GLIDING ROBOTIC FISH NAVIGATION AND PROPULSION

• US 20150120045A1
• Filed: 10/23/2014
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Board of Trustees of Michigan State University (Michigan State University)
• Original Assignee: The Board of Trustees of Michigan State University (Michigan State University)
• Inventors: Tan, Xiaobo, Zhang, Feitian, Wang, Jianxun, Thon, John
• Granted Patent: US 9,718,523 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/250
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 2008/005 remotely controlled
• 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

Abstract

A robotic submersible includes a housing having a body and a tail. In another aspect, a pump and a pump tank adjust the buoyancy of a submersible housing. In a further aspect, a first linear actuator controls the pump and/or a buoyancy, and/or a second linear actuator controls a position of a battery and/or adjusts a center of gravity. Another aspect includes a pump and at least one linear actuator that control gliding movements of the housing. In still a further aspect, a motor couples a tail with a body, such that the motor controls the movements of the tail to create a swimming movement. Moreover, an additional aspect provides a controller selectively operating the pump, first actuator, second actuator, and motor to control when swimming and gliding movements occur.

Claims

1. A robotic submersible comprising:

a housing including a body and a tail;

a pump and a pump tank adjusting a buoyancy of the housing;

a first linear actuator controlling the pump;

a battery powering a plurality of electronics;

a second linear actuator controlling a position of the battery and adjusting a center of gravity;

a controller controlling the pump and second linear actuator;

the pump, first linear actuator and second linear actuator controlling gliding movements of the housing;

at least one motor coupling the tail with the body, the motor controlling the movements of the tail to create a swimming movement; and

the controller selectively operating the pump, first linear actuator, second linear actuator, and motor to control when the swimming and gliding movements occur.

2. The robotic submersible of claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor collecting environmental data.

3. The robotic submersible of claim 2, further comprising a first sensor and a second sensor, wherein the first sensor and second sensor collect different types of data and are interchangeable on the housing.

4. The robotic submersible of claim 3, wherein the linear actuator moves the battery to reposition the center of gravity and the pump controls an amount of water in the pump tank to maintain the buoyancy following a change from the first sensor to the second sensor, wherein the linear actuator moves the battery and the pump controls the water in the pump tank autonomously.

5. The robotic submersible of claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor is one of a temperature sensor, a water quality sensor, a blue-green algae sensor, a chlorophyll sensor, a hydrocarbon sensor, a dissolved oxygen sensor, a turbidity sensor, a nutrient sensor, a dissolved organic matter sensor, a conductivity sensor, a solar irradiation sensor, a flow velocity sensor, a sensor for tracking florescent traces, a depth sonar, a camera, an image sonar and a receiver for acoustic telemetry.

6. The robotic submersible of claim 2, further comprising a remote control station wirelessly communicating with the at least one sensor, wherein the at least one sensor transports data to the remote control station for analysis.

7. The robotic submersible of claim 2, wherein the sensors operate to monitor a plurality of structural parameters of underwater bridge foundations.

8. The robotic submersible of claim 1, further comprising propellers coupled to the body for auxiliary or main propulsion, wherein the propellers and swimming movements work together and the propellers and gliding movements work together to propel the housing.

9. The robotic submersible of claim 1, further comprising a solar panel connected to the battery, wherein the controller selectively activates the solar panel to collect solar energy when the solar panel is within a predetermined range from a surface of a body of water.

10. The robotic submersible of claim 1, further comprising an energy collector that generates energy from wave motion.

11. The robotic submersible of claim 1, wherein the housing and controller are unmanned.

12. A method of controlling a robotic submersible comprising:

monitoring a battery charge state;

controlling a movement mode, wherein the movement mode is influenced by the battery charge state;

controlling a buoyancy;

collecting data using a plurality of sensors; and

transmitting the data to an external home base, wherein a mode of transmission is based at least on the battery charge state and a location.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the movement mode is at least one of a swim mode, a glide mode, a propeller mode and any combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein when the movement mode is the swim mode or a combination including the swim mode, further comprising adjusting a center of gravity and activating a motor that moves a tail relative to a body.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein when the movement mode is the glide mode or a combination including the glide mode, further comprising adjusting the buoyancy by pumping fluid in or out of a tank and adjusting a center of gravity by positioning a battery along a slide.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein when the movement mode is the propeller mode or a combination including the propeller mode, further comprising activating at least one propeller on at least one fin.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the movement mode is further influenced by at least one of water depth, mission urgency, and ambient flow disturbance.

