Underwater vehicle design and control methods
First Claim
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1. A method of controlling a vehicle immersed in a fluid, the method comprising:
- positioning the vehicle immersed in the fluid at a first preselected distance relative to a surface; and
generating a ground effect force that acts on the vehicle to maintain the vehicle at the first preselected distance, wherein generating the ground effect force comprises applying a thrust to the vehicle with a plurality of thrusters oriented towards the surface, wherein the plurality of thrusters are located on a flat portion of the vehicle, wherein the plurality of thrusters are angled inwards towards a common point on an axis passing perpendicularly through the flat portion of the vehicle, and wherein the ground effect force biases the vehicle towards the first preselected distance relative to the surface when the vehicle is displaced relative to the surface.
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Abstract
Vehicles designed to use ground effect forces to control a positioning of the vehicle relative to a surface as well as their methods of use are described.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A method of controlling a vehicle immersed in a fluid, the method comprising:
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positioning the vehicle immersed in the fluid at a first preselected distance relative to a surface; and generating a ground effect force that acts on the vehicle to maintain the vehicle at the first preselected distance, wherein generating the ground effect force comprises applying a thrust to the vehicle with a plurality of thrusters oriented towards the surface, wherein the plurality of thrusters are located on a flat portion of the vehicle, wherein the plurality of thrusters are angled inwards towards a common point on an axis passing perpendicularly through the flat portion of the vehicle, and wherein the ground effect force biases the vehicle towards the first preselected distance relative to the surface when the vehicle is displaced relative to the surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of controlling a vehicle immersed in a fluid, the method comprising:
generating a ground effect force that acts on the vehicle at a first stable equilibrium distance of the vehicle relative to a surface such that the ground effect force biases the vehicle towards the first stable equilibrium distance when it is displaced relative to the surface, wherein generating the ground effect force comprises both moving the vehicle laterally relative to the surface and applying a thrust to the vehicle with a plurality of thrusters oriented towards the surface, wherein the plurality of thrusters are located on a flat portion of the vehicle, and wherein the plurality of thrusters are angled inwards towards a common point on an axis passing perpendicularly through the flat portion of the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of controlling a vehicle immersed in a fluid, the method comprising:
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orienting a flat portion of the vehicle towards a surface; applying a thrust to the vehicle that biases the vehicle towards the surface; generating a ground effect force that acts on the vehicle relative to the surface, wherein generating the ground effect force comprises at least one of moving the vehicle laterally relative to the surface and applying a thrust to the vehicle with a plurality of thrusters oriented towards the surface, wherein the plurality of thrusters are located on the flat portion of the vehicle, wherein the plurality of thrusters are angled inwards towards a common point on an axis passing perpendicularly through the flat portion of the vehicle, and wherein a net weight of the vehicle, a net thrust biasing the vehicle towards the surface, and the ground effect force result in a substantially net zero force applied to the vehicle in a direction oriented towards the surface. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification