Internal winch for self payout and re-wind of a small diameter tether for underwater remotely operated vehicle

摘要

A cable containing an optical fiber is used to transmit data between an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and a support vessel floating on the surface of the water. The ROV stores the cable on a spool and releases the cable into the water as the ROV dives away from the support vessel. The ROV detects the tension in the cable and the rate that the cable is released from the ROV is proportional to the detected tension in the cable. After the ROV has completed the dive and retrieved by the support vessel, the cable can be retrieved from the water and rewound onto the spool in the ROV.

主权项

1. A cable release apparatus comprising:
an optical cable for transmitting data between a controller on a surface vessel and a remotely operated underwater vehicle, the cable having a neutral buoyancy that prevents the optical cable from floating or sinking quickly; a spool mounted on the remotely operated underwater vehicle for storing substantially all of the optical cable, the remotely operated underwater vehicle including a propulsion system which produces vertical thrust; a release mechanism that controls the removal of the optical cable from the spool into the ambient water; a cable tension sensor for detecting tension in the optical cable; a speed sensor for detecting speed of the remotely operated underwater vehicle; and a controller in communication with the cable tension sensor and the speed sensor for controlling the release mechanism; wherein the controller controls the release mechanism to adjustably release the optical cable from the spool at a speed that is based on and proportional to a combination of the speed of the remotely operated underwater vehicle and the tension in the optical cable so that the tension in the optical cable is maintained within a predetermined range.