초록 ▼

An expendable autonomous underwater vehicle is deployed from a trash disposal unit of a submarine into a body of water. The vehicle and one or more launch-aiding components are inserted into the trash disposal in an arrangement that results in safe and reliable deployment from the trash disposal uni

An expendable autonomous underwater vehicle is deployed from a trash disposal unit of a submarine into a body of water. The vehicle and one or more launch-aiding components are inserted into the trash disposal in an arrangement that results in safe and reliable deployment from the trash disposal unit. The launch-aiding components keep the vehicle in a predetermined orientation within the trash disposal unit prior to deployment and protect the trash disposal unit from damage. The launch-aiding components also aid the vehicle in ejecting from the trash disposal unit and descending into the body of water to a depth at which the vehicle can begin its autonomous operation. In general, the vehicle must be a safe distance away from the submarine before it begins operation. The launch-aiding components fall away from the vehicle in the body of water as the vehicle descends thereinto. The expendable autonomous underwater vehicle, which typically is used by submarine personnel as a training target, drops to the bottom of the body of water after its internal battery is exhausted.

대표청구항 ▼

A method of deploying a vehicle into a body of water from a submarine, comprising: providing an expendable autonomous underwater vehicle; providing one or more launch-aiding components; inserting into a trash disposal unit of the submarine the vehicle and the launch-aiding components in an arrangeme

A method of deploying a vehicle into a body of water from a submarine, comprising: providing an expendable autonomous underwater vehicle; providing one or more launch-aiding components; inserting into a trash disposal unit of the submarine the vehicle and the launch-aiding components in an arrangement which keeps the vehicle in a predetermined orientation within the trash disposal unit and which protects the trash disposal unit from damage, aids the vehicle in descending into the body of water to a depth at which the vehicle begins autonomous operation, and allows the launch-aiding components to fall away from the vehicle in the body of water as the vehicle descends thereinto; and ejecting the vehicle and the launch-aiding components from the trash disposal unit into the body of water such that the launch-aiding components fall away from the vehicle in the body of water as the vehicle descends into the body of water to the depth at which the vehicle begins autonomous operation.