US20240182141A1

US20240182141A1 - Multihull module

Info

Publication number: US20240182141A1
Application number: US18/075,413
Authority: US
Inventors: Kuang-Shine Yang; Chao Chieh Hsu; Ping-Hua SU; Tsung-Yi Lan; Chia-Yu Hung
Original assignee: Metal Industries Research and Development Centre
Current assignee: Metal Industries Research and Development Centre
Priority date: 2022-12-06
Filing date: 2022-12-06
Publication date: 2024-06-06

Abstract

A multihull module is provided. The multihull module includes multiple power floats, an actuation interface controller, and a vehicle controller. The power floats are disposed on a vehicle. The actuation interface controller is coupled to the power floats, and is configured to control the power floats. The vehicle controller is coupled to the actuation interface controller, and is configured to provide a control signal to the actuation interface controller. The actuation interface controller controls the power floats according to the control signal.

Description

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The disclosure relates to a module, and more particularly, to a multihull module.

Description of Related Art

A conventional unmanned water vehicle is based on a single float body structure, and has issues of fixed hull sizes and limited power. In other words, the conventional unmanned water vehicle has disadvantages of limited navigation capability, limited application scenarios, and no variability. Therefore, as the current applications of the unmanned water vehicle become more and more diverse, how to design a new unmanned water vehicle is an important topic in this field.

