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US 7,250,568 B1Granted
Underwater vehicle deceleration and positive buoyancy assembly
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorsEric G. Dow, James D. Hrubes
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An assembly for vehicle deceleration and buoyancy comprises a pair of doors enclosing flotation bags inflatable for buoyant recovery of the torpedo. In operation, the doors are controllably forced open to an initial angle off a longitudinal axis of the assembly to a fully-deployed position by hydrodynamic forces of the movement of the vehicle. From the doors blocking the hydrodynamic forces, the vehicle decelerates. The hydrodynamic braking action of the doors reduces the time required to reach terminal velocity, thus reducing the depth the vehicle sinks and enabling recovery with less gas required for inflation.
Claims19
A deceleration and positive buoyancy assembly for use with an undersea vehicle, said assembly comprising:
- a hull section generally conforming in shape to a contour of the undersea vehicle upon which said hull section is positioned;
- at least two cavities formed within said hull section, each of said cavities formed opposite to each other along a perimeter of said hull section;
- a door mechanically secured to said hull section at each of said cavities, said door having a first and second end, said second end more proximate to a end of said hull section closer to a projecting end of the undersea vehicle than said first end of said door with each of said doors positioned to encompass said cavity coincident to an exterior surface of said hull section;
- a hinge secured at each of said first end of said doors;
- a means for releasing said second end of each of said doors from said hull section;
- at least two inflatable members, each of said inflatable members secured within each of said cavities, each of said inflatable members expansive to position said door to an initial angle from a longitudinal axis of said hull section upon actuation of said releasing means and adapted to assume a generally spherical configuration outside the contour of the undersea vehicle upon inflation;
- and
- means within said hull section for inflating each of said inflatable members with a gas in response to a signal;
- wherein the position of said door at the initial angle allows hydrodynamic forces resulting from a movement of the undersea vehicle to fully deploy said door to an angle to decelerate the undersea vehicle by a counter-acting hydrodynamic force and to provide a pathway for each of said inflatable members to inflate from said cavities thereby rendering the undersea vehicle buoyant for sea surface recovery.
6 more elements
A deceleration and positive buoyancy assembly for use with an undersea vehicle, said assembly comprising:
- a hull section generally conforming in shape to a contour of the undersea vehicle upon which said hull section is positioned;
- at least two cavities formed within said hull section, each of said cavities formed opposite to each other along a perimeter of said hull section;
- a door mechanically secured to said hull section at each of said cavities, said door having a first and second end, said second end more proximate to a end of said hull section closer to a projecting end of the undersea vehicle than said first end of said door with each of said doors positioned to encompass said cavity coincident to an exterior surface of said hull section;
- a hinge secured at each of said first end of said doors;
- a pneumatic latching mechanism releasably connected to said second end of said doors from said hull section;
- at least two inflatable members, each of said inflatable members secured within each of said cavities and capable of expanding to position said door to an initial angle from a longitudinal axis of said hull section upon the releasing action of said second end from said latching mechanism and;
- means within said hull section for inflating each of said inflatable members;
- a first solenoid valve fluidly connected to said inflating means and said latching mechanism, said first solenoid valve set to actuate upon a predetermined depth pressure thereby allowing gas from said inflating means to activate the releasing action of said latching mechanism;
- a second solenoid valve fluidly connected from said inflating means and each of said inflatable members, said second solenoid valve controllable to allow the gas from said inflating means to said inflatable members based upon a deceleration rate of the undersea vehicle;
- a flow control valve fluidly connected between said second solenoid valve and said inflatable members, said flow control valve including a variable orifice controlled by a piston calibrated to balance depth pressures to the control of the gas to said inflatable members;
- wherein the position of said door at the initial angle allows hydrodynamic forces resulting from a movement of the undersea vehicle to fully deploy said door to an angle to decelerate the undersea vehicle by a counter-acting hydrodynamic force and to provide a pathway for each of said inflatable members to inflate;
- and
- wherein each of said inflatable members is capable of assuming a generally spherical configuration outside the contour of the undersea vehicle upon inflation thereby rendering the undersea vehicle buoyant for sea surface recovery.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.