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US 11,987,333 B2Granted
Modular underwater vehicle
OwnerRobert W. Lautrup, Anthony C. Mulliganinventors
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Abstract
A modular underwater vehicle includes a hull having a series of modular sections, defining an interior housing, a propulsor coupled to a stern of the hull, a series of control surfaces coupled to the propulsor or the stern of the hull, and a power supply, a processor, and a nonvolatile memory device in the interior housing. The nonvolatile memory device has instructions stored therein which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to supply power from the power supply to drive the propulsor and to actuate the plurality of control surfaces. At least one modular section of the series of modular sections is detachable.
Claims25
A modular underwater vehicle comprising:
- a hull comprising a plurality of modular sections arranged along a lengthwise direction extending from a bow portion of the hull toward a stern portion of the hull, the hull defining an interior housing;
- a propulsor coupled to a stern of the hull;
- a plurality of control surfaces coupled to the propulsor or the stern of the hull;
- and
- a power supply, a processor, and a nonvolatile memory device in the interior housing,
- wherein the nonvolatile memory device has instructions stored therein which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to supply power from the power supply to drive the propulsor and to actuate the plurality of control surfaces,
- wherein a transverse cross-sectional shape of the hull changes along a length thereof, and the bow portion has an ellipsoidal shape and the stern portion has a paraboloidal shape,
- wherein the propulsor and the plurality of control surfaces are coupled to and arranged aft of an aft-most modular section of the plurality of modular sections,
- wherein at least one modular section of the plurality of modular sections is detachable and removable from the hull so as to be replaceable with one or more other modular sections, and
- wherein the at least one modular section comprises at least one module selectable from:
- a warhead module configured to search for, target and attack a vessel;
- an exercise module configured to enable the modular underwater vehicle to perform tests;
- a target simulator module configured to emit a sound imitating an acoustic signature of a target vessel;
- and
- a decoy module configured to emit a sound imitating an acoustic signature of a launch vessel, and
- the at least one module is arranged aft of a forwardmost modular section of the plurality of modular sections.
13 more elements
A modular underwater vehicle system comprising:
- a modular underwater vehicle comprising:
- a hull comprising a plurality of modular sections, the hull defining an interior housing;
- a propulsor coupled to a stern of the hull;
- a plurality of control surfaces coupled to the propulsor or the stern of the hull;
- and
- a power supply, a processor, and nonvolatile memory device in the interior housing, wherein the nonvolatile memory device has instructions stored therein which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to supply power from the power supply to drive the propulsor and to actuate the plurality of control surfaces,
- wherein the propulsor and the plurality of control surfaces are coupled to and arranged aft of an aft-most modular section of the plurality of modular sections;
- and
- a warhead module configured to be installed as one of the plurality of modular sections of the hull, the warhead modular configured to enable the modular underwater vehicle to target and attack a vessel;
- an exercise module configured to be installed as one of the plurality of modular sections of the hull, the exercise module configured to enable the modular underwater vehicle to perform tests;
- a target simulator module configured to be installed as one of the plurality of modular sections of the hull, the target simulator module configured to emit sound imitating an acoustic signature of a target vessel;
- and
- a decoy module configured to be installed as one of the plurality of modular sections of the hull, the decoy module configured to emit a sound imitating an acoustic signature of a launch vessel,
- wherein at least one of the warhead module, the exercise module, the target simulator module, or the decoy module is arranged aft of a forwardmost modular section of the plurality of modular sections.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.