Submersible vehicles and methods for propelling and/or powering the same in an underwater environment

• US 20120312221A1
• Filed: 12/05/2008
• Published: 12/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Vosburgh, Frederick
• Application Number:
  US12/315,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20120312221A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 114/331
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/32 Waterborne vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/00 Electric propulsion with power supplied within the vehicle with power supply from force of nature, e.g. sun or wind, B60L8/00; for monorail vehicles, suspension vehicles or rack railways B60L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/80 Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 8/08 Propulsion schnorkels B63G8/36; nuclear propulsion B63H21/18; submerged exhausting apparatus F01N13/12
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 8/18 by hydrofoils
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A submersible vehicle for use in water includes a vehicle body and a hybrid vehicle propulsion system to propel the vehicle body through the water. The hybrid vehicle propulsion system includes a passive thrust system and an active thrust system. The passive thrust system includes a force redirector and a buoyancy control system. The buoyancy control system is operable to selectively generate vertical thrust by varying a buoyancy of the submersible vehicle and the force redirector is configured to generate a glide thrust responsive to changes in the elevation of the submersible vehicle in the water. The active thrust system includes a thruster mechanism operable to selectively propel and/or steer the vehicle body through the water.

Claims

1. A submersible vehicle for use in water, the submersible vehicle comprising:

a vehicle body; and

a hybrid vehicle propulsion system to propel the vehicle body through the water, the hybrid vehicle propulsion system including;

a passive thrust system including a force redirector and a buoyancy control system, wherein the buoyancy control system is operable to selectively generate vertical thrust by varying a buoyancy of the submersible vehicle and the force redirector is configured to generate a glide thrust responsive to changes in the elevation of the submersible vehicle in the water;

an active thrust system including a thruster mechanism operable to selectively propel and/or steer the vehicle body through the water; and

a vehicle controller operative;

to use the buoyancy control system in a slow travel operation to selectively generate vertical thrust by varying the buoyancy of the submersible vehicle;

while in the slow travel operation, to idle the active thrust system or steer with the active thrust system; and

to propel and/or steer the vehicle body through the water using the thruster mechanism in a travel operation faster than the slow travel operation to provide a faster transit of the submersible vehicle.

2. The submersible vehicle of claim 1 wherein the force redirector includes a vehicle hull.

3. The submersible vehicle of claim 2 wherein the vehicle hull is a lift generating hull.

4. The submersible vehicle of claim 1 wherein the force redirector includes a fin.

5. The submersible vehicle of claim 4 wherein a pitch angle of the fin with respect to the body is selectively adjustable.

6. The submersible vehicle of claim 4 including a vehicle hull that is also configured to generate a glide thrust responsive to changes in the elevation of the submersible vehicle in the water.

7. The submersible vehicle of claim 4 wherein the thruster mechanism includes the fin and an actuator to controllably move the fin.

8. The submersible vehicle of claim 1 wherein the thruster mechanism includes a fin and an actuator to controllably move the fin.

9. The submersible vehicle of claim 8 wherein the thruster mechanism includes:

a pair of opposed fins;

a pair of pitch actuators each associated with a respective one of the fins to selectively vary a pitch of the associated fin; and

a heave actuator to selectively change an angle between the fins.

10. The submersible vehicle of claim 9 wherein the heave actuator is operative to move each fin in each of an upstroke and a downstroke, and the thruster mechanism is operative to control the pitch of each fin such that the fin generates net positive lift during its downstroke and the fin generates net negative lift during its upstroke.

11. The submersible vehicle of claim 1 wherein the thruster mechanism includes a propeller and an actuator to controllably drive the propeller.

12. The submersible vehicle of claim 1 wherein the buoyancy control system is operative to adjust a net buoyancy of the submersible vehicle in response to a local water density.

13. The submersible vehicle of claim 1 wherein the submersible vehicle is an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV).

14. The submersible vehicle of claim 13 including a guidance and control system to enable navigation of the UUV.

15. The submersible vehicle of claim 1 including a recharging system associated with the vehicle body and including a convertor operative to convert environmental potential proximate the vehicle to electrical energy.

18. The submersible vehicle of claim 15 including a battery and wherein the recharging system is configured to recharge the battery.

19. The submersible vehicle of claim 15 wherein the electrical energy from the recharging system is consumed by the submersible vehicle.

20. The submersible vehicle of claim 19 including a propulsion system operable to drive the submersible vehicle through the water, wherein the electrical energy from the recharging system powers the propulsion system.

21. The submersible vehicle of claim 15 wherein the converter includes a bioreactor.

22. The submersible vehicle of claim 21 wherein the converter includes a redox potential convertor operable to convert redox potentials to electrical energy.

25. The submersible vehicle of claim 10 wherein the fin propulsion system is operative to coordinate the timing of actuation of the pitch actuators and the heave actuator.

27. The submersible vehicle of claim 1 wherein the vehicle controller is further operative to control the active thrust mechanism in a station keeping operation to resist drift caused by an ocean current.

28. The submersible vehicle of claim 27 wherein:

the thruster mechanism includes a fin and an actuator to controllably move the fin; and

the vehicle controller is operative to control the actuator in the station keeping operation to use the fin to resist drift caused by an ocean current.

16. A method of propelling a submersible vehicle through water, the method comprising:

providing a submersible vehicle for use in water, the submersible vehicle including;

a vehicle body; and

a hybrid vehicle propulsion system to propel the vehicle body through the water, the hybrid vehicle propulsion system including;

a passive thrust system including a force redirector and a buoyancy control system; and

an active thrust system including a thruster mechanism;

in a slow travel operation, using the buoyancy control system, selectively generating vertical thrust by varying a buoyancy of the submersible vehicle and thereby changing the elevation of the submersible vehicle in the water, responsive to which the force redirector generates a glide thrust;

in the slow travel operation, one of idling the active thrust system and steering with the active thrust system; and

in a travel operation faster than the slow travel operation, propelling and/or steering the vehicle body through the water using the thruster mechanism.

29. The method of claim 16 further including, in a station keeping operation, using the active thrust mechanism to resist drift caused by an ocean current.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein:

the thruster mechanism includes a fin and an actuator to controllably move the fin; and

the method includes, in the station keeping operation, using the actuator to control the fin to resist drift caused by an ocean current.

31. The method of claim 16 wherein the submersible vehicle is an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV).

17. (canceled)

23. (canceled)

24. (canceled)

26. (canceled)