# US 11,305,853 B2 · Methods and systems for conveying, deploying and operating subsea robotic systems > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,305,853 B2 - Document ID: US11305853B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/370,286 - Filed: 2021-07-08 - Published: 2022-01-20 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2020-07-20 - Assignees: Honuworx, Ltd. - Applicants: HonuWorx, Ltd. - Inventors: Lee Wilson; Luke Wissmann; Christopher Carson Sotzing; Wayne Sherry - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11305853B2 ## CPC - B63G 8/001: {Underwater vessels adapted for special purposes, e.g. unmanned underwater vessels; Equipment specially adapted therefor, e.g. docking stations (self-propelled or direction controlled diving chambers with mechanical link to a base B63C11/42)} - B63B 3/08: with detachably-connected sub-units - B63G 2008/004: {autonomously operating} - B63G 2008/007: {by means of a physical link to a base, e.g. wire, cable or umbilical} - B63G 2008/008: {Docking stations for unmanned underwater vessels, or the like} - B63G: OFFENSIVE OR DEFENSIVE ARRANGEMENTS ON VESSELS; MINE-LAYING; MINE-SWEEPING; SUBMARINES; AIRCRAFT CARRIERS (means of attack or defence in general, e.g. turrets F41H) - B63B: SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING (arrangements of vessel ventilation, heating, cooling, or air-conditioning B63J2/00; floating substructures as supports of dredgers or soil-shifting machines E02F9/06) ## Abstract A submersible system is provided having a submersible launch vessel that sends instructions from a mission controller to deploy one or more deployable systems for one or more underwater operations. The submersible launch vessel is submerged within a waterbody. A submersible power supply powers the submersible launch vessel and the one or more deployable systems. One or more communication devices is in communication with the mission controller, and the mission controller is located in one of a remote or a local location relative to the submersible launch vessel. The one or more deployable systems, via the one or more communication devices coupled to the submersible launch vessel, are remote controlled by the mission controller to execute the one or more underwater operations. Also, information associated with the one or more underwater operations including telemetry data is transmitted to the mission controller from the submersible launch vessel. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of operating a submersible system, the method comprising: receiving instructions from a mission controller via a submersible launch vessel to deploy one or more deployable systems of the submersible launch vessel for one or more underwater operations, wherein: the submersible launch vessel is submerged within a waterbody, the submersible launch vessel includes a submersible power supply that powers the submersible launch vessel and the one or more deployable systems; and the submersible launch vessel includes one or more communication devices in communication with the mission controller, the mission controller being located in one of a remote or a local location relative to the submersible launch vessel; remote controlling, via the one or more communication devices coupled to the submersible launch vessel, the one or more deployable systems by the mission controller to execute the one or more underwater operations; transmitting information associated with the one or more underwater operations including telemetry data to the mission controller from the submersible launch vessel; and maintaining positions of the one or more communication devices in order to optimize length and the effect of drag on a tether to a surface device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein receiving instructions from a mission controller comprises receiving instructions from a plurality of mission controllers within a plurality of distributed control locations that are located remotely or locally relative to the submersible launch vessel. ### Claim 3 A method of operating a submersible system, the method comprising: receiving instructions from a mission controller via a submersible launch vessel to deploy one or more deployable systems of the submersible launch vessel for one or more underwater operations, wherein: the submersible launch vessel is submerged within a waterbody, the submersible launch vessel includes a submersible power supply that powers the submersible launch vessel and the one or more deployable systems; and the submersible launch vessel includes one or more communication devices in communication with the mission controller, the mission controller being located in one of a remote or a local location relative to the submersible launch vessel; remote controlling, via the one or more communication devices coupled to the submersible launch vessel, the one or more deployable systems by the mission controller to execute the one or more underwater operations; transmitting information associated with the one or more underwater operations including telemetry data to the mission controller from the submersible launch vessel; and sharing power among system components and using machine learning to accurately predict load requirements based on environmental and mission conditions and dynamically adjust a mission profile to maximize range endurance. