STABILISING OF MARINE BODIES

• US 20160039500A1
• Filed: 03/25/2014
• Published: 02/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nauti-Craft Pty Ltd
• Original Assignee: Nauti-Craft Pty Ltd
• Inventors: Heyring, Christopher Brian, Monk, Richard, Longman, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,731,798 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 1/14 the hulls being interconnected resiliently or having means for actively varying hull shape or configuration collapsible, foldable, inflatable or like vessels B63B7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 17/0081 Vibration isolation or damping elements or arrangements, e.g. elastic support of deck-houses mounting of propulsion plant or unit B63H21/30; vibration dampers, suppression of vibration in systems F16F
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2001/145 having means for actively varying hull shape or configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2017/0072 Seaway compensators
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 21/00 Tying-up; Shifting, towing, or pushing equipment; Anchoring of buoys B63B22/04; dynamic anchoring B63H25/00 ; equipment for shipping on coasts, in harbours or on other fixed marine structures, e.g. for landing purposes, E02B
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 27/30 Arrangement of ship-based loading or unloading equipment for transfer at sea between ships or between ships and off-shore structures
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 39/04 to decrease vessel movements by using gyroscopes directly
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/44 for indicating the vertical
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/46 Erection devices for restoring rotor axis to a desired position

Abstract

A vessel having at least one hull, a body and a suspension system for supporting at least a portion of the body above the at least one hull is described. The suspension system includes at least one support means, and the vessel further includes at least one gyroscopic stabiliser for attenuating rotation of the body about at least one stabilising axis.

Claims

1-24. -24. (canceled)

25. A vessel having:

at least two hulls;

a body; and

a suspension system for supporting at least a portion of the body above the at least two hulls, the suspension system including at least one support means between each hull and the body;

wherein the vessel further includes at least one gyroscopic stabiliser for attenuating rotation of the body about at least one stabilising axis.

26. A vessel as claimed in claim 25, wherein the or each at least one gyroscopic stabiliser includes a flywheel connected to a spin shaft such that the flywheel is able to spin about a spin axis, the spin shaft being connected to a gimbal frame, the gimbal frame being rotatably connected to the body of the vessel such that the gimbal frame is able to rotate about a precession axis, the spin axis being substantially perpendicular to the precession axis;

and

wherein the rotation of the gimbal frame about the precession axis is damped by a precession control device.

27. A vessel as claimed in claim 26 wherein the precession control device is controllable to reduce or maintain a distance between a point on the body of the vessel and a reference point

28. A vessel as claimed in claim 25, wherein the or each at least one gyroscopic stabiliser includes a flywheel connected to a spin shaft such that the flywheel is able to spin about a spin axis, the spin shaft being connected to a gimbal frame, the gimbal frame being rotatably connected to the body of the vessel such that the gimbal frame is able to rotate about a precession axis, the spin axis being substantially perpendicular to the precession axis;

and

wherein the rotation of the gimbal frame about the precession axis is driven by a precession control device.

29. A vessel as claimed in claim 28 wherein the precession control device is controllable to reduce or maintain a distance between a point on the body of the vessel and a reference point.

30. A vessel as claimed in claim 25, wherein the suspension system is controllable so as to selectively increase or reduce the pitch, roll and/or warp stiffness.

31. A vessel as claimed in claim 25, wherein the at least two hulls includes at least one left hull and at least one right hull.

32. A vessel as claimed in claim 31, wherein the at least one support includes at least a left fluid-filled support between the or each left hull and the body and at least a right fluid-filled support between the or each right hull and the body, the left and right fluid-filled supports interconnected by interconnection means.

33. A vessel as claimed in claim 32, wherein the interconnection means is controllable to provide fluid communication or permit effective fluid transfer between the left and right fluid-filled supports such that the left and right fluid-filled supports provide substantially zero stiffness in response to roll and/or pitch motions of the body relative to the at least one hull.

34. A vessel as claimed in claim 32, wherein the interconnection means include control means for selectively limiting or selectively preventing said fluid communication or effective transfer of fluid.

35. A vessel as claimed in claim 34, wherein the control means limits or selectively prevents said fluid communication when said at least one gyroscopic stabiliser is not in operation.

36. A vessel as claimed in claim 31, wherein the at least one support between each hull and the body includes:

at least a front left support and a back left support connected between the at least one left hull and the body;

at least a front right support and a back right support connected between the at least one right hull and the body.

37. A vessel as claimed in claim 36, wherein the suspension system includes at least one interconnection means for providing an interconnection between at least two of said supports.

38. A vessel as claimed in claim 37, wherein the front left, back left, front right and back right supports each include at least a respective fluid filled compression chamber,

the at least one interconnection means controllable to provide fluid communication or permit effective transfer of fluid between at least two of said fluid filled compression chambers to thereby provide substantially zero stiffness in a roll, pitch and/or warp mode of the front left, back left, front right and back right supports.

39. A vessel as claimed in claim 37, wherein the interconnection means include control means for selectively limiting or selectively preventing said fluid communication or effective transfer of fluid.

40. A vessel as claimed in claim 39, wherein the control means limits or selectively prevents said fluid communication when said at least one gyroscopic stabiliser is not in operation.

41. A vessel as claimed in claim 36, wherein each of the front left, front right, back left and back right supports includes a respective controllable support device and the suspension system further includes an active control system for controlling the controllable support devices.

42. A vessel as claimed in claim 41, wherein the active control system reduces the torques transmitted by the suspension system to the body, from wave inputs to the hulls, about the at least one stabilised axis when the at least one gyrostabiliser is in operation.

43. A vessel as claimed in claim 31, wherein the at least one left hull, the at least one right hull and the body engage with a water surface.

44. A vessel as claimed in claim 31, wherein the at least one left hull and the at least one right hull engage with a water surface and the suspension system supports the body above the water surface.

45. A vessel as claimed in claim 25, wherein the or each at least one support means between each hull and the body includes an independent resilient support means.

46. A vessel as claimed in claim 25, wherein the or each at least one support means between each hull and the body includes an interconnected support means and an independent resilient support means.