TETHERED TOW BODY, COMMUNICATIONS APPARATUS AND SYSTEM

• US 20110011323A1
• Filed: 07/17/2009
• Published: 01/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L3 Technologies, Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Adaptive Methods, Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wiggins, James, Allensworth, Walter, Owen, Peter, Zeglin, Conrad, Kieffer, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 8,104,420 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 114/245
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 1/16 deriving additional lift from hydrodynamic forces
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 21/66 Equipment specially adapted for towing underwater objects or vessels, e.g. fairings for tow-cables paravanes for dragging fishing nets A01K73/02; salvaging underwater vessels or objects B63C7/00; towed underwater vessels B63G8/42
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 8/42 Towed underwater vessels
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/04 Adaptation for subterranean or subaqueous use
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/34 Adaptation for use in or on ships, submarines, buoys or torpedoes for subaqueous use H01Q1/04

Abstract

The problem of providing a submerged vehicle with above-the-surface communications to a nearby vessel, shore platform, or satellite while traveling at operating speed is solved by an efficiently deployable tethered tow body having a hydrodynamic and buoyant hull body and incorporating a lift-generating wing that provides hydrodynamic lift to efficiently lift the tow body containing antennas and other communications devices to the surface. The tow body allows for stable operation during underwater tow, surface tow, and transitions between underwater tow and surface tow. Disclosed embodiments include communications apparatuses encompassing the principles of the tethered tow body, as well as various underwater systems that incorporate a tethered tow body or communications apparatus for establishing communications with a nearby vessel, shore platform, or satellite.

Claims

1. A tethered tow body towable on a water surface, the tow body comprising:

a hydrodynamic body structure; and

a lifting wing mounted on top of the body structure for providing hydrodynamic lift to lift the tow body from below the water surface to at least partially above the water surface.

2. The tow body of claim 1, further comprising at least one side float on either side of the body structure, wherein the lifting wing is mounted on top of the body structure and the at least one side float.

3. The tow body of claim 1, wherein the tow body is positively buoyant.

4. The tow body of claim 1, further comprising a vertical stabilizer projecting from a bottom of the body structure for keeping the tow body substantially parallel with the water surface during surface tow.

5. The tow body of claim 1, wherein the body structure is submarine shaped.

6. The tow body of claim 1, wherein the body structure has a boat hull shape.

7. The tow body of claim 1, wherein the body structure has a cone shaped fore end with a V-shaped upper edge for deflecting water during surface tow.

8. The tow body of claim 7, wherein the lifting wing has a convex fore end.

9. The tow body of claim 1, wherein the lifting wing has a curved upper surface.

10. The tow body of claim 1, wherein the lifting wing extends at least an entire length and width of the body structure.

11. A tethered communications apparatus for providing a submerged vehicle with above-the-surface communications, the apparatus comprising:

a hydrodynamic tow body comprising;

a cylindrical and watertight hull body having an aft section partitioned by an aft bulkhead;

a heat sink plate extending from the aft bulkhead inside the hull body;

an electronics assembly mounted to the heat sink plate; and

a lift-generating wing attached to a top surface of the hull body;

a cable attaching the tow body to the submerged vehicle; and

an antenna connected to the tow body.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the aft section is cone shaped.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the hull body has a cone shaped fore section, the fore section having a V-shaped upper edge for deflecting water during surface tow.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the electronics assembly is ventilated with cooling water entering through a plurality of vent holes located about the aft section.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the tow body is positively buoyant.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the lift-generating wing provides hydrodynamic lift for lifting the tow body from under a water surface to at least partially above the water surface.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the antenna provides the submerged vehicle with high-bandwidth, bi-directional radio frequency communications.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein a communications data rate of at least 1 Mbps is achieved at a distance of at least 1 km from the antenna.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the antenna is mounted on top of the lift-generating wing.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the antenna is spring-loaded for keeping the antenna substantially upright during surface tow and retracted during stowage.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the antenna is gimbaled.

22. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the cable is a fiber optic cable for transporting power and data between the tow body and the submerged vehicle.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the electronics assembly comprises an embedded processor with a wireless receiver, a DC power converter, an Ethernet to fiber optic converter, and a float switch.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the electronics assembly further comprises a global positioning system antenna and receiver module connected to the embedded processor.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the electronics assembly further comprises a radio frequency amplifier connected to the antenna and the wireless receiver for improving link reliability and boosting transmit power.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the radio frequency amplifier is mounted directly to the heat sink plate.

27. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the tow body has an attack angle between 10 to 20 degrees.

28. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the hull body is at least partially hollow.

29. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the lift-generating wing forms a convex surface with respect to the hull body.

30. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the tow body further comprises a vertical stabilizer extending from a bottom of the hull body.

31. An underwater vehicle capable of above-the-surface communications while stationary or traveling underwater at operational speed, the vehicle comprising:

an outer hull having a tow body stowage area;

a communications apparatus stored in the tow body stowage area, the apparatus comprising;

a tow body comprising;

a hydrodynamic hull body;

an electronics assembly mounted inside the hull body;

a vertical stabilizer projecting from a keel slot located on the hull body; and

a lifting wing attached to a top surface of the hull body, wherein the lifting wing conforms to the outer hull when the communications apparatus is stored in the tow body stowage area; and

an antenna mounted to an upper surface of the lifting wing;

at least one bridle attachment point on the tow body; and

a cable tethering the tow body from the at least one bridle attachment point to a reeling assembly inside the underwater vehicle.

32. The underwater vehicle of claim 31, wherein a two point bridle attachment is used to tether the tow body to the underwater vehicle.

33. The underwater vehicle of claim 31, wherein the electronics assembly comprises an embedded processor with a wireless receiver, a DC power converter, an Ethernet to fiber optic converter, and a float switch.

34. The underwater vehicle of claim 31, wherein the hull body is multi-sectional having a fore section, a center section, and an aft section, the fore and aft sections separated from the center section by fore and aft bulkheads, respectively.

35. The underwater vehicle of claim 34, wherein a heat sink plate extends from the aft bulkhead inside the center section.

36. The underwater vehicle of claim 35, wherein the electronics assembly is mounted to the heat sink plate.

37. The underwater vehicle of claim 36, wherein the electronics assembly is ventilated with cooling water entering through a plurality of vent holes located about the aft section and exiting through the keel slot.

38. The underwater vehicle of claim 31, wherein the electronics assembly is potted inside the hull body.

39. The underwater vehicle of claim 33, wherein the electronics assembly further comprises a power over Ethernet module for receiving multiplexed data and power and supplying power and data to the embedded processor.

40. The underwater vehicle of claim 39, wherein the cable transports data and power between the underwater vehicle and the communications apparatus.

41. The underwater vehicle of claim 39, wherein power is supplied from the underwater vehicle to the communications apparatus.

42. The underwater vehicle of claim 31, wherein the communications apparatus is positively buoyant enabling the communications apparatus to float to the surface using hydrostatic force when the underwater vehicle is stationary.

43. The underwater vehicle of claim 31, wherein the communications apparatus can be lifted to the surface using hydrodynamic force when the underwater vehicle is traveling underwater at operational speed of up to approximately five knots.

44. The underwater vehicle of claim 31, wherein the tow body is towed at an attack angle between 10 to 20 degrees relative to the surface.

45. The underwater vehicle of claim 31, wherein the antenna is spring-loaded for keeping the antenna substantially upright during surface tow and retracted when the tow body is stowed.

46. The underwater vehicle of claim 31, wherein the communications apparatus can be stably retrieved and stowed in the tow body stowage area after the above-the-surface communications.

47. The underwater vehicle of claim 31, wherein the vertical stabilizer prevents the tow body from yawing during surface tow.

48. The underwater vehicle of claim 35, wherein the heat sink plate is composed of aluminum.

49. The underwater vehicle of claim 31, wherein the electronics assembly further comprises a global positioning system antenna and receiver.