Remote alignment method and apparatus

Claim 1

An apparatus for guidelineless alignment of equipment lowered from a vessel located at the surface of a body of water to a subsea structure located on the floor of said body of water, said apparatus comprising: a base having an upwardly extending primary member and at least one upwardly extending secondary member, said base being located on and attached to said subsea structure; a frame on which said equipment is mounted, said frame having a downwardly extending primary member capable of mating with said base primary member and at least one downwardly extending secondary member capable of mating with said base secondary member, said members having lengths such that said primary members engage each other before said secondary members come into contact as said frame is lowered toward said base; means for lowering said frame form said vessel to said subsea structure; vertical channeling means attached to at least one of said primary members and adapted to aid in channeling said primary members into engagement thereby defining a substantially vertical axis through both said base primary member and said frame primary member; and rotational engagement means for rotationally aligning said base and said frame, said rotational engagement means attached to at least one of said secondary members and adapted to permit a predetermined amount of rotation of said frame about said substantially vertical axis and to prevent further rotation when said frame and said base are angularly aligned.

Claim 2

An apparatus for guidelineless alignment of equipment lowered from a vessel located at the surface of a body of water to a subsea structure located on the floor of said body of water, said apparatus comprising: a base having an upwardly extending primary member and at least one upwardly extending secondary member, said base being located on and attached to said subsea structure; a frame on which said equipment is mounted, said frame having a downwardly extending primary member capable of mating with said base primary member and at least one downwardly extending secondary member capable of mating with said base secondary member, said members having lengths such that said primary members engage each other before said secondary members come into contact as said frame is lowered toward said base; means for lowering said frame form said vessel to said subsea structure; vertical channeling means attached to at least one of said primary members and adapted to aid in channeling said primary members into engagement thereby defining a substantially vertical axis through both said base primary member and said frame primary member; and rotational engagement means for rotationally aligning said base and said frame, said rotational engagement means attached to at least one of said secondary members and adapted to permit a predetermined amount of rotation of said frame about said substantially vertical axis and to prevent further rotation when said frame and said base are angularly aligned.

Claim 7

An apparatus for guidelineless alignment of equipment lowered from a vessel located at the surface of a body of water with a subsea structure located on the floor of said body of water, said apparatus comprising: (a) a base located on and attached to said subsea structure, said base having (1) an upwardly extending primary post, and (2) two upwardly extending secondary posts of approximately equal height shorter than said primary post. said primary and secondary posts being positioned on said base at three of the four corners of a generally square pattern so that said primary post is adjacent the unoccupied corner of said square pattern; and (b) a frame on which said equipment is mounted, said frame attached to said vessel and capable of being lowered from said vessel to said subsea structure, said frame having (1) a downwardly extending primary tubular member adapted to mate with said primary post and having a downwardly widening funnel formed at its lower end, said funnel adapted to aid in channeling said primary post into engagement with said primary tubular member thereby defining a substantially vertical axis through both said primary post and said primary tubular member, (2) two downwardly extending secondary tubular members, each of said secondary tubular members adapted to mate with one of said secondary posts and having a half cylinder formed at its lower end, said half cylinders oriented so as to engage said mating secondary posts when said frame is rotated about said substantially vertical axis into angular alignment with said base, and (3) a downwardly extending tertiary tubular member, said primary, secondary and teritiary members extending downwardly from said frame approximately equal distances and being arranged on said frame in a generally square pattern corresponding to said square pattern on said base so that said primary tubular member corresponds to said primary post, said secondary tubular members correspond to said secondary posts and said tertiary tubular member corresponds to said unoccupied corner of said base square pattern.

Claim 8

An apparatus for guidelineless alignment of equipment lowered from a vessel located at the surface of a body of water with a subsea structure located on the floor of said body of water, said apparatus comprising: (a) a base located on and attached to said subsea structure, said base having (1) an upwardly extending primary post, and (2) two upwardly extending secondary posts of approximately equal height shorter than said primary post. said primary and secondary posts being positioned on said base at three of the four corners of a generally square pattern so that said primary post is adjacent the unoccupied corner of said square pattern; and (b) a frame on which said equipment is mounted, said frame attached to said vessel and capable of being lowered from said vessel to said subsea structure, said frame having (1) a downwardly extending primary tubular member adapted to mate with said primary post and having a downwardly widening funnel formed at its lower end, said funnel adapted to aid in channeling said primary post into engagement with said primary tubular member thereby defining a substantially vertical axis through both said primary post and said primary tubular member, (2) two downwardly extending secondary tubular members, each of said secondary tubular members adapted to mate with one of said secondary posts and having a half cylinder formed at its lower end, said half cylinders oriented so as to engage said mating secondary posts when said frame is rotated about said substantially vertical axis into angular alignment with said base, and (3) a downwardly extending tertiary tubular member, said primary, secondary and teritiary members extending downwardly from said frame approximately equal distances and being arranged on said frame in a generally square pattern corresponding to said square pattern on said base so that said primary tubular member corresponds to said primary post, said secondary tubular members correspond to said secondary posts and said tertiary tubular member corresponds to said unoccupied corner of said base square pattern.

Claim 12

A method for guidelineless alignment of equipment lowered from the surface of a body of water to a subsea structure having a base mounted thereon, said base having an upwardly extending base primary member and one or more upwardly extending base secondary members shorter than said base primary member, said equipment being attached to a guide frame having a downwardly extending frame primary member and one or more downwardly extending frame secondary members adapted to mate with said base primary and secondary members respectively and wherein said frame primary member includes vertical channeling means to channel said base and frame primary members into engagement and said frame secondary members include rotational engagement means adapted to permit a predetermined amount of rotation of said frame with respect to said base and to prevent further rotation when said frame and said base are angularly aligned, said method comprising the steps of: moving said guide frame to a submerged location in which said frame primary member is positioned generally above said base primary member; lowering said guide frame so that said base and frame primary members channel into engagement and partially mate thereby defining a substantially vertical axis through said base and frame primary members, rotating said guide frame about said substantially vertical axis until said rotational engagement means positively engages said base secondary members thereby preventing further rotation; and lowering said frame to fully mate said primary members and said secondary members.

Claim 13

A method for guidelineless alignment of equipment lowered from the surface of a body of water to a subsea structure having a base mounted thereon, said base having an upwardly extending base primary member and one or more upwardly extending base secondary members shorter than said base primary member, said equipment being attached to a guide frame having a downwardly extending frame primary member and one or more downwardly extending frame secondary members adapted to mate with said base primary and secondary members respectively and wherein said frame primary member includes vertical channeling means to channel said base and frame primary members into engagement and said frame secondary members include rotational engagement means adapted to permit a predetermined amount of rotation of said frame with respect to said base and to prevent further rotation when said frame and said base are angularly aligned, said method comprising the steps of: moving said guide frame to a submerged location in which said frame primary member is positioned generally above said base primary member; lowering said guide frame so that said base and frame primary members channel into engagement and partially mate thereby defining a substantially vertical axis through said base and frame primary members, rotating said guide frame about said substantially vertical axis until said rotational engagement means positively engages said base secondary members thereby preventing further rotation; and lowering said frame to fully mate said primary members and said secondary members.