Autonomous unmanned underwater vehicles

• US 10,196,117 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2016
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Lichter, Harry J., Baker, Wayne A., Sylvia, Russell M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vasudeva, Ajay
• Application Number:
  US15/272,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20170081004A1
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 2008/004 autonomously operating
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 2008/008 Docking stations for unmanned underwater vessels, or the like
• 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: B63G 8/14 Control of attitude or depth of torpedoes F42B19/00
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 8/16 by direct use of propellers or jets
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 8/30 of artillery or missile launching means

Abstract

Autonomous underwater vehicles are described that are stackable with other like autonomous underwater vehicles on a suitable launch platform, such as within a vertical missile launch tube of a submarine, waiting to be deployed into the water. The underwater vehicles can be deployed or launched individually, in groups, or all together into the water. While stacked together, the stacked autonomous underwater vehicles can connect to one another or to external structure of the launch platform. In addition, the underwater vehicles can be positively buoyant or can be made to have controllable buoyancy to allow the underwater vehicles to float up and out of the launch platform during deployment without an external deployment force.

Claims

1. A vertical missile launch tube of a submarine, comprising:

an interior space with a vertically uppermost exit opening;

a plurality of autonomous underwater vehicles within the interior space in a vertically stacked arrangement, each one of the autonomous underwater vehicles has a maximum lateral dimension that is larger than a maximum thickness dimension thereof, and each one of the autonomous underwater vehicles is sized to permit each autonomous underwater vehicle to exit the interior space through the vertically uppermost exit opening; and

an actuatable, releasable connection mechanism on each one of the autonomous underwater vehicles that releasably connects each one of the autonomous underwater vehicles to the vertical missile launch tube.

2. The vertical missile launch tube of claim 1, wherein there are at least three of the autonomous underwater vehicles in the vertically stacked arrangement.

3. The vertical missile launch tube of claim 1, wherein each one of the autonomous underwater vehicles has positive buoyancy.

4. The vertical missile launch tube of claim 1, comprising a sleeve within the interior space, and the autonomous underwater vehicles are disposed within the sleeve.

5. The vertical missile launch tube of claim 1, wherein each one of the autonomous underwater vehicles includes a vertical thruster.

6. A submarine, comprising:

a hull;

a vertical missile launch tube in the hull that defines an interior space with a vertically uppermost exit opening;

a plurality of autonomous underwater vehicles within the interior space in a vertically stacked arrangement, each one of the autonomous underwater vehicles has a maximum lateral dimension that is larger than a maximum thickness dimension thereof, and each one of the autonomous underwater vehicles is sized to permit each autonomous underwater vehicle to exit the interior space through the vertically uppermost exit opening; and

an actuatable, releasable connection mechanism on each one of the autonomous underwater vehicles that releasably connects each one of the autonomous underwater vehicles to the vertical missile launch tube.

7. The submarine of claim 6, wherein there are at least three of the autonomous underwater vehicles in the vertically stacked arrangement.

8. The submarine of claim 6, wherein each one of the autonomous underwater vehicles has positive buoyancy.

9. The submarine of claim 6, wherein each one of the autonomous underwater vehicles includes a vertical thruster.