A device and method for disabling an undersea mine, an underwater transport and methods therefor
AssigneeMission Systems Holdings Pty Ltd.
InventorDavid BATTLE
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A mine countermeasure device for disabling an undersea mine, and underwater transport, and methods therefor. The mine countermeasure device operates to mask, cancel or neutralise (detonate) the undersea mine. The mine countermeasure device is deployed, together with a plurality of other mine countermeasure devices from an underwater transport, for example autonomously. The underwater transport preferably carries out a scan of an area known to be mined, in order to identify undersea mines. The underwater transport is capable of autonomous operation over the horizon to deliver plurality of mine countermeasure devices. The mine countermeasure device targets particular sensors on the undersea mines.
Claims20
1-35. (canceled)
A method of deployment of mine countermeasure devices by a transport, the method carried out by a controller on the transport, the method including the steps of:
- a) receiving a signal indicative of a location of an identified undersea mine;
- b) autonomously controlling movement of the transport to approach an identified undersea mine;
- and
- c) deploying, by ejection, at least one or more mine countermeasure devices to a location in the close proximity of the undersea mine.
An autonomous underwater transport for deploying mine countermeasure devices including:
- a. a prime mover;
- b. a hull including an internal cargo bay for holding at least one or more mine neutralising devices within the cargo bay;
- and;
- and
- c. a device deployment system including an ejection mechanism configured for autonomously ejecting the at least one or more mine neutralising devices from the cargo bay.
A mine countermeasure device for disabling an undersea mine, the mine countermeasure device comprising:
- a. a memory adapted for storing one or more of data and digital instructions;
- b. a processor operably connected to the memory;
- and
- c. at least one transducer adapted to generate one or more time dependent synthetic signals emulating at least one or more signals emitted by a vessel;
- d. wherein the memory includes a physics-based acoustic and magnetic model configured for generating time-based signal generation signals for use by the processor to control the transducer to synthesize the one or more synthetic signals.
The mine countermeasure device according to claim 52, wherein the processor executes the one or more selected from data or digital instructions to vary flux density of a magnetic field over time at a position in three-dimensional space corresponding to a location of the at least one or more sensors on the undersea mine in use in order to simulate a ships signature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.