Hull robot garage

• US 8,393,286 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2009
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Rooney, James H. III, Longley, Jonathan T., Boule, Brian R.
• Primary Examiner(s): SWINEHART, EDWIN L
• Application Number:
  US12/586,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20110067615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 114 5- 8, 114/238, 114/239, 114258-262, 114/221.R, 114/222, 114/201.R, 114/313, 114/322, 320/109, 405192-194
• US Class Current: 114/221.R
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 59/06 Cleaning devices for hulls
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 59/08 of underwater surfaces while afloat B63B59/10 takes precedence

Abstract

A vessel hull robot garage includes a stowage compartment for stowing a hull robot and a rotation system for rotating the stowage compartment relative to the vessel between a launch/recovery attitude and a stowed position.

Claims

1. A vessel hull robot garage comprising:

a stowage compartment on a deck of the vessel proximate to a portion of a hull of the vessel extending from the deck for stowing a hull robot;

a rotation system configured to rotate said stowage compartment relative to the vessel between a launch/recovery attitude and a stowed position, wherein the stowage compartment in the launch/recovery attitude is operable to launch the hull robot to, and recover the hull robot from, the portion of the hull.

2. The vessel hull robot garage of claim 1 in which said rotation system includes a rotation mechanism and a drive system.

3. The vessel hull robot garage of claim 1 in which said garage includes a cleaning fluid dispenser system for cleaning said robot.

4. The vessel hull robot garage of claim 1 in which said garage includes cleaning implements for cleaning said robot.

5. The vessel hull robot garage of claim 1 in which said garage includes a heater system.

6. The vessel hull robot garage of claim 1 in which said garage includes a charging receptacle for engaging a matching receptacle on said robot for charging the robot power supply.

7. The vessel hull robot garage of claim 1 in which said garage includes a charging and communication receptacle for receiving a matching receptacle on said robot for charging the robot power supply and communicating with an on board host controller and navigation system.

8. The vessel hull robot garage of claim 1 in which the robot garage is disposed on a water borne vessel deck and said launch/recovery attitude is generally parallel to the surface of the hull and the stowed position is generally parallel to the deck.

9. The vessel hull robot garage of claim 1 in which said garage includes a floor of magnetic material.

10. The vessel hull robot garage of claim 9 in which there is a first spacer between the magnetic material and the robot to reduce any magnetic attraction between the robot and vessel.

11. The vessel hull robot garage of claim 9 in which said first spacer is non- magnetic material.

12. The vessel hull robot garage of claim 9 in which said first spacer is a keeper plate.

13. The vessel hull robot garage of claim 1 in which said rotation system includes a hinge one portion of which is fixed to the garage, the other to said vessel.

14. The vessel hull robot garage of claim 1 in which the garage encloses said robot in the stowed position.

15. The vessel hull robot garage of claim 14 in which said garage includes a door driven to move toward the open position as said stowage compartment approaches the launch/recovery attitude and toward the closed position as said stowage compartment approaches the stowed position.

16. The vessel hull robot garage of claim 1 in which the garage includes a service chamber including at least one of a heater, a cleaning fluid dispenser system and a cleaning implement.

17. The vessel hull robot garage of claim 1 in which the garage includes a releasably connected portable suitcase chamber.

18. The vessel hull robot garage of claim 2 in which said stowage compartment includes a turntable for re-orienting the hull robot relative to said stowage compartment.

19. The vessel hull robot garage of claim 18 in which said turntable includes a second rotation mechanism for rotating said turntable.

20. The vessel hull robot garage of claim 19 in which said second rotation mechanism is driven by said drive system.

21. The vessel hull robot garage of claim 20 in which said first and second rotation mechanisms each include a set of gears with a common shaft driven by said drive system.

22. A vessel hull robot garage comprising:

a stowage compartment coupleable to a deck of a vessel proximate to a portion of a hull of the vessel extending from the deck for stowing a hull robot;

a rotation system for rotating said stowage compartment relative to the vessel between a launch/recovery attitude and a stowed position, wherein the stowage compartment in the launch/recovery attitude is operable to launch the hull robot to, and recover the hull robot from, the portion of the hull;

a service chamber for receiving the hull robot for servicing during stowage; and

a separate, portable suitcase chamber for extracting the robot from the garage.