AUTOMATIC SYSTEM FOR TAKING UP AND HANDLING A CONNECTING TOWROPE BETWEEN A TUGBOAT AND A TOWED VESSEL

SYSTEME AUTOMATIQUE DE RECUPERATION ET DE MANIPULATION D'UNE REMORQUE DE LIAISON ENTRE REMORQUEUR ET NAVIRE REMORQUE

English Abstract

The invention relates to an automatic system for taking up and handling a
connecting towrope between a tugboat and a towed vessel. The inventive system
comprises a fastening carriage which moves on guides around the deck of the
tugboat. Once the towrope has been launched from the vessel to be towed, the
aforementioned carriage moves along the guide until the built-in sensor
detects the presence of the towrope at the upper part of the gunwale. The
above-mentioned fastening carriage comprises a clamp and the tow cable or rope
of the tugboat is fixed therein. According to the invention, when the system
detects that the towrope has been inserted in the clamp, said clamp is closed
and the carriage is released, the tugboat rope remaining connected to the
towrope of the vessel. Once the aforementioned operation has been performed,
the fastening carriage returns to the rest position thereof. The system
operates automatically without the need for any human intervention on the deck
of the tugboat and said system is remote controlled from the bridge.

French Abstract

L'invention concerne un système automatique de récupération et de manipulation de la remorque de liaison entre remorqueur et navire remorqué. Ledit système comprend un chariot d'attache qui se déplace sur des guides autour du pont du remorqueur. Suite au lancement de la remorque depuis le navire à remorquer, le chariot se déplace sur le guide jusqu'à ce que le capteur incorporé détecte la présence de la remorque au niveau de la partie supérieure du plat-bord. Le chariot d'attache comprend, fixé à une pince, le câble ou cordage de remorque du remorqueur, et une fois détectée l'introduction de la remorque dans la pince, il ferme celle-ci et la libère du chariot, le cordage du remorqueur et la remorque du navire étant ainsi reliés. Une fois réalisée l'opération, le chariot d'attache revient sur sa position de repos. Le système fonctionne automatiquement sans l'intervention d'aucune personne sur le pont du remorqueur, et est commandé à distance depuis le pont.

Claims

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CLAIMS
1.- An automatic system for taking up and handling a
connecting towrope between a tugboat and a towed vessel,
suitable for the joining of the cable line of the tugboat with
the connecting towrope of the towed vessel automatically and
without the aid of any crew member on deck, characterized in
that it comprises a fastening carriage (7) that can move on a
guide rails (6) existing on the entire or part of the
surrounding contour of the deck (2) of the tugboat (1) and at
height approaching the gunwale (3); and in that the fastening
carriage (7) comprises drive means on the guide rails (6)
autonomously and in that the fastening carriage (7) comprises a
clamp (12) joined with the cable line (not represented) for the
joining of said cable with the towrope (4) launched from the
towed vessel; and in that the fastening carriage (7) is
connected by means of a control circuit (19) with a remote
control console (13) for its automatic or manual operation.
2.- An automatic system for taking up and handling a
connecting towrope between a tugboat and a towed vessel
according to claim 1, characterized in that the carriage (7) is
made up of a frame (8) having a set of drive wheels (24)
connected to a motor (9) and applied on the guide rails (6); and
in that existing between the motor (9) and the drive wheels (24)
is a set of transmission and reduction pulleys (27) and belts
(28) or the like.
3.- An automatic system for taking up and handling a
connecting towrope between a tugboat and a towed vessel
according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the frame (8)
comprises a set of idle wheels (25) applied on the guide rails
(6); and in that said set of idle wheels (25) is arranged
opposite to the set of drive wheels (24; and in that said set of
idle wheels (25) is arranged within a compressing footing or
support (26) or the like.
4.- An automatic system for taking up and handling a
connecting towrope between a tugboat and a towed vessel
according to claims 1, 2 and 3, characterized in that the guide
rails (6) are made up of a pair of preferably cylindrical rails

