Monitoring the condition of marine chains

Abstract

The condition of a chain is monitored by at least one acoustic transducer that is fixed to a first link of the chain. The transducer emits an acoustic signal toward a receiver on any link of the chain. The receiver may be on the first link to receive the signal after reflection from a second link. The second link may be interconnected with the first link or may be opposed to the first link across an intermediate link. In a direct transmission option, the receiver may be on the second link or on another link. By measuring time of flight of the signal from the transducer to the receiver, the distance between the transducer and a link of the chain other than the first link is determined. An increase in that distance indicates a degree of wear at one or more contact interfaces between successive links of the chain.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.