Drop weight buoyancy system for underwater gliders

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11655012-B2
Application number	US-202117507540-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2021
Priority date	Aug 5, 2021
Publication date	May 23, 2023
Grant date	May 23, 2023

Abstract

A pump-less buoyancy engine for an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) includes a buoyancy reduction structure without a hydraulic pump for reducing the buoyancy of the AUV to cause the AUV to descend in the water; and a weight dropping structure for dropping prepackaged weights out of the AUV to cause the AUV to ascend in the water, where the AUV moves forward when descending and ascending.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pump-less buoyancy engine for an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) comprising:
a buoyancy reduction structure without a hydraulic pump for reducing the buoyancy of the AUV to cause the AUV to descend in water; and
a weight dropping tension force structure for dropping prepackaged weights out of the AUV to cause the AUV to ascend in the water, wherein the AUV moves forward when descending and ascending, wherein the weight dropping tension force structure further comprises a weight wiring and a cutter to cut a portion of the wire, wherein the cut portion of the wire is dropped from an opening into the water.

2. The pump-less buoyancy engine of claim 1 , wherein the buoyancy reduction structure includes a water inlet/outlet and a container, and wherein the buoyancy of the AUV is reduced by intaking the water from the water inlet/outlet into the container.

3. The pump-less buoyancy engine of claim 1 , further comprising buoyant compartments to control the buoyancy away from its neutral positions.

4. The pump-less buoyancy engine of claim 2 , wherein air is let out through an air outlet and is replaced by the intaking the water in the container.

5. The pump-less buoyancy engine of claim 2 , wherein a pressurized gas is let out through a gas outlet and is replaced by the intaking the water in the container.

6. The pump-less buoyancy engine of claim 2 , wherein the buoyancy reduction structure further includes a valve and a flow meter, and wherein intaking the water is controlled by the valve to control a desired depth of the AUV, and the valve is controlled by a controller.

7. The pump-less buoyancy engine of claim 1 , wherein the weight dropping tension force structure further comprises a wire feeder, and a spring secured to the AUV at one end and coiled around a pully system at another end, wherein the weight wiring is fed by the feeder, and a break with an encoder measures a fixed length of the wire to drop the cut portion from the opening in the water.

8. The pump-less buoyancy engine of claim 7 , wherein the weight wiring is lead wiring.

9. The pump-less buoyancy engine of claim 1 , wherein the weight dropping tension force structure further comprises a container including a granular weight, wherein the granular weight is dropped from a container through an opening with a valve.

10. The pump-less buoyancy engine of claim 9 , wherein the valve is controlled by a controller.

11. The pump-less buoyancy engine of claim 1 , wherein the weight dropping structure comprises solid weights, wherein the buoyancy is reduced by dropping a solid weight through an opening.

12. The pump-less buoyancy engine of claim 11 , wherein the weight dropping tension force structure produces a tension force to shift weights to be positioned for a next drop.

13. The pump-less buoyancy engine of claim 11 , wherein the buoyancy reduction structure comprises one or more empty slots, wherein the one or more empty slots are filled with the water via a water inlet/outlet and air in the one or more empty slots is let out from an air outlet.

14. An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) comprising:
a buoyancy reduction structure without a hydraulic pump for reducing the buoyancy of the AUV to cause the AUV to descend in water;
a weight dropping tension force structure for dropping prepackaged weights out of the AUV to cause the AUV to ascend in the water, wherein the weight dropping tension force structure further comprises a weight wiring and a cutter to cut a portion of the wire, wherein the cut portion of the wire is dropped from an opening into the water;
one or more hydrofoils for causing the AUV to move forward when descending and ascending; and
a rudder to steer the AUV.

15. The AUV of claim 14 further comprising a controller to control the movement of the AUV.

Assignees

• Raytheon Bbn Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Rosenthal Benjamin Jacob
• Stusse James Joseph

Classifications

• B63G8/20

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

• B63G8/22

  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

• B63G2008/004

  autonomously operating · CPC title

• B63G8/18 Primary

  by hydrofoils · 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