SYSTEM FOR CONVEYING A BARGE OVER A LEVEE IN A LEVEL ATTITUDE

Abstract

A system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude providing for safety and avoidance of damage to the barge, the levee, and of persons, where a barge is to be conveyed from a waterway, over a levee, through a floodgate in a floodwall, and into a maintenance building, and the reverse operation, by placing a barge in a drydock, resting on support blocks, aligning the drydock with the floodgate, placing level-raising tractors with tractor controllers underneath the barge, raising the barge off of the support blocks, and rolling and lifting the barge over the levee while keeping the barge in a level attitude, optionally under the additional control of a person using a hand-remote tractor controller.

Claims

1. A system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude, between a waterway and a maintenance building separated by the levee, said system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude comprising: (i) a drydock having a submerged position and a floating position, said drydock adapted to move the barge from a water level to a land level and to turn the barge to and from a position in line with a path to the maintenance building; (ii) a plurality of support blocks arrayed upon said drydock, said plurality of support blocks adapted to support the underside of the barge along the sides of the barge, leaving the medial underside of the barge unblocked; (iii) at least one level-raising tractor having a plurality of ranks of wheels, and further having a tractor bed, said ranks of wheels being adapted to extend from and retract toward said tractor bed independently one rank from another; and (iv) a tractor controller for each said level-raising tractor, adapted to control the extension and retraction of said ranks of wheels so as to keep said tractor bed level and to keep different said tractor beds level each with the other; where, in use: said barge in the waterway is floated onto said drydock, which is then raised so that the barge is supported by said support blocks, and turned to a position in line with a path to the maintenance building; said level-raising tractors are rolled under the barge; said level-raising tractors with said tractor controllers raise the barge off of said support blocks and roll the barge over the levee and toward the maintenance building while still keeping the barge in a level attitude by extending or retracting each said rank of wheels so as to conform to the slopes of the levee and to raise the barge to a height sufficient to clear the crest of the levee; said level-raising tractors with said tractor controllers further roll the barge into the maintenance building and lower the barge onto a second set of said support blocks; and said level-raising tractors are rolled out from under the barge; and where, in use, the claimed operations are repeated in reverse to convey the barge back into said waterway.

2. The system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 1, further comprising a hand-remote tractor controller adapted to allow a person supervising the operation to monitor, modify, or abort the otherwise automatic operations.

3. The system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 1, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to sense the location, elevation, and attitude of said tractor bed and said supported barge in real time.

4. The system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 1, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to record and report the location, elevation, and attitude of said tractor bed at all times during operation.

5. The system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 1, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to record and report the location, elevation, and attitude of said tractor bed at all times during operation, and to further provide a report documenting that a barge was or was not subject to being supported in an out-of-level attitude.

6. The system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 1, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to sense and navigate through an open floodgate or opening in a floodwall.

7. The system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 1, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to detect the presence of persons, animals, or moving objects coming within a defined perimeter of a moving barge, and to implement a pre-defined protocol of modifying the rate of movement and raising an alarm when such presence is detected.

8. The system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 1, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to sense the terrain ahead of the direction of movement of the barge, and to make adjustments or prepare to make adjustments in response to such terrain.

9. The system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 1, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to be pre-programmed with a customary expected route of travel and a set of expected information derived from said customary expected route of travel; to allow a set of sensors to collect a set of real-time information and to allow comparison of said real-time information with said expected information; and to implement a set of pre-defined protocols when said real-time information deviates from said expected information.

10. The system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 1, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to sense in real time an amount and proportion of the weight of the barge being supported at different locations front-to-back and side-to-side along said tractor beds of said level-raising tractors.

11. A method for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude, between a waterway and a maintenance building separated by a levee, the system for conveying a barge over a levee, said method for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude comprising: (i) providing a system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude, said system comprising: (a) a drydock having a submerged position and a floating position, said drydock adapted to move the barge from a water level to a land level and to turn the barge to and from a position in line with a path to the maintenance building; (b) a plurality of support blocks arrayed upon said drydock, said plurality of support blocks adapted to support the underside of the barge along the sides of the barge, leaving the medial underside of the barge unblocked; (c) at least one level-raising tractor having a plurality of ranks of wheels, and further having a tractor bed, said ranks of wheels being adapted to extend from and retract toward said tractor bed independently one rank from another; and (d) a tractor controller for each said level-raising tractor, adapted to control the extension and retraction of said ranks of wheels so as to keep said tractor bed level and to keep different said tractor beds level each with the other; (ii) floating said barge in the waterway onto said drydock, where said drydock is then raised so that the barge is supported by said support blocks, and turned to a position in line with a path to the maintenance building; (iii) rolling said level-raising tractors under the barge; (iv) raising the barge off of said support blocks with said level-raising tractors with said tractor controllers, and rolling the barge over the levee and toward the maintenance building while still keeping the barge in a level attitude by extending or retracting each said rank of wheels so as to conform to the slopes of the levee and to raise the barge to a height sufficient to clear the crest of the levee; (v) further rolling the barge into the maintenance building and lowering the barge onto a second set of said support blocks with said level-raising tractors with said tractor controllers; and (vi) rolling said level-raising tractors out from under the barge; and where, in use, the claimed operations are repeated in reverse to convey the barge back into said waterway.

