Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63G—OFFENSIVE OR DEFENSIVE ARRANGEMENTS ON VESSELS; MINE-LAYING; MINE-SWEEPING; SUBMARINES; AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
  • B63G8/00—Underwater vessels, e.g. submarines; Equipment specially adapted therefor
  • B63G8/14—Control of attitude or depth
  • B63G8/16—Control of attitude or depth by direct use of propellers or jets
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63G—OFFENSIVE OR DEFENSIVE ARRANGEMENTS ON VESSELS; MINE-LAYING; MINE-SWEEPING; SUBMARINES; AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
  • B63G8/00—Underwater vessels, e.g. submarines; Equipment specially adapted therefor
  • B63G8/14—Control of attitude or depth
  • B63G8/20—Steering equipment
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63G—OFFENSIVE OR DEFENSIVE ARRANGEMENTS ON VESSELS; MINE-LAYING; MINE-SWEEPING; SUBMARINES; AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
  • B63G8/00—Underwater vessels, e.g. submarines; Equipment specially adapted therefor
  • B63G8/14—Control of attitude or depth
  • B63G8/22—Adjustment of buoyancy by water ballasting; Emptying equipment for ballast tanks
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63G—OFFENSIVE OR DEFENSIVE ARRANGEMENTS ON VESSELS; MINE-LAYING; MINE-SWEEPING; SUBMARINES; AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
  • B63G8/00—Underwater vessels, e.g. submarines; Equipment specially adapted therefor
  • B63G8/14—Control of attitude or depth
  • B63G8/26—Trimming equipment
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63G—OFFENSIVE OR DEFENSIVE ARRANGEMENTS ON VESSELS; MINE-LAYING; MINE-SWEEPING; SUBMARINES; AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
  • B63G8/00—Underwater vessels, e.g. submarines; Equipment specially adapted therefor
  • B63G8/38—Arrangement of visual or electronic watch equipment, e.g. of periscopes, of radar
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B2203/00—Communication means
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63G—OFFENSIVE OR DEFENSIVE ARRANGEMENTS ON VESSELS; MINE-LAYING; MINE-SWEEPING; SUBMARINES; AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
  • B63G8/00—Underwater vessels, e.g. submarines; Equipment specially adapted therefor
  • B63G8/001—Underwater vessels adapted for special purposes, e.g. unmanned underwater vessels; Equipment specially adapted therefor, e.g. docking stations
  • B63G2008/002—Underwater vessels adapted for special purposes, e.g. unmanned underwater vessels; Equipment specially adapted therefor, e.g. docking stations unmanned
  • B63G2008/004—Underwater vessels adapted for special purposes, e.g. unmanned underwater vessels; Equipment specially adapted therefor, e.g. docking stations unmanned autonomously operating
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63G—OFFENSIVE OR DEFENSIVE ARRANGEMENTS ON VESSELS; MINE-LAYING; MINE-SWEEPING; SUBMARINES; AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
  • B63G8/00—Underwater vessels, e.g. submarines; Equipment specially adapted therefor
  • B63G8/001—Underwater vessels adapted for special purposes, e.g. unmanned underwater vessels; Equipment specially adapted therefor, e.g. docking stations
  • B63G2008/002—Underwater vessels adapted for special purposes, e.g. unmanned underwater vessels; Equipment specially adapted therefor, e.g. docking stations unmanned
  • B63G2008/005—Underwater vessels adapted for special purposes, e.g. unmanned underwater vessels; Equipment specially adapted therefor, e.g. docking stations unmanned remotely controlled
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
  • H01Q1/00—Details of, or arrangements associated with, antennas
  • H01Q1/27—Adaptation for use in or on movable bodies
  • H01Q1/34—Adaptation for use in or on ships, submarines, buoys or torpedoes

Definitions

• the field of the invention is that of marine vehicles intended to move submerged in a liquid, including submarine vehicles. It relates more particularly to underwater vehicles.
• Unmanned Underwater Vehicle which may autonomous vehicles also called AUV in reference to the Anglo-Saxon expression (“Autonomous Underwater Vehicle” ) or non-autonomous vehicles also called ROV with reference to the English expression "remotely operated vehicle”.
• Submarine vehicles regularly have to go to the surface for various reasons (refueling, communicating with a significant transmission rate, recovering, making measurements, etc.).
• These underwater vehicles therefore comprise a payload comprising for example a telecommunication antenna or a camera intended to be used above the surface of the water.
