Underwater vehicle having directional effector
AssigneeRaytheon Company
InventorsAndrew D. Wilby, Joseph M. Misulia
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An underwater vehicle includes a plurality of releasable panel members that are initially in a storage state in which the releasable panel members form a closed housing and the underwater vehicle is neutrally buoyant, an actuatable effector that is retained in the closed housing. The effector has an anchor and a positively buoyant upper unit opposite the anchor. When the plurality of releasable panel members are released to open the closed housing, the effector is separable from the releasable panel members and maintained in a vertically downward direction by the anchor and the positively buoyant upper unit.
Claims20
An underwater vehicle comprising:
- a plurality of releasable panel members that are initially in a storage state in which the plurality of releasable panel members form a closed housing and the underwater vehicle is neutrally buoyant;
- and
- an effector that is retained in the closed housing and comprises a munition or an imaging device, the effector having an anchor and a positively buoyant upper unit opposite the anchor,
- wherein when the plurality of releasable panel members are released to open the closed housing, the effector is separable from the plurality of releasable panel members and maintained in a vertically downward direction by the anchor and the positively buoyant upper unit.
An underwater vehicle comprising:
- a plurality of releasable panel members that are initially in a storage state in which the plurality of releasable panel members form a closed housing and the underwater vehicle is neutrally buoyant;
- and
- an actuatable effector that is retained in the closed housing and comprises an imaging device, the effector having an anchor and a positively buoyant upper unit opposite the anchor,
- wherein when the plurality of releasable panel members are released to open the closed housing, the effector is separable from the plurality of releasable panel members and maintained in a vertically downward direction by the anchor and the positively buoyant upper unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.