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arranged parallel and aligned notably vertical or inclined; and
in that the guide rails (6) are held by a series of supports (5)
on the deck (2) of the tugboat (1); and in that the set of drive
wheels (24) has a grooved contour in correspondence with the
rail of the guide rail (6) on which it is applied; and in that
the set of idle wheels (25) has a grooved contour in
correspondence with the rail of the guide rail (6) on which it
is applied.
5.- An automatic system for taking up and handling a
connecting towrope between a tugboat and a towed vessel
according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that it comprises
a battery (18) supplying power in the carriage (7); and in that
the frame (8) comprises supports (10) of said battery (18).
6.- An automatic system for taking up and handling a
connecting towrope between a tugboat and a towed vessel
according to claims 1, 2 and 3, characterized in that it
comprises a battery (18) charger (1.6) installed in the suitable
area of the guide rails (6) not coinciding with the conventional
working areas and in that the carriage (7) comprises a
recharging mechanism (17) for the battery (18) that can be
coupled with the charger (16) with or without contact.
7.- An automatic system for taking up and handling a
connecting towrope between a tugboat and a towed vessel
according to claim 1, characterized in that the control circuit
(19) existing in the carriage (7) has communication with the
control console (13) by means of radio transmission wireless
communication (15 and 22) or the like.
8.- An automatic system for taking up and handling a
connecting towrope between a tugboat and a towed vessel
according to claim 1, characterized in that the carriage (7)
comprises an arm (29) projecting from the frame (8)
incorporating a clamp mechanism (12) with a sensor (21)
detecting the presence of the towrope (4); and in that the
mechanism of the clamp (12) comprises two open V-shaped guide
rods (23) of the towrope (4) supported on the gunwale (3)
towards the clamp (12).

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9.- An automatic system for taking up and handling a
connecting towrope between a tugboat and a towed vessel
according to claims 1 and 8, characterized in that the
projecting arm (29) has an adjustable mechanism (11) of the
clamp mechanism (12).
10.- An automatic system for taking up and handling a
connecting towrope between a tugboat and a towed vessel
according to claims 1 and 8, characterized in that the clamp (12)
comprises a lock solenoid (20) on the towrope (4) for their
connection and the release of said clamp (12).
11.- An automatic system for taking up and handling a
connecting towrope between a tugboat and a towed vessel
according to claims 1 and 7, characterized in that the control
console (13) comprises controls (14) and automatic or manual
actuation means of the fastening carriage (7); and in that the
control circuit (19) comprises a speed and motor running/stop
control, a controller of the sensor (21) of the clamp (12), an
actuator of the lock solenoid (20) of the clamp (12).

Description

CA 02493946 2005-O1-25
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AUTOMATIC SYSTEM FOR TA~CINC3 QP AND HANflLING A CONNECTING TOV~ROPE
$ETWEEN A TUGBOAT AND A TOWED VESSEL
SPECIFICATION
OBJECT OF THE INVENTTON
The present patent of invention application has as an
object the registration of an automatic system for taking up and
handling a connecting towrope between a tugboat and a towed
vessel incorporating notable innovations and advantages compared
to the current methods for the same or similar purpose.
i0 More specifically. the new invention comprises an
installation for Its assembly on the deck of a tugboat, which
allows handling the connecting towrope between the tugboat and
towed vessel without the necessity of a worker having to be on
said deck to perform manual operations. The new ~.nvention
consists of a fastening carriage which moves on guides around
the deck of the tugboat. Once the towrope has been launched from
the vessel to be towed, the carriage moves until a built-in
sensor detects the presence of the towrope at the level of the
gunwale. The fastening carriage fixes the tow cable or rope of
the tugboat in the clamp, and once it is detected that the
towrope zs lntxoduced in the clamp, said clamp is closed and
released from the carriage, the cable of the tugboat remaining
connected to the towrope of the vossel. Once the operation has
been performed, the fastening carriage returns to its rest
position.
BIiCICGRO~(1N'D OF THE INVENTION
The operation of connecting the tow cable of the poxt
tugboat to the ves,~el which is roady to enter or exit the port
is usually carried out as follows:
a) The tugboat approaches the vessel from the bow or stern,
depending on where the Pilot or Capitan of the vessel which must
be connected has instructed.
b) When the tugboat is close to the vessel, a sailor from
the vessel launches a towrope made of braided cable, usually
incorporating a ball on the end which is launched so that the
weight of the ball drags the thin cable of the towrope, being