SUMMARY

The disclosure provides a multihull module to implement an unmanned water vehicle suitable for various application-specific work scenarios.
A multihull module in the disclosure includes multiple power floats, an actuation interface controller, and a vehicle controller. The power floats are disposed on a vehicle. A number of the power floats is at least four. The actuation interface controller is coupled to the power floats, and is configured to control the power floats. The vehicle controller is coupled to the actuation interface controller, and is configured to provide a control signal to the actuation interface controller. The actuation interface controller controls the power floats according to the control signal.
Based on the above, the multihull module in the disclosure may determine a size of the vehicle and the number of power floats according to the usage requirements, so as to implement the unmanned water vehicle with sufficient power and suitable for various application-specific work scenarios by combining the power floats on the vehicle.
In order for the aforementioned features and advantages of the disclosure to be more comprehensible, embodiments accompanied with drawings are described in detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a multihull module according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a power float according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a power float according to another embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an architecture of a multihull module according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a side view of an architecture of a multihull module according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a simulation of a wake velocity of a power float according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of an architecture of a multihull module according to another embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, and examples of the exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same reference numerals are used in the drawings and descriptions to indicate the same or similar parts.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a multihull module according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1 , a multihull module 100 includes a vehicle controller 110, an actuation interface controller 120, a power distributor 130, and multiple power floats 140_1 and 140_2 to 140_N, wherein N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 4. The number of power floats 140_1 and 140_2 to 140_N is at least four. In this embodiment, the multihull module 100 may be implemented as an unmanned water vehicle. The power floats 140_1 and 140_2 to 140_N may be disposed on a vehicle, for example, at multiple corners of the vehicle, so as to provide buoyancy and power to the vehicle. The actuation interface controller 120 is coupled to the power floats 140_1 and 140_2 to 140_N, and is configured to control the power floats 140_1 and 140_2 to 140_N. The vehicle controller 110 is coupled to the actuation interface controller 120, and is configured to provide a control signal to the actuation interface controller 120. The actuation interface controller 120 may control the power floats 140_1 and 140_2 to 140_N according to the control signal. The power distributor 130 is coupled to the actuation interface controller 120 and the vehicle controller 110. In this embodiment, the power floats 140_1 and 140_2 to 140_N may respectively include a battery module, a motor unit, a communication module, etc.
In this embodiment, the vehicle controller 110 may include a processor, and the processor may be coupled to a storage device. The processor may include, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), other programmable general-purpose or special-purpose microprocessors, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), other similar processing circuits, or a combination of these devices. The storage device may include a memory and/or a database. The storage device may be, for example, a non-volatile memory (NVM). The storage device may store related programs, modules, systems, or algorithms to implement respective embodiments of the disclosure for the processor to access and execute to achieve related functions and operations of the vehicle controller described in the respective embodiments of the disclosure.
In this embodiment, the actuation interface controller 120 is coupled to the motor units of the power floats 140_1 and 140_2 to 140_N in a wireless manner (such as Bluetooth, WiFi, etc.) to wirelessly control the motor units of the power floats 140_1 and 140_2 to 140_N. In addition, the actuation interface controller 120 is coupled to the vehicle controller 110 in a wired manner (such as a CAN bus). The power floats 140_1 and 140_2 to 140_N may be coupled to the power distributor 130 in a wired manner. Multiple battery units of the power floats 140_1 and 140_2 to 140_N may output multiple first power signals to the power distributor 130. The power distributor 130 may output multiple second power signals to the motor units of the power floats 140_1 and 140_2 to 140_N according to the first power signals, so as to drive the motor units of the power floats 140_1 and 140_2 to 140_N. In this embodiment, the power distributor 130 may first collect the first power signals with the same or different voltages and/or currents provided by the battery modules of the power floats 140_1 and 140_2 to 140_N, and may generate the second power signals after voltage and/or current balance to stably drive the power floats 140_1 and 140_2 to 140_N, so as to ensure that all the power floats 140_1 and 140_2 to 140_N may maintain operations uniformly.
In this embodiment, the power distributor 130 may further output a third power signal to the actuation interface controller 120, and output a fourth power signal to the vehicle controller 110, so as to provide an operating voltage or an operating current to the vehicle controller 110 and the actuation interface controller 120. The third power signal may be different from the fourth power signal. The third power signal may be, for example, a DC signal of 12 volts, and the fourth power signal may be, for example, a DC signal of 24 volts. In addition, the power distributor 130 may further output a fifth power signal to other peripheral circuit elements or sensors. The fifth power signal may be, for example, an AC signal of 110 volts. In addition, the other peripheral circuit elements or sensors may be, for example, a global positioning system (GPS), a gyroscope, an actuator, an automatic identification system (AIS) and/or a real time kinematic (RTK), etc., but the disclosure is not limited thereto.
In this embodiment, the number of power floats 140_1 and 140_2 to 140_N may be determined according to usage requirements, such as the required power and/or required buoyancy (i.e. related to a size of the vehicle). The power, buoyancy, and endurance (that is, total battery capacity) of the multihull module 100 may be directly proportional to the number of power floats 140_1 and 140_2 to 140_N. The size and shape of the vehicle of the multihull module 100 may also vary according to requirements. Therefore, the multihull module 100 in this embodiment may be implemented as the unmanned water vehicle suitable for various application-specific work scenarios.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a power float according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 2 , the power float in the disclosure may be implemented as a mechanism configuration of a power float 240 shown in FIG. 2 . A float body of the power float 240 includes a bow 241, a hull 242, and a stern 243. The float body is configured to provide the buoyancy. The power float 240 further includes a propulsion system 244. The propulsion system 244 is disposed at the stern 243 of the float body. The propulsion system 244 may include a propeller. The float body is streamlined to effectively reduce resistance generated by the hull during navigation. In this embodiment, the hull 242 of the power float 240 may further be provided with apparatuses such as the battery module, the motor unit, and the communication module.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a power float according to another embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 3 , the power float in the disclosure may be implemented as a mechanism configuration of a power float 340 shown in FIG. 3 . A float body of the power float 340 includes a bow 341, a hull 342, and a stern 343. The float body is configured to provide the buoyancy. The power float 340 further includes a propulsion system 344. The propulsion system 344 is disposed at the stern 343 of the float body. The propulsion system 344 may include a propeller. In this embodiment, the propulsion system 344 further includes a steering shaft 345 to form a multi-steering propulsion system. The hull 342 of the power float 340 may further be provided with a transverse propulsion system 346. The transverse propulsion system 346 may, for example, include a small propeller. In this way, the power float 340 itself may have a steering function.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an architecture of a multihull module according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 4 , in this embodiment, a multihull module 400 with four power floats 440_1 to 440_4 is taken as an example. In this embodiment, a main architecture of the multihull module 400 may be formed by a vehicle 450 and the four power floats 440_1 to 440_4. The vehicle 450 may be, for example, a carrier base, and may carry other functional apparatuses. For example, the vehicle controller 110, the actuation interface controller 120, the power distributor 130, and other functional apparatuses in FIG. 1 may be disposed above the vehicle 450 (for example, at a central position of the vehicle 450). The power floats 440_1 to 440_4 may be evenly disposed on both sides of the vehicle 450 to provide the buoyancy and power in a balanced manner. However, in an embodiment, disposing positions of the power floats 440_1 to 440_4 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 4 . In another embodiment, the vehicle 450 may also be provided with different numbers of power floats. The vehicle 450 may also be provided with, for example, 2, 3, 6 power floats, etc.
