Multiple autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) system
AssigneeSeaTrepid DeepSea LLC
InventorsRobert Douglas Christ, David Earl Selby
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Multiple autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are operated by a single host surface vehicle (HSV) by configuring the AUVs with intermediate nodes (such as unmanned surface vehicles (USVs)) so as to allow the HSV to manage multiple AUVs. The intermediate nodes act as a relay for communications between the HSV and the AUVs allowing the HSV to scale to higher numbers of vehicles thus simultaneously operating the entire fleet of AUVs. The AUVs may provide underwater mapping data.
Claims30
A system for exploration of an underwater region, the system comprising:
- a host platform comprising a host surface vehicle (HSV);
- multiple surface vehicles;
- and
- multiple autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), wherein
- the host platform and the surface vehicles communicate via a first communications protocol, and wherein
- the surface vehicles and the AUVs communicate via a second communications protocol, distinct from said first communications protocol, and wherein said host platform communicates with said AUVs via said surface vehicles, and wherein
- said AUVs perform aspects of said exploration simultaneously, and wherein
- at least one AUV performs aspects of said exploration independent of at least one other AUV, and wherein
- the surface vehicles comprise a network of surface vehicles, and wherein said host platform communicates with said AUVs via said network of surface vehicles, and wherein
- surface vehicles in said network of surface vehicles communicate via a third communication protocol, wherein
- the host platform communicates with a first at least one surface vehicle in the network of surface vehicles, and wherein the first at least one surface vehicle acts as a relay between (i) the host platform, and (ii) a second at least one surface vehicle in the network of surface vehicles, and wherein aspects of said exploration comprise said AUVs independently and actively scanning portions of said underwater region, and wherein each particular AUV of at least some of said AUVs comprises at least one sonar, and wherein said particular AUV uses said at least one sonar as part of said exploration.
A system for exploration of an underwater region, the system comprising:
- a host platform comprising a host surface vehicle (HSV);
- multiple surface vehicles;
- and multiple autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), wherein
- the host platform and the surface vehicles communicate via a first communications protocol, and wherein
- the surface vehicles and the AUVs communicate via a second communications protocol, distinct from said first communications protocol, and wherein said host platform communicates with said AUVs via said surface vehicles, and wherein
- aspects of said exploration comprise said at least some of the AUVs using sonar to actively scan portions of said underwater region independent of the surface vehicles and the HSV.
A method for exploration of an underwater region, the method comprising:
- (A) providing (i) a host platform comprising a host surface vehicle (HSV), (ii) multiple surface vehicles, and (iii) multiple autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs);
- and
- (B) the AUVs independently and actively scanning portions of said underwater region, wherein the scanning by an AUV uses at least one sensor mechanism that actively transmits and operates independently of the HSV, the surface vehicles, and of other AUVs, and
- wherein at least some of the AUVs perform aspects of the exploration independent of the host surface vehicle and the surface vehicles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.