IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0697814
(2010-02-01)
|
등록번호 |
US-8205570
(2012-06-26)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Tureaud, Thomas F.
- Humphreys, Douglas E.
|
출원인 / 주소 |
- Vehicle Control Technologies, Inc.
|
대리인 / 주소 |
Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, LLP
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
25 인용 특허 :
21 |
초록
▼
An autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle (“AUV”) includes a body, a controller, a buoyancy engine, a rotary propulsion system and pitch control surface(s). The buoyancy engine is for alternately ingesting and expelling ambient water to change the mass of the AUV and thereby cause the AUV to alterna
An autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle (“AUV”) includes a body, a controller, a buoyancy engine, a rotary propulsion system and pitch control surface(s). The buoyancy engine is for alternately ingesting and expelling ambient water to change the mass of the AUV and thereby cause the AUV to alternately descend and ascend in the water. The pitch control surface(s) are for causing the AUV to move forward while alternately descending and ascending in the water. The rotary propulsion system includes a motor for rotating a propeller in the water to provide thrust. The controller is operative for responsively, automatically switching between at least the glider and rotary propulsion modes. In the glider mode, the buoyancy engine and the pitch control surface(s) are cooperative for causing the AUV to move forward while alternately descending and ascending. In the rotary propulsion mode, the rotary propulsion system is operative for causing the AUV to move forward.
대표청구항
▼
1. An autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle (“AUV”) for traveling in a body of water, the AUV comprising: a body comprising a hull;a buoyancy engine carried by the body, wherein the AUV has mass, and the buoyancy engine is for alternately ingesting and expelling the water to change the mass of the
1. An autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle (“AUV”) for traveling in a body of water, the AUV comprising: a body comprising a hull;a buoyancy engine carried by the body, wherein the AUV has mass, and the buoyancy engine is for alternately ingesting and expelling the water to change the mass of the AUV and thereby cause the AUV to alternately descend and ascend in the water, and wherein the buoyancy engine comprises a reciprocating piston;at least one pitch control surface carried by the body for causing the AUV to move forward while alternately descending and ascending in the water;a rotary propulsion system carried by the body and including an electric motor for rotating a rotary agitator in the water to provide thrust, and thereby cause the AUV to move in the water, wherein the rotary agitator includes at least one of a propeller and an impeller; anda controller operative for responsively, automatically switching between at least a glider mode in which the buoyancy engine and the at least one pitch control surface are cooperative for causing the AUV to move forward while alternately descending and ascending, anda rotary propulsion mode in which the rotary propulsion system is operative for causing the AUV to move forward. 2. The AUV of claim 1, wherein: the rotary propulsion system is not operative during the glider mode; andthe buoyancy engine is not operative during the rotary propulsion mode. 3. The AUV of claim 1, comprising an actuator, wherein: the at least one pitch control surface comprises a fin that projects laterally, outwardly from the hull,is pivotable relative to the body of the AUV for adjusting pitch of the AUV, andhas opposite top and bottom surfaces;the actuator is operatively connected to the fin for pivoting the fin and thereby adjusting pitch of the AUV; andthe controller is operative for controlling the actuator to pivot the fin between a plurality of positions including an inclined configuration in which the top surface of the fin is more forward-facing than the bottom surface of the fin, anda declined configuration in which the bottom surface of the fin is more forward-facing than the top surface of the fin. 4. The AUV of claim 3, wherein the controller is operative so that: the fin is in the inclined configuration during both the glider mode while the AUV is descending and moving forward, andthe rotary propulsion mode while the AUV is ascending and moving forward; andthe fin is in the declined configuration during both the glider mode while the AUV is ascending and moving forward, andthe rotary propulsion mode while the AUV is descending and moving forward. 5. The AUV of claim 1, wherein: the AUV has a center of buoyancy when submerged in water;the hull defines a centroid that is the center of buoyancy of the AUV when the AUV is submerged in the water;the AUV has a mass and a center of mass; andthe buoyancy engine is operative to move the center of mass of the AUV relative to the center of buoyancy of the AUV. 6. The AUV of claim 5, wherein the buoyancy engine is operative to move the center of mass of the AUV: forward of the center of buoyancy of the AUV during the descending of the AUV; andrearward of the center of buoyancy of the AUV during the ascending of the AUV. 7. The AUV of claim 1, wherein the rotary agitator includes the propeller, and the propeller extends from a rear end of the hull. 8. A method of operating an autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle (“AUV”) in a body of water, comprising: operating the AUV in a glider mode, comprising operating a buoyancy engine of the AUV to cause the AUV to move forward in the body of water while alternately descending and ascending in the body of water;operating the AUV in rotary propulsion mode, comprising operating a rotary propulsion system of the AUV to cause the AUV to move forward in the body of water;detecting a predetermined condition, wherein the predetermined condition comprises at least one condition selected from the group consisting of forward speed of the AUV being below a predetermined value,depth of the body of water being below a predetermined value, andrisk of a collision between the AUV and an object exceeding a threshold; andswitching from the glider mode to the rotary propulsion mode in response to the detecting of the predetermined condition, wherein the switching comprises changing from the glider mode to the rotary propulsion mode. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the operating the AUV in the glider mode further comprising pivoting a pitch control surface of the AUV relative to a hull of the AUV during the glider mode and, thereby, adjusting pitch of the AUV while the AUV is moving forward in the body of water. 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the predetermined condition is a first predetermined condition, and the method comprises: detecting a second predetermined condition; andswitching from the rotary propulsion mode to the glider mode in response to the detecting of the second predetermined condition. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second predetermined condition comprises at least one condition selected from the group consisting of: any current that flows against the forward movement of the AUV being below a predetermined value;a time until arrival at a destination being below a predetermined value; andpower available for operating the rotary propulsion system being below a predetermined value. 12. The method of claim 8, wherein: the operating of the buoyancy engine comprises alternately ingesting water from the body of water into the AUV and expelling water from the AUV to the body of water to change mass of the AUV and, thereby, cause the AUV to alternately descend and ascend in the body of water; andthe operating of the rotary propulsion system comprises rotating a rotary agitator in the water to provide thrust and, thereby, cause the AUV to move forward in the body of water. 13. The method of claim 8, further comprising operating the AUV in a surface mode, comprising expelling water from the AUV to the body of water to decrease mass of the AUV and, thereby, cause the AUV ascend to a surface of the body of water. 14. An autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle (“AUV”) for traveling in a body of water, the AUV comprising: a body comprising a hull;a buoyancy engine carried by the body, wherein the AUV has mass, and the buoyancy engine is for alternately ingesting and expelling the water to change the mass of the AUV and thereby cause the AUV to alternately descend and ascend in the water;at least one pitch control surface carried by the body for causing the AUV to move forward while alternately descending and ascending in the water, wherein the at least one pitch control surface comprises a fin that projects laterally, outwardly from the hull,is pivotable relative to the body of the AUV for adjusting pitch of the AUV, andhas opposite top and bottom surfaces;an actuator operatively connected to the fin for pivoting the fin and thereby adjusting pitch of the AUV;a rotary propulsion system carried by the body and including a motor for rotating a rotary agitator in the water to provide thrust, and thereby cause the AUV to move in the water, wherein the rotary agitator includes at least one of a propeller and an impeller; anda controller operative for responsively, automatically switching between at least a glider mode in which the buoyancy engine and the at least one pitch control surface are cooperative for causing the AUV to move forward while alternately descending and ascending, anda rotary propulsion mode in which the rotary propulsion system is operative for causing the AUV to move forward,wherein the controller is operative for controlling the actuator to pivot the fin between a plurality of positions including an inclined configuration in which the top surface of the fin is more forward-facing than the bottom surface of the fin, anda declined configuration in which the bottom surface of the fin is more forward-facing than the top surface of the fin. 15. The AUV of claim 14, wherein the controller is operative so that: the fin is in the inclined configuration during both the glider mode while the AUV is descending and moving forward, andthe rotary propulsion mode while the AUV is ascending and moving forward; andthe fin is in the declined configuration during both the glider mode while the AUV is ascending and moving forward, andthe rotary propulsion mode while the AUV is descending and moving forward. 16. An autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle (“AUV”) for traveling in a body of water, the AUV comprising: a body comprising a hull, wherein the AUV has a center of buoyancy when submerged in water, and the hull defines a centroid that is the center of buoyancy of the AUV when the AUV is submerged in the water;a buoyancy engine carried by the body, wherein the AUV has mass, and the buoyancy engine is for alternately ingesting and expelling the water to change the mass of the AUV and thereby cause the AUV to alternately descend and ascend in the water, andthe AUV has a center of mass and the buoyancy engine is operative to move the center of mass of the AUV relative to the center of buoyancy of the AUV;at least one pitch control surface carried by the body for causing the AUV to move forward while alternately descending and ascending in the water;a rotary propulsion system carried by the body and including a motor for rotating a rotary agitator in the water to provide thrust, and thereby cause the AUV to move in the water, wherein the rotary agitator includes at least one of a propeller and an impeller; anda controller operative for responsively, automatically switching between at least a glider mode in which the buoyancy engine and the at least one pitch control surface are cooperative for causing the AUV to move forward while alternately descending and ascending, anda rotary propulsion mode in which the rotary propulsion system is operative for causing the AUV to move forward. 17. The AUV of claim 16, wherein the buoyancy engine is operative to move the center of mass of the AUV: forward of the center of buoyancy of the AUV during the descending of the AUV; andrearward of the center of buoyancy of the AUV during the ascending of the AUV. 18. A method of operating an autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle (“AUV”) in a body of water, comprising: operating the AUV in a glider mode, comprising operating a buoyancy engine of the AUV to cause the AUV to move forward in the body of water while alternately descending and ascending in the body of water;operating the AUV in rotary propulsion mode, comprising operating a rotary propulsion system of the AUV to cause the AUV to move forward in the body of water;detecting a predetermined condition, wherein the predetermined condition comprises at least one condition selected from the group consisting of any current that flows against the forward movement of the AUV being below a predetermined value,a time until arrival at a destination being below a predetermined value, andpower available for operating the rotary propulsion system being below a predetermined value; andswitching from the rotary propulsion mode to the glider mode in response to the detecting of the predetermined condition, wherein the switching comprises changing from the rotary propulsion mode to the glider mode. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the operating the AUV in the glider mode further comprising pivoting a pitch control surface of the AUV relative to a hull of the AUV during the glider mode and, thereby, adjusting pitch of the AUV while the AUV is moving forward in the body of water. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein: the operating of the buoyancy engine comprises alternately ingesting water from the body of water into the AUV and expelling water from the AUV to the body of water to change mass of the AUV and, thereby, cause the AUV to alternately descend and ascend in the body of water; andthe operating of the rotary propulsion system comprises rotating a rotary agitator in the water to provide thrust and, thereby, cause the AUV to move forward in the body of water.
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