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able to go as far as, possible as if a rock had been launched.
The ball strikes against the deck of the tugboat, the other end
of the towrope remaining on board the vessel, a sailor of which
had launched it.
c) A crew member of the tugboat takes up the towrope which
has been launched from the vessel and has landed on the deck.
The crew member. immediately ties it to the tow cable of the
tugboat .
d1) The vessel begins to take up oz~ heave in the towrope at
the same time that, from the tugboat, all the tow cable coiled
onto the towing winch is left with slack yr loose, or ~,n any
case, is let Out, actuating its uncoiling from the drum of the
towing winch while it is being heaved in from the boat. Wheri the
towrope has been taken up from the vessel, tied thereto is
usually a somewhat thicker textile rope which, duly arranged on
a capstan or windlass on board, allows taking up the rest of the
towline usually formed by a steel cable or by a thick braided
textile rope or by a combination of both. When the steel cable
Forming a loop appears on board the vessel, the loop is rigged
on a bitt or haul point, while a~c the same time.from the tugboat
the cable is not J.eft loose and the towing winch is stopped, the
vessel and tugboat being fixedly connected after this moment.
The Connecting maneuvor has concluded.
d2) The operation described above corresponds to the manner
of working in ports in which the tow cable is furnished by the
tugboat, the latter being responsible for its storage and good
Condition. When the tow cable is provided by the boat, the first
three operations are the same, and only the last one changes. 2n
this case, it is the sailor of the tugboat who takes up the
towrope launched from boat and begins to heave in the tow cable
until the loop of the hawser or cable, which is rigged onto the
towing hook of the tugboat, reaches him. This way of working is
falling into disuse, in detriment of that described above,
because the tugboat is responsible for the condition of the
cable, and in the case of accidents in vessel maneuvers caused
by the breaking of a cable in poor conditions, liability of the
tugboat company can be sought.

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d) After this moment, the tugboat follows the instructions
it receives from the vessel in the sense of hauling in one
direction or the other in order to aid the vessel in its port
entry or exit maneuver.
over the years, the way of working has not changed main~,y
due to the difficulty entailed in the introduction of changes in
a way of working that is consolidated ovex time and in all ports
worldwide. The marine elements, bitt, spurting pipe, towrope,
Capstan, windlass, winch, bollard, loop, cable, etc. are known
and used worldwide in all boats and ports of the world. Any
change implying the implementation of new devices in vessels and
docks will be very difficult to consolidate if it is not imposed
worldwide, and only the Changes allowing the pErformance of the
same tasks in an easier and simpler manner have possibilities to
be successful.
Document publication number 1,023,290 corresponding to 'a
utility model of equipment for vessel rigging and mooring is
related to the operation mentioned in d2). However, the
applicant has observed 'that this way of workzng is, falling into
disuse. The implementation of the facility disclosed in the
publication is unknown by the same, given that of all the
tugboats which thQ inventors have vzsited, they did not see it
implemented.
Document publication number 2,064,206 corresponding to a
patent of invention applicable in tugboats is more aimed at the
functions of docking and unlocking than the operations described
above. It partially discloses the application of the invEntion
for a vessel towing operation in which a telescopla arm performs
the connection operation by itself to the towed vessel without
needing to perform the previously described operations. The
implementation of the invention of this publication is unknown
by the inventors and the applicant since its existence has not
been verified in any tugboat.
DESCRIPTION OF TFiE INVENTION
The automatic system for taking up and handling a
connecting Cowrope between a tugboat and a rowed vessel of the
present registration is characterized in that it comprises great

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advantages without meaning any change whatsoever to the overall
connecting process disclosed above corresponding to the current
state of the art. The process w111 continue to be the same and
the changes made by the new invention mainly affect the fact
that the presence of a crew member on the deck of the tugboat
for taking up the towrope and fastening it to the tow cable is
not rec~uir~d since this operation is carried out by a fastening
carriage.
Said fastening carriage carries out the following
ZO operations:
1. Detecting the presence of the towrope at the level of
the gunwale whexe it is supported after havizlg been
launch~d from the vessel to be towed.
2. fixing the towrope with the clamp.
3. Releasing the clamp from the carxiage.
4. Returning to its rest position until a new operation,
the start of which must be actuated from the tugboat
bridge.
The new invention i.s made up of a guide rail arranged
around 'the tugboat on which the fastening carriage automatleall,y
moves. The fastenir~g carriage has a presence detector which,
upon reaching the point where the towrope is located, urges the
<:arriage to stop. A clamp or latch-type gripping system, which
carries the tugboat cable secured, grips the towropes, fixes it,
and the Carriage is released. Once this operation has been
performed. the fastening carxiage returns to a given position or
resting point where it is not in the way. The fas~Cening carriage
carries out this process automatically, although the beginning
of the process is commanded from the control bridge of Che
tugboat by pushing the corresponding control on the system
coratrol console after l.he momant 1.n which the ball strikes
against the deck and the towrope is supported on the gunwale.
System operation can be switched from automatic to manual form
also from the control console.
In manual operation, movement.the fastening carriage is
controlled from the control consolE. This is because the ball of
the l.owropE can be.zrapped at same point of the deck, preventing

