Apparatus for deploying and recovering a towed acoustic line array from an unmanned undersea vehicle
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for deploying and recovering a towed line array from a vehicle, comprising:
- a cylindrical drum located inside the vehicle upon which to spool the towed line array;
an electric motor joined to rotate said cylindrical drum;
an electro-mechanical winding guide whose movement is synchronized with that of the cylindrical drum for guiding and retaining the towed line array in a slidable manner as the towed line array is wound onto said cylindrical drum;
a plurality of stationary winding guides internal to the vehicle through which said towed line array is guided; and
a reverse thruster joined at an end of the towed line array outside the vehicle, said reverse thruster capable of propelling itself away from the vehicle.
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Abstract
A free flooded section of an unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) contains a rotating cylindrical drum, which serves as a spool for a towed line array cable. At the end of the cable is a reverse thruster with the ability to propel itself away from the UUV when the UUV is submerged. The thruster moves away from the UUV, pulling the cable and unspooling it as it does so in order to deploy the array. To recover the array, the cylindrical drum rotates to reel in the cable. The cable is guided through a series of winding guides that allow the cable to be wound evenly on the drum.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. An apparatus for deploying and recovering a towed line array from a vehicle, comprising:
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a cylindrical drum located inside the vehicle upon which to spool the towed line array; an electric motor joined to rotate said cylindrical drum; an electro-mechanical winding guide whose movement is synchronized with that of the cylindrical drum for guiding and retaining the towed line array in a slidable manner as the towed line array is wound onto said cylindrical drum; a plurality of stationary winding guides internal to the vehicle through which said towed line array is guided; and a reverse thruster joined at an end of the towed line array outside the vehicle, said reverse thruster capable of propelling itself away from the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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Specification