Ships – Submersible device – Having attitude control
Patent
1985-09-05
1987-07-07
Peters, Jr., Joseph F.
Ships
Submersible device
Having attitude control
441 21, B63G 814
Patent
active
046779310
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to buoyancy apparatus for carrying a payload to and sustaining the payload at substantially a constant depth or within a desired range of depth.
There is under a variety of circumstances a need to place an article at substantially a constant and predetermined depth in a body of water without the article being tethered to the sea bottom or suspended from the surface. It may then be desired to return it to the surface or allow it to sink to the bottom. For instance, one may wish to sample the water at a particular depth for analysis purposes. Suspending sampling apparatus from the surface by a line may be undesirable because of the danger of the line being fouled by water traffic. Tethering the sampling apparatus to the bottom may be undesirable because the bottom may be at too great a depth or may be at an unknown depth. Alternatively, one may wish to suspend a mine or sonar at about a predetermined depth.
Alternatively, one may desire to cause an article to rise and fall periodically within a desired range of depths.
For instance one may wish to have a sonar apparatus move up and down in water in a scanning movement.
The present invention provides buoyancy apparatus for carrying a payload to and maintaining the payload at substantially a constant depth or within a desired range of depth, which apparatus comprises variable buoyancy means, depth sensing means, means for detecting upward motion, means for detecting downward motion, means for automatically increasing the buoyancy of the variable buoyancy means upon the detection of downward motion, means for automatically decreasing the buoyancy of the variable buoyancy means upon the detection of upward motion, and means for preventing activation of said means for increasing and decreasing the buoyancy in response to the motion sensing means until the depth sensing means senses that the payload is at a predetermined depth.
Buoyancy apparatus of the kind described may be dropped into a body of water in a state of negative buoyancy and will then sink to a predetermined depth whereupon the depth sensing means will cease to inhibit or will produce activation of the variable buoyancy means to increase and decrease buoyancy in response to the sensing of downward or upward motion respectively. Initially, the motion sensed will be downward and this will result in an increase in the buoyancy of the variable buoyancy means to brake the fall of the apparatus. If the apparatus commences upward movement, this will be sensed by the means for detecting upward movement and this will in turn cause a decrease in the buoyancy of the variable buoyancy means. The apparatus will accordingly generally settle at a substantially constant depth. As described hereafter, delay of the increase in buoyancy may be arranged so that the device rises and falls substantially.
Alternatively, the device may be released at depth in a state of either positive or negative buoyancy, eg from a submarine.
The invention includes buoyancy apparatus for carrying a payload to and maintaining the payload at substantially a constant depth or within a desired depth range, which apparatus comprises variable buoyancy means, depth sensing means, means for sensing upward motion or means for sensing downward motion, means for automatically varying the buoyancy of the variable buoyancy means to counteract the motion sensed, means for automatically varying the buoyancy to produce motion in the direction for which the means for sensing motion is adapted when no such motion is sensed and means for preventing activation of said means for varying the buoyancy in response to the motion sensing means until the depth sensing means senses that the payload is at a predetermined depth.
Where means for detecting motion only in one direction is provided as dscribed above, the apparatus may be dropped into a body of water in a state of negative buoyancy to sink to the depth at which the depth sensing means enables the means for varying buoyancy. If the motion sensing means is adapted for sensing up
REFERENCES:
patent: 3219005 (1965-11-01), Worthing
patent: 3228369 (1966-01-01), Warhurst et al.
patent: 3436776 (1969-04-01), Davis
Peters Jr. Joseph F.
Sotelo Jesus D.
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