Hull Robot

• US 20100126403A1
• Filed: 11/21/2008
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Rooney, James H. III, Longley, Jonathan T., Jacobsen, Stephen C., Harris, Joel N., Smith, Fraser
• Granted Patent: US 9,440,717 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 114/222
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 59/10 using trolleys or the like driven along the surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0227 using mechanical sensing means, e.g. for sensing treated area
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0276 using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle involving a plurality of vehicles G05D1/0287; automatically controlling vehicle speed responsive to externally generated signals B60K31/0058
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 70/00 Maritime or waterways transport

Abstract

A hull cleaning robot includes at least one cleaning apparatus for cleaning the hull of a vessel, at least one drive track holding the robot on the hull as the robot maneuvers about the hull, and at least one turbine actuatable by water flowing past the hull for operating the at least one drive track and, optionally, the cleaning apparatus.

Claims

1. A hull cleaning robot comprising:

at least one cleaning apparatus for cleaning the hull of a vessel;

at least one drive track holding the robot on the hull as the robot maneuvers about the hull; and

at least one turbine actuatable by water flowing past the hull for operating the at least one cleaning apparatus and the at least one drive track.

2. The robot of claim 1 further including a generator drivable by the turbine.

3. The robot of claim 2 further including a motor for the at least one drive track and a power source for the motor and chargeable by the generator.

4. The robot of claim 2 further including a motor for the at least one cleaning apparatus and a power source for the motor and chargeable by the generator.

5. The robot of claim 1 further including a drive train between the turbine and the at least one drive track.

6. The robot of claim 1 further including a drive train between the turbine and the at least one cleaning apparatus.

7. The robot of claim 1 in which the cleaning apparatus includes at least one cleaning brush.

8. The robot of claim 7 in which there are two side brushes and a third brush between the two side brushes.

9. The robot of claim 8 in which the brushes are drivable together.

10. The robot of claim 1 in which the at least one drive track includes an endless belt about spaced rollers.

11. The robot of claim 10 in which the belt includes magnets encapsulated therein.

12. The robot of claim 10 further including a steering subsystem for the belt.

13. The robot of claim 12 in which the steering subsystem includes a motor driving an actuator linked to one roller to change its orientation.

14. The robot of claim 1 further including a communication subsystem on board the robot for communicating with the robot.

15. The robot of claim 14 in which the communication subsystem includes a transmitter imparting vibrations into the hull and/or a receiver responsive to vibrations transmitted through the hull.

16. The robot of claim 1 further including a navigation subsystem for the robot.

17. The robot of claim 16 in which the navigation subsystem includes at least one receiver responsive to acoustic signals transmitted through the hull.

18. The robot of claim 16 in which the navigation subsystem includes a probe on the robot responsive to variations in the hull.

19. The robot of claim 1 further including a controller configured to control the at least one drive track.

20. The robot of claim 19 in which the controller is configured to operate the at least one drive track in a first direction so that the robot proceeds along the hull in the direction of the water flowing past the hull and to then reverse the operation of the at least one drive track in an opposite direction so that the robot proceeds along the hull in a direction opposite the direction of the water flowing past the hull.

21. The robot of claim 1 in which the robot has a hydrodynamic shape configured to urge the robot against the hull.

22. A hull cleaning robot comprising:

at least one cleaning apparatus for cleaning the hull of a vessel;

at least one drive track including spaced rollers and an endless belt with magnetic material encapsulated therein about the spaced rollers to hold the robot on the hull as the robot maneuvers about the hull; and

at least one turbine actuatable by water flowing past the robot for operating the at least one drive track.

23. The robot of claim 22 further including a steering subsystem for the belt.

24. The robot of claim 23 in which the steering subsystem includes a motor driving an actuator linked to one roller to change its orientation.

25. A hull cleaning robot system comprising:

a robot including;

at least one cleaning apparatus for cleaning the hull of a vessel,

a drive subsystem moving the robot about the hull, and

at least one turbine actuatable by flowing water for operating the drive subsystem;

a communications subsystem;

a navigation subsystem; and

a controller on board the robot responsive to the communication subsystem and the navigation subsystem for controlling the drive subsystem and maneuvering the robot.