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein receiving instructions from a mission controller comprises receiving instructions from a plurality of mission controllers within a plurality of distributed control locations that are located remotely or locally relative to the submersible launch vessel. ### Claim 5 A method of operating a submersible system, the method comprising: receiving instructions from a mission controller via a submersible launch vessel to deploy one or more deployable systems of the submersible launch vessel for one or more underwater operations, wherein: the submersible launch vessel is submerged within a waterbody, the submersible launch vessel includes a submersible power supply that powers the submersible launch vessel and the one or more deployable systems; and the submersible launch vessel includes one or more communication devices in communication with the mission controller, the mission controller being located in one of a remote or a local location relative to the submersible launch vessel; remote controlling, via the one or more communication devices coupled to the submersible launch vessel, the one or more deployable systems by the mission controller to execute the one or more underwater operations, wherein remote controlling the one or more deployable systems comprises collaborating autonomously to execute one or more instructions from the mission controller, and wherein collaborating autonomously comprises employing an autonomy system that supports a range of autonomy levels from a user in a loop supervised control to a fully autonomous operation; and transmitting information associated with the one or more underwater operations including telemetry data to the mission controller from the submersible launch vessel. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more deployable systems comprise one or more robots or autonomous underwater vehicles. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein receiving instructions from a mission controller comprises receiving instructions from a plurality of mission controllers within a plurality of distributed control locations that are located remotely or locally relative to the submersible launch vessel. ### Claim 8 A method of operating a submersible system, the method comprising: receiving instructions from a mission controller via a submersible launch vessel to deploy one or more deployable systems of the submersible launch vessel for one or more underwater operations, wherein: the submersible launch vessel is submerged within a waterbody, the submersible launch vessel includes a submersible power supply that powers the submersible launch vessel and the one or more deployable systems; and the submersible launch vessel includes one or more communication devices in communication with the mission controller, the mission controller being located in one of a remote or a local location relative to the submersible launch vessel; remote controlling, via the one or more communication devices coupled to the submersible launch vessel, the one or more deployable systems by the mission controller to execute the one or more underwater operations, wherein remote controlling the one or more deployable systems comprises collaborating autonomously to execute one or more instructions from the mission controller, and wherein collaborating autonomously comprises sharing a world model between the submersible launch vessel and the one or more deployable systems; and transmitting information associated with the one or more underwater operations including telemetry data to the mission controller from the submersible launch vessel. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the world model includes seabed topography data, wave and tide data, surface wind data, positions of subsea structures, positions of delivery vehicles and the one or more deployable systems, or modelled locations of any tethers between the submersible launch system and the operational cone of any of the one or more communication devices. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein receiving instructions from a mission controller comprises receiving instructions from a plurality of mission controllers within a plurality of distributed control locations that are located remotely or locally relative to the submersible launch vessel. ### Claim 11 A submersible system comprising: a submersible launch vessel that sends instructions from a mission controller to deploy a one or more deployable systems for one or more underwater operations, wherein the submersible launch vessel is submerged within a waterbody; a submersible power supply that powers the submersible launch vessel and the one or more deployable systems; and one or more communication devices in communication with the mission controller, the mission controller located in one of a remote or a local location relative to the submersible launch vessel, wherein the one or more deployable systems, via the one or more communication devices coupled to the submersible launch vessel, are remote controlled by the mission controller to execute the one or more underwater operations, wherein information associated with the one or more underwater operations including telemetry data is transmitted to the mission controller from the submersible launch vessel, and wherein the submersible launch system maintains positions of the one or more communication devices in order to optimize length and the effect of drag on a tether to a surface device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The submersible system of claim 11, wherein the mission controller comprises a plurality of mission controllers within a plurality of distributed control locations that are located remotely or locally relative to the submersible launch vessel. ### Claim 13 A submersible system comprising: a submersible launch vessel that sends instructions from a mission controller to deploy a one or more deployable systems for one or more underwater operations, wherein the submersible launch vessel is submerged within a waterbody; a submersible power supply that powers the submersible launch vessel and the one or more deployable systems; and one or more communication devices in communication with the mission controller, the mission controller located in one of a remote or a local location relative to the submersible launch vessel, wherein the one or more deployable systems, via the one or more communication devices coupled to the submersible launch vessel, are remote controlled by the mission controller to execute the one or more underwater operations, wherein information associated with the one or more underwater operations including telemetry data is transmitted to the mission controller from the submersible launch vessel, and wherein the submersible launch system shares power among system components and uses machine learning to accurately predict load requirements based on environmental and mission conditions and dynamically adjusts a mission profile to maximize range endurance. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The submersible system of claim 13, wherein the mission controller comprises a plurality of mission controllers within a plurality of distributed control locations that are located remotely or locally relative to the submersible launch vessel. ### Claim 15 A submersible system comprising: a submersible launch vessel that sends instructions from a mission controller to deploy a one or more deployable systems for one or more underwater operations, wherein the submersible launch vessel is submerged within a waterbody; a submersible power supply that powers the submersible launch vessel and the one or more deployable systems; and one or more communication devices in communication with the mission controller, the mission controller located in one of a remote or a local location relative to the submersible launch vessel, wherein the one or more deployable systems, via the one or more communication devices coupled to the submersible launch vessel, are remote controlled by the mission controller to execute the one or more underwater operations, wherein information associated with the one or more underwater operations including telemetry data is transmitted to the mission controller from the submersible launch vessel, wherein the submersible launch vessel and the one or more deployable systems collaborate autonomously to execute one or more instructions from the mission controller, and wherein the one or more deployable systems and the mission controller employ an autonomy system that supports a range of autonomy levels from a user in a loop supervised control to a fully autonomous operation. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The submersible system of claim 15, wherein the one or more deployable systems comprise one or more robots or autonomous underwater vehicles. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The submersible system of claim 15, wherein the mission controller comprises a plurality of mission controllers within a plurality of distributed control locations that are located remotely or locally relative to the submersible launch vessel. ### Claim 18 A submersible system comprising: a submersible launch vessel that sends instructions from a mission controller to deploy a one or more deployable systems for one or more underwater operations, wherein the submersible launch vessel is submerged within a waterbody, a submersible power supply that powers the submersible launch vessel and the one or more deployable systems; and one or more communication devices in communication with the mission controller, the mission controller located in one of a remote or a local location relative to the submersible launch vessel, wherein the one or more deployable systems, via the one or more communication devices coupled to the submersible launch vessel, are remote controlled by the mission controller to execute the one or more underwater operations, wherein information associated with the one or more underwater operations including telemetry data is transmitted to the mission controller from the submersible launch vessel, wherein the submersible launch vessel and the one or more deployable systems collaborate autonomously to execute one or more instructions from the mission controller, and wherein the submersible launch system shares a world model allowing the submersible launch vessel and the one or more deployable systems to collaborate autonomously. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The submersible system of claim 18, wherein the world model includes seabed topography data, wave and tide data, surface wind data, positions of subsea structures, positions of delivery vehicle and subsea robot(s), or modelled locations of any tethers between the submersible launch system and the operational cone of any of the one or more communication devices. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The submersible system of claim 18, wherein the mission controller comprises a plurality of mission controllers within a plurality of distributed control locations that are located remotely or locally relative to the submersible launch vessel. ### Claim 21 A submersible system comprising: a submersible launch vessel that sends instructions from a mission controller to deploy one or more deployable systems for one or more underwater operations, wherein the submersible launch vessel is submerged within a waterbody; a submersible power supply that powers the submersible launch vessel and the one or more deployable systems; and one or more communication devices in communication with the mission controller, the mission controller located in one of a remote or a local location relative to the submersible launch vessel, wherein the submersible launch vessel and the one or more deployable systems use machine learning to optimize mission execution. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The submersible system of claim 21, wherein the one or more deployable systems and the mission controller employ an autonomy system that supports a range of autonomy levels depending on the one or more underwater operations.