12. The method of conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 11, further comprising a hand-remote tractor controller adapted to allow a person supervising the operation to monitor, modify, or abort the otherwise automatic operations.

13. The method of conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 11, further comprising being adapted to create trial runs of a contemplated movement of a barge, and where said tractor controllers are further adapted to sense and record such trial runs and to generate pre-defined sets of expected sensor readings and expected protocols for such contemplated movement of a barge.

14. The method of conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 11, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to record and report the location, elevation, and attitude of said tractor bed at all times during operation.

15. The method of conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 11, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to record and report the location, elevation, and attitude of said tractor bed at all times during operation, and to further provide a report documenting that a barge was or was not subject to being supported in an out-of-level attitude.

16. The method of conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 11, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to sense and navigate through an open floodgate or opening in a floodwall.

17. The method of conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 11, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to detect the presence of persons, animals, or moving objects coming within a defined perimeter of a moving barge, and to implement a pre-defined protocol of modifying the rate of movement and raising an alarm when such presence is detected.

18. The method of conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 11, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to sense the terrain ahead of the direction of movement of the barge, and to make adjustments or prepare to make adjustments in response to such terrain.

19. The method of conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 11, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to be pre-programmed with a customary expected route of travel and a set of expected information derived from said customary expected route of travel; to allow a set of sensors to collect a set of real-time information and to allow comparison of said real-time information with said expected information; and to implement a set of pre-defined protocols when said real-time information deviates from said expected information.

20. The method of conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of claim 11, where said tractor controllers are further adapted to sense in real time an amount and proportion of the weight of the barge being supported at different locations front-to-back and side-to-side along said tractor beds of said level-raising tractors.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] Reference will now be made to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals, and wherein:

[0020] FIG. 1 is a top schematic view of an initial stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

[0021] FIG. 2 is a side schematic view of a second stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

[0022] FIG. 3 is a top schematic view of a second stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

[0023] FIG. 4 is a top schematic view of a third stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

[0024] FIG. 5 is a side schematic view of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

[0025] FIG. 6 is a side schematic view of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

[0026] FIG. 7 is a side schematic view of a fourth stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

[0027] FIG. 8 is a side schematic view of a fifth stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

[0028] FIG. 9 is a side schematic view of a sixth stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

[0029] FIG. 10 is a top schematic view of a seventh stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

[0030] FIG. 11 is a side schematic view of an eighth stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

[0031] FIG. 12 is a side schematic view of a ninth stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention;

[0032] FIG. 13 is a side schematic view of a tenth stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention; and

[0033] FIG. 14 is a side schematic view of a completed stage of the operation of the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0034] Referring to all of the figures generally, the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude 10 of the invention is shown.

[0035] Referring briefly to FIG. 1, it would be desired to convey a barge 21 on a waterway onto a dock 22, and subsequently over a levee 23 upon the crest of which is a floodwall 24 with a floodgate 25, through which the barge can pass. Referring briefly to FIG. 11, the barge 21 must be kept in a level attitude and pass over the crest of the levee 23 without damage to the barge or to the levee. Referring briefly to FIG. 14, the goal of this operation is to convey the barge 21 into a maintenance building 26, within which the barge can be serviced, repaired, retrofitted, sandblasted, or painted. Afterward, the operation may be performed in reverse, conveying the barge 21 back over the levee and back into the waterway.

[0036] Referring briefly to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude 10 provides a drydock 1, support blocks 2, and level-raising tractors 3 having tractor controllers 4 that communicate and coordinate with other tractor controllers 4. Each level-raising tractor 3 has several ranks, rows, or axles of wheels or tires, and each rank of wheels can be extended from or retracted toward the tractor bed independently of the other ranks of wheels. This allows the tractor bed to be kept level while the ranks of wheels conform to any sloping ground beneath, as illustrated in FIG. 11.

[0037] Referring now back to FIG. 1, the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude 10 provides a drydock 1 having support blocks 2 pre-placed to support the bottom of the barge along the side perimeters, leaving an unblocked pathway underneath the barge in the substantially axial or bow-to-stern orientation. The drydock 1 is initially partially submerged, with the support blocks 2 under the surface of the water.