• the underwater vehicle must then be able to bring this payload to a sufficient altitude above the surface of the water, often several meters above the surface of the water so as to allow smooth operation of the payload. For example, it is desired to transmit and / or receive radio waves with good performance or to acquire good quality images of a landscape above the surface of the water.
• certain applications require the most stable mast orientation possible along a fixed vertical axis relative to the terrestrial reference.
• Payloads such as antennas are generally installed at the end of a deployable mast which is stowed when the underwater vehicle is moving in depth and which is deployed when the craft rises to the surface of the water, to bring the payload above the surface of the water at sufficient altitude.
• a mast extending along a radial axis of the body of the underwater vehicle.
• the radial axis is defined with respect to a longitudinal axis of a body of the underwater vehicle.
• the body of the underwater vehicle is elongated along the longitudinal axis.
• the mast is folded inside the body of the vehicle submarine. This makes it possible to limit the hydrodynamic drag of the underwater vehicle when it is fully submerged.
• the underwater vehicle rises to the surface and the mast is translated along the radial axis so as to extend above the body of the undercarriage. marine on a vertical axis.
• the stability of the mast is obtained thanks to the inertia of the whole and thanks to a length of the vehicle greater than the length of the waves.
• Vehicles of smaller size (of a hundred kg with a payload of a few kg at the end of a mast of several meters) using this type of mast are very unstable when there is a little swell . Indeed, the vehicle floating on the surface of the sea follows the surface of the water and undergoes a movement of rolling and pitching. If a use of the payload integrated into the mast requires a certain stability of the mast then its performance depends on the sea state.
• Solutions for improving the stability of the mast include providing means for varying the longitudinal attitude of the body of the underwater vehicle ("pitch" in English terminology) so as to allow to orient the longitudinal axis of the body of the underwater vehicle in a substantially vertical direction when the underwater vehicle floats on the surface of the water in a configuration.
• a first solution of this type is described in the patent application GB 2 335 888 and shown in FIG. 1.
• the mast 1 provided with the payload extends vertically above the surface S of the water and is aligned with the longitudinal axis xe of the body 3 of the underwater vehicle 4.
• the mast 1 extends longitudinally substantially along the longitudinal axis xe of the body 3 of the underwater vehicle 4 and is movable in translation along this axis so that it can be retracted within the body 3 of the underwater vehicle 4, or out of the body of the underwater vehicle, as shown in Figure 1, towards the front of the body 3
• the longitudinal attitude of the body 3 of the underwater vehicle 4 is modified by translating an internal mass to the body 3 of the underwater vehicle 4 along the longitudinal axis xe or by control surfaces.
• a second solution is described in the patent application US 20080132130 and is shown in FIG. 2.
• a first mast 100 provided with the payload is connected to the body 102 of a floating machine by a first pivot connection 103.
• a second mast 105 is connected to the body 102 of the floating machine by a second pivot connection 106 of axis parallel to that of the first pivot connection 103 and disposed near the second longitudinal end 107 of the body of the floating machine.
• This second mast 105 is deployed so as to modify the position of the center of gravity of the underwater vehicle along the longitudinal axis xl of the body of the floating machine to vary the longitudinal attitude of the body 102 to bring the machine in a stable position in which it floats on the surface of the water with the two masts 100, 105 and the body 102 of the vertical submarine vehicle as shown in FIG. 2.
• Control surfaces also make it possible to modify the longitudinal plate of the body of the floating craft.
• the stationary mast to rotate on itself, the mast stabilized in a substantially vertical direction, for example, to acquire or transmit information in different radial directions to a vertical axis.
• An object of the invention is to limit at least one of the aforementioned drawbacks.
• the subject of the invention is a submergible marine vehicle, comprising a body extending longitudinally along an axis x and a mast extending longitudinally along an axis xm, the being provided with a payload intended to be immersed.
• the marine vehicle being capable of being in a panoramic configuration in which the mast extends at least partially above the surface of the water and extends longitudinally in a direction substantially vertical, the mast being in an operational configuration in which it exceeds the body along the x axis
• the marine vehicle comprising a thruster capable of generating a torque around the xm axis, when the marine vehicle is in the panoramic configuration , so as to rotate the body and the mast around the xm axis.
• the thruster and the mast are arranged so that when the xm axis is inclined relative to the x axis in the panoramic configuration, there is a non-zero lever arm between the xm axis and the thruster.
• the thruster comprises two counter-rotating propellers each comprising blades whose collective and cyclic incidence around a neutral position is variable, the propellers being mounted on the body so as to have the same axis of rotation fixed relative to the body, this axis of rotation being substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis x.
