Positioning and rescue device for unmanned underwater vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12420897-B2
Application number	US-202017789259-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 20, 2020
Priority date	Dec 27, 2019
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

A positioning and rescue device for an unmanned underwater vehicle, comprising a battery ( 1 ), a switch ( 2 ), a protective resistor ( 3 ), an electromagnetic relay ( 4 ), a master control chip ( 5 ), a GPS positioning system ( 6 ), an igniter ( 7 ), a partition ( 8 ), an air bag ( 9 ), a shell ( 10 ), and a rope ( 11 ). The battery ( 1 ), the switch ( 2 ), the protective resistor ( 3 ), the electromagnetic relay ( 4 ) and the master control chip ( 5 ) are sequentially connected by means of wires to form a series circuit, and the igniter ( 7 ) and the GPS positioning system ( 6 ) are separately connected to the master control chip ( 5 ) by means of wires; two normally open contacts of a control loop of the electromagnetic relay ( 4 ) are respectively connected to two ends of a general power supply ( 15 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A positioning and rescue device for an unmanned underwater vehicle, comprising: a battery, a switch, a protective resistor, an electromagnetic relay, a master control chip, a GPS positioning system, an igniter, a partition, an air bag, a shell, and a rope; the shell, as a hollow structure, is divided by the partition into two portions, a non-watertight cavity and a watertight cavity; the non-watertight cavity is provided inside with the rope, the air bag, and the igniter arranged on the air bag; the watertight cavity is provided inside with the battery, the switch, the protective resistor, the electromagnetic relay, the master control chip, and the GPS positioning system;
the battery, the switch, the protective resistor, the electromagnetic relay and the master control chip are sequentially connected by means of wires to form a series circuit, wherein two contacts of a controlled loop of the electromagnetic relay are respectively connected to the protective resistor and the master control chip by means of wires; the igniter and the GPS positioning system are respectively connected to the master control chip by means of wires; two normally open contacts of a control loop of the electromagnetic relay are respectively connected to two ends of a general power supply, with the general power supply arranged on a tugboat or coming with the underwater vehicle;
wherein one end of the rope passes through an annular structure of the underwater vehicle, another end of the rope is releasably connected to the air bag, and a knot of the rope capable of releasing the air bag from the rope is located adjacent to the air bag;
wherein the air bag contains sodium azide or ammonium nitrate, and the igniter is configured to ignite to make the sodium azide or ammonium nitrate in the air bag react and produce nitrogen gas or nitrous oxide gas when the igniter receives a signal from the master control chip, such that the air bag inflates and rises to carry the knot of the rope to a water surface;
wherein the rope is adapted to guide a wire rope through the annular structure of the underwater vehicle for pulling the underwater vehicle when the knot is untied.

2. The positioning and rescue device for an unmanned underwater vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the shell is a hollow cylinder.

3. The positioning and rescue device for an unmanned underwater vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the annular structure is made of stainless steel or aluminum alloy.

4. The positioning and rescue device for an unmanned underwater vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein both ends of the shell are sealed with a lid.

5. The positioning and rescue device for an unmanned underwater vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein a sealing hole is provided on the partition to allow the wire to connect to the igniter in the non-watertight cavity through the partition, and is subjected to watertight treatment.

6. The positioning and rescue device for an unmanned underwater vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the air bag; is made of rubber and has a tire-like annular shape.

7. The positioning and rescue device for an unmanned underwater vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the rope releasably connected to the air bag is made of polyester fiber.

Assignees

• Univ South China Tech
• Guangzhou Shunhai Shipyards Ltd
• Univ Beibu Gulf

Inventors

• Wu Jiaming
• Chen Yuqing
• Ma Zhiquan
• Li Linhua
• Hou Xiaokun
• Dai Peng
• Han Xiangxi

Classifications

• B63G8/04

  Superstructure · CPC title

• B63C7/26 Primary

  Means for indicating the location of underwater objects, e.g. sunken vessels (means for searching for underwater objects B63C11/48; buoys in general B63B22/00) · CPC title

• B63C7/10

  using inflatable floats external to vessels or objects · CPC title

• B63G2008/002

  unmanned · CPC title

• B63C7/02

  in which the lifting is done by hauling · CPC title