System and method for deploying and recovering an autonomous underwater craft by a recovery vehicle towed by a ship, underwater exploration assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12459605-B2
Application number	US-202017767821-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 8, 2020
Priority date	Oct 10, 2019
Publication date	Nov 4, 2025
Grant date	Nov 4, 2025

Abstract

Disclosed is a system and a method for deploying and recovering an autonomous underwater craft by a ship-towed recovery vehicle. The craft is stored in the recovery vehicle's housing. The deployment is carried out in a first stage submerging the recovery vehicle with the craft stored therein, and a second stage releasing the craft. The ship includes a tilting launch ramp where the recovery vehicle is stored. The launch ramp takes at least a raised position with the recovery vehicle out of the water and an inclined position with the launch ramp rear end immersed. A translational device enables, in the launch ramp inclined position, the recovery vehicle to move along the launch ramp to be submerged and move from the ship while in tow during deployment and to be raised along the launch ramp during recovery. The system and the craft form an underwater exploration assembly.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A system for deploying and recovering an autonomous underwater craft by a recovery vehicle towed by a surface ship, the system including the ship and the recovery vehicle, the towing being ensured by a towing cable connecting the recovery vehicle to the ship, the system being configured so that when not in use the underwater craft is stored in a housing of the recovery vehicle and the recovery vehicle is stored out of water in the ship, the recovery vehicle having, along the recovery vehicle's length, two opposite ends, including an end for receiving the autonomous underwater craft, providing access to the housing, the system being configured to allow the deployment to be performed in two stages, a first stage of submersing the recovery vehicle with the underwater craft stored in said recovery vehicle, a second stage of releasing the underwater craft by bringing the underwater craft out of the housing of the submersed recovery vehicle once the towed recovery vehicle at a determined distance away from the ship, the system being configured to allow the recovery to be made in two phases, a first phase of entry of the underwater craft, through the receiving end, into the housing of the submersed towed recovery vehicle, a second phase of loading the towed recovery vehicle on board the ship, with the underwater craft stored in said recovery vehicle, the ship comprising a launch ramp, which is tilting, and the system being configured to store the recovery vehicle on the launch ramp, the launch ramp having a longitudinal extent and two longitudinal ends, a front end on the ship bow side and a rear end on the ship stern side, said tilting launch ramp being able to take at least two positions: a raised position in which the stored recovery vehicle is out of water, said raised launch ramp being above the waterline of the ship, and an inclined position in which the rear end of the launch ramp is immersed, the system including a translational device enabling the recovery vehicle, in the inclined position of the launch ramp, to move along the launch ramp to be submersed and be able to move away from the ship while being towed by the ship latter during the deployment and to be raised along the launch ramp during the recovery, and wherein the rear end of the launch ramp comprises buoyancy means allowing said launch ramp in the inclined position to beat as a function of the water height at the buoyancy means,
wherein the front end of the launch ramp comprises an articulation according to two axes of rotation perpendicular to each other, with a first axis of rotation perpendicular to the sagittal plane of the ship and a second, longitudinal axis of rotation, in the sagittal plane,
wherein the ship is a catamaran whose shell has two parallel lateral hulls, separated by an intermediate link area located above the waterline, and wherein the system is further configured so that, in the raised position, the launch ramp is out of water and forms part of the intermediate link area,
wherein the launch ramp comprises at least one beat damper intended to damp the beats due to the wave impact on the inclined launch ramp, a lower face of the launch ramp having a material that damps the wave impact on the inclined launch ramp, said material being a porous double-skin absorbing the wave impact, and
wherein the articulation comprises a damping system of the rotation motions about the axes of rotation of the articulation.

2 . The system according to claim 1 , further configured so that, in inclined position of the launch ramp, the recovery vehicle stored on the launch ramp has the recovery vehicle's receiving end submerged.

3 . The system according to claim 2 , wherein the lower face of the launch ramp has a relief capable of damping the shocks caused by the wave impact on the inclined launch ramp.

4 . The system according to claim 3 , wherein the ship comprises a winder/unwinder for the towing cable and the launch ramp comprises a towing cable guiding device enabling said towing cable to be maintained free to slide along the launch ramp.

5 . The system according to claim 4 , wherein the system is configured to allow the recovery, into the ship, of the underwater craft stored in the recovery vehicle whereas the ship sails at a speed of at least one knot.

6 . The system according to claim 3 , wherein the system is configured to allow the recovery, into the ship, of the underwater craft stored in the recovery vehicle whereas the ship sails at a speed of at least one knot.

7 . The system according to claim 2 , wherein the ship comprises a winder/unwinder for the towing cable and the launch ramp comprises a towing cable guiding device enabling said towing cable to be maintained free to slide along the launch ramp.

8 . The system according to claim 2 , wherein the system is configured to allow the recovery, into the ship, of the underwater craft stored in the recovery vehicle whereas the ship sails at a speed of at least one knot.

9 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the system is configured to allow the recovery, into the ship, of the underwater craft stored in the recovery vehicle whereas the ship sails at a speed of at least one knot.

10 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the lower face of the launch ramp has a relief capable of damping the shocks caused by the wave impact on the inclined launch ramp.

11 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the ship comprises a winder/unwinder for the towing cable and the launch ramp comprises a towing cable guiding device enabling said towing cable to be maintained free to slide along the launch ramp.

12 . An underwater exploration unit including the system of claim 1 , and an autonomous underwater craft.

13 . A method for implementing the unit according to claim 12 , wherein, with a ship storing on a tilting launch ramp an autonomous underwater craft stored in a housing of a recovery vehicle, during a deployment of the autonomous underwater craft, the launch ramp is tilted in order to be brought to an inclined position in which the rear end of the launch ramp is immersed, the recovery vehicle that is towed by the ship thanks to a towing cable is immersed, the towing cable is unwound in such a way that the recovery vehicle storing the autonomous underwater craft goes away from the ship, then at a determined distance from the ship, the autonomous underwater craft is released out of the recovery vehicle,
wherein a ship is implemented, which is a catamaran whose shell has two parallel lateral hulls, separated by an intermediate link area located above the waterline, in such a way that, in the raised position, the launch ramp is out of water and forms part of the intermediate link area, and wherein a launch ramp is implemented, which front end comprises an articulation according to two axes of rotation perpendicular to each other, with a first axis of rotation perpendicular to the sagittal plane of the ship and a second, longitudinal axis of rotation, in the sagittal plane, the articulation comprising a damping system of the rotation motions about the axes of rotation of the articulation, and which comprises at least one beat damper intended to damp the beats due to the wave impact on the inclined launch ramp and being a material that damps the wave impact on the inclined launch ramp, a lower face of the launch ramp having said material, said material being a porous double-skin absorbing the wave impact.

Assignees

• Ixblue

Inventors

• Grall Sébastien

Classifications

• B63G2008/004

  autonomously operating · CPC title

• B63G8/42

  Towed underwater vessels · CPC title

• B63G8/001

  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

• B63B27/143

  Ramps · CPC title

• B66D1/52

  for varying rope or cable tension, e.g. when recovering craft from water · CPC title