Wave-powered unmanned undersea vehicle

A wave-powered UUV, comprising:

• a nose, comprising:
• a nose buttress plate;
• first and second shaft tubes, each having a first end attached to said nose buttress plate and an open second end;
• and
• a guide shaft having a first end attached to said nose buttress plate and disposed within said second shaft tube;
• a body, comprising:
• a hull, substantially elongate and having a fore end and an aft end;
• a body buttress plate disposed near said fore end of said hull and having first and second clearance openings;
• an LRPC having a splined shaft longitudinally disposed through said first clearance opening and a drivetrain configured to rotate when said splined shaft moves in a reciprocal linear motion;
• an AC generator having a drive shaft operably coupled to said drive train and configured to convert a rotational energy of said drivetrain into an AC voltage;
• an AC-DC converter electrically coupled to said AC generator and configured to convert said AC voltage into a DC voltage;
• a battery module electrically coupled to said AC-DC converter and configured to receive and store said DC voltage from said AC-DC converter and provide said DC voltage to a battery module output;
• a DC motor electrically coupled to said battery module output and configured to rotate a propeller shaft when receiving said DC voltage;
• a propeller coupled to said propeller shaft and configured to propel said wave-powered UUV within a body of water when said DC motor drives said propeller shaft;
• and
• a guide shaft tube, longitudinally disposed within said body and fixedly attach to said second clearance opening;
• wherein a second end of said guide shaft is slidably coupled to guide shaft tube, such that said nose and said body are in a sliding relationship;
• and
• wherein a first end of said splined shaft is attached to said nose buttress plate of said nose and disposed within said first shaft tube, said splined shaft being movable in a reciprocal linear motion having an upward stroke in a first linear direction and a downward stroke in a second linear direction opposite to said first linear direction.

A wave-powered UUV, comprising:

• a nose, comprising:
• a nose buttress plate;
• first and second shaft tubes, each having a first end attached to said nose buttress plate and an open second end;
• and
• a guide shaft having a first end attached to said nose buttress plate and disposed within said second shaft tube;
• and
• a body, comprising:
• a hull, substantially elongate and having a fore end and an aft end, said hull, comprising an inner hull and an outer hull;
• a ballast control system disposed between said inner hull and said outer hull;
• a body buttress plate disposed near a fore end portion of said hull and having first and second clearance openings;
• an LRPC having a splined shaft longitudinally disposed through said first clearance opening and a drivetrain configured to rotate when said splined shaft moves in a reciprocal linear motion, said LRPC being configured to convert reciprocating linear energy from said splined shaft to continuous rotational energy at said drivetrain;
• an AC generator having a drive shaft operably coupled to said drivetrain and configured to convert said continuous rotational energy into an AC voltage;
• an AC-DC converter electrically coupled to said AC generator and configured to convert said AC voltage into a DC voltage;
• a battery module electrically coupled to said AC-DC converter and configured to receive and store said DC voltage from said AC-DC converter and provide said DC voltage to a battery module output;
• a DC motor electrically coupled to said battery module output and configured to rotate a propeller shaft when receiving said DC voltage;
• a propeller operably coupled to said propeller shaft and configured to propel said wave-powered UUV within a body of water when said DC motor drives said propeller shaft;
• and
• a guide shaft tube, longitudinally disposed within said body and fixedly attach to said second clearance opening;
• wherein a second end of said guide shaft is slidably coupled to guide shaft tube, such that said nose and said body are in a sliding relationship;
• wherein a first end of said splined shaft is attached to said nose buttress plate of said nose and disposed within said first shaft tube, said splined shaft being movable in a reciprocal linear motion having an upward stroke in a first linear direction and a downward stroke in a second linear direction opposite to said first linear direction;
• and
• wherein said nose is adapted to buoy said body to rise and fall with respect to said nose under an influence of said body of water.