[0038] Referring now to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the barge 21 is floated onto the drydock 1 and positioned over the support blocks 2.

[0039] Referring now to FIG. 4, the drydock 1 and the barge 21 are brought into a perpendicular alignment with the dock 2, levee 23, floodwall 24, and floodgate 25. The drydock 1 is then raised so that the barge 21 is resting upon the support blocks 2 and is above the waterline.

[0040] Referring now back to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, with the under surface of the sides of the barge 21 resting upon support blocks 2, the unblocked pathway underneath the barge 21 is able to accommodate the level-raising tractors 3 provided by the invention. Each level-raising tractor 3 has an associated tractor controller 4 that controls the rolling motion of the several wheels of the level-raising tractors 3, and further controls the level-maintaining raising and lowering of the barge-supporting bed of the level-raising tractors 3. In typical embodiments for typical barges, two such level-raising tractors 3 are provided, with one fore and one aft of the center of the barge. A particularly short barge could be conveyed with one tractor, and a particularly long or differently configured barge could be conveyed with more than two tractors. However, in the majority of barges that conform to standard sizes, the typical embodiment that provides two level-raising tractors 3 would be appropriate and sufficient.

[0041] Referring now to FIG. 7, after the drydock 1 and barge 21 are brought into perpendicular alignment with the dock 22 and the drydock 1 is raised so that the barge 21 and support blocks 2 are above the waterline, the level-raising tractors 3 are rolled onto the drydock 1 and underneath the barge 21. The tractor controllers 4 detect the positions of the barge 21 and the support blocks 2, and maneuver the level-raising tractors 3 so that they remain centered and do not disturb the support blocks, and so that they come to rest at the appropriate locations relative to the center of the barge. Optionally, a hand-remote tractor controller 5 can be provided to allow a person supervising the operation to monitor, modify, or abort the otherwise automatic operation of the level-raising tractors 3 under the control of the tractor controllers 4.

[0042] Referring to FIG. 8, the level-raising tractors 3 are positioned underneath the barge 21 at appropriate locations fore and aft of center.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 9, the beds of the level-raising tractors 3 are raised so as to lift the barge 21 off of the support blocks 2. The tractor controllers 4 keep each tractor bed level, and, by communicating and coordinating between the tractor controllers 4, keep the tractor beds level in relationship to each other. The barge 21 is accordingly kept level at all times during the operation, avoiding forces that might damage the barge or make the barge unstable and liable to slide or fall.

[0044] Referring to FIG. 10, under the power of the level-raising tractors 3 and the control of the tractor controllers 4, the barge 21 is rolled off of the drydock 1, through the open floodgate 25, and over the levee 23, toward the maintenance building 26.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 11, under the control of the tractor controllers 4, the different ranks of wheels are extended from or retracted toward the tractor bed so as to accommodate the sloping sides of the levee 23 while keeping the bed of each level-raising tractor 3 level with reference both to itself and to the other level-raising tractor 3. Therefore, the barge 21 is kept level and is kept properly supported when passing over the levee 23. Because the length of the typical barge 21 matches or exceeds the combined width of the upslope, crest, and downslope of the levee, the system for conveying a barge over a levee in a level attitude 10 keeps the barge level and properly supported in relation to both slopes simultaneously, and raises the barge to a level above the crest of the levee. With the weight of the barge distributed evenly on the several ranks of wheels on both tractors, the levee 23 is not subjected to damaging concentrated points of force that might damage the structure and integrity of the levee. In particular, the crest of the levee is never subjected to the full weight of the barge, but instead is only subjected to the portion of distributed weight borne by, at most, a few of the ranks of wheels. Further, with the barge evenly supported along much of its undersurface, the barge is never subjected to uneven forces that might damage the barge or make the barge unstable during the operation, where a barge falling off of a tractor could cause extensive damage both to the barge and to the levee.

[0046] Referring to FIG. 12, after traversing the levee, the barge 21 is rolled into the maintenance building 26, and is positioned over another set of support blocks 2.

[0047] Referring to FIG. 13, the barge 21 is then lowered upon the support blocks 2 in the maintenance building 26. With the support blocks 2 bearing all of the weight of the barge 21, the level-raising tractors 3 can then be rolled out from under the barge, leaving the underside of the barge accessible for servicing, repair, retrofitting, sandblasting, or painting, as illustrated in FIG. 14.

[0048] The above operation is repeated in reverse in order to convey the barge from the maintenance building 26, over the levee 23, through the open floodgate 25, over the dock 22, and onto the drydock 1 for floating back onto the waterway.

[0049] Many other changes and modifications can be made in the system and method of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof. I therefore pray that my rights to the present invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.