• the mast is connected to the body by a pivot connection for pivoting the mast relative to the body between a storage configuration in which the mast is folded down along the body and the operational configuration.
• the mast is capable of being immobilized in the operational configuration.
• the xm axis extends substantially parallel to the x axis.
• the marine vehicle is likely to have a positive buoyancy in a so-called stabilization panoramic configuration in which the body is totally immersed.
• the marine vehicle is likely to have a positive buoyancy in a so-called stabilization panoramic configuration in which the body is totally immersed, the mast crossing the surface of the water.
• the marine vehicle has a cross section smaller than a cross section of the body.
• the mast is connected to the body by a pivot connection.
• the pivot connection is disposed near a first longitudinal end of the body.
• the vehicle comprises rotation means configured to implement, on receipt of a rotation command, a rotational step in which the thruster generates a rotational torque about the axis xm axis to rotate the body and the mast around the xm axis, the marine vehicle being in a panoramic configuration.
• the rotation means are configured to implement the step of rotation when the x-axis is inclined with respect to the xm axis.
• the invention also relates to a method for controlling a marine vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a step of rotation, during which the thruster generates a rotation torque about the axis of the axis.
• a step of rotation during which the thruster generates a rotation torque about the axis of the axis.
• xm in the pan configuration to rotate the body and mast around the xm axis.
• the method comprises a step of adjusting the buoyancy, prior to the rotation step, to bring the marine vehicle so that the vehicle has a positive buoyancy in the panoramic configuration.
• the adjustment step is performed so that the body is totally immersed in the panoramic configuration, the mast crossing the surface of the water.
• the method comprises a step of deploying the mast, prior to the step of rotation, from a storage configuration, in which the mast is folded down along the body of the marine vehicle, to the operational configuration by pivoting the mast by relative to the body around a pivot connection connecting the mast to the body.
• the method comprises a step of adjusting the longitudinal attitude of the body of the marine vehicle, prior to the step of rotation, so that the axis xm is substantially vertical in the panoramic configuration.
• FIG. 1 already described schematically represents an example of a submarine machine according to the prior art
• FIG. 2 already described schematically represents an example of a floating machine according to the prior art
• FIG. 3 diagrammatically represents a marine vehicle according to the invention in a panoramic configuration, the mast being in an operational configuration
• FIG. 4 diagrammatically represents the marine vehicle of FIG. 3 in which the mast is in a storage configuration
• FIG. 5 schematically shows the bodies of an example of a marine vehicle according to the invention.
• the invention relates in particular to an underwater vehicle 10 as shown in FIG. 3.
• An underwater vehicle is a submersible vehicle capable of moving underwater, that is to say in a totally submerged manner.
• the invention also applies to a surface vehicle, that is to say to a floating vehicle intended to float on the surface of the water and not intended to be completely immersed, that is to say having positive buoyancy.
• the underwater vehicle 10 comprises a body 1 1 extending longitudinally along a longitudinal axis x and a mast 12 connected to the body 1 1 of the underwater vehicle.
• the mast 12 is provided with a payload 13 for use above the surface S of the water.
• the payload 13 comprises at least one transmitter and / or at least one receiver.
• the payload may comprise an emitter capable of emitting radio waves or radio transmitting antenna and / or a receiver capable of receiving radio waves or radio receiving antenna and / or a receiver able to receive light waves or a radio sensor. image and / or an image emitter or a light beam.
• the payload 13 or at least one transmitter and / or at least one receiver of the payload 13 is integral with the mast 12.
• This rotation is performed using the thruster.
• the payload or at least one transmitter and / or at least one receiver of the payload 13 may be pivotally mounted relative to the mast around the axis of the mast.
• the underwater vehicle may include an actuator to rotate the payload around the axis of the mast.
• At least one transmitter and / or at least one receiver of the payload 13 can be attached to the mast removably. It is for example included in a tank adapted to be fixed to the mast and adapted to detach from the mast, for example to raise a communication equipment above the surface of the water.
• the underwater vehicle comprises a tank 130 fixed, permanently or removably, at one end of the mast 12 in which the payload 13 is housed.
• the mast comprises the tank.
• the underwater vehicle 10 comprises a body 1 1 of the underwater vehicle having an elongated shape along a longitudinal axis x of the underwater vehicle 10.
• the underwater vehicle is for example intended to move mainly along the longitudinal axis x.
• the mast 12 has an elongate shape along a longitudinal axis of the mast xm.
