Methods, apparatuses, and systems for unmanned underwater vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12545382-B2
Application number	US-202117448136-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2021
Priority date	Sep 20, 2021
Publication date	Feb 10, 2026
Grant date	Feb 10, 2026

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to methods, apparatuses, and systems for unmanned underwater vehicles capable of operation in the Arctic region. An example unmanned underwater vehicle includes: a hull; one or more guide rails extending from the hull and attached to the hull by one or more legs; a vertically-deployed mast, wherein the vertically-deployed mast is configured to penetrate through an ice sheet; and a communications antenna, wherein the communications antenna is deployed with the vertically-deployed mast and enables communication above the ice sheet. The dorsally-located guide rails of an example define an extended position and a retracted position, wherein the guide rails disposed in the extended position are disposed further from the hull than the guide rails disposed in the retracted position. Embodiments described herein include systems employing air-deployable buoys, water-deployed buoys and small UUVs, and ice-penetrating buoys to support communications in the Arctic region.

First claim

That which is claimed:

1 . A system comprising:
an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) comprising a hull, wherein the UUV comprises one or more attached guide rails positioned above the hull of the UUV,
wherein the one or more attached guide rails are attached to the UUV;
a vertically-deployed mast, wherein the vertically-deployed mast is configured to penetrate through an ice sheet forming a penetration; and a communications antenna, wherein the communications antenna is deployed to extend through the penetration in the ice sheet and enables communication above the ice sheet.

2 . The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the one or more attached guide rails positioned above the hull of the UUV define an extended position or a retracted position, wherein an attached guide rail of the one or more attached guide rails disposed in the extended position is disposed further from the hull than another attached guide rail of the one or more attached guide rails disposed in the retracted position.

3 . The system of claim 2 , further comprising
a conduit attached to the UUV and extending above the UUV, wherein the conduit comprises an open end opposite a first end that is attached to the UUV, wherein the open end of the conduit extends above the one or more attached guide rails when the attached guide rail is in the retracted position, and below the one or more attached guide rails when the other attached guide rail is in the extended position.

4 . The system of claim 3 ,
wherein the conduit is configured to extend through the penetration in the ice sheet to conduct intake air for combustion in an engine of the UUV, wherein the engine of the UUV charges batteries that power propulsion of the UUV.

5 . The system of claim 2 ,
wherein the one or more attached guide rails are attached to the UUV with a shock absorbing feature, wherein the shock absorbing feature comprises hydraulic or mechanical shock absorbing legs.

6 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising
one or more deployable buoys, wherein the one or more deployable buoys, when deployed by the UUV at predetermined intervals and at a predetermined depth beneath the ice sheet, form an extended range communication network with the UUV beneath the ice sheet.

7 . The system of claim 6 ,
wherein the one or more deployable buoys comprises one or more deployable sonobuoys, wherein the one or more deployable sonobuoys are deployed through a launch bay of the UUV and recovered through recovery bay of the UUV.

8 . The system of claim 6 ,
wherein at least one of the one or more deployable buoys comprises an ice-penetrating buoy, wherein the at least one of the one or more deployable buoys comprises an antenna deployed upon penetration of the ice sheet.

9 . The system of claim 8 ,
wherein the ice-penetrating buoy comprises a heated surface, wherein the heated surface is used to melt and penetrate the ice sheet.

10 . The system of claim 8 ,
wherein the ice-penetrating buoy comprises a payload of a sub-surface component, wherein the sub-surface component descends to another predetermined depth in response to being deployed.

11 . The system of claim 10 ,
wherein the sub-surface component is an acoustic modem, wherein the predetermined depth is determined based on a thermocline layer where signal transmission distance is determined to establish a communication network between the UUV and the acoustic modem.

12 . An unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) comprising:
a hull; one or more guide rails extending from the hull and attached to the hull by one or more legs,
wherein the one or more guide rails are attached to the UUV;
a vertically-deployed mast, wherein the vertically-deployed mast is configured to penetrate through an ice sheet forming a penetration; and a communications antenna, wherein the communications antenna is deployed to extend through the penetration in the ice sheet and enables communication above the ice sheet.

13 . The unmanned underwater vehicle of claim 12 ,
wherein the one or more guide rails are positioned above the hull of the UUV and define an extended position or a retracted position, wherein a guide rail of the one or more guide rails disposed in the extended position are disposed further from the hull than another guide rail of the one or more guide rails disposed in the retracted position.

14 . The unmanned underwater vehicle of claim 13 ,
wherein the one or more legs comprises telescoping legs, wherein the telescoping legs move the guide rail between the extended position or the retracted position.

15 . The unmanned underwater vehicle of claim 14 ,
wherein the telescoping legs are further configured to bias the guide rail in the extended position and to absorb shock from the guide rail, reducing shock experienced by the UUV when the guide rail impact an object.

16 . The unmanned underwater vehicle of claim 12 , further comprising
a plurality of deployable buoys, wherein the UUV comprises a launch bay to deploy the deployable buoys and a recovery bay to recover the deployable buoys.

17 . The unmanned underwater vehicle of claim 12 , further comprising
at least one deployable buoy, wherein at least one deployable buoy comprises an ice-penetrating buoy, wherein the ice-penetrating buoy comprises an antenna deployed upon penetration of the ice sheet.

18 . A method for establishing a communications network comprising:
deploying, from an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), one or more ice-penetrating buoys; penetrating an ice sheet with the one or more ice-penetrating buoys; extending an antenna from the one or more ice-penetrating buoys in response to the one or more ice-penetrating buoys reaching a surface above the ice sheet; deploying, from the UUV, one or more sonobuoys; and communicating between the one or more ice-penetrating buoys, the one or more sonobuoys, and the UUV.

19 . The method for establishing the communications network of claim 18 , further comprising
communicating from the one or more ice-penetrating buoys, the one or more sonobuoys, and the UUV with a central command using the antenna extending above the surface of the ice sheet.

20 . The method for establishing the communications network of claim 18 , further comprising:
vertically-deploying a mast through the ice sheet using a heated surface of the mast to penetrate through the ice sheet; and deploying an antenna from the mast to facilitate communications.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Bonang James J
• Stepp Thomas J
• Wood William J
• Whitcher Jeremy

Classifications

• B63G8/04

  Superstructure · CPC title

• B63B2022/006

  specially adapted for measuring or watch purposes · CPC title

• B63G2008/004

  autonomously operating · CPC title

• B63B2201/20

  Antenna or mast · CPC title

• B63B22/003 Primary

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