System and method for marine survey payload delivery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10464644-B2
Application number	US-201715476567-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2017
Priority date	Apr 19, 2016
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

An apparatus. The apparatus includes a body and a plurality of control surfaces attached to the body. A first control surface is configured to control an ascent and descent of the apparatus, responsive to ascent/descent control information. A second control surface is configured to control a roll of the apparatus responsive to roll control information, and a third control surface is configured to control a yaw of the apparatus responsive to yaw control information. The apparatus further includes a releasable first docking fixture attached to the body, the first docking fixture configured to engage a second docking fixture on a payload.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
towing, within a water body, a towed steerable depressor having a streamer cleaning device releasably attached thereto, the towing by way of an umbilical coupled to the towed steerable depressor such that forward motion of the towed steerable depressor is imparted by the umbilical;
controlling a depth of the towed steerable depressor to a first depth in the water body based on a depth of a sensor streamer, wherein at the first depth, the towed steerable depressor is maneuverable to engage the sensor streamer;
controlling a first one or more of a yaw, pitch and roll of the towed steerable depressor, wherein the controlling aligns the streamer cleaning device and the sensor streamer; and
transferring a streamer cleaning device to a sensor streamer disposed within a water body.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a speed of the towed steerable depressor matches a speed of the sensor streamer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the method comprising further controlling a descent of the steerable depressor from the first depth to a second depth below the first depth in the water body, wherein, at the second depth, a streamer engagement mechanism on the streamer cleaning device engages the sensor streamer.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising releasing the steerable depressor from the streamer cleaning device.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising controlling an ascent of the steerable depressor to return the steerable depressor to a surface of the water body.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising:
retrieving the streamer cleaning device by:
controlling a descent of the steerable depressor through the water body to the first depth of streamer in the water body;
controlling a second one or more of a yaw, pitch and roll of the steerable depressor, wherein, responsive to the controlling, a first docking fixture on the steerable depressor is aligned with a second docking fixture on the streamer cleaning device.

7. The method of claim 6 comprising further controlling the descent of the steerable depressor until the first docking fixture engages the second docking fixture.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising locking the first and second docking fixtures together.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the controlling a first one of a yaw, pitch and roll of the steerable depressor is responsive to a control signal from a controller on a vessel deployed at a surface of the water body, the control signal transmitted to the steerable depressor via an umbilical disposed between the steerable depressor and the vessel.

Assignees

• Pgs Geophysical As

Inventors

• Le Blanc Pascal

Classifications

• G01V13/00

  Manufacturing, calibrating, cleaning, or repairing instruments or devices covered by groups G01V1/00 – G01V11/00 · CPC title

• B63G2008/008

  Docking stations for unmanned underwater vessels, or the like · CPC title

• B63G8/001

  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) · CPC title

• B63G8/14 Primary

  Control of attitude or depth (of torpedoes F42B19/00) · CPC title

• B63G2008/007

  by means of a physical link to a base, e.g. wire, cable or umbilical · CPC title