Method and apparatus for deploying an expendable autonomous underwater vehicle from a submarine
US5666900A · kind A · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 5, 1995 |
| Grant date | Sep 16, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 5, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF41F3/10
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
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.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.