Patent ID: 12187400

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate from this disclosure that when a range is provided such as (for example) an angle/distance/number/weight/volume/spacing being between one (1 of the appropriate unit) and ten (10 of the appropriate units) that specific support is provided by the specification to identify any number within the range as being disclosed for use with a preferred embodiment. For example, the recitation of a percentage of copper between one percent (1%) and twenty percent (20%) provides specific support for a preferred embodiment having two point three percent (2.3%) copper even if not separately listed herein and thus provides support for claiming a preferred embodiment having two point three percent (2.3%) copper. By way of an additional example, a recitation in the claims and/or in portions of an element moving along an arcuate path by at least twenty (20°) degrees, provides specific literal support for any angle greater than twenty (20°) degrees, such as twenty-three (23°) degrees, thirty (30°) degrees, thirty-three-point five (33.5°) degrees, forty-five (45°) degrees, fifty-two (52°) degrees, or the like and thus provides support for claiming a preferred embodiment with the element moving along the arcuate path thirty-three-point five (33.5°) degrees.FIG.1shows a mechanical azimuth thruster assembly1wherein a motor30is inside a vessel and gear connected to the thruster1placed under the ship's hull.

The thruster1includes a power transmission unit comprising a vertical shaft3with a power input4and a power output31, a horizontal output shaft5, and a bearing device comprising a first bearing10and a second bearing11.

The first bearing10is located between the power input4and the second bearing11, and the second bearing11is located between the power output31and the first bearing10.

In particular, the power input4has a first extremity coupled to the motor30and the power output31has a first extremity coupled to the horizontal output shaft5.

The horizontal output shaft5has a second extremity coupled to a propeller6so as to drive it in rotation.

To support and guide in rotation the vertical shaft3, the first bearing10and the second bearing11are arranged around the shaft3.

The azimuth thruster assembly1further comprises a steering unit7containing at least partially a fluid, for example oil or air and containing the power transmission unit.

The bearing device further comprises first acquisition means coupled to the first bearing10to measure one first parameter relative to the first bearing10and second acquisition means coupled to the second bearing11to measure one first parameter relative to the second bearing11.

In variant, the first and second acquisition means measure more than one first parameter.

The bearing device further comprises computing means18(not represented) to process the one first parameter of the first acquisition means and one first parameter of the second acquisition means so as to obtain respectively one second parameter and one third parameter.

The first acquisition means and the computing means18are connected together with a first cable link, the second acquisition means and the computing means18are connected together with a second cable link.

The bearing device further comprises transmission means to send wirelessly the one second parameter and the one third parameter.

In variant, only one of the first and second bearings comprises acquisition means connected to the computing means18.

The first acquisition means comprise a first optical fiber14attached at least partly to the first bearing10and the computing means18comprises an optical interrogator19(not represented) coupled to the first optical fiber14.

The first cable link comprises the first optical fiber14.

The second acquisition means comprise a second optical fiber32attached at least partly to the second bearing11.

The second cable link comprises the second optical fiber32.

Due to the optical fibers, it is possible to collect a large amount of data in a short time.

In variant, the first acquisition means comprise at least one strain gauge attached to the first bearing10, the second acquisition means comprise at least one strain gauge attached to the second bearing11, and the computing means18comprise a processing device.

The processing device is connected to the strain gauge of the first acquisition means by a first wired connection, and is connected to the strain gauge of the second acquisition means by a second wired connection.

The first cable link comprises the first wired connection, and the second cable link comprises the second wired connection.

As the bearing device is in the steering unit7, each cable link permits to transfer without interruption the first parameter of the first and second bearings10,11to the acquisition means located in the casing.

As the first and second bearings10,11have the same architecture, only the first bearing10is illustrated inFIG.2.

FIG.2illustrates the first bearing10, an optical fiber14comprises an optical cable and optical wires12,13that surround the bearing10.

The optical fiber14incorporates in this example at least one optical sensor.

Of course, there can be only one optical wire or more than two optical wires. The number of optical wires depends on the desired value accuracy of a first parameter to be measured in the bearing.

As optical wires12and13are in a hot environment that contains a fluid such as oil, it is advantageous to protect them from a possible alteration.

