Submersible Vehicle

• US 20080264323A1
• Filed: 10/19/2006
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GO Science Group Ltd.
• Original Assignee: GO Science, Ltd. (Thalassa Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Gosling, Harry George Dennis
• Granted Patent: US 8,025,021 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 114/330
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 1/04 with single hull
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2241/12 annular or toroidal
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 35/04 Cable-laying vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 2008/002 unmanned
• 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 8/22 Adjustment of buoyancy by water ballasting; Emptying equipment for ballast tanks conduits for emptying or ballasting on vessels in general B63B13/00; stabilising vessels using ballast tanks B63B43/06
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 8/24 Automatic depth adjustment; Safety equipment for increasing buoyancy, e.g. detachable ballast, floating bodies
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 8/26 Trimming equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 1/32 Flaps, pistons, or the like, reciprocating in propulsive direction
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 1/36 swinging sideways, e.g. fishtail type
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 2001/005 using Magnus effect
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 5/14 characterised by being mounted in non-rotating ducts or rings, e.g. adjustable for steering purpose shrouding ring attached to blades B63H1/16; jet propulsion B63H11/00

Abstract

A submersible vehicle having an outer hull which defines a hull axis and appears substantially annular when viewed along the hull axis, the interior of the annulus defining a duct which is open at both ends so that when the vehicle is submerged in a liquid, the liquid floods the duct. The vehicle further comprising means for rolling the vehicle about the hull axis. A buoyancy control system may be provided, and the outer hull may be swept with respect to the hull axis. Various methods of deploying and using the vehicle are described.

Claims

1. A submersible vehicle having an outer hull which defines a hull axis and appears substantially annular when viewed along the hull axis, the interior of the annulus defining a duct which is open at both ends so that when the vehicle is submerged in a liquid, the liquid floods the duct, the vehicle further comprising means for rolling the vehicle about the duct.

2. A vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the means for rolling the vehicle about the duct is positioned in the duct.

3. A vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the means for rolling the vehicle about the duct comprises a propulsion system.

4. A vehicle according to claim 3 wherein the propulsion system has rotational symmetry about the hull axis.

5. A vehicle according to claim 3 wherein the propulsion system comprises one or more pairs of propulsion devices, each pair comprising a first device pivotally mounted on a first side of the hull axis, and a second device pivotally mounted on a second side of the hull axis opposite to the first device.

6. A vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the means for rolling the vehicle about the duct comprises one or more control surfaces.

7. A vehicle according to claim 6 wherein the means for rolling vehicle about the duct comprises one or more pairs of control surfaces, each comprising a first control surface on a first side of the hull axis, and a second control surface on a second side of the hull axis opposite to the first control surface.

8. A vehicle according to claim 6 wherein the or each control surface comprises a fin.

9. A vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the means for rolling the vehicle about the duct comprises an inertial control system comprising one or more masses, each of which can be accelerated so as to impart an equal and opposite acceleration to the vehicle.

10. A vehicle according to claim 1 further comprising a buoyancy control system.

41. The use of a vehicle according to claim 1 comprising submerging the vehicle in a liquid-filled pipe for inspection, repair or other purposes.

42. A method of docking a vehicle according to claim 1, the method comprising inserting the vehicle into a substantially cylindrical dock.

43. A method of docking a vehicle according to claim 1, the method comprising inserting a dock projection into the duct.

44. A method of deploying a vehicle according to claim 1, the method comprising deploying the vehicle from a substantially cylindrical dock.

45. A method of deploying a vehicle according to claim 1, the method comprising deploying the vehicle from a dock projection received in the duct.

11-30. -30. (canceled)

31. A submersible vehicle having an outer hull which defines a hull axis and appears substantially annular when viewed along the hull axis, the interior of the annulus

defining a duct which is open at both ends so that when the vehicle is submerged in a liquid, the liquid floods the duct;

and a twin thrust vector propulsion system comprising one or more pairs of propulsion devices, each pair comprising a first propulsion device pivotally mounted on a first side of the hull axis, and a second propulsion device pivotally mounted on a second side of the hull axis opposite to the first propulsion device.

32. (canceled)

33. A method of operating a submersible vehicle, the vehicle comprising an outer hull which defines a hull axis and appears substantially annular when viewed along the hull axis, the interior of the annulus defining a duct which is open at both ends so that when the vehicle is submerged in a liquid, the liquid floods the duct, the method comprising:

submerging the vehicle in a liquid whereby the liquid floods the duct, and rolling the vehicle about its hull axis through a plurality of revolutions.

34. A method according to claim 33 further comprising maintaining the vehicle with substantially no translational movement whilst rolling the vehicle about its axis.

35. A method according to claim 33 further comprising inclining the vehicle at an angle to a current in the liquid whilst rolling the vehicle about its axis, thereby generating magnus forces.

36. A method according to claim 33 further comprising pulsing on a propulsion system over a limited arc of revolution of the vehicle.

37. A method according to claim 33 wherein the vehicle comprises a sensor, and the method further comprises translating the vehicle whilst rolling the vehicle about its axis, and acquiring sensor data from the sensor more than once per revolution.

38. A method according to claim 37 further comprising processing the sensor data from successive revolutions to achieve synthetic extension of the sensor'"'"'s aperture in two dimensions.

39. A method according to claim 33 further comprising sensing the proximity of the vehicle to an external object and controlling the position of the vehicle in response to the sensed proximity.

40. A method according to claim 33 further comprising laying a cable from the vehicle.

46-52. -52. (canceled)