System and method for automated rendezvous, docking and capture of autonomous underwater vehicles

• US 9,873,495 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2015
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stone Aerospace, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Stone Aerospace, Inc.
• Inventors: Stone, William C., Clark, Evan, Richmond, Kristof, Paulus, Jeremy, Kapit, Jason, Scully, Mark, Kimball, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiest, Anthony D
• Application Number:
  US14/887,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20160176487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: 2441724, 356150
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2027/165 Deployment or recovery of underwater vehicles using lifts or hoists
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2231/76 Ice
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 2008/004 autonomously operating
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 2008/008 Docking stations for unmanned underwater vessels, or the like
• 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

Abstract

A system for automated rendezvous, docking, and capture of autonomous underwater vehicles at the conclusion of a mission comprising of comprised of a docking rod having lighted, pulsating (in both frequency and light intensity) series of LED light strips thereon, with the LEDs at a known spacing, and the autonomous underwater vehicle specially designed to detect and capture the docking rod and then be lifted structurally by a spherical end strop about which the vehicle can be pivoted and hoisted up (e.g., onto a ship). The method of recovery allows for very routine and reliable automated recovery of an unmanned underwater asset.

Claims

1. An automated rendezvous and docking system for autonomous underwater vehicles comprising:

an autonomous underwater vehicle;

a docking rod releasably connected to said autonomous underwater vehicle, said docking rod having a top end and a bottom end, said bottom end configured to a sphere having a diameter larger than said docking rod;

a structural support member within said docking rod, said structural support member traversing the length of said docking rod;

an annulus surrounding said structural support member and having a plurality of channels radially about the surface of said annulus;

a plurality of LED light strips within said plurality of channels of said annulus; and

a hollow external tube surrounding said annulus and said plurality of LED light strips therein.

2. The automated rendezvous and docking system, as recited in claim 1, wherein said autonomous underwater vehicle is capable of 6-degree-of-freedom hovering.

3. The automated rendezvous and docking system, as recited in claim 2, wherein said autonomous underwater vehicle further contains a guide channel.

4. The automated rendezvous and docking system, as recited in claim 3, wherein said autonomous underwater vehicle contains a plurality of machine vision cameras.

5. The automated rendezvous and docking system, as recited in claim 4, wherein said autonomous underwater vehicle contains a plurality of latches for securing said docking rod to within said guide channel of said autonomous underwater vehicle.

6. The automated rendezvous and docking system, as recited in claim 5, wherein said guide channel contains a spherical cavity for catching and securing said sphere of said docking rod.

7. The automated rendezvous and docking system, as recited in claim 6, where said sphere is constructed of a durable structural material.

8. The automated rendezvous and docking system, as recited in claim 7, wherein said plurality of LED light strips contains individual LEDs in each strip spaced at a known spacing.

9. The automated rendezvous and docking system, as recited in claim 8, further comprising a suspension cable releasably connected to said top end of said docking rod.

10. The automated rendezvous and docking system, as recited in claim 9, further comprising a transponder connected to said suspension cable.

11. The automated rendezvous and docking system, as recited in claim 10, wherein the exterior of said docking rod comprises a transparent robust material.

12. The automated rendezvous and docking system, as recited in claim 10, wherein the exterior of said docking rod comprises a translucent robust material.

13. The automated rendezvous and docking system, as recited in claim 10, wherein said hollow tube is filled with an incompressible liquid.