Submarine vehicle and control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11124279-B2
Application number	US-201816763159-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2018
Priority date	Dec 28, 2017
Publication date	Sep 21, 2021
Grant date	Sep 21, 2021

Abstract

An underwater vehicle includes a propeller able to propel the vehicle, the vehicle comprising a synthetic aperture sonar comprising a set of at least one physical antenna for receiving acoustic waves, the underwater vehicle comprising a connector able to mechanically couple removably a cable to the vehicle so as to allow the underwater vehicle to be towed by a surface vehicle. The physical receiving antenna comprises a plurality of acoustic sensors, the underwater vehicle comprising an electrical network able to convey electrical power to the receiving antenna, the electrical network being configured so as to have a plurality of states wherein it conveys electrical power to different sets of acoustic sensors containing different respective numbers of acoustic sensors.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for controlling an electrical network of an underwater vehicle, said method comprising:
powering a first set of acoustic sensors, containing a first number of acoustic sensors, when the underwater vehicle is mechanically coupled to a cable; and
powering a second set of sensors, containing a second number of acoustic sensors lower than the first number, when the underwater vehicle is mechanically decoupled from the cable, wherein the underwater vehicle comprises a propeller able to propel the underwater vehicle, the underwater vehicle comprising a synthetic aperture sonar comprising a set of at least one physical antenna for receiving acoustic waves, the underwater vehicle comprising a connector able to mechanically couple removably the cable to the underwater vehicle so as to allow the underwater vehicle to be towed by a surface vehicle, wherein the physical receiving antenna comprises a plurality of acoustic sensors, the underwater vehicle comprising an electrical network able to convey electrical power to the receiving antenna, the electrical network being configured so as to have a plurality of states wherein it is able to convey electrical power to different sets of acoustic sensors containing different respective numbers of acoustic sensors.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the underwater vehicle is able to be used as an autonomous underwater vehicle when it is mechanically decoupled from the cable and to be used as a non-autonomous underwater vehicle when it is mechanically coupled to the surface vehicle via the cable.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electrical network is able to be in at least one first state and in at least one second state wherein the electrical network is able to convey electrical power to a number of acoustic sensors lower than the number of acoustic sensors powered in each first state.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the electrical network of the receiving antenna is configured to be in one of said at least one first states when it is mechanically coupled to the cable and in one of said at least one second states when it is mechanically decoupled from the cable.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the antenna for receiving acoustic waves comprises a plurality of arrays of acoustic sensors aligned along the same axis.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the electrical network is able to be in a first state wherein it is able to convey power simultaneously to all the acoustic sensors of the physical receiving antenna and in a second state wherein it is able to convey power to only some of the linear arrays of the antenna.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the physical receiving antenna comprises two linear arrays of acoustic sensors, each linear array comprising a set of acoustic sensors, the acoustic sensors of the set being adjacent, the acoustic sensors of two sets being different.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the physical receiving antenna comprises two linear arrays of acoustic sensors comprising a first set of acoustic sensors and a second set of acoustic sensors different from the acoustic sensors of the first set, respectively, each pair of adjacent sensors of the physical receiving antenna comprising an acoustic sensor of the first set and an acoustic sensor of the second set.

9. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the set of at least one physical receiving antenna comprises two parallel physical antennas for receiving acoustic waves each comprising a plurality of arrays of acoustic sensors aligned along the same alignment axis, the respective alignment axes of the two antennas being substantially parallel to and distant from each other.

10. The method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the electrical network is able to be in a first state wherein it is able to simultaneously power all the acoustic sensors of the two receiving antennas and in a second state wherein it is able to power only one linear array of acoustic sensors of each of the parallel receiving antennas.

11. The method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the power network has a first state wherein it is able to simultaneously power all the acoustic sensors of the two receiving antennas and a second state wherein it is able to power all the acoustic sensors of a single of the two physical receiving antennas.

12. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the connector ensures an electrical connection between the electrical network and the cable when the cable is mechanically coupled to the connector, the electrical network being configured to electrically power the receiving antenna via the cable when the electrical network is in the first state.

13. The method as claimed in claim 3 , and wherein the connector ensures a connection communicationwise between the cable and a communication network of the underwater vehicle when the cable is mechanically coupled to the connector, the communication network being configured to link the receiving antenna communicationwise to the cable so as to allow measurements carried out by the physical receiving antenna to be transmitted to the cable when the power network is in the first state.

14. The method as claimed in claim 3 , comprising processing means comprising a set of at least one processor able to process measurements delivered by the physical receiving antenna, the processing means being configured so that a processor of the set of at least one processor processes measurements delivered by the physical receiving antenna solely when the underwater vehicle is mechanically connected to the cable.

15. The method for controlling an electrical network of an underwater vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , the method further comprising:
simultaneously powering all the acoustic sensors of the two receiving antennas when the underwater vehicle is mechanically coupled to the cable,
powering only a subset of acoustic sensors of each of the parallel receiving antennas, when the underwater vehicle is mechanically decoupled from the cable,
wherein the physical receiving antenna comprises two linear arrays of acoustic sensors, each linear array comprising a set of acoustic sensors, the acoustic sensors of the set being adjacent, the acoustic sensors of two sets being different.

16. A method for controlling a communication network of an underwater vehicle, the method comprising:
linking a first set of sensors, containing a first number of acoustic sensors, communicationwise with a cable when the underwater vehicle is mechanically coupled to the cable, and
linking a second set of acoustic sensors, containing a second number of acoustic sensors lower than the first number, communicationwise with a memory of the underwater vehicle when the underwater vehicle is mechanically decoupled from the cable, wherein the underwater vehicle comprises:
a propeller able to propel the underwater vehicle;
a synthetic aperture sonar comprising a set of at least one physical antenna for receiving acoustic waves, wherein the at least one physical receiving antenna comprises a plurality of acoustic sensors;
a connector able to mechanically couple removably the cable to the underwater vehicle so as to allow the underwater vehicle to be towed by a surface vehicle; and
an electrical network able to convey electrical power to the receiving antenna, the electrical network being configured so as to have a plurality of states wherein it is able to convey electrical power to different sets of acoustic sensors containing different respective numbers of acoustic sensors, wherein the e

Assignees

• Thales Sa

Inventors

• Florin Franck

Classifications

• B63G2008/007

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

• 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

• G01S15/8904

  using synthetic aperture techniques · CPC title

• H01Q1/34

  Adaptation for use in or on ships, submarines, buoys or torpedoes (for subaqueous use H01Q1/04) · CPC title

• B63G8/39

  Arrangements of sonic watch equipment, e.g. low-frequency, sonar · CPC title