• the mast is likely to be in at least one operational configuration in which the mast 12 is projecting relative to the body 1 1 of the underwater vehicle 10 along the x axis.
• the mast 12 protrudes from the body 1 1 of the underwater vehicle 10 in the operational configuration.
• the vehicle 10 has, in the operational configuration, a dimension, taken along the x axis, greater than the length of the body 1 1 of the underwater vehicle since the length of the projection formed by the mast 12 , taken along the x-axis, is added to it. More specifically, in the operational configuration, the payload 13 or the end of the mast closest to the payload 13, exceeds the body 1 1 along the x axis.
• the mast 12 is secured to the body of the underwater vehicle 10 in rotation about the xm axis.
• the underwater vehicle 10 is likely to be in a so-called panoramic configuration, an example of which is shown in FIG. 3, in which the mast 12 extends at least partially above the surface of the water and extends longitudinally in a substantially vertical direction z defined in an earth-bound mark such that the payload is disposed above the surface of the water, i.e., one end 12a of the mast extends above the surface of the water.
• the longitudinal axis xm of the mast 12 extends substantially vertically in the panoramic configuration.
• the mast is in an operational configuration.
• the vehicle is advantageously able to be in a so-called panoramic configuration for each operational configuration of the mast.
• the vehicle is adapted to be in a panoramic configuration for at least one operational configuration.
• the underwater vehicle 10 comprises a thruster 14 capable of generating a torque around the xm axis to rotate the body 1 1 of the underwater vehicle and the mast 12 around the axis xm when the underwater vehicle 10 is in the panoramic configuration.
• a thruster 14 capable of generating a torque around the xm axis to rotate the body 1 1 of the underwater vehicle and the mast 12 around the axis xm when the underwater vehicle 10 is in the panoramic configuration.
• the mast 12 and the body 1 1 of the marine vehicle 10 rotate around the xm axis, fixed relative to the terrestrial reference, while remaining in the panoramic configuration. It is thus possible to perform the functions, described above, requiring rotation of the mast around its axis xm at constant altitude.
• the mast and the body 11 are integral in rotation about the xm axis, it is not necessary to provide specific device for managing the winding of the cables connecting the payload to the body 1 1 when the mast rotates about its axis in contrast to a solution in which the mast 12 rotates about its xm axis while the underwater vehicle is fixed relative to the body of the underwater vehicle.
• This solution also avoids the installation or use of an actuator for rotating the mast relative to the body 1 1 of the underwater vehicle 10 or to rotate the payload or a transmitter or receiver of the payload around the axis of the mast. If such an actuator is provided, the invention makes it possible to perform the panoramic rotation function in the event of a failure of the actuator.
• the thruster 14 is a vector thruster capable of generating a vector thrust, that is to say a steerable thrust relative to the body 1 1 of the underwater vehicle 10.
• vector thruster a thruster capable of generating a steerable thrust.
• vector propulsion is opposed to the conventional propulsion in which the orientation of control surfaces causes a modification of the lift generated by the flow of fluid surrounding the control surfaces.
• the force generated by the fluid on the control surfaces makes it possible to orient the vehicle in the direction sought.
• a limitation of this form of propulsion is the need to generate a significant flow of fluid around the vehicle to cause a change in lift of the control surfaces allowing a change of direction of the vehicle. In other words, it is not possible by conventional propulsion to orient the vehicle in a desired direction without a significant displacement of the vehicle, when the fluid flow is zero.
• Vector propulsion has many advantages, including increased maneuverability, simplification of the architecture (e.g. This steering capacity of the propulsion allows the vehicle to dispense with conventional rudders, and thus significantly reduce the hydrodynamic drag of the vehicle which increases the endurance of the vehicle.
• the thruster 14 is capable of generating a thrust directed along the x axis. This solution avoids the installation of a specific thruster to rotate the mast 12 and the body 10 around the axis of the mast, the same thruster to advance the vehicle along the x axis and to do so rotate along the xm axis.
• the thruster 14 is an omnidirectional vector thruster. It is able to generate an orientable thrust on 4p sté radian s.
• the thruster 14 is mounted on the body 1 1 of the underwater vehicle 10. In other words, the thruster 14 is connected to the mast 12 via the body 1 1 of the underwater vehicle 10.
• the thruster 14 comprises two propellers 15, 16.
• these propellers are counter-rotating propellers each comprising blades 17 whose collective and cyclic incidence around a neutral position is variable.
