Delivery and recovery apparatus, method, and applications
AssigneeFairfield Industries Incorporated
InventorStephen W. Jewell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Machinery and methods are described whereby a free flying, remotely operated vehicle (ROV) can safely capture and take on board lightly managed seismic sensor devices (payload) while they are in-transit via a surface vessel in a (deep) water column. ROV payload can be replenished without the need for the ROV to return to the surface vessel to receive additional payload and to do so without the need for heavy launch and recovery machinery. The reverse process of returning payload from the ROV to the surface vessel is also disclosed.
Claims12
A method for deploying and manipulating a payload in an unstable environment, comprising:
- deploying a plurality of unit payloads from a marine surface vessel, wherein the step of deploying a plurality of unit payloads comprises:
- providing, on the marine surface vessel, the plurality of unit payloads each having a non-removable passive affixment device and a non-removable active affixment device diametrically disposed about a perimetal region of each unit payload;
- detachably directly, serially linking at least two of the plurality of unit payloads on the marine surface vessel to form a payload chain by directly coupling the passive affixment device of one of the unit payloads to the active affixment device of another one of the unit payloads;
- detachably coupling the payload chain to a lift line that is controllably deployable from the marine surface vessel into/out of a water column;
- and
- deploying the lift line and the coupled payload chain into the water column.
A method for manipulating and recovering a payload from a submerged ROV in an unstable environment to a marine surface vessel, comprising:
- providing an ROV including a robotic arm and a payload stowage compartment including a payload chain consisting of a plurality of detachably, directly, serially linked unit payloads each having an active affixment device and a passive affixment device connected thereto;
- providing a deployed lift line including a tag line having a passive affixment device attached to a first end thereof and being fixedly coupled at a second end thereof to the deployed lift line from the marine surface vessel;
- capturing the passive affixment device attached to the first end of the tag line with the robotic arm and engaging it with the active affixment device disposed on a leading stowed end of the payload chain;
- and
- extracting the payload chain from the stowage compartment of the ROV.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.