# US 12,601,726 B2 · Methane monitoring apparatus and system for stereoscopic and real-time methane monitoring of ocean profile > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,601,726 B2 - Document ID: US12601726B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/073,616 - Filed: 2022-12-02 - Published: 2023-03-30 - Granted: 2026-04-14 - Earliest claimed: 2022-12-02 - Assignees: Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey; Qingdao Saintblue Technology Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey; Qingdao Saintblue Technology Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Qianyong Liang; XuWen Qin; Binbin Guo; Li Li; Danyi Su; Huice He; Yifei Dong; Xuemin Wu; Zhigang Wang; Xiaoyu Wu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12601726B2 ## CPC - G01N 33/1886: {using probes, e.g. submersible probes, buoys} - G01N 1/2247: {Sampling from a flowing stream of gas} - G01N 33/182: {Specific anions in water} - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) ## Abstract A system for stereoscopic and real-time monitoring of an ocean methane profile includes a waterborne communication floating body, a gravity anchor, and a monitoring mechanism disposed therebetween, wherein the monitoring mechanism includes a submarine methane leakage intensity monitoring apparatus, a plurality of methane monitoring apparatus capable of synchronously monitoring methane content and a hydrodynamic environment, and a plastic-coated steel cable connected between the waterborne communication floating body and the gravity anchor; a data acquisition cabin is connected to the plastic-coated steel cable through a first communication module; and a first floating ball assembly is connected to the plastic-coated steel cable through a fixing rope. The submarine methane leakage intensity monitoring apparatus and the plurality of methane monitoring apparatus are disposed between the gravity anchor and the waterborne communication floating body at predetermined intervals. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A methane monitoring apparatus, comprising: a plurality of first floating ball assemblies for submerging, wherein each first floating ball assembly comprises at least two floating ball that are vertically stacked and coupled to a fixing rope, a real-time monitoring module comprising an ocean current meter, a Conductivity Temperature Depth (CTD), and a methane sensor, each of which is hard-wired to a common data acquisition cabin for simultaneous time-stamped acquisition of ocean current, temperature, salinity, and methane content, a data acquisition cabin for processing monitored data, a first communication module connected with an external communication apparatus, and a fixing rope for connecting the plurality of first floating ball assemblies and the data acquisition cabin, wherein the real-time monitoring module is connected with the first communication module through the data acquisition cabin, and the plurality of first floating ball assemblies are connected to the data acquisition cabin through the fixing rope, wherein the first communication module communicates with outside of the methane monitoring apparatus, and the fixing rope does not communicate with the outside of the methane monitoring apparatus. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The methane monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first floating ball assemblies are sequentially arranged on the fixing rope in a monitoring direction. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The methane monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fixing rope is a Kevlar rope. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The methane monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first communication module comprises an inductive coupling transmitter for communicating with the outside, and the data acquisition cabin is connected to the external communication apparatus through the inductive coupling transmitter. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The methane monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of first floating ball assemblies comprises a glass floating ball and a protective shell wrapping the glass floating ball, and the glass floating ball is connected to the fixing rope through the protective shell. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A system for stereoscopic and real-time monitoring of an ocean methane profile, comprising a waterborne communication floating body, a submarine gravity anchor, and a monitoring mechanism disposed between the waterborne communication floating body and the gravity anchor, wherein the monitoring mechanism comprises a first methane monitoring apparatus, a second methane monitoring apparatus and a plastic-coated steel cable connected between the waterborne communication floating body and the gravity anchor, wherein the first methane monitoring apparatus is a submarine methane leakage intensity monitoring apparatus, and the second methane monitoring apparatus is the methane monitoring apparatus according to claim 1; the submarine methane leakage intensity monitoring apparatus comprises a second communication module and an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP), wherein the ADCP is disposed between the gravity anchor and the methane monitoring apparatus; the ADCP is connected to the plastic-coated steel cable through the second communication module; the data acquisition cabin of the methane monitoring apparatus is connected with the plastic-coated steel cable through the first communication module; the plurality of first floating ball assemblies of the methane monitoring apparatus is connected to the plastic-coated steel cable through the fixing rope; and the plastic-coated steel cable is configured to communicate between the methane monitoring apparatus and the waterborne communication floating body. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system according to claim 6, further comprising an upper connector and a lower connector, wherein a first end of the fixing rope is connected to a first side, close to the waterborne communication floating body, of the plastic-coated steel cable through the upper connector; a second end of the fixing rope is connected to a second side, close to the gravity anchor, of the plastic-coated steel cable through the lower connector. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The system according to claim 6, further comprising an acoustic release, wherein the plastic-coated steel cable is connected to the gravity anchor through the acoustic release; and the ADCP is disposed between the acoustic release and the methane monitoring apparatus. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system according to claim 8, further comprising a plurality of second floating ball assemblies wherein a side, away from the gravity anchor, of the acoustic release is connected to the plurality of second floating ball assemblies through the fixing rope. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The system according to claim 6, wherein, in the methane monitoring apparatus, the fixing rope is a Kevlar rope. ### Claim 11 (depends on 6) The system according to claim 6, wherein, in the methane monitoring apparatus, the first communication module comprises an inductive coupling transmitter for communicating with the outside, and the data acquisition cabin is connected to the external communication apparatus through the inductive coupling transmitter. ### Claim 12 (depends on 6) The system according to claim 6, wherein, in the methane monitoring apparatus, each of the plurality of first floating ball assemblies comprises a glass floating ball and a protective shell wrapping the glass floating ball, and the glass floating ball is connected to the fixing rope through the protective shell.