System and method for power and data transmission in a body of water to unmanned underwater vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11440626-B2
Application number	US-201816771527-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2018
Priority date	Dec 18, 2017
Publication date	Sep 13, 2022
Grant date	Sep 13, 2022

Abstract

A system for power and data transmission in a body of water to unmanned underwater vehicles comprises a floating surface station for generating electric energy and receiving and transmitting data; an underwater station connectable to at least one unmanned underwater vehicle; at least one submerged depth buoy; and an umbilical, which comprises a power transmission line and a data transmission line, is mechanically and electrically connected to the surface station and to the underwater station, and is mechanically coupled to the depth buoy so that the umbilical comprises a first umbilical section that is stretched between the underwater station and the depth buoy and a second umbilical section that extends loose between the depth buoy and the surface station.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power and data transmission system comprising:
a floating surface station configured to:
generate electric energy,
receive data, and
transmit data;

an underwater station;
a depth buoy;
an umbilical comprising a power transmission line and a data transmission line, the umbilical being mechanically and electrically connected to the floating surface station and to the underwater station, the umbilical being mechanically coupled to the depth buoy such that the umbilical comprises a first umbilical section that extends in a stretched configuration between the underwater station and the depth buoy and a second umbilical section that extends in a loose configuration between the depth buoy and the floating surface station; and
a winch configured to selectively adjust a length of the first umbilical section and a depth of the depth buoy.

2. The power and data transmission system of claim 1 , further comprising an unmanned underwater vehicle and a cable connected to the underwater station and to the unmanned underwater vehicle, the cable being configured for power transmission and data transmission to and from the underwater station.

3. The power and data transmission system of claim 1 , wherein the floating surface station comprises a dynamic positioning device controlled to keep the second umbilical section in the loose configuration in different operational phases.

4. The power and data transmission system of claim 3 , further comprising a control station configured to control, via the dynamic positioning device, a relative position between the floating surface station and the depth buoy.

5. The power and data transmission system of claim 4 , wherein the control station is connected to the floating surface station by radio.

6. The power and data transmission system of claim 1 , wherein the floating surface station comprises an antenna configured to transmit and receive data.

7. The power and data transmission system of claim 1 , wherein the floating surface station comprises a power generation unit selected from any of: an endothermic engine coupled to an electric generator, a closed loop endothermic engine coupled to the electric generator, a fuel cell, a wind turbine, a solar cell, and a wave turbine.

8. The power and data transmission system of claim 1 , further comprising a mechanical connector mounted at a bottom end of the umbilical and configured to mechanically connect the umbilical to the underwater station.

9. The power and data transmission system of claim 8 , further comprising a ballast coupled to the bottom end of the umbilical.

10. The power and data transmission system of claim 1 , wherein the depth buoy extends about the umbilical and is connected to the umbilical.

11. The power and data transmission system of claim 1 , wherein the depth buoy comprises a connection point on a bottom side of the depth buoy.

12. The power and data transmission system of claim 1 , wherein the depth buoy comprises a plurality of sleeves fitted to an intermediate umbilical section.

13. The power and data transmission system of claim 1 , wherein the stretched configuration comprises the first umbilical section being maintained at a first tension and the loose configuration comprises the second umbilical section being maintained at a second, lesser tension.

14. A system comprising:
a depth buoy; and
an umbilical comprising a power transmission line and a data transmission line, the umbilical being mechanically and electrically connectable to a floating surface station configured to generate electric energy, receive data, and transmit data, the umbilical being mechanically and electrically connectable to an underwater station connectable to an unmanned underwater vehicle, the umbilical being mechanically coupleable to the depth buoy such that the umbilical comprises a first umbilical section that extends in a stretched configuration between the underwater station and the depth buoy and a second umbilical section that extends in a loose configuration between the depth buoy and the floating surface station; and
a winch configured to selectively adjust a length of the first umbilical section and a depth of the depth buoy.

15. A method for power and data transmission in a body of water to an unmanned underwater vehicle, the method comprising:
generating electric energy in a floating surface station;
transferring power, via an umbilical, between the floating surface station and an underwater station;
exchanging data, via the umbilical, between the floating surface station and the underwater station;
stretching, via a depth buoy, a first section of the umbilical which extends between the underwater station and the depth buoy;
keeping loose a second section of the umbilical section which extends between the depth buoy and the floating surface station; and
selectively adjusting, via a winch, a length of the first section of the umbilical section and a depth of the depth buoy.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising transferring power and data between the underwater station and the unmanned underwater vehicle.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising controlling a position of the floating surface station by a dynamic positioning device to keep the second section of the umbilical loose in any operational phase.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
controlling the relative position between the floating surface station and the depth buoy, and
actuating the dynamic positioning device as a function of said relative position.

19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising selecting the length of the first section of the umbilical such that the depth buoy is located at a depth within the range between 40 meters and 70 meters.

20. The method of claim 15 , further comprising selecting the length of the second section of the umbilical section such that the second section of the umbilical greater than the depth of the depth buoy.

Assignees

• Saipem Spa

Inventors

• Serena Alberto
• Massari Giovanni
• Lazzarin Diego

Classifications

• B63G2008/002

  unmanned · 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

• B63B2209/00

  Energy supply or activating means · CPC title

• B63B2203/00

  Communication means · CPC title

• B63G2008/007

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