one blade (110), the load sensor being arranged to be able to evaluate a load exerted on the blade (110); and a control unit (150) connected to each rotary encoder, the strain sensor (202) and each motor (106, 114) and controlling the rotation of each motor (106, 114) in both angle and speed.)

1. A cycloidal dynamic propulsion or positioning system (100) for a vessel parked in a body of water exhibiting a direction of flow, said cycloidal dynamic propulsion or positioning system (100) comprising:

-a frame for supporting the frame,

-a rotor (102) mounted rotatably movable on the frame about a main axis (104) at right angles to the flow direction and comprising a plurality of arms (108) extending radially with respect to the main axis (104),

-a main motor (106) equipped with a rotary encoder and driving in rotation said rotor (102),

-a blade (110) for each arm (108) mounted so as to be able to move in rotation on the arm (108) about a secondary axis (112) parallel to the main axis (104),

-for each blade (110) an auxiliary motor (114) equipped with a rotary encoder and driving in rotation the blade (110),

-a load sensor (202) for at least one blade (110), the load sensor being arranged to be able to evaluate a load exerted on the blade (110), and

-a control unit (150) connected to each rotary encoder, the load sensor (202)

And each motor (106, 114) and controlling the rotation of each motor (106, 114) in both angle and speed.

2. The cycloidal dynamic propulsion or positioning system (100) of claim 1, wherein the load sensor (202) is disposed on a shaft (104) between the auxiliary motor (114) and the blade (110).

3. The cycloid dynamic propulsion or positioning system (100) of claim 1 or 2, wherein it comprises a displacement system (170) controlled by said control unit (150) and intended to displace said blade (110) and associated auxiliary motor (114) along said arm (108).

4. The cycloidal dynamic propulsion or positioning system (100) of claim 3, wherein the primary motor (106) operates as a generator.

5. The cycloidal dynamic propulsion or positioning system (100) of claim 3 or 4, wherein said displacement system (170) comprises:

-a further arm (208) for each arm (108) fixed to the rotor (102), said further arm being parallel to the arm (108),

-a slide bar (172) fixed to the auxiliary motor (114) and mounted to slide on the arm (108) and the further arm (208),

-a drive system connected and controlled by the control unit (150) to displace the slide bar (172) along the arm (108, 208).

6. A marine vessel comprising a hull (10) and a cycloid dynamic propulsion or positioning system (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the frame is fixed to the hull (10) and wherein at least the blades (110) are located outside the hull (10).

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a cycloidal dynamic propulsion or positioning system for a marine vessel and a marine vessel comprising at least one such cycloidal dynamic propulsion or positioning system.

Background

A propulsion system of the type foitt-Schneider (Voith-Schneider) is arranged below the hull of the marine vessel and comprises: a rotor having a vertical axis, the rotor being rotationally driven about a main axis by an electric motor; and a plurality of vertical blades, among which each vertical blade is mounted so as to be movable on the rotor at a distance from the main axis.

Each blade is rotatably movable about a secondary axis, which is also vertical.

The propulsion system also comprises a mechanical system, usually consisting of a connecting rod, configured to displace each blade according to the degree of rotation of the rotor. The displacement of each vane is cyclic and, based on the position of the rotor, each vane occupies a particular position to which it returns on each rotation.

Document US-A-2015/321740 is also known, which discloses A propulsion system with vertical blades and A control unit that controls the propulsion system using different position sensors connected to the blades. However, none of these sensors are load sensors that inform of the load experienced by at least one blade.

While such propulsion systems give satisfactory results, it is desirable to find a propulsion system that allows greater freedom in blade position.

Disclosure of Invention

One object of the present invention is to propose a cycloid dynamic propulsion or positioning system comprising means for displacing the vanes independently of each other on the basis of the load to which at least one vane is subjected.

To this end, a cycloidal dynamic propulsion or positioning system for a vessel parked in a body of water exhibiting a flow direction is proposed, comprising:

-a frame for supporting the frame,

-a rotor mounted rotatably movable on the frame about a main axis at right angles to the flow direction and comprising a plurality of arms extending radially with respect to the main axis,

a main motor equipped with a rotary encoder and driving the rotor in rotation,

a blade for each arm, mounted so as to be rotationally movable on the arm about a secondary axis parallel to the main axis,

an auxiliary motor for each blade, equipped with a rotary encoder and driving the blade in rotation,

-a load sensor for at least one blade, the load sensor being arranged to be able to evaluate a load exerted on the blade, an

-a control unit connected to each rotary encoder, to the load sensor and to each motor and controlling the rotation of each motor in both angle and speed.

Such cycloidal dynamic propulsion or positioning systems enable the position of each blade to be adjusted according to the data collected by the load sensors and thus optimize the efficiency of the propulsion system.

