Back to results
US 6,131,531 AGranted
Buoyancy system for application to submersible bodies
OwnerJason McCanna, Graeme J. Raeinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention generally relates to apparatus and methods for buoyancy compensation. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a selectively deformable buoyancy device and method for its use.
Claims25
A buoyancy system comprising:
- a housing including walls defining an interior, sealable cavity having a certain, original volume when said walls are maintained at or above a preselected temperature,
- said walls deformable about at least one axis of orientation at temperatures below said preselected temperature to define a volume less than said original volume;
- said housing returnable to said original volume when the temperature of said walls is raised above said preselected temperature.
A system adapted to be coupled to a submersible vehicle so as to selectively modify the buoyancy of said vehicle, comprising:
- a body defining walls and a compressible interior cavity fluid, said walls comprised of a temperature sensitive material deformable between a rigid first and a deformed second configuration, where the cavity in said first configuration displaces a greater volume than the cavity at said second configuration;
- where said body adapts said rigid, first configuration above a set temperature and said deformed, second configuration at temperatures below said set temperature.
A buoyancy array comprising:
- two or more bodies coupled together to form a buoyancy system where each said body includes walls defining a sealable cavity having a certain original volume when said walls are maintained above a preselected temperature;
- said walls being deformable about at least one axis of orientation at temperatures below said preselected temperature to define a volume less than said original volume, each of said bodies selectively returnable to said original volume when the temperature of each of said walls is raised above a preselected temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.