Magnetic drive with removable fins and weight balance for an unmanned undersea vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021016863-A1
Application number	US-202016877007-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 18, 2020
Priority date	Jul 17, 2019
Publication date	Jan 21, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

An unmanned undersea vehicle including a magnetic coupler drive. The magnetic coupler drive is incorporated into a hull section, such as a tail section of the unmanned undersea vehicle. The magnetic coupler drive includes a motor shaft magnet, a titanium housing disposed about the motor shaft magnet, and a propeller shaft magnet magnetically coupled to the motor shaft magnet, but physically separated from the propeller shaft magnet by the titanium housing.

First claim

We claim:

1 . An underwater vehicle comprising:
a hull section, wherein the hull section further comprises: a motor, wherein the motor comprises a motor shaft; a motor shaft magnet coupled to the motor shaft; a housing disposed about the motor shaft magnet, the housing configured to prevent direct physical contact between the motor shaft magnet and a propeller shaft magnet, but sized and shaped based on magnet strengths of the motor shaft magnet and the propeller shaft magnet to allow for a magnetic coupling to exist between the motor shaft magnet and the propeller shaft magnet; the propeller shaft magnet magnetically coupled to the motor shaft magnet; a propeller shaft coupled to the propeller shaft magnet; and a propeller coupled to the propeller shaft.

2 . The underwater vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the motor is a 200-Watt motor.

3 . The underwater vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the housing disposed about the motor shaft magnet is comprised of titanium.

4 . The underwater vehicle of claim 1 , wherein a distance between the motor shaft magnet and the propeller shaft magnet is at least approximately ⅜ inches.

5 . The underwater vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a tail section further comprises a plurality of fins.

6 . The underwater vehicle of claim 5 , wherein at least one of a plurality of fins is attached to a protruding member.

7 . The underwater vehicle of claim 6 , wherein at least one of the plurality of fins is selectively attachable to a protruding member.

8 . The underwater vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the tail section comprises a foam shell.

9 . The underwater vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the foam shell is positively buoyant.

10 . The underwater vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the foam shell is constructed of syntactic foam, which comprises hollow glass balls suspended in urethane.

11 . The underwater vehicle of claim 1 , wherein at least a part of the tail section is configured to be selectively attached to at least one section of the underwater vehicle.

12 . A method of making a drive system in an underwater vehicle, the method comprising:
coupling a motor shaft magnet to a motor shaft of a motor; disposing a housing about the motor shaft magnet, the housing configured to prevent direct physical contact between the motor shaft magnet and a propeller shaft magnet, but sized and shaped based on magnet strengths of the motor shaft magnet and the propeller shaft magnet to allow for a magnetic coupling to exist between the motor shaft magnet and the propeller shaft magnet; magnetically coupling the propeller shaft magnet to the motor shaft magnet; coupling a propeller shaft to the propeller shaft magnet; and coupling a propeller to the propeller shaft.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the motor is a 200-Watt motor.

14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the housing disposed about the motor shaft magnet is comprised of titanium.

15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein a distance between the motor shaft magnet and the propeller shaft magnet is at least approximately ⅜ inches.

16 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising disposing the drive system in a tail section and coupling a plurality of user selectively removeable fins to protruding members of the tail section.

17 . A method of using a drive system in an underwater vehicle, the method comprising:
driving a motor having a motor shaft coupled to a motor shaft magnet, wherein the motor shaft magnet is disposed in a housing about the motor shaft magnet, the housing configured to prevent direct physical contact between the motor shaft magnet and a propeller shaft magnet, but sized and shaped based on magnet strengths of the motor shaft magnet and the propeller shaft magnet to allow for a magnetic coupling to exist between the motor shaft magnet and the propeller shaft magnet; and as a result of driving the motor and a magnetic coupling between the propeller shaft magnet to the motor shaft magnet, driving a propeller shaft coupled to a propeller.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the motor is a 200-Watt motor.

19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the housing disposed about the motor shaft magnet is comprised of titanium.

20 . The method of claim 17 , wherein a distance between the motor shaft magnet and the propeller shaft magnet is at least approximately ⅜ inches.

Assignees

• L3Harris Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Charles David F
• Aiello Jason D

Classifications

• B63G8/18

  by hydrofoils · CPC title

• B63G2008/002

  unmanned · 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

• B63G8/08

  Propulsion ({schnorkels B63G8/36;} nuclear propulsion B63H21/18; submerged exhausting apparatus F01N13/12) · CPC title

• B63H23/24

  electric {(dynamo-electric machines H02K)} · CPC title