18. A method of controlling a robotic submersible comprising:

determining a depth within a fluid environment;

determining a required speed;

determining a battery charge state;

autonomously selecting a movement mode based on the required speed, depth and battery charge state, wherein the movement mode is at least one of a swimming mode, a gliding mode, a propeller mode, a combined swimming and gliding mode, a combined gliding and swimming mode, and any combination thereof; and

autonomously selectively controlling at least one of a propeller, a buoyancy, and a center of gravity to achieve the movement mode.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising determining whether a mission is urgent, wherein the urgency is used to select the movement mode and the mission is urgent if a time for completion is less than a predetermined time threshold.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein if the depth is greater than a first predetermined level, the required speed is faster than a predetermined speed, the mission is urgent, and the battery charge state is high, the movement mode is a swimming mode.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein if the depth is greater than a first predetermined level, the battery charge state is between medium and high, and at least one of the required speed is slower than a predetermined speed and the mission is not urgent, the movement mode is a combined swimming and gliding mode.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein if the depth is greater than a first predetermined level, the battery charge state is below medium, and at least one of the required speed is slower than a predetermined speed and the mission is not urgent, the movement mode is an emergency power management mode.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising determining an ambient flow disturbance.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein if the depth is greater than a second predetermined level and the ambient flow disturbance is less than a first predetermined threshold, the movement mode is a glide mode.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein if the depth is greater than a second predetermined level and the ambient flow disturbance is greater than a first predetermined threshold and less than a second predetermined threshold, the movement mode is a combined gliding and swimming mode.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein if the depth is greater than a second predetermined level and the ambient flow disturbance is greater than a second predetermined threshold and less than a third predetermined threshold, the movement mode is a swim mode.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein if the depth is greater than a second predetermined level, the ambient flow disturbance is greater than a third predetermined threshold, and the battery charge state is above a first predetermined state, the movement mode is a propeller mode.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein if the depth is greater than a second predetermined level, the ambient flow disturbance is greater than a third predetermined threshold, and the battery charge state is greater than a second predetermined state and less than a first predetermined state, the movement mode is a combined swimming and gliding mode.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein if the depth is greater than a second predetermined level, the ambient flow disturbance is greater than a third predetermined threshold, and the battery charge state is less than a second predetermined state, the movement mode is an emergency power management mode.

30. The method of claim 18, wherein if the depth is less than a first predetermined level, movement mode is a swimming mode.

31. A method of controlling a robotic submersible comprising:

deploying the robotic submersible;

transmitting global positioning system coordinates of a destination;

traveling in at least one of a swim mode, glide mode, propeller mode, combined swim and glide mode, combined glide and swim mode and any combination thereof;

collecting data, wherein the data collected is at least one of environmental data, visual images, sonar data and combinations thereof;

storing data; and

transmitting the data to a home base.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the global positioning system coordinates of the destination are transmitted through one of a wired or wireless connection.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the data is stored on at least one of a secure digital chip, internal memory, an extreme digital chip, a flash drive, a solid state storage, a remotely located database, and any combination thereof.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the data is transmitted to the home base over at least one of a wired connection, a wireless connection, a 3G network, a 4G network, a satellite, or any combination thereof.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein the home base is at least one of a computer desktop, a computer laptop, a smart phone, a tablet, and any combination thereof.

36. Computer software stored in non-transitory computer memory, the software comprising:

a first set of instructions operably monitoring a battery charge state;

a second set of instructions operably controlling a movement mode, wherein the movement mode is influenced by the battery charge state;

a third set of instructions operably controlling a buoyancy;

a fourth set of instructions operably collecting data using a plurality of sensors; and

a fifth set of instructions operably transmitting the data to an external home base, wherein a mode of transmission is based at least on the battery charge state and a location.