• the propellers 15 and 16 are mounted on the body 1 1 so as to have a same axis of rotation relative to the body 1 1 of the underwater vehicle, this axis of rotation being parallel to the axis longitudinal x of the body 1 1 of the underwater vehicle 10.
• the underwater vehicle 10 comprises a thruster 14 capable of generating a thrust along the x-axis and one or more lateral thrusters mounted on the body 11 and capable of generating thrust along two radial orthogonal axes.
• These lateral thrusters make it possible to generate the desired torque.
• the disadvantage of this type of thruster is that when the vehicle is moving along the x-axis these side thrusters are no longer effective because their thrust is "blown" by the flow generated by the advance of the vehicle. They must equip the vehicle control surfaces to be maneuvering in advance.
• the underwater vehicle 10 is likely to float, that is to say to have a positive buoyancy, in a stable panoramic configuration, as shown in FIG. 3, in which the mast 12 is in a configuration operational.
• the underwater vehicle When, in the so-called panoramic configuration, the underwater vehicle has a positive buoyancy, no propulsion energy is therefore necessary to keep the underwater vehicle 10 in this configuration, which makes it possible to extend the duration of the vehicle missions. submarine.
• the underwater vehicle 10 may be naturally brought to float in this configuration by its positive buoyancy or may include means for adjusting its buoyancy which will be described later.
• the underwater vehicle 10 can be maintained in a panoramic configuration by the thruster 14.
• the thruster 14 (which makes it possible to generate the desired torque) and the mast 12 are arranged relative to each other so that when the xm axis is inclined with respect to the x axis in the operational configuration (non-zero angle a between x and xm), there is a lever arm d non-zero, that is to say a non-zero distance, between the axis xm and the thruster 14.
• the mast 12 is connected to the body 1 1 on which is mounted the thruster 14 by a pivot connection 18, visible in Figure 4, disposed at a distance from the thruster 14 along the x axis so that the lever arm increases with the angle a, visible in Figure 3, formed between the x axis and the xm axis.
• the complex means used to produce a rotation around the xm axis is to use the drag difference produced on each of the counter-rotating propellers. By increasing or decreasing one or other of these lines, the residual torque is no longer zero and allows rotation.
• the mast 12 may be movable relative to the body 1 1.
• the mast 12 is for example connected to the body 1 1 by a hinge.
• This articulation is for example a rotational axis connection 18 substantially perpendicular to the x axis for pivoting the mast 12 relative to the body 1 1 between a storage configuration, shown in Figure 4, in which the mast 12 is folded along the body 11 of the underwater vehicle 10 (the hydrodynamic profile of the mast is thus little affected when the mast 12 is in a storage configuration) and a set of at least one operational configuration, one of which is shown in Figure 3.
• the mast 12 passes from the storage configuration to the operational configuration by pivoting about the axis of rotation of the pivot connection 18.
• the mast 12 does not project on the body 1 1 along the x axis.
• the underwater vehicle unfolds between the storage configuration and the operational configuration.
• the payload 13 moves away from the body 1 1 from the storage configuration to the operational configuration.
• the longitudinal axis xm of the mast 12 (wherein the mast 12 extends longitudinally) extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis x of the body 1 1 of the vehicle submarine.
• the hydrodynamic profile of the underwater vehicle is then little affected in the storage configuration.
• the end of the mast 12 farthest from the pivot connection 18 protrudes from the body 1 1 along the x axis, in the operational configuration.
• the underwater vehicle 10 advantageously comprises an actuator for example a jack or a rotary motor, for example a stepping motor, for rotating the mast between the storage configuration and the operational configuration.
• the actuator is controlled by a control member.
• the mast may, for example, be movable between the storage configuration in which the xm axis forms a minimum angle ⁇ with the x axis and at least one operational configuration in which the xm axis forms a maximum angle ⁇ .
• the minimum angle is advantageously 0 ° and preferably between 0 ° and 5 °.
• the mast it is desired to be able to rotate the mast about its axis in a particular panoramic configuration in which the mast extends vertically and extends at least partially above the surface of the water and in which the mast is in an operational configuration in which the mast 12 is projecting relative to the body 1 1 of the underwater vehicle 10 along the x axis.
• the angle a is greater than 90 ° in the operational configuration.
• the maximum angle ⁇ is greater than 90 ° and less than or equal to 180 °.
• the mast 12 is advantageously adapted to be immobilized with respect to the body 1 1 of the vehicle 10 for a plurality of angle ⁇ of the interval in which it is variable.
