Remote operated vehicles

• US 7,246,567 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2005
• Issued: 07/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: H2Eye Limited
• Original Assignee: H2Eye Limited
• Inventors: Sanders, Mark, Pullin, Graham Michael, Currer, Tracy, Tyson, Lawrence Samuel, Miro, Jaime Valls, Dormer, Michael William, O'Connor, Steve, Paoli, Jan Matteo, Shelton, Chris D., Kempt, Nicholas Ian, Samalionis, Frances, Jagger, Nigel Mark, South, Paul, Cooper, Jeremy Daniel, Househam, Shaun David, Bontoft, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): AVILA, STEPHEN P
• Application Number:
  US11/113,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20050204992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 820 Days
• Field of Search: 114/312, 441/2
• US Class Current: 114/312
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 11/48 Means for searching for underwater objects means for indicating the location of sunken objects B63C7/26; locating by use of the reflection or reradiation of radio or other waves G01S ; mountings of acoustic transducers in underwater equipment G10K11/006
• 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: 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
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 21/17 by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 21/22 the propulsion power units being controlled from exterior of engine room, e.g. from navigation bridge; Arrangements of order telegraphs
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/125 for tilting and rolling F16M11/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/18 with mechanism for moving the apparatus relatively to the stand
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2038/143 for signals
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2009/0257 Multisided remote control, comprising control or display elements on at least two sides, e.g. front and back surface
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2221/012 Joy stick type
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 25/04 Operating part movable angularly in more than one plane, e.g. joystick
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/0214 Hand-held casings
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/0235 specially adapted for remote control, e.g. of audio or video apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/42 Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells H01M10/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/202 Casings or frames around the primary casing of a single cell or a single battery
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/247 specially adapted for portable devices, e.g. mobile phones, computers, hand tools or pacemakers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/264 : for cells or batteries, e.g. straps, tie rods or peripheral frames
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/50 : Current conducting connections for cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/523 : for use under water
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/625 : Casing or ring with bayonet engagement
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/1285 : of the submersible type
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/14 : Structural association with mechanical loads, e.g. with hand-held machine tools or fans with fan or impeller for cooling the machine H02K9/06
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An ROV comprising a topside, a fish and an umbilical cable for connecting the topside and the fish together. The fish is adapted to be powered by an onboard battery inductively coupled to the fish. The cable is of a fine diameter to reduce drag through the water. RF transmissions carry control and return signals to and from the fish and topside. The fish has two cameras. The front facing camera is located behind a dual layer flooded dome. A pan and tilt mechanism is fitted to one of the cameras and uses a pivotable gimbal frame driven by a lead nut moving along an arcuate bolt.

Claims

1. A fish for a recreational ROV comprising at least one thruster for propelling the fish through water, a release mechanism for an umbilical cable attachable thereto, the release mechanism being activatable remote from the mechanism, and a controller responsive to the activation of the release mechanism for controllably driving the fish to the topside during a recovery procedure by controllably operating the at least one thruster to effect one or more controlled movements of the fish during the recovery procedure.

2. The fish of claim 1, wherein the fish is provided with twin, side-mounted, horizontal thrusters, and with a position for attaching the umbilical cable thereto at a location directly at or substantially above the mid-point of a line between the twin thrusters.

3. The fish of claim 1, wherein the release mechanism is activatable by a user remote from the mechanism.

4. The fish of claim 1, wherein the release mechanism includes a logic circuit programmed to release it if, in use, the umbilical cable is snapped.

5. The fish of claim 1, wherein the release mechanism includes a spring mechanism for popping out the umbilical cable from the mechanism.

6. The fish of claim 1, wherein the release mechanism is operated by contraction of a shape memory alloy component.

7. The fish of claim 1, wherein the release mechanism comprises pins on the fish, the pins being engagable with a bayonet fitting on an end of the umbilical cable.

8. The fish of claim 7, wherein the pins are retractable to release the bayonet fitting from engagement with the fish.

17. The fish of claim 1, wherein the controller compiles a movement log of the fish during use and is operable to control the driving of the fish to the topside during the recovery procedure based on the movement log.

9. A fish for an ROV comprising a release mechanism for an umbilical cable attachable thereto, the release mechanism being activatable remote from the mechanism and including pins on the fish that are engagable with a bayonet fitting on an end of the umbilical cable, and wherein the pins are mounted on an unlocking disk, the rotation of which disengages the pins from slots on the bayonet fitting.

10. A fish for an ROV comprising a release mechanism for an umbilical cable attachable thereto, the release mechanism being activatable remote from the mechanism, and a controller for detecting loss of data communication with a topside through the umbilical cable and in response thereto initiating a recovery procedure to return the fish to the topside.

11. The fish of claim 10, wherein the recovery procedure comprises a first phase of surfacing and a second phase of driving the fish to the topside using a radio communication link between the fish and the topside.

12. The fish of claim 11, wherein the fish comprises a global positioning system used during the second phase for controlling the driving of the fish to the topside.

13. The fish of claim 10, wherein the controller compiles a movement log of the fish during use and is operable to control the driving of the fish to the topside during the recovery procedure based on the movement log.

14. The fish of claim 10, wherein the recovery procedure comprises actuating the release mechanism for disconnecting the umbilical cable.

15. A fish for a recreational ROV comprising a release mechanism for an umbilical cable attachable thereto, the release mechanism being activatable remote from the mechanism, and a controller responsive to the activation of the release mechanism for initiating a recovery procedure to return the fish to the topside, and wherein the recovery procedure comprises a first phase of surfacing and a second phase of driving the fish to the topside using a radio communication link between the fish and the topside.

16. The fish of claim 15, wherein the fish comprises a global positioning system used during the second phase for controlling the driving of the fish to the topside.