Submersible drone delivery and recovery system using waterproof aerial drone
AssigneeBell Textron Inc.
InventorsBrian Erik Barnes, Gary Miller
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A submersion system for a rotorcraft is described and includes a control module for controlling a depth to which the rotorcraft is submerged in a body of water; a compressed air chamber associated with the control module; and at least one flotation pod including a sealable opening on a top surface thereof and an opening on a bottom surface thereof. The control module selectively causes water to be taken into the at least one flotation pod to cause the submersion system to submerge in the body of water and selectively causes water to be evacuated from the at least one flotation pod to cause the submersion system to float in the body of water.
Claims20
A submersion system for a rotorcraft, the submersion system comprising:
- a control module for controlling a depth to which the rotorcraft is submerged in a body of water;
- a compressed air chamber associated with the control module;
- and
- at least one flotation pod including a sealable opening on a top surface thereof and an opening on a bottom surface thereof;
- wherein the control module selectively causes water to be taken into the at least one flotation pod to cause the submersion system to submerge in the body of water and selectively causes water to be evacuated from the at least one flotation pod to cause the submersion system to float in the body of water;
- and
- wherein the control module selectively causes pressurized air from the compressed air chamber to be injected into the at least one flotation pod.
An aerial delivery and recovery system comprising:
- a tail sitter aircraft for transporting an unmanned submersible exploration device;
- a submersion system connected to the tail sitter aircraft, the submersion system comprising:
- a control module for controlling a depth to which the tail sitter aircraft is submerged in a body of water;
- a compressed air chamber associated with the control module;
- and
- at least one flotation pod connected to the rotorcraft, the flotation pod including a sealable opening on a top surface thereof and an opening on a bottom surface thereof;
- wherein the control module selectively causes water to be taken into the at least one flotation pod to cause the submersion system to submerge in the body of water and selectively causes water to be evacuated from the at least one flotation pod to cause the submersion system to float in the body of water;
- and
- wherein the control module selectively causes pressurized air from the compressed air chamber to be injected into the at least one flotation pod.
A method of operating an aerial delivery and recovery system (ADRS) comprising a waterproof unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for transporting an unmanned submersible exploration device a submersion system connected to the UAV for controlling a depth to which the UAV is submerged in a body of water, the method comprising:
- landing the ADRS on a surface of the body of water;
- submerging the ADRS to a selected depth beneath the surface of the body of water;
- and
- subsequent to the submerging, launching the unmanned submersible exploration device from the UAV into the body of water.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.