Techniques for providing variable buoyancy to a device
AssigneeBoston Engineering Corporation
InventorsRobert Lee Cardenas, Michael Conry, Michael Rufo, Todd Scrimgeour
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A variable buoyancy device has an inner region and an outer cavity. The outer cavity extends at least partially around the inner region and is adapted to contain fluids, such as a liquid and a gas, the relative proportions of which can be varied to vary buoyancy. The inner region provides an advantageous location for equipment, while the outer cavity provides a significant volume for achieving a wide range of buoyancy adjustments.
Claims20
A variable buoyancy device, comprising:
- an inner region configured to at least partially contain equipment;
- an outer cavity that extends completely around the inner region and is separated from the inner region by a set of walls;
- a set of valves;
- and
- a controller coupled to the set of valves, the controller constructed and arranged to:
- activate the set of valves to establish a first combination of a first fluid and a second fluid in the outer cavity, the first combination providing the device with a first buoyancy condition;
- and
- reactivate the set of valves to establish a second combination of the first fluid and the second fluid in the outer cavity, the second combination providing the device with a second buoyancy condition, the first fluid and the second fluid having different buoyancies.
A sonde, comprising multiple modules arranged end-to-end, the modules including a variable buoyancy module, the variable buoyancy module including:
- an inner region configured to at least partially contain equipment;
- an outer cavity that extends completely around the inner region and is separated from the inner region by a set of walls;
- a set of valves;
- and
- a controller coupled to the set of valves, the controller constructed and arranged to:
- activate the set of valves to establish a first combination of a first fluid and a second fluid in the outer cavity, the first combination providing the sonde with a first buoyancy condition;
- and
- reactivate the set of valves to establish a second combination of the first fluid and the second fluid in the outer cavity, the second combination providing the sonde with a second buoyancy condition, the first fluid and the second fluid having different buoyancies.
A method of changing buoyancy of a device, the method comprising:
- deploying the device in a body of water, the device having (i) an inner region configured to at least partially contain equipment and (ii) an outer cavity that extends completely around the inner region and is separated from the inner region by a set of walls;
- activating a set of valves to establish a first combination in the outer cavity of a first fluid and a second fluid, the first combination providing the device with a first buoyancy condition that brings the device to a first level within the body of water, the first fluid and the second fluid having different buoyancies;
- and
- after the device has operated with the first buoyancy condition for a period of time, reactivating the set of valves to establish a second combination in the outer cavity of the first fluid and the second fluid, the second combination providing the device with a second buoyancy condition that brings the device to a second level, different from the first level, within the body of water.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.