Floating vertical wind profile sensor device and method of determining a vertical wind profile

1 . A floating marine site survey device comprising:

a vertical wind profile sensor for sensing a vertical wind profile;

a self-propulsion system for propelling the device through a body of water;

a deployable special mark, actuatable to switch between a deployed state for identifying the device as a special marker buoy and an undeployed state for identifying the device as a vessel; and

a controller for switching the device from a vessel mode to a buoy mode when the vessel is anchored, wherein the controller switches the special mark to the deployed state when the device is in the buoy mode.

2 . A floating marine site survey device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

an automated anchoring mechanism for deploying and retracting an anchor on an anchor cable, and

wherein the controller is configured to control the automated anchoring mechanism to deploy the anchor when the device is in the buoy mode.

3 . A floating marine site survey device according to claim 2 , wherein the controller receives feedback from one or more anchor deployment sensors, wherein the controller determines a length of anchor cable to deploy based on, at least in part, the feedback from one or more anchor deployment sensors.

4 . A floating marine site survey device according to claim 2 , wherein the controller further comprises a weather module for receiving weather conditions data, and for controlling the automated anchoring mechanism to retract the anchor if emergency weather conditions are detected.

5 . A floating marine site survey device according to claim 4 , wherein the controller further determines a length of anchor cable to deploy based on, at least in part, the weather conditions data received by the weather module.

6 . A floating marine site survey device according to claim 2 , wherein the automated anchoring mechanism comprises cleaning jets for jetting the anchor cable with fluid when the anchor is retracted.

7 . A floating marine site survey device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller comprises an autonomous navigation control module for controlling the self-propulsion system for navigating the vessel.

8 . A floating marine site survey device according to claim 7 , wherein the autonomous navigation control module is configured to control the self-propulsion system for implementing a virtual anchor for anchoring the vessel.

9 . A floating marine site survey device according to claim 1 , further comprising one or more sensors, and

wherein the controller further comprises a memory for storing sensor data from the one or more sensors.

10 . A floating marine site survey device according to claim 9 , further comprising one or more telecommunications transceivers, and

wherein the controller is further configured for transmitting sensor data from the one or more sensors via the one or more telecommunications transceivers.

11 . A floating marine site survey device according to claim 10 , wherein the controller is further configured for receiving input signals via the one or more telecommunications transceivers for adjusting controls applied by the controller.

12 . A floating marine site survey device according to claim 9 , wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more of: a radar sensor, a GPS sensor, a sonar sensor, a camera, a wind speed sensor, a rain sensor, an angular velocity sensor, an acoustic doppler current profiler, an acoustic current profiler, a cup anemometer, a sonic anemometer, a barometric pressure sensor, an air temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a wave sensor, a water temperature sensor, a water depth sensor, a water salinity sensor, a water conductivity sensor, a water turbidity sensor, a precipitation sensor, a particle size and velocity sensor, as solar radiation sensor, a visibility sensor, a cloud height sensor, a temperature profile sensor, a bird and bat monitoring sensor, a sea mammals sensor, biodiversity sensors, seabed monitoring sensor, a micro plastic particles sensor, an algae sensor, a coral measurements sensor, a marine growth/foliage sensor, a sediments and scour sensor, device protection sensors, anti-theft sensors, seismic sensors, seabed vegetation sensors, guano sensor, water density sensor, air density sensor, above water acoustic sensors, below water acoustic sensors, an oil spill sensor, a water temperature profile sensor, current speed and direction sensors, and current velocity profile sensor.

13 . A floating marine site survey device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a hull for housing the vertical wind profile sensor, the self-propulsion system, and the controller; and

an enclosure for enclosing the hull, wherein the enclosure comprises a yellow display surface and the deployable special mark is mounted to the enclosure.

14 . A method of determining a vertical wind profile at a target offshore location using a floating marine site survey device according to claim 1 , the method comprising:

providing the controller with location data indicating the target offshore location;

controlling, by the controller, the self-propulsion system to propel the device to the target offshore location based on the location data when the device is in vessel mode;

determining, by the controller, that the device is at the target offshore location and anchoring the device at the target offshore location;

switching, by the controller, the device from the vessel mode to the buoy mode, wherein switching to the buoy mode actuates the deployable special mark to switch to the deployed state;

activating, by the controller, the LiDAR sensor for sensing the vertical wind profile; and

recording, by the controller, the vertical wind profile data.

15 . A method according to claim 14 , further comprising the steps of determining, by the controller, an end to the measurement session based on one of (a) vertical wind speed profile data has reached a measurement threshold, (b) remaining energy stored in the energy store has dropped below a return range threshold, or (c) an incoming control signal;

switching, by the controller, the device from the buoy mode to the vessel mode, wherein the switching to the vessel mode actuates the deployable special mark to switch to the undeployed state;

unanchoring the device; and

controlling, by the controller, the self-propulsion system to propel the device to another location.

16 . A floating marine site survey device comprising:

one or more survey sensors, the one or more survey sensors comprising a vertical wind profile sensor for sensing a vertical wind profile;

a self-propulsion system for propelling the device through a body of water;

a deployable special mark comprising two cross members, actuatable to switch between a deployed state where the two cross members are in a crossed configuration for identifying the device as a special marker buoy and an undeployed state where the two cross members are in a parallel configuration for identifying the device as a vessel; and

a controller for switching the device from a vessel mode to a buoy mode when the vessel is anchored, wherein the controller switches the special mark to the deployed state when the device is in the buoy mode.

17 . A floating marine site survey device according to claim 16 , wherein the one or more survey sensors comprise one or more of: a multibeam echo sounder, a sub bottom profiler, a side scan sonar, a seismic survey sensor, a sound velocity profiler, a temperature sensor, a salinity sensor, a SONAR sensor, and a LiDAR sensor.