Hybrid boat and underwater watercraft
AssigneeSEAmagine Hydrospace Corporation
InventorWilliam Kohnen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hybrid boat and underwater craft and method for operating an underwater craft having positive buoyancy, a three-point stabilization system and vertical thruster and a system for enhanced buoyancy at the surface.
Claims27
An underwater watercraft having a structure for mounting components, a positive buoyancy when submerged under the surface of a body of water and a center of gravity, the watercraft comprising:
- a front end;
- a rear end opposite the front end;
- a three point stabilization system comprising:
- a front buoyancy element having a center of buoyancy and imparting a buoyant force on the watercraft, effectively at a center of buoyancy of the front buoyancy element, wherein the center of buoyancy of the front buoyancy element is between the front end and the center of gravity;
- a tail buoyancy element imparting a buoyant force on the watercraft, effectively at the center of buoyancy of the tail buoyancy element, wherein the center of buoyancy of the tail buoyancy element is between the rear end and the center of gravity;
- and a vertical thruster system wherein the depth of the watercraft below the surface of the water is adjusted using the vertical thruster system.
An underwater watercraft having a center of gravity, the watercraft comprising:
- a front end;
- a rear end opposite the front end;
- a three point stabilization system comprising:
- a front buoyancy element having a center of buoyancy and imparting a buoyant force on the watercraft, effectively at a center of buoyancy of the front buoyancy element, wherein the center of buoyancy of the front buoyancy element is between the front end and the center of gravity;
- and
- a tail buoyancy element imparting a buoyant force on the watercraft, effectively at the center of buoyancy of the tail buoyancy element, wherein the center of buoyancy of the tail buoyancy element is between the rear end and center of gravity.
The watercraft of claim I wherein the tail buoyancy element comprises tail shell enclosing a buoyant material.
An underwater watercraft having a positive buoyancy when submerged under the surface of a body of water and having a center of gravity, the watercraft comprising:
- a front end;
- a rear end opposite the front end;
- a plurality of buoyancy imparting elements;
- and
- a vertical thruster wherein the depth of the watercraft below the surface of the water is adjusted using the vertical thruster;
- wherein the plurality of buoyancy imparting elements include:
- a front buoyancy element having a center of buoyancy and imparting a buoyant force on the watercraft, effectively at a center of buoyancy of the front buoyancy element, wherein the center of buoyancy of the front buoyancy element is between the front end and the center of gravity;
- and
- a tail buoyancy element imparting a buoyant force on the watercraft, effectively at the center of buoyancy of the tail buoyancy element, wherein the center of buoyancy of the tail buoyancy element is between the rear end and the center of gravity.
An underwater watercraft having a structure for mounting components, the watercraft having a boat mode of operation wherein the watercraft is floatable on a surface of a body of water and an underwater mode of operation wherein the watercraft is submergible below the surface of the body of water, the watercraft comprising:
- a surface-buoyancy supplementing system including:
- a boat section defined in the structure, wherein the boat section includes air permeable top, side walls and a bottom surface wherein the top of the boat section can emerge above the surface of the water when the watercraft is in boat mode;
- and
- draining means for draining water from the boat section when the top of the boat section is above the surface of the water;
- a front end;
- a rear end opposite the front end;
- and
- a three point stabilization system including:
- a front buoyancy element having a center of buoyancy and imparting a buoyant force on the watercraft, effectively at a center of buoyancy of the front buoyancy element, wherein the center of buoyancy of the front buoyancy element is between the front end and center of gravity;
- and
- a tail buoyancy element imparting a buoyant force on the watercraft, effectively at the center of buoyancy of the tail buoyancy element, wherein the center of buoyancy of the tail buoyancy element is between the rear end and the center of gravity.
An underwater watercraft having a center of gravity, and having:
- a boat mode of operation wherein the watercraft is floatable on a surface of a body of water;
- and
- an underwater mode of operation wherein the watercraft is submergible below the surface of the body of water;
- and
- wherein the watercraft comprises:
- a structure for mounting components, wherein the structure includes:
- a boat section including an air permeable top, side walls and a bottom surface wherein the top of the boat section can emerge above the surface of the water when the watercraft is in boat mode,
- a front end;
- a rear end opposite the front end;
- a three point stabilization system comprising:
- a front buoyancy element having a center of buoyancy and imparting a buoyant force on the watercraft, effectively at a center of buoyancy of the front buoyancy element, wherein the center of buoyancy of the front buoyancy element is between the front end and the center of gravity;
- and
- a rear buoyancy element imparting a buoyant force on the watercraft, effectively at the center of buoyancy of the rear buoyancy element, wherein the center of buoyancy of the rear buoyancy element is between the rear end and the center of gravity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.