Advanced remotely operated vehicle for education and research
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
InventorsTed K. Miles, Geoffrey L. Bland
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed are watercrafts with rotatable air propulsion steering units and retractable measurement instruments. The watercraft can include a substantially flat bottom, a top deck, a rotatable air propulsion steering unit configured to propel the watercraft and to rotate in order to steer the watercraft when the watercraft is submerged in a liquid body without requiring a submerged rudder steering system under the substantially flat bottom. The watercraft can also include a retractable measurement deck configured to alternatively raise measurement instruments above the liquid body and lower into the liquid body.
Claims24
A watercraft, the watercraft comprising:
- a substantially flat bottom;
- a top deck;
- a rotatable air propulsion steering unit positioned on the top deck and configured to propel the watercraft and to rotate in order to steer the watercraft when the watercraft is submerged in a liquid body without requiring a submerged rudder steering system under the substantially flat bottom;
- a retractable measurement deck configured to alternatively raise above the liquid body and lower into the liquid body;
- a power source;
- an electronic controller;
- and
- an on-board steering control unit configured to receive a rotation instruction from the electronic controller and cause the air propulsion steering unit to rotate according to the instructions.
A watercraft, the watercraft comprising:
- a substantially flat bottom;
- a top deck;
- a rotatable air propulsion steering unit positioned on the top deck and configured to propel the watercraft and to rotate in order to steer the watercraft when the watercraft is submerged in a liquid body without requiring a submerged rudder steering system under the substantially flat bottom;
- and
- a retractable measurement deck configured to alternatively raise above the liquid body and lower into the liquid body,
- wherein the top deck has an aft end, a fore end, a port side and a starboard side, wherein the rotatable air propulsion steering unit further comprises a first unducted propulsion fan positioned at the aft end and the starboard side and a second unducted propulsion fan positioned at the aft end and the port side.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.