Passive ballast device, system and methods of using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11325685-B2
Application number	US-202016812834-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2020
Priority date	Oct 16, 2017
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

A passive ballast device, system and method of using same, configured for use with a submersible vehicle in a liquid environment, including a chamber having at least one rigid wall to define at least a portion of a chamber volume, and a passively movable compensator having at least first and second surfaces, the first surface configured to be exposed to the liquid environment, the second surface excluded from the liquid environment, and forming, together with the at least one wall of the chamber, a fluid-tight seal to establish the remainder of the chamber volume, to exclude the liquid environment from the chamber volume and configured to adjust the chamber volume to at least a first chamber volume and a second chamber volume. The chamber volume is configured to establish at least a first buoyancy and second buoyancy, the compensator is configured to respond to a change in environmental pressure within the liquid environment, and the compensator is passively moved by the change in environmental pressure to change the first chamber volume to the second chamber volume, thereby changing from the first buoyancy to the second buoyancy.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A passive ballast device, configured for use with a submersible vehicle in a liquid environment, comprising:
a chamber having at least one rigid wall to define at least a portion of a chamber volume;
a passively movable compensator having at least first and second surfaces, the first surface configured to be exposed to the liquid environment, the second surface excluded from the liquid environment, and forming, together with the at least one rigid wall of the chamber, a fluid-tight seal to establish a remainder portion of the chamber volume, to exclude the liquid environment from the chamber volume and configured to adjust the chamber volume to at least a first chamber volume and a second chamber volume;
wherein the chamber volume is configured to establish at least a first buoyancy and a second buoyancy;
wherein the passively movable compensator is configured to respond to a change in environmental pressure within the liquid environment.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the chamber and the passively movable compensator are carried within a housing that is configured to be exposed to the liquid environment.

3. The device of claim 2 further comprising:
a controllable opening having at least a first state and a second state, and forming a second space between the passively movable compensator and the controllable opening; and
a controller;
wherein the controllable opening separates the passively movable compensator and the second space from the liquid environment when placed in the second state;
wherein the first state provides at least a partial opening between the liquid environment and second space, and the second state provides a fluid-tight seal between the liquid environment and second space;
wherein the controller is configured to change between the at least first and second states of the controllable opening.

4. The device of claim 3 further comprising an external reservoir filled with a fluid and connected to the controllable opening, wherein the fluid is in fluid contact with the passively movable compensator, and the external reservoir forms a seal along with the controllable opening, excluding the liquid environment from the controllable opening.

5. The device of claim 3 having a positive buoyancy force at a first depth in the liquid environment, and a neutral buoyancy force at a second depth in the liquid environment, wherein the controller changes between the first and second states of the controllable opening at the second depth, and maintaining a neutral buoyancy at a third depth in the liquid environment.

6. The device of claim 3 further comprising an external reservoir filled with a fluid and connected to the controllable opening, wherein the fluid is in fluid contact with the passively movable compensator, and the external reservoir forms a seal along with the controllable opening, excluding the liquid environment from the controllable opening.

7. The device of claim 3 further comprising a depth sensor interconnected with the controller, and at least one retaining mechanism located within the chamber volume, wherein the depth sensor provides liquid environment pressure information to the controller and the controller is configured to change the state of the controllable opening based on said liquid environment pressure information and wherein the passively movable compensator is configured to be constrained between a first compensator position and a second compensator position by the at least one retaining mechanism.

8. The device of claim 7 further comprising:
an attachment mechanism mechanically connected to the housing and informationally connected to the controller;
wherein the attachment mechanism is configured to reversibly attach to the submersible vehicle; and
wherein the controller is configured to instruct the attachment mechanism to release from the submersible vehicle.

9. The device of claim 1 further comprising at least one retaining mechanism and a compressible working medium filling the chamber volume, wherein the at least one retaining mechanism is located within the chamber volume, dividing the chamber volume into a fixed section and a variable section, wherein the passively movable compensator is configured to be constrained to the variable section between a first compensator position and a second compensator position by the at least one retaining mechanism.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the passively movable compensator experiences resistive forces that increases during increased environmental pressure.

11. The device of claim 1 having a positive buoyancy force at a first depth in the liquid environment and a neutral buoyancy force at a second depth in the liquid environment.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein at least the first chamber volume is at a negative pressure.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein the chamber volume is filled with a buoyancy fluid.

14. The device of claim 1 wherein the passively movable compensator experiences compression that increases during increased environmental pressure, and further comprising a biasing member to provide a preselected biasing force during passively movable compensator compression.

15. The device of claim 1 wherein the chamber (i) defines the first chamber volume at a first chamber pressure to establish the first buoyancy when the vehicle is positioned at a first depth having a first environmental pressure in the liquid environment and (ii) establishes the second chamber volume having a second chamber pressure to establish the second buoyancy at a second depth having a second environmental pressure in the liquid environment.

Assignees

• Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst

Inventors

• Kaeli Jeffrey
• Littlefield Robin

Classifications

• B63G8/24 Primary

  Automatic depth adjustment; Safety equipment for increasing buoyancy, e.g. detachable ballast, floating bodies · CPC title

• B63G8/22 Primary

  Adjustment of buoyancy by water ballasting; Emptying equipment for ballast tanks ({conduits for emptying or ballasting on vessels in general B63B13/00;} stabilising vessels using ballast tanks B63B43/06) · CPC title

• G05D1/0022

  characterised by the communication link (data switching networks in general H04L12/00) · CPC title

• B63G2008/005

  remotely controlled · CPC title

• G05D1/0692

  specially adapted for under-water vehicles · CPC title