Unmanned underwater vehicle and system for the maintenance and inspection of underwater facilities and method of managing a tether to supply power and to control said underwater vehicle
AssigneeSaipem S.P.A.
InventorsAlberto Serena, Giovanni Massari, Diego Lazzarin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An unmanned underwater vehicle for the maintenance and inspection of permanent underwater installations has a frame; a plurality of motorized thrusters directable to navigate in a body of water; a tether to supply power and control the underwater vehicle from a remote location; and a tether management device to selectively wind and unwind the tether on board the underwater vehicle.
Claims15
An unmanned underwater vehicle configured to maintain and inspect a permanent underwater installation, the unmanned underwater vehicle comprising:
- a frame;
- a plurality of motorized thrusters directable to navigate in a body of water;
- a tether configured to supply power to and send control signals to the unmanned underwater vehicle from a remote location;
- a tether management device configured to selectively wind and unwind the tether on board the unmanned underwater vehicle;
- a first module comprising the plurality of motorized thrusters, a power source of the unmanned underwater vehicle and a control unit of the unmanned underwater vehicle;
- and
- a second module comprising the tether and the tether management device, wherein the first module and the second module are selectively couplable and decouplable in the body of water.
An underwater facility maintenance and inspection system comprising:
- an unmanned underwater vehicle comprising:
- a frame,
- a plurality of motorized thrusters directable to navigate in a body of water;
- a tether configured to supply power to and send control signals to the unmanned underwater vehicle from a remote location,
- a tether management device configured to selectively wind and unwind the tether on board the unmanned underwater vehicle,
- a first module comprising the plurality of motorized thrusters, a power source of the unmanned underwater vehicle and a control unit of the unmanned underwater vehicle, and
- a second module comprising the tether and the tether management device, wherein the first module and the second module are selectively couplable and decouplable in the body of water;
- and
- an underwater resident station selectively couplable with the unmanned underwater vehicle.
A method of managing a tether of an unmanned underwater vehicle, the method comprising:
- moving the unmanned underwater vehicle into a body of water, the unmanned underwater vehicle comprising a frame, a plurality of motorized thrusters directable to navigate in the body of water, the tether configured to supply power to and send control signals to the unmanned underwater vehicle, a tether management device, a first module comprising the plurality of motorized thrusters, a power source of the unmanned underwater vehicle and a control unit of the unmanned underwater vehicle, and a second module comprising the tether and the tether management device, wherein the first module and the second module are selectively couplable and decouplable in the body of water;
- controlling the path of the unmanned underwater vehicle from a remote station;
- unwinding the tether from the unmanned underwater vehicle along a first path;
- and
- laying the tether on a bed of the body of water.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.