• the mast immobilized at an angle less than 90 ° allows the payload to be positioned above the surface when the vehicle moves horizontally along its longitudinal axis. This allows, during transit, to have the capacity of the payload.
• the mast 12 is advantageously able to be immobilized relative to the body 1 1 of the vehicle in at least one operational configuration.
• the mast 12 is fixed relative to the body 11 of the underwater vehicle 10 and is in an operational configuration.
• the mast 12 is movable in translation relative to the body of the underwater vehicle, for example along the axis of the mast 12, as described with reference GB 2 335 888, between a storage configuration and an operational configuration .
• the mast 12 is housed in the storage configuration outside the body 1 1.
• the mast 12 is housed inside the body 1 1 in storage configuration. The hydrodynamic profile of the underwater vehicle is then less affected.
• the underwater vehicle 10 is likely to float, that is to say to present a positive buoyancy in a configuration panoramic, so-called stabilization, as shown in Figure 3, wherein the body 1 1 of the underwater vehicle 10 is fully immersed and wherein the mast 12 passes through the surface of the water.
• a cross section of the mast is smaller than a cross section of the body January 1.
• a cross section for example, a mean cross section of the mast 12 (taken transversely to the xm axis) between its connection (for example the hinge 18) to the body 1 1 and a longitudinal end of the mast 12 which is intended to to be emerged in the operational configuration is less than a cross-section, for example an average cross-section, of the body 11 of the underwater vehicle (taken transversely to the x-axis).
• This configuration promotes the stability of the mast 12 obtained because only a small section crosses the surface of the water. Indeed, the instability of the mast comes from the variation of the Archimedes thrust which is proportional to the variation of the immersed volume consecutive to the waves.
• the section of the mat is small (compared to that of the body of the vehicle), the variation of the immersed volume due to the waves is weak and the disturbances undergone by the mast are weak. This results in a much better stability of the mast out of water.
• the underwater vehicle 10 may be capable of floating in a panoramic configuration in which the body 1 1 of the underwater vehicle 10 passes through the surface S of the water. This configuration is less favorable to the stability of the mast.
• the mast 12 is connected to the body 11 of the underwater vehicle 10 by a pivot connection 18 disposed near a first longitudinal end AV of the body 10 of the underwater vehicle and is further away of the second longitudinal end AR of the body 10 of the underwater vehicle 1 1.
• This allows to provide a mast 12 of great length without affecting the hydrodynamic profile of the underwater vehicle in a row configuration and thus to bring the payload 13 to a high altitude above sea level.
• this makes it possible to limit the hydrodynamic drag of the underwater vehicle 10 during the submerged transits by configuring the mast 12 in a storage configuration with respect to the operational configuration.
• the thruster 14 is mounted on the body 1 1 of the underwater vehicle 10, near the second end AR of the body 1 1 of the underwater vehicle 10.
• the first AV end is called the front end of the vehicle and the second end AR is called the rear end.
• the vehicle 1 1 is intended to move mainly along the x axis, in the direction of the rear end AR to the front end AV or has a better performance in this direction.
• the thruster 14 is then disposed near the rear end AR of the underwater vehicle.
• the underwater vehicle includes panoramic configuration means capable of implementing a panoramic configuration step in which the vehicle is brought into a panoramic configuration from a non-panoramic configuration.
• the panoramic configuration means include possible means of deployment of the mast for bringing the mast into an operational configuration from a storage configuration.
• the panoramic configuration means optionally include buoyancy adjustment means for adjusting the buoyancy of the vehicle, to bring the vehicle in a panoramic stabilization configuration.
• these buoyancy adjustment means are advantageously configured so as to allow the underwater vehicle to pass from a totally submerged configuration to a panoramic stabilization configuration, an example of which is shown in Figure 4.
• the buoyancy adjustment means comprise means for varying the density of the object or the underwater vehicle.
• the means for varying the density comprise at least one tank of variable density (two tanks AR, 20 and AV, 21 in the example of FIGS. 3 and 4) and whose variation in the density causes a variation of the density. density of the vehicle.
• This tank is variable mass and fixed volume (as in the example of Figures 3 to 4) or variable volume and whose volume variation causes a change in vehicle volume and fixed mass.
• the means of Buoyancy control also include means for adjusting the density of each tank. These means comprise means making it possible to vary the density of each tank (valves AR 22 and AV 23, pump 29 and actuator 30 in the nonlimiting example of the figures) and other means for controlling these means (control member 26).
