Ships – Submersible device
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-10
2003-12-16
Avila, Stephen (Department: 3617)
Ships
Submersible device
C114S337000, C440S006000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06662742
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to remote operated vehicles or ROVs, and in particular to ROVs for use in exploration of an underwater environment.
Conventional ROVs are typically used by commercial enterprises and comprise a “submarine” unit or vehicle (the fish), a landbased remote control unit (the topside) connected to a power source such as a generator or power cells, and an umbilical cable connecting the two units together for transmitting power and control signals from the topside to the fish.
The fish is usually fitted with swimming means, such as motor driven propellers, for maneuvering the fish underwater, and a camera, typically a video camera. Images from the camera can be transmitted from the fish, along the umbilical cable, to the topside for displaying on a monitor or viewfinder attached to the topside. Stills cameras may also be fitted onto the fish allowing more detailed images, i.e. at higher resolutions, to be taken. Other information may also be sent along the cable, such as speed or headings.
The topside is used to transmit control signals down the umbilical cable to the fish for controlling the thrusters and any accessories, or options, such as hydroplanes or grabbers, such as those on arms having gripping means for picking up articles on the seabed, or possibly a pan or tilt mechanism fitted to the camera. It can also be used to transmit power simultaneously.
Commercial ROVs are generally very massive, and therefore cannot be transported from location to location by a single person. They are usually moved by crane onto a ship and are used, for example, for the inspection of subsea pipes and cables. Their large size, and cost, has hindered the development of the use of ROVs for recreational purposes, such as exploring reefs or checking the visibility at a dive sight such as a wreck before incurring diver downtimes. It would therefore be desirable to provide an ROV that can easily be transported by a single person for recreational use.
Small and lightweight ROVs have been recently developed by VideoRay Inc. such as the VideoRay 2000 ROV unit, designed for recreational use. The fish is sufficiently small and lightweight to be carried by one person. However, even with a smaller fish, the power supply together with the umbilical cable for transmitting the power from the surface to the fish are still difficult to manhandle.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ROV comprising a topside, a fish and an umbilical cable for connecting the topside and the fish together, wherein the fish is adapted to be powered by an onboard power supply, the cable has an outer skin and a control-signal carrying core, the core of the umbilical cable having a diameter of less than 2 mm along a substantial portion of the cable's length.
The onboard power supply is preferably in the form of a removable, water-sealed battery. The battery may be fully electrically-insulated. Non-contact coupling means, e.g. reactive coupling such as inductance or capacitance couplings, can be used to extract power from the battery without any need for direct electrically conducting contact means between the battery pack and its adjacent components. Preferably the coupling is by means of inductance coupling.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided an umbilical cable for an ROV for carrying signals between a topside and a fish of the ROV, the fish requiring an onboard power supply, the cable having an outer skin and a control-signal carrying core, wherein the core has a diameter of less than 2 mm along a substantial portion of the cable's length.
Preferably, the diameter is 1.2 mm. Preferably, the core of the cable is a coaxial cable. Coaxial cables allow the transmission therealong of information by frequency division multiplexing, for example RF transmissions. Such transmissions allow a large quantity of information, such as TV, to be transmitted over distances, down fine cables. Therefore, transmission of not only control signals therealong to the fish, but also return signals from the fish to the topside such as video signals can be achieved. However, high power loads such as those required to drive the thrusters on the fish will not be transmittable, other than at very high voltages.
Preferably, the core of the cable is surrounded by linear fibers of a high tensile strength, flexible material, such as Dynema® or Kevlar®. Preferably, the cable comprises a highly buoyant skin to give the cable a positive buoyancy. Preferably a hairy polypropylene braid surrounds the cable. This braid can reduce the drag of the cable through water.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fully water-sealed and electrically-insulated battery pack for fitting in or onto an in or an under-the-water, electrically operated device.
Since the main power for an ROV of the present invention, in use, is carried onboard the fish, there is no need to transmit substantial power down the umbilical cable to the fish. The only energy to be transmitted down the umbilical cable is control signals, e.g. for instructing a control processor provided on the fish for controlling the fish's thrusters, cameras or other accessories.
Preferably, the ROV is fitted with an onboard video camera for streaming video images to the topside. This enables the use of the ROV in providing an “underwater experience”, for example via a virtual reality headset. The video images will be transmitted on the umbilical cable from the fish to the topside.
Another aspect of the present invention is the provision of an ROV that has two cameras, one mounted at the front of the fish, the pan and tilt thereof preferably being adjustable for viewing in variable directions underwater, and the second camera being provided in a “periscope” position. Preferably the periscope camera is fitted above the main body of the fish. However, it may also be indirectly positioned in such a position by the provision of periscopic mirror arrangements. The periscope camera can provide, for example, either an alternative view in the water, or, at the water surface, an above-the-water view, for example to assist in directing the fish back to land or to the controller, or to a partially submerged object to be viewed. Pictures from the cameras can be transmitted on the umbilical cable to the topside. However, when the communication system between the fish and the topside cannot handle two video channels, then means for selecting which camera is active can be provided.
The first camera could be a color camera and the second camera could be a monochrome camera, such as a black and white camera. The monochrome camera will generally provide better low-light capabilities than the color camera due both to its conventionally higher resolution, and its adaptability for low-light sensitivity, for example due to its intrinsic higher sensitivity, or by the provision of image intensifying means. Low light sensitivity will allow use of the ROV in reduced light environments such as at depths where the ambient light has been filtered out by the water, or at twilight. Low light capabilities also remove the need continuously to burn lights provided on the fish, e.g. for battery saving purposes.
Another aspect of the present invention is the use of non-contact coupling techniques to transfer power for driving electric components on an underwater device from a water and electrically sealed circuit to a separately water and electrically sealed electric circuit. For example, the primary and ancillary components on a fish of an ROV, such as motors (or thrusters), cameras, illumination devices, and an onboard computer could be powered by induction coupling power from an onboard water and electrically sealed battery. Induction coupling could also be used to transmit the control signals between an umbilical cable and a fish of an ROV through a water and electrically sealed bulkhead.
Preferably, the non-contact power coupling means is inductive, but alternative indirect
Bontoft Martin
Cooper Jeremy Daniel
Currer Tracy
Dormer Michael William
Househam Shaun David
Avila Stephen
H2EYE (International ) Limited
Renner , Otto, Boisselle & Sklar, LLP
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