CA 02493946 2005-O1-25
the correct automatic operation of the process. In this mariner,
should this circumstance occur, the fastening carriage can be
commanded from the control bridge of the tugboat to pexEorm the
necessary operations individually so that the ball arid the
5 towrope can be released from the obstacles preventing them from
automatically operating. Should it be impossible to release the
towrope by means of the manual operation on the control console
installed in the control bridge, attempting the movements of the
fastening carriage individually, the use of a small self-driven
vehicle on the deck is further contemplated, with the direction
of movernent, speed and angle of rotation controlled by radio
from the same bridge, as if zt were a toy.
The main advantage of the invention with regard to the
prior, state of the art is that the presence of a crew member on
the deck of the tugboat during the connecting operation is not
necessary, entailing greater security for the crew. It is
necessary to consider that this connecting task is done many
times in poor sea and little visibility conditions, with rain,
etc., conditions which can cause an accident due to the slipping,
tripping or falling of the crew member. The skipper who is in
the bridge must pay attention to, the vessel to which it is going
to connect and at the same time to the crew. With the invention,
the skipper must only be concerned with the vessel since there
is no crew member on deck. After the moment in which the towrope
strikes aqainat the deck, Ghe start button must simply be pushed.
The remaining operations are the same as those currently done
and are now carried out from the bridge.
To complete the description that will be given below and
for the purpose of aiding to better understand its features, a
set of illustrative and non-limiting figures are attached to the
present specification, in whl.ch the most significant details o~
the invention are represented.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a tugboat with the
newly invented device.
Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the fastening carriage
on the guide rail.

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Figure 3 shows a profile view of the carriage on the guide
and with the towrope supported on the gunwale.
k'igure 4 shows a front perspective view of the inside of
the fastening carriage on the guide rail.
Figure 5 shows a rear perspective view of the inside of the
fastening carriage on the guide rail.
Figure 6 shows a block diagram of the electronic
configuration of the invention.
DESCRIPTION Of A PREFERRED EMBObIMENT
In view of the discussed figures and according to the
numbering adopted, observed therein is a preferred although non-
limiting embodiment of the invention which consists of guide
rails (6) made up of two cylindrical calibrated rails preferably
of polished and tempered stainless steel, which go around all ox
part of the tugboat (1) . These rails (6} are joined by means of
screws, welds yr the like to .the supports (5), which are
assembled on the deck (2) of the boat. There is a longitudirially
movable fastening carriage (7) on this guide (6).
The fastening carriage (7) comprises a structure or frame
(8) incorporating a duly protected eleCCric motor (9) which, by
means of rotation reduction pulleys (27} and the corresponding
belts (28), is connected to two drive wheels (24) of grooved
profile, supported on nne of the rails (6) of the guide. In a
position opposite to the two drive wheeis (24), the frame (8)
has two other idle wheels (25) on a support (26) which presses
them against the other rail (6) of the guide. In turn, the frame
(8) has supports (10) of a rechargeable battery (18) for
supplying electrical power to the motor (9) and to control tho
circuitry (19 and 22). The frame (8) has a projecting arm (29)
opposite to the guide (6) with an adjustable mechanism (11)
incorporating a clamp mechanism (12) with a sensor (21) for
detecting the presence of. the towrope (4) arid two V~shaped open
guiding rods (23) of said towrope (4) supported on the gunwale
(3) towards the clamp (12). The rod-clamp (12 and 23) assembly
mechanism is arranged at the level of the gunwale (3). The clamp
(12) is joinod with the cable line (not represented) and is

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releasable when a ~,ock solenoid (20) thereof joining said cable
with the towrope (4) of the towed Vessel is actuated.
The control circuitry (19) of the Carriage (7) is made up
of a radio transmitter equipment, a speed and motor running/stop
S control, a controller of the sensor (21) of the clamp (12), and
an actuator of the lock solenoid (20) of the clamp. The radio
transmitter equipment (22) of the carriage (7) is connected to
an equivalent radio transmitter equipment (15) in the control
console (13) of the bridge for the automatic or manual handling
of said carriage (7) with the corresponding controls (14) of
speed adjustment, start/stop, movement direction of the carriage
(7) and locking of the solenoid (20) of the clamp (12).
'oho fastening Carriage (7 ) ix'lcorporates a xecha=girig
mechanism (17) of the battery (18) made up by means of sockets
that can be coupled to a base (16) existing at a point that is
away from the path of the guide rails (6) , or alternatively by
means of a non-contact induction charging system. The base (16)
of the recharging system can be in 'its rest position, arranged
on the bow or in the area where it is less bothersome. Said
recharging system (16) Gan be secured by means of a latch or
catch system which is released in the moment of starting its
running from the Control console (13).

Representative Drawing