Underwater unmanned vehicle recovery system and method
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A recovery apparatus comprising:
- a frame;
a tether connection device coupled to the frame such that the frame may be tethered to a remote surface platform;
one or more long-range and close-range location sensors coupled to the frame configured to locate and communicate with an untethered unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV);
wherein the long-range and close-range location sensors are acoustic and non-acoustic sensors;
a first mechanical linking device coupled to the frame, wherein the first mechanical linking device is configured to mechanically capture the UUV;
a plurality of steering mechanisms coupled to the frame, wherein the plurality of steering mechanisms are configured to actively guide the frame through a body of water in such a way as to allow the first mechanical linking device to capture the UUV when underwater;
wherein the apparatus is configured to be remotely controlled by an operator in order to position the frame within an appreciably close range of the UUV;
wherein when the frame is within the appreciably close range of the UUV, the apparatus is configured to then autonomously capture the UUV;
a short-range communication system configured to communicate with the UUV; and
wherein the apparatus is configured to control movement of the UUV via the short-range communication system.
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Abstract
In various embodiments, an apparatus for use in the recovery of unmanned underwater vehicles includes a recovery vehicle configured to be coupled to a winch via a tether. The recovery vehicle includes one or more sensors for locating the unmanned underwater vehicle, a first mechanical linking device for coupling the recovery vehicle to the unmanned underwater vehicle, and a plurality of steering mechanisms for actively guiding the unmanned underwater vehicle in such a way as to allow the first mechanical linking device to capture the unmanned underwater vehicle by locking onto a second mechanical linking device of the unmanned underwater vehicle.
58 Citations
3 Claims
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1. A recovery apparatus comprising:
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a frame; a tether connection device coupled to the frame such that the frame may be tethered to a remote surface platform; one or more long-range and close-range location sensors coupled to the frame configured to locate and communicate with an untethered unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV); wherein the long-range and close-range location sensors are acoustic and non-acoustic sensors; a first mechanical linking device coupled to the frame, wherein the first mechanical linking device is configured to mechanically capture the UUV; a plurality of steering mechanisms coupled to the frame, wherein the plurality of steering mechanisms are configured to actively guide the frame through a body of water in such a way as to allow the first mechanical linking device to capture the UUV when underwater; wherein the apparatus is configured to be remotely controlled by an operator in order to position the frame within an appreciably close range of the UUV; wherein when the frame is within the appreciably close range of the UUV, the apparatus is configured to then autonomously capture the UUV; a short-range communication system configured to communicate with the UUV; and wherein the apparatus is configured to control movement of the UUV via the short-range communication system.
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2. An apparatus for use in the recovery of unmanned underwater vehicles, comprising:
a recovery vehicle configured to be coupled to a winch via a tether, wherein the recovery vehicle includes, locating means for locating an untethered unmanned underwater vehicle; linking means for coupling the recovery vehicle to the untethered unmanned underwater vehicle; one or more long-range and close-range location sensors coupled to the recovery vehicle wherein said sensors are configured to locate and communicate with the untethered unmanned underwater vehicle; wherein the long-range and close-range location sensors are acoustic and non-acoustic sensors; steering means for actively guiding the untethered unmanned underwater vehicle in such a way as to allow the linking means to capture the untethered unmanned underwater vehicle by locking onto a second linking means of the untethered unmanned underwater vehicle; and wherein the recovery vehicle is configured to control movement of the unmanned underwater vehicle via a short-range communication means.
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3. A method for the recovery of an untethered unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) comprising:
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coupling a recovery vehicle to a winch via a tether; steering the recovery vehicle within an appreciably close range of the UUV using a remote steering system, a plurality of steering mechanisms of the recovery vehicle, and one or more first sensors of the recovery vehicle; placing the recovery vehicle into a capture mode, wherein when in the capture mode the recovery vehicle captures the untethered unmanned underwater vehicle using a first mechanical linking device for coupling the recovery vehicle to the untethered unmanned underwater vehicle, and one or more sensors incorporated into the recovery vehicle configured to determine relative position of the UUV to the recovery vehicle; retrieving both the recovery vehicle and UUV using the tether and winch; and wherein the step of capturing includes using a short-range communication system onboard the recovery vehicle to control movement of the UUV.
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Specification