Therefore, the optical wires12and13are enclosed in at least one optical fiber14sheathed by the cable made of polyurethane or any other material capable of protecting the optical wires12,13in such environment.

There may be several optical fiber14. For example, it is possible to put only one optical wire in each optical fiber14or each group of optical wires into an optical fiber14.

The optical fiber14is thereafter inserted into a steering unit7which has a fixed part, known as mounting flange or mounting module9, and a first internal surface8which is a rotating floor as illustrated inFIG.1.

The transmitting means comprise a transmitting antenna, for example a circular transmitting antenna15, placed on the rotating floor8.

The circular transmitting antenna15can also be placed on a plurality of elevating supports16, such as studs, surrounding the rotating floor8and used to fasten the steering unit7to the thruster1.

In other words, the circular transmitting antenna15is inside the steering unit7.

By mounting the circular transmitting antenna15on the elevating supports16, signal attenuation is limited.

The steering unit7further comprises a removable outer surface17located in front of the rotating floor8.

More precisely, the outer surface17comprises a hole suitable for coupling an ethernet cable for example to another device inside the steering unit7.

FIG.3Apartially illustrates the steering unit7and more precisely the computing means18to process the one first parameter of the first acquisition means and one first parameter of the second acquisition means, for example light carried by the first optical fiber14and the second optical fiber31, and to obtain as output the one second and the one third parameter.

The one second and the one third parameter may comprise the axial and/or the radial bearing load of the first and second bearings10,11.

The one second and the one third parameter may comprise the temperature of the first and second bearings10,11.

In variant, the one second and the one third parameter may comprise the amount of water in oil of the steering unit7.

The computing means18here comprise the optical interrogator positioned on the rotating floor8, with an input19coupled to the first optical fiber14and the second optical fiber31.

Of course, the number of interrogator inputs19depends on the number of optical fibers14,31.

The interrogator is here an optical transceiver adapted to receive the first parameter from the first optical fiber14and from the second optical fiber31, as light, that is processed so as to obtain at least the second parameter and the third parameter as an output.

The interrogator is coupled to the circular transmitting antenna15and provides a first WIFI bridge which transmits wirelessly the second parameter as a signal.

However, to ensure that no fluid is exchanged between the steering unit7and the thruster's surroundings, a first sealing gland20is positioned on the rotating floor8in order to introduce the optical fiber14inside the steering unit7.

A second sealing gland21is also mounted on a first external surface of the interrogator adapted to couple the optical fiber14to the input19of the interrogator.

There is further a third sealing gland22disposed on a second external surface of the interrogator distinct from it first external surface.

As illustrated, the sealing gland22connects an electrical slipring24of the steering unit7to the interrogator.

The electrical slipring24supplies in electrical energy the interrogator via a cable23.

As a variant, the sealing gland22connects an external low voltage power supply to the interrogator.

Of course, it is possible to supply in electrical energy the interrogator by combining the external low voltage power supply and the electrical energy from the electrical slipring24.

As shown inFIG.3Bwhich partially illustrates the steering unit7, the thruster1comprises a receiving antenna26, held in position by fastening means nonvisible in the figure.

The receiving antenna26is configured to receive wirelessly the second parameter from the circular transmitting antenna15.

The transmitting antenna15and the receiving antenna26are inside the steering unit7and more particularly inside casing of the steering unit7.

The receiving antenna26is located on a second internal surface30of the steering unit7that faces the first internal surface8according to a longitudinal axis X of the thruster assembly1.

Due to this configuration, there is always a part of the circular antenna15that is in a direct view of the receiving antenna26.

In addition, by mounting the circular transmitting antenna15on the elevating supports16, the distance between the circular transmitting antenna15and the receiving antenna26is reduced. Thus, signal attenuation is limited.

The receiving antenna26further provides a second WIFI bridge to send, in data form, the second parameter wirelessly to a computer or any monitor capable of displaying and/or processing the data.

Alternatively, an ethernet cable25can be coupled to the receiving antenna26to transmit the data.

For this purpose, a fourth sealing gland is arranged on the outer surface17in order to extract the cable25from the steering unit17.

The invention is not limited to these embodiments but comprises all the variants. For example, the azimuth thruster1can be adapted to be used in aircrafts or in space rockets.