In this embodiment, the power floats 440_1 to 440_4 may first perform a modularization design on a single hull, be combined with an electric energy system and a power system, and then design the multihull module 400 by means of ship hydrodynamic simulation analysis. In this regard, the buoyancy, energy consumption, resistance, and push-pull force of a single power float may be designed in a standard form to facilitate combined applications. In this way, a ship designer may quickly estimate the required push force of the multihull module 400 to expand the power float, and may also perform combined applications on the power float according to different load requirements.
FIG. 5 is a side view of an architecture of a multihull module according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a simulation of a wake velocity of a power float according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIGS. 4 to 6 , in this embodiment, the power float 440_1 and the power float 440_2 are taken as examples. A surface of the vehicle 450 is parallel to a plane formed by a direction X and a direction Y. The surface of the vehicle 450 faces a direction Z. In this embodiment, the power float 440_1 and the power float 440_2 are disposed front and back. The power float 440_1 and the power float 440_2 are disposed along a traveling direction of the hull, and the power float 440_1 is disposed in front of the power float 440_2. The traveling direction of the hull is a direction opposite to the direction X. In this embodiment, a distance between the power float 440_2 and the power float 440_1 may be greater than or equal to a preset length D1, so that the power float 440_2 is disposed outside a wake influence area of the power float 440_1.
In this embodiment, the power float 440_1 (other power floats may be derived by analogy) may, for example, be designed to have mechanism features with a total length of 5976 mm, a total width of 2078 mm, a length of the float body of 1976 mm, a width of the float body of 248 mm, and a draft of 247 mm. In this regard, taking a propulsion system of the power float 440_1 providing a rotational speed of 1200 rpm as an example, pressure on a back of a blade of a propeller of the power float 440_1 may be up to 21 KPa. Therefore, the power float 440_1 may provide the push force of 130 Newton (N). In this regard, the pressure received in the front of the power float 440_1 is only 276 KPa, and only resistance of 1.8 N is generated towards the direction X
As shown in FIG. 6 , taking a simulation result of a wake velocity of the power float 440_1 as an example, the preset length D1 may be greater than (or equal to) an influence range 601 of a wake generated by the power float 440_1. The power float 440_2 may be disposed in an area 602 outside the influence range 601 of the wake generated by the power float 440_1. In this way, the power float 440_2 is not affected by the wake generated by the power float 440_1 (that is, not subject to other additional resistance), so that the power float 440_1 and the power float 440_2 may provide the stable and uniform push force. In addition, the disposing positions of the power float 440_3 and the power float 440_4 may be derived by analog. In addition, since the resistance generated by the power floats 440_1 to 440_4 in a horizontal direction (i.e. the direction Y or a direction opposite to the direction Y) is quite low, a distance between the power float 440_1 and the power float 440_3 (and a distance between the power float 440_2 and the power float 440_4) may be designed as a reasonable length without collision. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto.
In other words, the positions of the power floats of the multihull module in the disclosure may be disposed arbitrarily, and only the distances between the power floats disposed front and back are required to be considered. Therefore, the multihull module in the disclosure may provide various application designs, as well as convenient and reliable modular combined applications.
FIG. 7 is a schematic view of an architecture of a multihull module according to another embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 7 , in this embodiment, a main architecture of a multihull module 700 may be formed by a vehicle 750, two power floats 740_1 and 740_2 disposed on one side, and another two power floats (not shown) disposed on the other side (a total of four power floats as shown in FIG. 4 ). The multihull module 700 may be implemented as an unmanned ship for wind turbine monitoring in an offshore wind farm. The vehicle 750 may be provided with, for example, the vehicle controller 110, the actuation interface controller 120, the power distributor 130 in FIG. 1 , and other functional apparatuses (such as a central position of the vehicle 750). The vehicle 750 may further be provided with an image sensor and an image transmission module. The image sensor may be coupled to the vehicle controller 110 in FIG. 1 and configured to generate an image sensing signal. The image transmission module may be coupled to the vehicle controller 110 in FIG. 1 and configured to transmit the image sensing signal to an external processing unit. The image transmission module may include, for example, an antenna and a communication module thereof. In this way, the multihull module 700 may sail to the vicinity of wind turbines in the offshore wind farm, automatically capture images of the wind turbines, and then transmit the captured images back to the external processing unit for image processing and analysis, so that it may effectively identify whether the wind turbines in the offshore wind farm are damaged, etc., for example.
In this embodiment, the vehicle 750 may further be provided with an unmanned aerial vehicle parking platform 760, a hanging area 770 for deploying a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), and a sonar apparatus 780. In this way, the multihull module 700 may further accommodate an unmanned aerial vehicle 761 and the remotely operated vehicle (not shown). The unmanned aerial vehicle 761 and the remotely operated vehicle may also respectively include the image sensor to obtain an image of a wind turbine apparatus at a specific water surface height and a specific underwater depth. In addition, the multihull module 700 may further detect an underwater environment in real time through the sonar apparatus 780. In this regard, the power floats 740_1 to 740_4 may provide the multihull module 700 with sufficient buoyancy, push force, and endurance, and may provide operating power of the above apparatuses.
Based on the above, the multi-hull module in the disclosure may selectively design the size of the vehicle and the number of power floats according to the usage requirements, so as to achieve the characteristics of various application combinations. In addition, the multihull module in the disclosure may achieve sufficient power, push force, and endurance by combining the power floats on the vehicle, and may further be adapted to be provided with other remote control devices or electronic devices for various application-specific work scenarios, so as to be applicable to various application scenarios. In other words, for different application scenarios in water areas, in the disclosure, there is no need to redesign the vehicle as a whole, but the size of the vehicle and the number of power floats may be selectively designed through the required size of the vehicle, form, buoyancy, power, and/or endurance, and the required unmanned water vehicle may be implemented.
Lastly, it is to be noted that: the embodiments described above are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the disclosure, and not to limit the disclosure; although the disclosure is described in detail with reference to the embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand: it is still possible to modify the technical solutions recorded in the embodiments, or to equivalently replace some or all of the technical features; the modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A multihull module, comprising:

a plurality of power floats disposed on a vehicle, wherein a number of the power floats is at least four;

an actuation interface controller coupled to the power floats and configured to control the power floats; and

a vehicle controller coupled to the actuation interface controller and configured to provide a control signal to the actuation interface controller,

wherein the actuation interface controller controls the power floats according to the control signal.

2. The multihull module according to claim 1, wherein the actuation interface controller is coupled to the power floats in a wireless manner, and is coupled to the vehicle controller in a wired manner.

3. The multihull module according to claim 1, further comprising:

a power distributor coupled to the actuation interface controller and the vehicle controller,

wherein the power floats are coupled to the power distributor in a wired manner, and a plurality of battery units of the power floats output a plurality of first power signals to the power distributor,

wherein the power distributor outputs a plurality of second power signals to a plurality of motor units of the power floats according to the first power signals to drive the motor units of the power floats.

4. The multihull module according to claim 3, wherein the power distributor outputs a third power signal to the actuation interface controller, and outputs a fourth power signal to the vehicle controller, wherein the third power signal is different from the fourth power signal.

5. The multihull module according to claim 4, wherein the power distributor further outputs a fifth power signal,

wherein the third power signal and the fourth power signal are respectively DC signals, and the fifth power signal is an AC signal.

6. The multihull module according to claim 1, further comprising:

an image sensor coupled to the vehicle controller and configured to generate an image sensing signal; and

an image transmission module coupled to the vehicle controller and configured to transmit the image sensing signal to an external processing unit.

7. The multihull module according to claim 1, wherein the power floats respectively comprise:

a float body configured to provide buoyancy; and

a propulsion system disposed at a stern of the float body, wherein the propulsion system comprises a propeller.

8. The multihull module according to claim 7, wherein the power floats respectively further comprise:

a transverse propulsion system disposed on a hull of the float body,

wherein the propulsion system is a multi-steering propulsion system.

9. The multihull module according to claim 1, wherein the power floats comprise a first power float and a second power float, the first power float and the second power float are disposed along a traveling direction of a hull, and the first power float is disposed in front of the second power float,

wherein a distance between the second power float and the first power float is greater than a preset length, so that the second power float is disposed outside a wake influence area of the first power float.

10. The multihull module according to claim 1, wherein the multihull module is an unmanned ship, and is configured to be provided with an unmanned aerial vehicle and an underwater detection vehicle.