CONTROLLABLE BUOYS AND NETWORKED BUOY SYSTEMS

• US 20150344109A1
• Filed: 06/02/2015
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Inventors: DAVOODI, Faranak, BURDICK, Joel W., DAVOUDI, Farhooman
• Granted Patent: US 10,067,507 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2022/006 specially adapted for measuring or watch purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 22/02 specially adapted for mooring a vessel
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 22/20 Ballast means
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 22/22 Inflatable buoys with gas generating means B63B22/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 22/24 container type, i.e. having provision for the storage of material
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2203/00 Communication means
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2213/02 using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. the Global Positioning System GPS
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 2008/007 by means of a physical link to a base, e.g. wire, cable or umbilical
• 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: G01N 33/1886 using probes, e.g. submersible probes, buoys
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0206 specially adapted to water vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/30 Energy from the sea, e.g. using wave energy or salinity gradient
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

Buoyant sensor networks are described, comprising floating buoys with sensors and energy harvesting capabilities. The buoys can control their buoyancy and motion, and can organize communication in a distributed fashion. Some buoys may have tethered underwater vehicles with a smart spooling system that allows the vehicles to dive deep underwater while remaining in communication and connection with the buoys.

Claims

1. A buoy comprising:

a shell;

at least one communication device;

at least one energy-providing device; and

at least one tethered vehicle attached to the buoy by a tethering cable, the tethering cable being spooled in one of the shell or the at least one tethered vehicle.

2. The buoy of claim 1, further comprising at least one spooler comprising a motor, the motor configured to deploy and reel-in the tethering cable.

3. The buoy of claim 1, wherein the shell is inflatable and comprises a chamber, the chamber configured to contain a fluid, and wherein the chamber comprises a pump to control a volume of the fluid within the chamber, thereby controlling buoyancy, and wherein the buoy further comprises an electronic controller module located in a rigid protective chamber at a center of the inflatable shell, the electronic controller module comprising a processor.

4. The buoy of claim 1, wherein the at least one communication device comprises a radio frequency transceiver and an acoustic transceiver.

5. The buoy of claim 1, wherein the at least one energy-providing device comprises an energy harvesting device and a battery.

6. The buoy of claim 5, wherein the energy harvesting device comprises at least one of an electromagnetic generator, a wave generator, and a solar array.

7. The buoy of claim 6, wherein the electromagnetic generator comprises at least one tube, at least one solenoid surrounding the tube, and at least one magnet within the tube, configured to move within the tube when the buoy is moving.

8. The buoy of claim 6, wherein the shell is spherical and comprises a transparent dome at its top, and wherein the solar array is located beneath the transparent dome.

9. The buoy of claim 1, wherein the spooler comprises a tension sensor and wherein the motor operates the tethering cable based on feedback from the tension sensor.

10. The buoy of claim 9, further comprising at least one sensor, wherein the at least one communication device is configured to transmit and receive data from the at least one sensor.

11. The buoy of claim 10, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one of a camera, a biochemical sensor, a radiation sensor, and a pressure sensor.

12. The buoy of claim 9, wherein the at least one tethered vehicle comprises at least one sensor and at least one communication device.

13. The buoy of claim 1, wherein the propulsion unit is configured to tow the buoy in a desired direction through the tethered vehicle.

14. The buoy of claim 1, wherein the at least one tethered vehicle comprises a plurality of tethered vehicles, wherein each tethered vehicle has its own spooler and tethering cable.

15. The buoy of claim 14, further comprising a docking tube within the shell of the buoy for each tethered vehicle of the plurality of tethered vehicles, each docking tube configured to house a tethered vehicle when the tethered vehicle is reeled-in.

16. The buoy of claim 1, wherein the at least one spooler comprises a first spooler within the shell and a second spooler within the at least one tethered vehicle.

17. The buoy of claim 8, wherein the transparent dome comprises a low frequency resonator.

18. The buoy of claim 12, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a hydrophone and the at least one communication device comprises an acoustic transceiver.

19. The buoy of claim 1, wherein the tethering cable comprises a communication cable in its center, the communication cable configured to transmit signals between the buoy and the at least one tethered vehicle.

20. The buoy of claim 19, wherein the communication cable is a fiber optic cable.

21. The buoy of claim 19, wherein the tethering cable further comprises an energy transmitting cable, configured to transmit energy from the buoy to the tethered vehicle, thereby powering the tethered vehicle.

22. The buoy of claim 5, wherein the energy harvesting device is configured to generate energy from a temperature gradient in water, the temperature gradient being between a temperature at the water surface and a temperature underwater.

23. The buoy of claim 1, wherein the at least one tethered vehicle is configured to deploy at a specific water depth based on an Ekman spiral.

24. The buoy of claim 3, wherein the buoy is configured to submerge a majority of its shell under the water surface.

25. A network of buoys comprising a plurality of buoys as in claim 1, the buoys configured to communicate and coordinate among each other.

26. A method to organize a plurality of buoys, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of buoys, each buoy comprising;

a shell;

at least one sensor;

at least one communication device;

at least one energy-providing device;

at least one processor;

a plurality of spoolers, each spooler comprising a motor, the motor configured to deploy and reel-in a tethering cable; and

a plurality of tethered vehicles attached to the buoy by the tethering cable, the plurality of tethered vehicle each comprising a propulsion unit, at least one further communication device and at least one further sensor; and

programming the plurality of buoys with a plurality of contingencies and behaviors.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the plurality of contingencies comprise:

detecting a vehicle entering a designated area, detecting a communication signal within the designated area, detecting a natural event within the designated area, detecting an industrial event within the designated area, or receiving an assignment to deploy within the designated area for surveillance.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the natural event comprises a tsunami, a volcanic activity or an earthquake.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the industrial event comprises an oil spill, a malfunction in an underwater industrial asset, or a maintenance request from an underwater industrial asset.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the plurality of behaviors comprise assigning a location to each buoy of the plurality of buoys, coordinating signal emissions from a subset of buoys of the plurality of buoys thereby enabling beam forming, deploying a subset of tethered vehicles at a specific water depth, or triangulating a position of an object.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein each tethering cable comprises a fiber optic cable at its center, and wherein the method further comprises:

deploying, at a water depth under a thermocline level, a subset of tethered vehicles from a first subset of buoys of the plurality of buoys;

sending communication signals between the subset of tethered vehicles under the thermocline level; and

relaying the communication signals to the first subset of buoys through the fiber optic cables of the subset of tethered vehicles.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

transmitting the communication signals from the first subset of buoys to a second subset of buoys of the plurality of buoys.

33. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

deploying at least one tethered vehicle at a specified water depth; and

towing a buoy through the at least one tethered vehicle.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

detecting or calculating an Ekman spiral of velocity vectors underwater; and

determining the specified water depth based on the detected or calculated Ekman spiral.

35. The method of claim 30, wherein the object is a buoy, a tethered vehicle, an underwater industrial asset or a vehicle.

36. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

providing a buoy and a tethered vehicle with at least one chamber containing at least one biochemical compound;

detecting an industrial pollution accident;

cleaning a designated area at different depths, with the at least one biochemical compound.