Hybrid remotely/autonomously operated underwater vehicle

• US 20080300742A1
• Filed: 05/30/2007
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oceaneering International Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Oceaneering International Incorporated
• Inventors: Miller, Trevor, Weaver, David, Boyd, David, Dann, Shawn, Mohr, Patrick, Tolman, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US11/806,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20080300742A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/21
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 11/40 adapted to specific work
• 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: G05D 1/0038 by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246

Abstract

Disclosed is an underwater vehicle that can be operated as a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) or as an autonomous vehicle (AUV). The underwater vehicle has a tether, which may be a fiberoptic cable, that connects the vehicle to a control console. The underwater vehicle has vertical and lateral thrusters, pitch and yaw control fins, and a propulsor, all of which may be used in an ROV-mode when the underwater vehicle is operating at slow speeds. The underwater vehicle may also be operated in a AUV-mode when operating at higher speeds. The operator may switch the vehicle between ROV-mode and AUV-mode. The underwater vehicle also has a fail-safe mode, in which the vehicle may navigate according to a pre-loaded mission plan if the tether is severed.

Claims

1. An underwater vehicle, comprising:

a tether;

a communications device coupled to the tether;

an ROV controller that controls the underwater vehicle according to an ROV-mode;

an AUV controller that controls the underwater vehicle according to an AUV-mode; and

an ROV/AUV mode switch that switches the underwater vehicle between the ROV-mode and the AUV-mode.

2. The underwater vehicle of claim 1, wherein the ROV controller comprises:

a processor; and

a computer readable medium encoded with instructions for operating the underwater vehicle in the ROV-mode;

3. The underwater vehicle of claim 2, wherein the ROV/AUV mode switch comprises a plurality of instructions that are encoded in the computer readable medium.

4. The underwater vehicle of claim 1, wherein the ROV/AUV mode switch switches the underwater vehicle into a fail-safe mode in response to a signal from the communications device.

5. An underwater vehicle, comprising:

a lateral thruster;

a vertical thruster;

a pitch control fin;

a yaw control fin;

a propulsor;

an ROV controller coupled to the lateral thruster and the vertical thruster; and

an AUV controller coupled to the pitch control fin, the yaw control fin, and the propulsor,

wherein the ROV controller is configured to communicate with the AUV controller.

6. The underwater vehicle of claim 5, wherein the ROV controller is configured to take direct control of the pitch control fin, the yaw control fin, and the propulsor from the AUV controller.

7. The underwater vehicle of claim 5, further comprising:

a communication device coupled to the ROV controller; and

a tether coupled to the communication device.

8. The underwater vehicle of claim 7, wherein the communication device includes a fiberoptic multiplexer, and wherein the tether includes a fiberoptic cable.

9. The underwater vehicle of claim 7, further comprising an ROV/AUV mode switch coupled between the communication device and the ROV controller.

10. The underwater vehicle of claim 5, wherein the vertical thruster comprises a thruster cover having a plurality of apertures, wherein a dimension of each of the plurality of apertures corresponds to a maximum thrust of the propulsor and a rigidity of the tether.

11. A vehicle, comprising:

a hull;

a tether pack disposed within the hull, wherein the tether pack has a length of tether; and

a stinger guide coupled to an aperture in the hull,

wherein the tether passes through the aperture and the stinger guide.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the tether pack comprises:

a case;

a full-extension cable cutter; and

at least one binder-stripping wheel.

13. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the tether comprises a fiber optic cable.

14. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the stinger guide comprises polyethylene.

15. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the stinger guide comprises:

a guide portion; and

a tail portion, wherein the tail portion is cut into a spiral shape.

16. An underwater vehicle, comprising:

a hull;

an antenna mast disposed on a topside of the hull; and

a keel disposed on an underside of the hull,

wherein the keel has a trim pack disposed at an end of the keel.

17. The underwater vehicle of claim 16, wherein the antenna mast comprises a handle.

18. The underwater vehicle of claim 16, wherein the trim pack comprises:

a base plate;

a cover plate having a plurality of apertures; and

a plurality of ballast components disposed between the cover plate and the base plate,

wherein the plurality of ballast components has a combined weight corresponding to the density of the underwater vehicle and the density of the water in which the underwater vehicle is to be deployed.

19. The underwater vehicle of claim 16, further comprising a computer having a computer readable medium encoded with instructions and data corresponding to a lookup table, the lookup table having an input value corresponding to a water specific density and an output value corresponding to the combined weight of the ballast components.

20. The underwater vehicle of claim 16, wherein the trim pack is configured so that the underwater vehicle can rest on the trim pack when the underwater vehicle is placed on a flat surface.

21. The underwater vehicle of claim 16, wherein the trim pack is configured so that the plurality of ballast components can be distributed along a length of the keel.