Ship hull cleaning apparatus and method of use

Abstract

An apparatus and method for cleaning a ship hull includes a support frame, at least one articulated arm installed on the support frame having a plurality of members interconnected by hinge connections, a hydraulic cylinder mounted between respective ones of the members about each hinge connection, and a brush head assembly mounted at the free end of the articulated arm so as to be positionable by the articulated arm against the ship hull. The apparatus is installed on a carrier such as a boat. The brush head assembly may include one, two, or three or more brush drums rotatably mounted within a yoke that is installed on the free end of the articulated arm. A monitoring device and a pressure nozzle are mounted on or about the brush head assembly to cooperate in monitoring the location and movement of the assembly relative to the ship hull.

1 . An apparatus for cleaning a ship hull, comprising: 
 a support frame;    at least one articulated arm installed on the support frame so as to have a free end, the articulated arm having a plurality of members arranged end-to-end and interconnected by hinge connections;    means for dynamically adjusting the hinge connections mounted between respective ones of the members; and    a brush head assembly mounted at the free end of the articulated arm so as to be positionable by the articulated arm against the ship hull; wherein the brush head assembly is configured with opposing foot plates that are substantially triangular in shape, the yoke being mounted on the free end of the articulated arm so as to pivot substantially about the centers of the respective foot plates; and    three brush drums are mounted within the yoke between the foot plates substantially at respective corners of the foot plates and in a substantially parallel, spaced-apart arrangement, the yoke being freely pivotable such that two of the three brush drums are substantially in contact with the ship hull during cleaning.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising at least one stand-off arm mounted on the support frame so as to extend laterally therefrom to space the apparatus from the ship hull during cleaning.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the stand-off arm is formed on a distal end with a roller configured to make rolling contact with the ship hull.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the support frame provides a means for mounting the support frame on a base installed on a carrier, the carrier being selected from the group consisting of a land mass, a pier, a dock, a land vehicle, and a boat.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein the frame is enabled for rotation relative to the base.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein the apparatus is configured with a counterweight positioned for counterbalancing a weight and a movement of the articulated arm so as to stabilize the frame.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the adjusting means is selected from the group consisting of at least one hydraulic cylinder, hydraulic ram, hydraulic motor, pneumatic cylinder, pneumatic ram, pneumatic motor, and a motor.  
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a means for monitoring positions of the brush head assembly.  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 8  wherein the monitoring means is selected from the group consisting of a sensor, a motion detector, and a camera.  
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the articulated arm includes three members, each such member being at least three feet in length.  
   
   
       11 . (canceled)  
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the yoke is configured for mounting two brush drums in a substantially parallel, spaced-apart arrangement.  
   
   
       13 . The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein a means for dynamically pivoting the yoke about the free end of the articulated arm is mounted therebetween, the pivoting means being operable to selectively pivot the yoke such that the two brush drums are substantially in contact with the ship hull during cleaning.  
   
   
       14 . (canceled)  
   
   
       15 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising at least one pressure nozzle mounted on the brush head assembly and positioned so as to selectively direct a pressure spray toward the ship hull substantially adjacent to the brush head assembly.  
   
   
       16 - 20 . (canceled)