Underwater robotic venting and inspection system

An apparatus structured to vent at least a portion of an air pocket trapped at an underside of an article that is at least partially submerged in a liquid, the apparatus comprising:

• a control apparatus;
• a tractor apparatus comprising a tractor and a drive mechanism connected together, the drive mechanism being connected with the control apparatus;
• a tether apparatus disposed on the tractor and being movable between a deployed position and a retracted position;
• and
• a buoy apparatus connected with the tether apparatus and comprising a buoy and a vent apparatus, the buoy in a condition submerged in the liquid being structured to apply a buoyant force to at least a portion of the vent apparatus whereby in the deployed position of the tether apparatus the buoy apparatus is in an elevated position situated higher in a vertical direction than in the retracted position of the tether apparatus wherein the buoy apparatus is in another position situated lower in the vertical direction, the at least portion of the vent apparatus being structured to be in fluid communication with the air pocket and to vent at least a portion of the air pocket in the elevated position of the buoy apparatus.

A method of inspecting a portion of an object under test that is at least partially submerged in a fluid, the method comprising:

• deploying within the fluid a buoy at a first position situated underneath at least a portion of the object under test;
• employing a buoyant force between the buoy and the fluid to raise a camera connected with the buoy to a second position vertically higher than the first position;
• receiving from the camera at the second position an output signal that is representative of at least a portion of a region underneath the object under test;
• and
• at least partially retracting the buoy and the camera from the second position toward the first position.

A method of inspecting a portion of an object under test that is at least partially submerged in a fluid, the method comprising:

• deploying within the fluid a buoy at a first position situated underneath at least a portion of the object under test;
• employing a buoyant force between the buoy and the fluid to raise a camera connected with the buoy to a second position vertically higher than the first position;
• receiving from the camera at the second position an output signal that is representative of at least a portion of a region underneath the object under test;
• and
• employing the buoyant force to place at least a portion of a venting apparatus in fluid communication with an air pocket situated underneath at least a portion of the object under test;
• and
• venting at least a portion of the air pocket.

An apparatus structured to vent at least a portion of a first fluid that is buoyantly situated vertically above a second fluid, the apparatus comprising:

• a control apparatus;
• a tractor apparatus comprising a tractor and a drive mechanism connected together, the drive mechanism being connected with the control apparatus;
• a tether apparatus disposed on the tractor and being movable between a retracted position and a deployed position;
• and
• a buoy apparatus connected with the tether apparatus and comprising a buoy and a vent apparatus, the buoy in a condition submerged in the second fluid being structured to apply a buoyant force from the second fluid to at least a portion of the vent apparatus whereby in the deployed position of the tether apparatus the buoy apparatus is in an elevated position situated vertically higher than in the retracted position of the tether apparatus wherein the buoy apparatus is in another position situated vertically lower, the at least portion of the vent apparatus being structured to be in fluid communication with the first fluid and to vent at least a portion of the first fluid in the elevated position of the buoy apparatus.