26. A hull cleaning robot comprising:

a robot body;

a plurality of cleaning brushes rotationally disposed with respect to the robot body;

a pair of spaced turbines each actuatable by flowing water;

at least one drive track magnetically holding the robot on the hull as the robot maneuvers about the hull;

means, responsive to at least one turbine, for operating the cleaning brushes; and

means, responsive to at least one turbine, for operating the at least one drive track.

27. The hull cleaning robot of claim 26 in which the means for operating the cleaning brushes includes a generator drivable by a turbine for charging a battery supplying power to a motor which drives the brushes.

28. The hull cleaning robot of claim 26 in which the means for operating the at least one drive track includes a generator drivable by a turbine for charging a battery providing power to a motor driving the at least one drive track.

29. The hull cleaning robot of claim 26 in which the means for operating the cleaning brushes includes a drive train between the turbine and the cleaning brushes.

30. The hull cleaning robot of claim 26 in which the means for operating the at least one drive track include the drive train between one turbine and the at least one drive track.

31. The hull cleaning robot of claim 26 in which the at least one drive track includes an endless belt with magnetic material encapsulated therein.

32. The hull cleaning robot of claim 26 in which the robot body has a hydrodynamic shape configured to urge the robot against the hull as water flows over the robot body.

33. A hull robot comprising:

a robot body;

a drive subsystem moving the robot about the hull; and

a turbine subsystem actuatable by fluid flowing past the hull for operating the drive subsystem.

34. The robot of claim 33 in which the drive subsystem includes an endless magnetic belt about spaced rollers.

35. The robot of claim 33 further including at least one cleaning apparatus.

36. The hull cleaning robot of claim 35 in which the cleaning apparatus includes at least one cleaning brush.

37. The robot of claim 33 further including a generator drivable by the turbine subsystem.

38. The robot of claim 37 further including the motor for the drive subsystem and a power source for the motor and chargeable by the generator.

39. The robot of claim 33 further including a drive train between the turbine subsystem and the drive subsystem.

40. The robot of claim 33 further including a steering subsystem.

41. The robot of claim 33 further including a communication subsystem.

42. The robot of claim 41 in which the communication subsystem includes a transmitter imparting vibrations into the hull and/or a receiver responsive to vibrations transmitted through the hull.

43. The robot of claim 33 further including a navigation subsystem for the robot.

44. The robot of claim 43 in which the navigation subsystem includes at least one receiver responsive to acoustic signals transmitted through the hull.

45. The robot of claim 43 in which the navigation subsystem includes a probe on the robot responsive to variations in the hull.

46. The robot of claim 33 further including a controller configured to control the drive subsystem.

47. The robot of claim 46 in which the controller is configured to operate the drive subsystem in a first direction so that the robot proceeds along the hull in the direction of the water flowing past the hull and then to reverse the operation of the drive subsystem in an opposite direction so that the robot proceeds along the hull in a direction opposite to the direction of the water flowing past the hull.

48. The robot of claim 33 in which the robot body has a hydrodynamic shape configured to urge the robot body against the hull.

49. A robot comprising:

a drive subsystem maneuvering the robot about a surface; and

at least one turbine with an exposed fluid intake for powering the robot drive subsystem when fluid enters the intake.

50. The robot of claim 49 in which the turbine is disposed within a housing and the intake is disposed behind an intake screen portion of the housing.

51. The robot of claim 49 further including at least one cleaning apparatus.

52. The robot of claim 51 in which the cleaning apparatus includes at least one cleaning brush operated by the turbine subsystem.

53. The robot of claim 49 further including a generator drivable by the turbine subsystem.

54. The robot of claim 53 further including a motor for the drive subsystem and a power source for the motor and chargeable by the generator.

55. The robot of claim 49 further including a drive train between the turbine subsystem and the drive subsystem.

56. The robot of claim 49 in which the robot has a body configured to urge the robot against the surface as fluid moves over the robot.

57. A hull cleaning robot comprising:

at least one cleaning apparatus for cleaning the hull of a vessel; and

at least one turbine actuatable by water flowing past the hull for operating the at least one cleaning apparatus.

58. The hull cleaning robot of claim 57 further including a drive subsystem for moving the robot about the hull.