Autonomous underwater system for a 4D environmental monitoring

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10611447-B2
Application number	US-201715587482-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 5, 2017
Priority date	May 17, 2011
Publication date	Apr 7, 2020
Grant date	Apr 7, 2020

Abstract

An autonomous underwater system for environmental monitoring including a multidisciplinary underwater station including onboard instrumentation, at least one autonomous modular underwater vehicle movable inside an area to be monitored along an assigned route, and at least one external instrumental modulus which can be connected the vehicle, wherein the multidisciplinary underwater station includes a docking area, an interface system, an equipping system for supplying the vehicle with instrumental moduli, and a management system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An autonomous modular underwater vehicle including onboard measuring sensors, comprising:
at least one main thruster;
at least one auxiliary thruster for fine positioning;
a hull;
at least one battery;
circuitry configured to interface with an interface for exchanging communications between the vehicle and an underwater station allowing the recharging of the at least one battery;
at least one external instrumental module, wherein the at least one external instrumental module includes at least one measuring sensor;
an electromechanically activated attaching coupler which allows attachment of the at least one external instrumental module to the underwater vehicle by hooking in which a coupling member of the electromechanically activated attaching coupler passes through a connection tab provided on the at least one external instrumental module; and
at least one electronic control module implemented by circuitry and configured to manage propulsion, sensors, and power,
wherein the electronic control module and the battery are housed in one or more watertight containers.

2. The autonomous, modular, underwater vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one main thruster and the at least one auxiliary thruster include a propeller and are operated by at least one electric motor inside the hull.

3. The autonomous, modular, underwater vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the hull is made of non-corrodible composite material.

4. The autonomous, modular, underwater vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more watertight containers are made of titanium and capable of tolerating pressures up to 300 bar.

5. The autonomous, modular, underwater vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the onboard measuring sensors effect measurements of at least one of the following parameters:
temperature
electric conductivity,
saturation concentration and/or percentage of dissolved oxygen,
turbidity,
fluorescence,
pH,
dissolved gas concentration, and
hydrocarbon concentration.

6. The autonomous, modular, underwater vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the onboard measuring sensors positioned inside the hull communicate with a sea environment by at least one opening present on the hull.

7. The autonomous, modular, underwater vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle comprises circuitry configured to allow a bidirectional exchange of information for synchronizing data collected by the onboard measuring sensors and the at least one measuring sensor.

8. The autonomous, modular, underwater vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the hull has a flattened form with a flat lower surface to facilitate resting of the vehicle on the underwater station or on the seabed.

9. The autonomous, modular, underwater vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one external instrumental module equipped with the at least one measuring sensor comprises:
circuitry configured to allow synchronization of a measurement effected by the at least one measuring sensor with measurements effected by the onboard measuring sensors,
a hull, and
circuitry configured to control functioning of the at least one measuring sensor, regulation and distribution of the energy feed, and interface with the vehicle.

10. The autonomous, modular, underwater vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one external instrumental module further comprises at least an inner energy source.

11. The autonomous, modular, underwater vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein the circuitry configured to control the functioning and the battery are contained in at least one watertight container made of titanium, positioned inside the hull.

12. The autonomous, modular, underwater vehicle according to claim 10 , wherein the hull is made of composite material or another material.

13. The autonomous, modular, underwater vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one measuring sensor installed in the at least one external instrumental module is selected from following types of sensors:
optical,
acoustic,
automatic hydrocarbon analyzer,
automatic phenol analyzer,
automatic trace metal analyzer, and
automatic nutrient analyzer.

14. The autonomous, modular, underwater vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one external instrumental module is detachable from the vehicle such that the at least one external instrumental module can be stored at the underwater station.

15. An autonomous modular underwater vehicle including onboard measuring sensors, comprising:
at least one main thruster;
at least one auxiliary thruster for fine positioning;
a hull;
at least one battery;
circuitry configured to interface with an interface for exchanging communications between the vehicle and an underwater station allowing the recharging of the at least one battery;
at least one electronic control module implemented by circuitry and configured to manage propulsion, sensors, and power;
at least one external instrumental module, wherein the at least one external instrumental module includes:
at least one measuring sensor;
at least one controller; and
at least one instrumental module battery; and

an electromechanically activated attaching coupler which allows attachment of the at least one external instrumental module to the underwater vehicle by hooking in which a coupling member of the electromechanically activated attaching coupler passes through a connection tab provided on the at least one external instrumental module.

16. The autonomous, modular, underwater vehicle according to claim 15 , wherein the at least one controller and the at least one instrumental module battery of the at least one external instrumental module are contained in a watertight container.

Assignees

• Eni Spa

Inventors

• Gasparoni Francesco
• Favaretto Mauro
• Grasso Tiberio

Classifications

• B63G8/001 Primary

  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

• B63G2008/004

  autonomously operating · CPC title

• B63C11/52 Primary

  Tools specially adapted for working underwater, not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B63C11/42 Primary

  with independent propulsion or direction control · CPC title

• B63G2008/005

  remotely controlled · CPC title