• the tanks 20 and 21 are able to communicate with the medium in which the underwater vehicle is immersed so that liquid in which the underwater vehicle is immersed can circulate between these tanks. and the marine environment so as to fill or empty the tanks of this liquid to increase its mass.
• This medium is for example the marine environment but can be any other liquid. In the rest of the text, reference will be made to the marine environment, but the invention is of course applicable to any other liquid.
• the means for regulating the buoyancy of the underwater vehicle are shown diagrammatically in FIG. 5.
• the tanks 20, 21 are able to communicate with the marine environment by respective hydraulic circuits 24, 25 which can be opened or closed by valves AR 22 and AV 23 respectively, the flow of water from the marine environment to the tanks 20, 21 (or vice versa) being caused by a pump 29 actuated by an actuator 30, for example a motor.
• the actuator 30 and the valves AV and AR are controlled by a control member 26 for adjusting the masses of the reservoirs 20 and 21 by varying the volume of water contained in these reservoirs 20 and 21 (by rejecting the water contained in the tanks in the marine environment or vice versa).
• the means for varying the buoyancy of the vehicle are controlled by a control member 26 receiving a measurement of a magnitude representative of a buoyancy of the vehicle generated by a sensor 27 and controlling these means from this measurement to vary the buoyancy of the vehicle so that it has a predetermined set buoyancy.
• the sensor 27 is, for example, an immersion sensor.
• the control member 26 controls the valves and the pump to vary the masses of the tanks 20 and 21 by varying the volume of water contained in these tanks 20 and 21 (by rejecting the water contained in the tanks in the marine environment or vice versa) so that the underwater vehicle has a set immersion received by the controller.
• the reservoirs 20 and 21 are spaced along the x axis.
• the two tanks 20, 21 are then each placed near one end of the underwater vehicle 1.
• the tank 21 is placed near the rear end AR and the tank 20 of the front end AV of the vehicle under -marine.
• the means for varying the buoyancy comprise a single tank or more than two tanks.
• the density adjustment means comprise at least one so-called external variable volume reservoir arranged so that a variation in the volume of the reservoir causes a change in the volume of the underwater vehicle.
• This tank communicates for example with an internal tank disposed inside the body of the underwater vehicle via a valve so as to allow a fluid to pass from one of the tanks to another or block the passage of this fluid between the two tanks, a pump causing the circulation of the fluid via the valve.
• An actuator for example a motor, is provided to actuate the pump.
• This solution causes less corrosion and reliability problems than the previous solution at the expense of the mass and the volume of the underwater vehicle.
• two tanks may be provided, one at each longitudinal end of the underwater vehicle.
• the underwater vehicle 10 is intended to move mainly along the x axis. Therefore, during the deployment of the mast 12, the mast 12 comes to form a protrusion on the front of the body 1 1 of the underwater vehicle 10 along the x axis which moves the center of gravity of the underwater vehicle 10 in the x-axis direction in Figure 3. If the volume center advances the same distance along the x-axis, the attitude of the vehicle does not vary. If the center of gravity advances a distance greater than the center of volume, then the vehicle plunges forward. The rear end of the vehicle plunges to the bottom if the center of gravity moves back a greater distance than the center of the volume along the x axis.
• the underwater vehicle 10 advantageously comprises means for adjusting the longitudinal attitude of the body 11 of the underwater vehicle 10.
• the panoramic configuration means optionally include means for adjusting the attitude to adjust the attitude of the body 1 1 of the underwater vehicle 10 so that the mast can be vertical panoramic configuration.
• these means are disposed within the body 1 1. This configuration allows the use of the underwater vehicle at greater depths than in US 20080132130.
• These means comprise means for varying the attitude of the body 1 1 comprising, in the nonlimiting example of Figure 5, the two tanks 20, 21 spaced along the longitudinal axis x and placed respectively close to the rear end AR and the front end AV of the body 1 1.
• the means for varying the attitude of the body 1 1 comprise a hydraulic circuit 36 through which the tanks 20, 21 communicate with each other so that the passage of a fluid from one to the other is possible via a second valve 37 which can close the hydraulic circuit or open to allow or not this fluid communication.
• a second pump 38 circulates the liquid between the two tanks via the valve 37 and an associated actuator 39 for actuating the pump 38.
• the same pump can be used for the variation of attitude and buoyancy.
• a distributor or one or more additional valves are then provided to connect the pump to one of the two hydraulic circuits.
• the distributor or each valve is controlled by means of the control member.
