Unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) based underwater communications network including short-range navigation device and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11958580-B2
Application number	US-202017096246-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2020
Priority date	Nov 12, 2020
Publication date	Apr 16, 2024
Grant date	Apr 16, 2024

Abstract

An underwater communications network may include spaced apart nodes on a bottom of a body of water. The underwater communications network may also include fiber optic cabling connecting the spaced apart nodes. Each node may include a frame, a node short-range navigation device carried by the frame, and an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) carried by the frame after delivering a fiber optic cable along a navigation path from an adjacent node. The UUV may be configured to cooperate with the node short-range navigation device during an end portion of the navigation path adjacent the frame.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. An underwater communications network comprising:
a plurality of spaced apart nodes on a bottom of a body of water; and
fiber optic cabling connecting said plurality of spaced apart nodes;
each node comprising
a frame,
a node short-range navigation device carried by said frame, and
an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) docked at said frame after delivering a fiber optic cable along a navigation path from an adjacent node, said UUV configured to cooperate with said node short-range navigation device during an end portion of the navigation path adjacent said frame.

2. The underwater communications network of claim 1 wherein said node short-range navigation device comprises at least one of a short-range acoustic navigation device, short-range optical navigation device, and a short-range radio-frequency (RF) navigation beacon.

3. The underwater communications network of claim 1 wherein said UUV comprises a UUV short-range navigation device cooperating with said node short-range navigation device.

4. The underwater communications network of claim 1 wherein said UUV comprises a node long-range navigation device for said UUV as said UUV travels along the navigation path.

5. The underwater communications network of claim 1 wherein at least one node of said plurality of spaced apart nodes comprises a deployable electronic buoy carried by said frame.

6. The underwater communications network of claim 5 wherein said deployable electronic buoy comprises a deployable electronic sensor buoy.

7. The underwater communications network of claim 6 wherein said deployable electronic sensor buoy comprises one of a vibration sensor, a temperature sensor, and a pressure sensor.

8. The underwater communications network of claim 5 wherein said deployable electronic buoy comprises a deployable electronic wireless communications buoy.

9. The underwater communications network of claim 1 wherein said fiber optic cabling comprises at least one sensing optical fiber.

10. The underwater communications network of claim 1 wherein each node comprises communications circuitry coupled to the fiber optic cabling.

11. The underwater communications network of claim 1 wherein each node comprises a power source coupled to the communications circuitry.

12. The underwater communications network of claim 1 wherein said frame comprises a docking station for receiving said UUV therein.

13. A node for an underwater communications network including a plurality of spaced apart nodes on a bottom of a body of water, and fiber optic cabling connecting the plurality of spaced apart nodes, the node comprising:
a frame;
a node short-range navigation device carried by said frame; and
an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) carried by said frame and loaded to be sent to a target node of the plurality thereof for delivering a fiber optic cable along a navigation path from an adjacent node, said UUV configured to cooperate with said node short-range navigation device during an end portion of the navigation path adjacent said frame.

14. The node of claim 13 wherein said node short-range navigation device comprises at least one of a short-range acoustic navigation device, short-range optical navigation device, and a short-range radio-frequency (RF) navigation beacon.

15. The node of claim 13 wherein said UUV comprises a UUV short-range navigation device cooperating with said node short-range navigation device.

16. The node of claim 13 wherein said UUV comprises a node long-range navigation device for said UUV as said UUV travels along the navigation path.

17. The node of claim 13 further comprising a deployable electronic sensor buoy carried by said frame.

18. The node of claim 13 comprising a deployable electronic communications buoy carried by said frame.

19. A method of forming an underwater communications network comprising:
deploying a plurality of spaced apart nodes on a bottom of a body of water, each node comprising a frame, a node short-range navigation device carried by the frame, and an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) carried by the frame; and
connecting the plurality of spaced apart nodes with fiber optic cabling by using the UUVs to deliver a fiber optic cable along a navigation path of travel from a given node to an adjacent node, the UUV cooperating with the node short-range navigation device during an end portion of the navigation path adjacent the frame.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the node short-range navigation device comprises at least one of a short-range acoustic navigation device, short-range optical navigation device, and a short-range radio-frequency (RF) navigation beacon.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein each UUV comprises a UUV short-range navigation device cooperating with the node short-range navigation device.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein each UUV comprises a node long-range navigation device for the UUV as the UUV travels along the navigation path.

23. The method of claim 19 comprising deploying a deployable electronic buoy from at least one node.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the deployable electronic buoy comprises a deployable electronic sensor buoy.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the deployable electronic buoy comprises a deployable communications buoy.

Assignees

• Eagle Tech Llc

Inventors

• Kocak Donna M
• Miranda Mario
• Dalgleish Fraser R

Classifications

• 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

• B63B21/50

  Anchoring arrangements {or methods} for special vessels, e.g. for floating drilling platforms or dredgers · CPC title

• B63B22/003

  adapted for being launched from an aircraft or water vehicle;, e.g. with brakes deployed in the water · CPC title

• B63B35/04

  Cable-laying vessels · CPC title

• B63B49/00

  Arrangements of nautical instruments or navigational aids (nautical measuring instruments G01C; radio navigation, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) · CPC title