Navigation system for underwater vehicles
AssigneeFraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
InventorsGunnar Brink, Edwin Devassykutty, Christian Langen
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Abstract
Embodiments of the present invention provide a navigation system which, on the one hand, is arranged on sides of the underwater vehicle/AUV and, on the other hand, includes a surface transmitter as a counterpart. The two units communicate with each other such that the surface transmitter emits its signal directed to the position of the underwater vehicle and/or that the surface transmitter follows the underwater vehicle to improve the position determination capability.
Claims6
A surface transmitter movable in a three-dimensional underwater space in the x-, y- and z-direction, comprising:
- a receiver for receiving position information for position of an underwater vehicle;
- and
- a transmitting unit that is configured to emit a first signal such that a runtime of the first signal can be determined by the underwater vehicle so as to determine a relative position information or distance information of the underwater vehicle with respect to the surface transmitter;
- wherein the first signal comprises position information for an absolute position of the surface transmitter, wherein the transmitting unit transmits the first signal directed in the direction of the position of the underwater vehicle;
- wherein the transmitting unit transmits the first signal at a predetermined angle or perpendicularly downward;
- and
- wherein the surface transmitter comprises a controller for moving the surface transmitter in the x- and y-direction on a water surface as well as a control computer for controlling the controller, wherein the control computer is configured to control the surface transmitter such that the surface transmitter follows the x- and y-direction of the underwater vehicle in the x- and y-direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.