• the attitude adjustment means also comprise a control member making it possible to control the means making it possible to vary the attitude as a function of a target attitude and of a measurement representative of a body attitude 1 1 of the vehicle. from a measuring device.
• This control member is the control member 26 of the buoyancy control means in Figure 2 but may be another control member.
• the measuring device comprises, for example, a trim sensor 28 making it possible to measure the longitudinal attitude of the underwater vehicle, comprising, for example, immersion sensors disposed at the two respective longitudinal ends of the underwater vehicle or a sensor.
• gravity measuring the verticality of the mast 12 or the body 1 1 or an inertial unit.
• the means for adjusting the longitudinal attitude are configured so as to position the underwater vehicle in a panoramic configuration.
• these means comprise for example two tanks spaced along the x axis.
• controllable internal means can be used to vary the attitude of the underwater vehicle as moving masses in translations along the x axis, an example of which is described in document GB 2 335 888. But this system requires an additional and dedicated actuator.
• the tanks 20, 21 of the adjustment means are replaced by variable volume tanks as described above.
• pivoting mast 105 for varying the attitude of the body of the underwater vehicle may alternatively be envisaged as described in document US 20080132130, the balancing then being done naturally during the deployment of the second mast.
• the vehicle 10 comprises rotation means R configured to rotate the vehicle about the xm axis, on receipt of a rotation command, when the vehicle is in the panoramic configuration.
• These means of rotation comprise the thruster and the panoramic configuration means and a control member configured to control the thruster 14, on receipt of a rotation command, so that it generates a rotation torque around the xm axis axis to rotate the body and axis xm around the underwater vehicle, the underwater vehicle being in a panoramic configuration.
• the panoramic configuration is preferably, but not necessarily a panoramic stabilization configuration.
• control member 26 is the member 26 on the non-limiting example of the figures.
• the control member 26 is configured to implement the step of rotation when the x-axis is inclined (that is to say the x-axis forms with the xm axis, an angle a different from 0 ° or 180 °) with respect to the xm axis. If the xm axis is initially aligned with the x axis (equal to 0 ° or 180 °), the controller 26 is configured to vary the angle ⁇ before implementing the rotation step.
• the panoramic position is advantageously a panoramic stabilization configuration.
• the rotation means R are configured to place the underwater vehicle in a predetermined panoramic configuration before carrying out the rotation step so that the vehicle is in this panoramic position during the rotation step.
• the control member 26 is configured to control the panoramic configuration means so as to bring the vehicle in this panoramic configuration.
• the operational configuration of the mast is predetermined and the height of the end 12a of the mast or the payload 13 is predetermined.
• the invention also relates to a method for controlling a marine vehicle comprising a step of rotation, during which the thruster generates a torque around the axis of the axis xm when the vehicle is in the panoramic configuration of to rotate the body and xm axis around the underwater vehicle.
• the method comprises a step of panoramic configuration to put the vehicle in the predetermined panoramic configuration.
• This step optionally includes a step of deploying the mast 12 from a storage configuration to the operational configuration by pivoting the mast relative to the body around a pivot connection connecting the mast to the body, prior to the rotation step of to bring the mast into the predetermined operational configuration of the panoramic configuration.
• the pan configuration step may include a buoyancy adjustment step such that the pan configuration is a pan-stabilization configuration.
• the panoramic configuration step may include a step of adjusting the attitude of the underwater vehicle.
• Each control member may comprise one or more dedicated electronic circuits or a general purpose circuit.
• Each electronic circuit may comprise a reprogrammable calculation machine (a processor or a microcontroller for example) and / or a computer executing a program comprising a sequence of instructions and / or a dedicated calculation machine (for example a set of logic gates). as an FPGA a DSP or an ASIC, or any other hardware module).

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
• Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
• Control Of Position, Course, Altitude, Or Attitude Of Moving Bodies (AREA)
• Other Liquid Machine Or Engine Such As Wave Power Use (AREA)
• Wind Motors (AREA)

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• 2017
  • 2017-12-19 FR FR1701320A patent/FR3075162B1/fr active Active
• 2018
  • 2018-11-29 EP EP18808367.9A patent/EP3728019B1/de active Active
  • 2018-11-29 WO PCT/EP2018/083012 patent/WO2019120928A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2018-11-29 SG SG11202003157UA patent/SG11202003157UA/en unknown
  • 2018-11-29 AU AU2018386892A patent/AU2018386892B2/en active Active
  • 2018-11-29 CA CA3085376A patent/CA3085376A1/en active Pending

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