Unmanned undersea vehicle system for weapon deployment

• US 5,690,041 A
• Filed: 10/11/1995
• Issued: 11/25/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The United States of America As Represented By The Secretary of Agriculture
• Original Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Inventors: Hillenbrand, Christopher F., Gomez, Donald T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Carone, Michael J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lattig, Matthew J.
• Application Number:
  US08/540,611
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: 114/21.2, 114/312, 114/316, 114/317, 114/318, 342/357
• US Class Current: 114/21.2
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2203/00 Communication means
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 49/00 Arrangements of nautical instruments or navigational aids nautical measuring instruments G01C; radio navigation, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S
• 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: B63G 8/28 Arrangement of offensive or defensive equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 8/38 Arrangement of visual or electronic watch equipment, e.g. of periscopes, of radar periscopes, optical aiming or sighting devices per se G02B23/00

Abstract

An unmanned undersea vehicle system comprises a remote-controlled, unmannedndersea vehicle and a mother vehicle interconnected by a communication link. The unmanned undersea vehicle includes a weapon compartment, an erectable observation mast and a control element. Within the weapon compartment are a weapon and a buoyancy chamber positioned axi-symmetrically therein. The buoyancy chamber is initially empty and has sufficient capacity so that it can be loaded with seawater whose mass approximates mass of the weapon. The weapon compartment further includes controllable intake valving for enabling seawater surrounding the vehicle to fill the buoyancy chamber. The erectable observation mast obtains environmental information. The control element controls the deployment of the weapon by expelling the weapon from the weapon compartment and thereafter controls the firing of the weapon. The control element cooperates with the intake valving to maintain a predetermined distribution of mass as the weapon is deployed. The mother vehicle generates command information for controlling the control element and receives unmanned undersea vehicle status information from the unmanned undersea vehicle and processes it for use in generating the command information. The communication link interconnects the unmanned undersea vehicle and the mother vehicle to facilitate transfer of command information from the mother vehicle to the unmanned undersea vehicle and to further facilitate transfer of unmanned undersea vehicle status information from the unmanned undersea vehicle to the mother vehicle.

Claims

1. An unmanned undersea vehicle system comprising:

a remote-controlled, unmanned undersea vehicle having (i) a hull enclosing a weapon compartment including means for receiving a plurality of weapons longitudinally along the length of the vehicle, the hull including doors proximate the weapon receiving means, (ii) an erectable observation mast for obtaining environmental information, (iii) control means for controlling the deployment of the weapon by expelling the weapon from the weapon compartment thence to become fired, and (iv) means operative to provide compensation countervailing a redistribution of the mass of the vehicle which would otherwise occur when the weapon is expelled from the weapon compartment to thereby stabilize the vehicle against effects of expelling the weapon, said countervailing means including a plurality of buoyancy chambers positioned within the hull, each buoyancy chamber located proximate an associated one of the weapon receiving means, each buoyancy chamber being initially empty and having sufficient capacity so that it can be loaded with seawater whose mass approximates mass of one of said weapons, and controllable valve means for controllably enabling seawater surrounding the hull to fill the buoyancy chamber;

a mother vehicle for generating command information for controlling the control means and for receiving unmanned undersea vehicle status information from said unmanned undersea vehicle and processing it for use in generating the command information; and

a communication link for interconnecting said unmanned undersea vehicle and said mother vehicle to facilitate transfer of command information from said mother vehicle to said unmanned undersea vehicle and to further facilitate transfer of unmanned undersea vehicle status information from said unmanned undersea vehicle to said mother vehicle.

2. An unmanned undersea vehicle system as defined in claim 1 in which the mast includes image recording means for recording an image.

3. An unmanned undersea vehicle system as defined in claim 1 in which the mast includes Geodetic Position System ("GPS") signal receiving means for receiving GPS signals, the unmanned undersea vehicle including a GPS receiver for generating location information from the received GPS signals.

4. An unmanned undersea vehicle system as defined in claim 1 in which the mast is telescopingly extensible from the unmanned undersea vehicle.

5. An unmanned undersea vehicle system as defined in claim 1 in which the mother vehicle is a submarine vehicle.

6. An unmanned undersea vehicle system as defined in claim 1 in which the mother vehicle is a surface vehicle.