Unmanned underwater vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10773780-B2
Application number	US-201715630552-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 22, 2017
Priority date	Jun 22, 2016
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

An unmanned underwater vehicle having one, some, or all of an integrated communication control fin, a ballast and trim control, a reusable trigger mechanism for a drop weight, and a visual hull display. Furthermore, associated methods are also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) comprising:
a hull having a nose and a tail;
a propulsion mechanism;
a control fin, the control fin housing at least one antenna, wherein the control fin is configured to control a movement of the UUV and communicate external to the UUV, wherein the antenna is integrated within the control fin, and wherein wires extend from the hull to the fin through a shaft of an actuator; and
one or more movable battery modules disposed within an interior region of the hull having a plurality of grooves along an inner surface of the hull, the plurality of grooves accommodating a retaining ring for retaining the one or more movable battery modules in an axial position within the hull, wherein one or more battery modules include a groove that receives a portion of the retaining ring to secure the one or more movable battery modules in the axial position, and wherein displacement of the one or more battery modules in the axial direction within the hull affects a trim of the UUV.

2. The UUV of claim 1 , wherein the at least one antenna includes a GPS antenna and a WiFi antenna.

3. The UUV of claim 1 , wherein the control fin is a dorsal fin, extending vertically upward from an outer surface of the hull.

4. The UUV of claim 1 , wherein a recovery LED strobe light is disposed within the control fin.

5. The UUV of claim 1 , wherein the control fin is moveable by a servo actuator to affect a travel direction of the UUV while traveling underwater.

6. The UUV of claim 1 , further comprising communications and navigational hardware integrated in the control fin.

7. An unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) comprising:
a hull having a nose portion and a tail portion;
a propulsion mechanism; and
one or more movable battery modules disposed within an interior region of the hull, further comprising a plurality of grooves along an inner surface of the hull, the plurality of grooves accommodating a retaining ring for retaining the one or more movable battery modules in an axial position within the hull,
wherein one or more battery modules include a groove that receives a portion of the retaining ring to secure the one or more movable battery modules in the axial position, and
wherein displacement of the one or more battery modules in the axial direction within the hull affects a trim of the UUV.

8. The UUV of claim 7 , wherein the nose portion and the tail portion are removably secured to a central body portion of the hull, such that removal of the nose portion or the tail portion provides access to the interior region of the hull to manually displace the one or more battery modules to affect the trim of the UUV.

9. The UUV of claim 7 , wherein the battery modules are comprised of a plurality of individual battery cells, wherein removing one or more individual battery cells from the one or more battery modules reduces a weight of the one or more battery modules, which affects a ballast of the UUV, and changes a center of mass of the UUV.

10. An unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) comprising:
a hull having a nose portion and a tail portion;
a propulsion mechanism; and
one or more movable battery modules disposed within an interior region of the hull, further comprising a plurality of grooves along an inner surface of the hull, the plurality of grooves accommodating a retaining ring for retaining the one or more movable battery modules in an axial position within the hull, and the one or more battery modules include a groove that receives a portion of the retaining ring to secure the one or more movable battery modules in the axial position, and wherein displacement of the one or more battery modules in the axial direction within the hull affects a trim of the UUV,
wherein rotation of the one or more battery modules counters a tendency for the UUV to roll, in response to an offset to a balance of the UUV,
where the battery modules are rotated to place a center of gravity below a rotational center of the battery module.

11. The UUV of claim 10 , wherein the rotation in a first direction or a second direction changes a center of gravity of the one or more battery modules, to counter the tendency for the UUV to roll.

12. The UUV of claim 10 , wherein removing one or more individual battery cells from the one or more battery modules reduces a weight of the one or more battery modules, which induces a counter roll of the UUV.

13. An unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) comprising:
a hull having a nose and a tail;
a propulsion mechanism;
a control fin having at least one antenna internally integrated within the control fin,
wherein the control fin is configured to control a movement of the UUV and communicate external to the UUV, wherein wires extend from the hull to the fin through a shaft of an actuator;
a visual display, integrated in the hull proximate the nose, wherein the visual display displays information to provide an operator of the UUV with a detailed vehicle status upon start up, without a use of an external control computer; and
one or more movable battery modules disposed within an interior region of the hull having a plurality of grooves along an inner surface of the hull, the plurality of grooves accommodating a retaining ring for retaining the one or more movable battery modules in an axial position within the hull, wherein one or more battery modules include a groove that receives a portion of the retaining ring to secure the one or more movable battery modules in the axial position, and wherein displacement of the one or more battery modules in the axial direction within the hull affects a trim of the UUV.

14. The UUV of claim 13 , wherein the information is displayed via a plurality of indicators, further wherein a status reported by the plurality of indicators is color coded.

15. The UUV of claim 13 , wherein the UUV has a total body length of five feet or less, and wherein the UUV is capable of performing operations underwater at a depth of 100 feet or more.

16. The UUV of claim 13 , further comprising: a reusable trigger mechanism disposed on an underside of the nose, the reusable trigger mechanism having a trigger magnet, a drop weight magnetically attached to the trigger magnetic, the drop weight including a drop weight magnet magnetically attracted to the trigger magnet, wherein, in response to an event, a power is applied to the trigger magnet to create an opposing magnetic field which overcomes the magnetic attraction between the trigger magnet and the drop weight magnet, causing the drop weight to disengage from the UUV, so that the UUV immediately begins to surface.

Assignees

• Bae Sys Inf & Elect Sys Integ

Inventors

• Smith Jeffrey M
• Godin Samuel D
• Baker Leonard M
• Goldberg Dani
• Key Jr William H

Classifications

• B63G2008/004

  autonomously operating · CPC title

• G05D1/0875

  specially adapted to water vehicles · CPC title

• B63G8/20 Primary

  Steering equipment (B63G8/16, B63G8/18 take precedence; steering of vessels in general B63H25/00) · 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

• B63G8/26

  Trimming equipment · CPC title