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US 12,559,213 B2Granted
Uncrewed offshore node deployment systems and methods
AssigneeBP Exploration Operating Company Limited
InventorsTed Manning, Johnathan Stone
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An offshore node deployment system includes a control system, a surface vessel including a deck, and a propulsion system in signal communication with the control system, a node storage container supported by the deck of the surface vessel, wherein the node storage container is configured to store a plurality of nodes which are physically disconnected from each other, and a node deployment system supported by the deck of the surface vessel and controllable by the control system, wherein the node deployment system is configured to retrieve the nodes from the node storage container and deploy the nodes to a subsea location.
Claims28
An offshore node deployment system, comprising:
- a control system;
- a surface vessel comprising a deck, and a propulsion system in signal communication with the control system;
- a node storage container supported by the deck of the surface vessel, wherein the node storage container is configured to store a plurality of nodes which are physically disconnected from each other at least partially within an interior of the node storage container;
- and
- a node deployment system supported by the deck of the surface vessel and controllable by the control system, wherein the node deployment system is configured to retrieve the nodes from the interior of the node storage container, transport the nodes external the interior of the node storage container, and deploy the nodes from the surface vessel to a target subsea location;
- wherein the control system comprises one or more processors and one or more memory devices containing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
- autonomously operate the propulsion system to transport the surface vessel to a target offshore location at which the plurality of nodes are to be deployed based on directions contained in an operational plan stored in the one or more memory devices;
- autonomously direct the node deployment system to retrieve the nodes from the from the interior of the node container, transport the nodes external the interior of the node storage container, and deploy the nodes from the surface vessel to the target subsea location based on the directions contained in the operational plan.
5 more elements
An offshore node deployment system, comprising:
- a control system;
- a surface vessel comprising a deck, and a propulsion system in signal communication with the control system;
- a node storage container supported by the deck of the surface vessel, wherein the node storage container is configured to store a plurality of nodes at least partially within an interior of the node storage container;
- and
- a node deployment system supported by the deck of the surface vessel and controllable by the control system, wherein the node deployment system is configured to retrieve an individual node from the interior of the node storage container, transport the node external the interior of the node storage container, and deploy the node from the surface vessel to a target subsea location;
- wherein the control system comprises one or more processors and one or more memory devices containing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
- autonomously operate the propulsion system to transport the surface vessel to a target offshore location at which the node is to be deployed based on directions contained in an operational plan stored in the one or more memory devices;
- autonomously direct the node deployment system to retrieve node from the interior of the node storage container, transport the node external the interior of the node storage container, and deploy the node from the surface vessel to the target subsea location based on the directions contained in the operational plan.
5 more elements
A method for deploying a plurality of nodes offshore, comprising:
- (a) autonomously transporting by a control system a surface vessel to a target offshore location at which the plurality of nodes are to be deployed based on directions container in an operational plan stored in one or more memory devices of the control system, wherein a node storage container is supported by a deck of the surface vessel, the node storage container comprises the plurality of nodes which are physically disconnected from each other and at least partially received within an interior of the node storage container;
- (b) autonomously retrieving by the computer system and, based on the directions contained the operational plan, the nodes from the interior of the node storage container and transporting the nodes external the interior of the node storage container using a node deployment system supported by the deck of the surface vessel;
- and
- (c) autonomously deploying by the computer system and, based on the directions contained in the operational plan, the nodes from the surface vessel to a target subsea location using the node deployment system.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.