Control systems for autonomous submersible structures

• US 10,191,489 B1
• Filed: 11/08/2016
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tidalx AI Incorporated
• Original Assignee: X Development LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Rapoport, Evan Douglas, Mehta, Rohinton
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kong, Sze-Hon
• Application Number:
  US15/346,281
• Time in Patent Office: 812 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 61/60 Floating cultivation devices, e.g. rafts or floating fish-farms
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 61/80 Feeding devices
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 2008/004 autonomously operating
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 8/001 Underwater vessels adapted for special purposes, e.g. unmanned underwater vessels; Equipment specially adapted therefor, e.g. docking stations self-propelled or direction controlled diving chambers with mechanical link to a base B63C11/42
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 8/08 Propulsion schnorkels B63G8/36; nuclear propulsion B63H21/18; submerged exhausting apparatus F01N13/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/203 Specially adapted for sailing ships
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0206 specially adapted to water vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/048 specially adapted for water vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0692 specially adapted for under-water vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/81 Aquaculture, e.g. of fish

Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes receiving data from one or more sensors that detect one or more environmental parameters associated with an autonomous submersible structure, determining one or more navigation parameters based on the one or more environmental parameters and one or more viability profiles associated with cargo contained within the autonomous submersible structure and that specify constraints on the one or more environmental parameters, and controlling, based on the one or more navigation parameters, a propulsion system of the autonomous submersible structure.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving data from one or more sensors that detect one or more environmental parameters that are currently associated with an autonomous submersible structure that contains a particular species of live fish;

accessing a viability profile that is specific to the particular species of live fish contained in the autonomous submersible structure, and that indicates, for at least one of the environmental parameters, a respective range of values that is indicated as acceptable for the health or well-being of the particular species of live fish;

determining to reposition the autonomous submersible structure based at least on (i) the one or more environmental parameters that are currently associated with the autonomous submersible structure that contains the particular species of live fish, and (ii) the viability profile that is specific to the particular species of live fish contained in the autonomous submersible structure, and that indicates, for at least one of the environmental parameters, a respective range of values that is characterized as acceptable for the health or well-being of the particular species of live fish; and

based on determining to reposition the autonomous submersible structure, controlling a propulsion system of the autonomous submersible structure to reposition the autonomous submersible structure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein different species of fish have different viability profiles.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining to reposition the autonomous submersible structure comprises determining to change a depth of the autonomous submersible structure based at least on the viability profile indicating a range of depth values or water pressure values that are characterized as acceptable for the health or well-being of the particular species of live fish.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining to reposition the autonomous submersible structure comprises determining to change a geographic position of the autonomous submersible structure based at least on the viability profile indicating a range of salinity, oxygen level, water temperature, or water pH values that are characterized as acceptable for the health or well-being of the particular species of live fish.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining to reposition the autonomous submersible structure comprises determining to change a bearing of the autonomous submersible structure based at least on the viability profile indicating a range of water current speed values that are characterized as acceptable for the health or well-being of the particular species of live fish.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining to reposition the autonomous submersible structure is further based on (iii) real-time data characterizing a current health or well-being of the live fish contained within the autonomous submersible structure.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time data characterizing the current health or well-being of the live fish within the autonomous submersible structure comprises an average body weight the live fish, an average length of the live fish, an average age of the live fish, an average density of the live fish, a proportion of the live fish that are characterized as healthy, or a total quantity of the live fish.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining to reposition the autonomous submersible structure comprises determining an ultimate destination where the autonomous submersible structure will be off-loaded.

9. A system comprising:

a control system of an autonomous submersible structure that performs operations comprising;

receiving data from one or more sensors that detect one or more environmental parameters that are currently associated with an autonomous submersible structure that contains a particular species of live fish;

accessing a viability profile that is specific to the particular species of live fish contained in the autonomous submersible structure, and that indicates, for at least one of the environmental parameters, a respective range of values that is indicated as acceptable for the health or well-being of the particular species of live fish;

determining to reposition the autonomous submersible structure based at least on (i) the one or more environmental parameters that are currently associated with the autonomous submersible structure that contains the particular species of live fish, and (ii) the viability profile that is specific to the particular species of live fish contained in the autonomous submersible structure, and that indicates, for at least one of the environmental parameters, a respective range of values that is characterized as acceptable for the health or well-being of the particular species of live fish; and

based on determining to reposition the autonomous submersible structure, controlling a propulsion system of the autonomous submersible structure to reposition the autonomous submersible structure.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein different species of fish have different viability profiles.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein determining to reposition the autonomous submersible structure comprises determining to change a depth of the autonomous submersible structure based at least on the viability profile indicating a range of depth values or water pressure values that are characterized as acceptable for the health or well-being of the particular species of live fish.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein determining to reposition the autonomous submersible structure comprises determining to change a geographic position of the autonomous submersible structure based at least on the viability profile indicating a range of salinity, oxygen level, water temperature, or water pH values that are characterized as acceptable for the health or well-being of the particular species of live fish.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein determining to reposition the autonomous submersible structure comprises determining to change a bearing of the autonomous submersible structure based at least on the viability profile indicating a range of water current speed values that are characterized as acceptable for the health or well-being of the particular species of live fish.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein determining to reposition the autonomous submersible structure is further based on (iii) real-time data characterizing a current health or well-being of the live fish contained within the autonomous submersible structure.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the real-time data characterizing the current health or well-being of the live fish within the autonomous submersible structure comprises an average body weight the live fish, an average length of the live fish, an average age of the live fish, an average density of the live fish, a proportion of the live fish that are characterized as healthy, or a total quantity of the live fish.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein determining to reposition the autonomous submersible structure comprises determining an ultimate destination where the autonomous submersible structure will be off-loaded.

17. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving data from one or more sensors that detect one or more environmental parameters that are currently associated with an autonomous submersible structure that contains a particular species of live fish;

accessing a viability profile that is specific to the particular species of live fish contained in the autonomous submersible structure, and that indicates, for at least one of the environmental parameters, a respective range of values that is indicated as acceptable for the health or well-being of the particular species of live fish;

determining to reposition the autonomous submersible structure based at least on (i) the one or more environmental parameters that are currently associated with the autonomous submersible structure that contains the particular species of live fish, and (ii) the viability profile that is specific to the particular species of live fish contained in the autonomous submersible structure, and that indicates, for at least one of the environmental parameters, a respective range of values that is characterized as acceptable for the health or well-being of the particular species of live fish; and

based on determining to reposition the autonomous submersible structure, controlling a propulsion system of the autonomous submersible structure to reposition the autonomous submersible structure.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein different species of fish have different viability profiles.

19. The medium of claim 17, wherein determining to reposition the autonomous submersible structure comprises determining to change a depth of the autonomous submersible structure based at least on the viability profile indicating a range of depth values or water pressure values that are characterized as acceptable for the health or well-being of the particular species of live fish.

20. The medium of claim 17, wherein determining to reposition the autonomous submersible structure comprises determining to change a geographic position of the autonomous submersible structure based at least on the viability profile indicating a range of salinity, oxygen level, water temperature, or water pH values that are characterized as acceptable for the health or well-being of the particular species of live fish.