Advantageously, the load sensor is disposed on the shaft between the auxiliary motor and the blade.

Advantageously, said cycloidal dynamic propulsion or positioning system comprises a displacement system controlled by said control unit and intended to displace said blades and associated auxiliary motors along said arms.

Advantageously, the primary motor operates as a generator.

Advantageously, the displacement system comprises:

a further arm for each arm, fixed to the rotor, parallel to the arm,

-a slide bar fixed to the auxiliary motor and mounted to slide on the arm and the further arm,

-a drive system connected and controlled by the control unit to displace the slide bar along the arm.

The invention also proposes a vessel comprising a hull and a cycloid dynamic propulsion or positioning system according to one of the preceding variants, wherein the frame is fixed to the hull and wherein at least the blades are located outside the hull.

Drawings

The above mentioned and other features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the following description of exemplary embodiments, which is given with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 is a top view of a cycloidal dynamic propulsion or positioning system according to the present invention, and

figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along line II-II of the cycloidal dynamic propulsion or positioning system of figure 1.

Detailed Description

In the following description, the terminology regarding location is employed with reference to a propulsion system of the ford-schneider type in a position of use under the hull of a vessel.

Fig. 1 shows a vessel represented by a part of the hull 10 of the vessel. The vessel is docked in the water. The vessel may be a vessel having a direction of advance 12 parallel to the axis of the vessel and navigating on the surface or underwater. The vessel may also be a vessel that tries to maintain its position in the water stream, such as an ocean platform. As with the other cases, in one case the vessel is docked in a body of water that exhibits a direction of flow relative to the vessel due to the velocity or current of the vessel. In the case of a vessel with a direction of advance 12, the flow direction is opposite to the direction of advance 12.

The vessel is equipped with a cycloidal dynamic propulsion or positioning system 100 below its hull 10, which comprises a frame, which is fixed to the hull 10, a rotor 102, which is mounted for rotational movement on the frame about a main axis 104 at right angles to the flow direction. Thus, the major axis 104 is transverse to the flow direction.

Thus, for a vessel on a surface, the main axis 104 is vertical or at a small angle to the vertical. For a vessel under water, the main axis 104 may adopt another orientation in a plane at right angles to the direction of flow. Thus, in the case of a submerged vessel, there may be three cycloidal dynamic propulsion or positioning systems 100, which are distributed at 120 ° angles to each other in a plane at right angles to the flow direction.

Figure 2 illustrates a portion of a cycloidal dynamic propulsion or positioning system 100. Depending on the situation, the cycloidal dynamic propulsion or positioning system 100 enables the vessel to advance or to keep it in its position.

The rotor 102 is driven in rotation by a main motor 106 equipped with a rotary encoder that enables the angular position of the main motor 106 to be known.

The rotor 102 is provided with a plurality of arms 108, here three of them. Each arm extends radially relative to the main axis 104.

Each arm 108 carries a blade 110 mounted for rotational movement on the arm 108 about a secondary axis 112 (that is, here vertical) parallel to the main axis 104. The minor axes 112 and the major axis 104 are misaligned, that is, each minor axis 112 is at a distance from the major axis 104. The blades 110 are located outside the hull 10, and in particular below the hull 10.

Each blade 110 is driven in rotation by an auxiliary motor 114 equipped with a rotary encoder which enables the angular position of the auxiliary motor 114 to be known.

The cycloidal dynamic propulsion or positioning system 100 also includes a control unit 150 that receives information from the rotary encoders and controls the rotation of each motor 106, 114 in both angular and speed.

To allow interaction between the body of water and the blades 110, at least the blades 110 are located outside the hull 10. Depending on the layout of the cycloidal dynamic propulsion or positioning system 100, other elements may be wholly or partially in the water or in a fairing above the water.

As explained below, the control unit 150 includes, conventionally connected by a communication bus: a processor or CPU (central processing unit); random access memory RAM, read only memory ROM; a storage unit such as a hard disk or a storage medium reader; at least one communication interface allowing the control unit 150 to communicate with the rotary encoder, the motors 106, 114 and the at least one load sensor 202.

The processor is capable of executing instructions loaded into the RAM from the ROM, an external memory (not shown), a storage medium (such as an SD card), or a communication network. When the cycloidal dynamic propulsion or positioning system 100 is powered up, the processor can read the instructions from the RAM and execute the instructions. These instructions form a computer program that causes a processor to implement all or a portion of the algorithms and steps described below.

All or a portion of the algorithms and steps described below may be implemented in software by a programmable machine such as a DSP (digital signal processor) or microcontroller executing a set of instructions, or in hardware by a machine or special-purpose component such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit).

Therefore, the control unit 150 can control the position of each blade 110 independently of each other according to the position of the rotor 102 notified by the rotary encoder of the main motor 106, and this is simpler than using a mechanical system. Based on the position of the rotor 102, each blade 110 occupies a particular position that therefore varies with the rotation of the rotor 102.

Furthermore, it is possible to switch from the epicycloidal operation to the trochoid operation simply and quickly.

The cycloidal dynamic propulsion or positioning system 100 further includes a load sensor 202 for at least one of the vanes 110 connected to the control unit 150. The load sensors 202 are arranged to be able to evaluate the load exerted on the blade 110. In the embodiment of the invention presented in fig. 2, the load sensors 202 are disposed on the shaft 204 in the auxiliary motor 114 and the blade 110. Here, the shaft 204 is a motor shaft of the auxiliary motor 114, and the blade 110 is fixed to this shaft 204.

In the present case, the load sensor 202 measures the load experienced by the shaft 204, which represents the load exerted on the blade 110 and which is the load experienced by the blade 110 due to the tensile and/or compressive and/or bending loads experienced by the body of water, in particular the blade 110.

According to a particular embodiment, the load sensor 202 is a sensor comprising at least one strain gauge, and according to a particular embodiment, said sensor is based on strain gauges mounted in a Wheatstone bridge configuration, that is to say at least four gauges are mounted in a Wheatstone bridge configuration, but there may be several Wheatstone bridges, i.e. many times as many as four gauges. Obviously, any other technology, such as piezoelectric sensors, can be envisaged.

For example, using a load cell 202 called a "balance" (here a balance with two components) to allow access to loads normal and tangential to the blade 110 independent of the point at which the load is applied.

Internally, this load sensor 202 comprises several strain gauge bridges that measure the displacement due to the hydrodynamic load (very small, tens of microns), and a specific matrix calculation involving these measurements enables the calculation of the required load. The prior calibration of the balance allows the construction of the matrix used. Calibration is done without water and it consists in measuring the results of the strain gauge bridge for loads known and applied at different points of the blade 110.

Because the deformation of each blade 110 is considered to be the same for both the angular position of the rotor 102 and the angular position of the blade 110, only a single load sensor 202 need be put in place. It is apparent that each blade 110 may have one load cell 202.

Thus, based on the data recorded by the load sensor 202, the control unit 150 manages the rotational speed of the rotor 102 and the position of each blade 110 based on the angular position of the rotor 102. For example, each blade 110 may be positioned to maximize the load in the forward direction of the vessel.

Thus, the pitch of blades 110 may be adjusted based on the rotational speed of rotor 102 and data from load sensor 202. Thus, detecting a strong load change on a blade 110 may be an indication that the boundary layer is slipping around this blade 110, and then the position of the blade 110 may be modified to avoid such slipping at each angular position of the rotor 102.

In the embodiment of the invention presented in fig. 1 and 2, each blade 110 is movable in translation along the associated arm 108 to modify the centre distance between the main axis 104 and the secondary axis 112.

This embodiment is particularly advantageous when the primary motor 106 may operate as a generator. The change in the center distance of the blades 110 enables the center distance to be lengthened and, thus, when the water flow rotates the blades 110 about the main axis 104, the primary motor 106, operating as a generator, generates an electric current to deliver power to the vessel or battery.

To this end, the cycloidal dynamic propulsion or positioning system 100 comprises, for each blade 110, a displacement system 170, which is a motorized sliding system controlled by the control unit 150 and arranged to displace the blade 110 and the associated auxiliary motor 114 along the arm 108.

In the embodiment of the invention presented here, the displacement system 170 comprises a further arm 208 for each arm 108, fixed to said rotor 102, parallel to said arm 108 and here positioned below said arm 108.

The displacement system 170 further comprises a sliding bar 172 mounted to slide on the arm 108 and the further arm 208.

The slider bar 172 is fixed to the secondary motor 114.

In the embodiment of the invention presented in fig. 2, the skid bar 172 is also fixed to a bearing 174 on which the shaft 204 is mounted.

Displacement system 170 includes a drive system connected and controlled by control unit 150 to displace slide bar 172 along arms 108 and 208.

The drive system may for example be a pneumatic cylinder, for example a hydraulic cylinder.

The drive system here includes a displacement motor 176 that carries a threaded rod 178 that mates with a nut 180 of the sliding bar 172 to form a worm screw system, wherein rotation of the threaded rod 178 in one direction will displace the sliding bar 172 in one direction and, thus, the blade 110 in one direction, and wherein rotation of the threaded rod 178 in an opposite direction will displace the sliding bar 172 in an opposite direction and, thus, the blade 110 in an opposite direction.

The displacement motor 176 is connected and controlled by the control device 150.