US 10,024,947 B2Granted

GPS assisted torpedo recovery system

AssigneeAdaptive Methods, Inc.

InventorsKevin Kieffer, Walter Allensworth, Conrad Zeglin, James Wiggins, Peter Owen, Jeffrey Herdman

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A method of locating an underwater based system, the method including determining the underwater based system's geo-location, encoding the underwater based system's geo-location for RF transmission, encoding the underwater based system's geo-location for acoustic transmission, and transmitting RF and acoustic signals containing the encoded geo-location to a receiving station. A locator for locating an underwater based system including a buoy, a global positioning system having an antenna and a receiver, an RF transmission system including an antenna and a transmitter, an underwater acoustic transducer, and a locator control unit adapted to determine the underwater based system's geo-location, encode the underwater based system's geo-location for RF transmission, encode the underwater based system's geo-location for acoustic transmission, and transmit RF and underwater acoustic signals containing the encoded geo-location.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A locator system for a plurality of water based systems, the locator system comprising:

a buoy for connecting to each respective water based system, including:
a global positioning system (GPS) module having a GPS antenna and a receiver, and a radio frequency transmission system including an antenna and a transmitter;
an underwater acoustic transducer for connecting to each respective water based system;
a locator control system for each respective water based system comprising a processor which is adapted to communicate with the global positioning system module, the radio frequency transmission system, and the underwater acoustic transducer, the locator control system being configured to:
determine its geo-location;
encode its geo-location for radio frequency transmission;
encode its geo-location for acoustic transmission;
transmit radio frequency and underwater acoustic signals containing the encoded geo-location at a predetermined time, wherein the predetermined times for each of the plurality of water based systems are selected using a time-division multiple access scheme using a synchronized time received through the GPS;
and
repeat the determine, encode, and transmit steps after a predetermined time interval configured to increase over time;
and
a receiver configured to receive the radio frequency and/or acoustic signals containing the encoded geo-location for each of the plurality of water based systems and to decode each of the plurality of water based water based systems' geo-locations.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/938,942Filed 12 Nov 2015 · continuation
Priority: 31 Jul 2012
Published: US 2016/0116563 A128 Apr 2016
Granted: 17 Jul 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

G01S 1/68
Using radio waves: marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information
B63B 22/00
Buoys
B63C 7/26
Salvaging of disabled, stranded, or sunken vessels; Salvaging of vessel parts or furnishings, e.g. of safes; Salvaging of other underwater…
G01S 1/72
Beacons or beacon systems transmitting signals having a characteristic or characteristics capable of being detected by non-directional receivers…:…

Family

Application13/563,268Parent of this continuation · filed 31 Jul 2012
US 2016/0116563 A1Pre-grant publication · published 28 Apr 2016
US 9,213,077 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2015/0063071 A1Published application
US 10,024,947 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.