Vehicle for installing anchors in underwater substrates

Abstract

A method of installing one or more anchors in an underwater substrate in a body of water is provided, the method comprising installing the anchor in the underwater substrate by rotating an anchor mounting vehicle about a central axis Y to drive an anchor coupled to the anchor mounting vehicle into the underwater substrate. The anchor mounting vehicle comprises: a vehicle frame having a top end and a bottom end; a plurality of arms extending outwardly from the vehicle frame; one or more rotary thrusters disposed at distal ends of respective arms; and an anchor system that retains the anchor extending from the bottom end of the vehicle frame, wherein the anchor is aligned with the central axis Y.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application is a non-provisional application of and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 966,187, entitled “REMOTELYOPERATED UNDERWATER VEHICLE FOR INSTALLING SEABED ANCHORS,” filed on January 27, 2020, under Attorney Docket No. 0105198-032PRO. This application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety and for all purposes. Background Art

[0003] There are many methods for anchoring an object to an underwater substrate, such as the seabed. Helical anchors have become the preferred anchoring method for a variety of reasons, including minimizing environmental impact, minimizing structural disturbance of the anchoring substrate, mass reduction, cost savings, and management of installation noise. Installation of helical anchors typically requires applying torque to the anchor to embed it into the substrate. Hardware for rotating installation by applying torque currently requires support from one or more surface vessels that are typically very large.

[0004] Existing anchoring types include, but are not limited to, drag-buried, piles, suction caissons, gravity, and spiral or threaded anchors. Drag-buried anchors are relatively cost-effective and can accommodate high loads, but installation can significantly disturb the seabed, require high thrust, and such anchors are directional. Piles are heavier and more expensive, and can withstand multi-directional tension. They are usually hammered into place, which is very noisy for marine life, and they cannot usually be installed at great depths. Suction caissons are similar to piles, but are generally larger in diameter, and they are installed using suction, which may be much quieter and applicable to deeper depths. Gravity anchors are generally composed of very large steel and concrete weights, and such anchors will soon have problems in larger-scale installations. Gravity anchors are also easily dragged. Spiral anchors are related to drag-buried anchors and piles, and they can be physically screwed into the seabed with high precision and with little disturbance to the surrounding seabed. They can be lightweight and highly cost-effective, but they currently rely on underwater hydraulic rigs lowered from ships for installation. The torque reaction of the hydraulic motor must be counteracted, which often results in further seabed disturbance.

[0005] In view of the foregoing, there exists a need for an improved helical anchor installation system and method for burying a helical anchor in an underwater substrate in an effort to overcome the aforementioned obstacles and deficiencies of conventional anchor installation systems. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 is an illustration of a vehicle for mounting a plurality of anchors in an underwater substrate, according to one embodiment.

[0007] Figure 2 is a side view of a carrier according to another embodiment.

[0008] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A perspective view of the vehicle.

[0009] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 and Figure 3 Top view of a part of a vehicle.

[0010] Figure 5 yes Figures 2 to 4 Another top view of the vehicle.

[0011] Figure 6 yes Figures 2 to 5 Bottom view of the vehicle.

[0012] Figure 7 yes Figures 2 to 6 A close-up bottom view of the vehicle.

[0013] Figure 8 yes Figures 2 to 7 A side view of a vehicle with the arms of the vehicle in a folded state.

[0014] Fig. 9 is a block diagram of a vehicle's support vessel and electronic systems operably connected via a network connection, according to one embodiment.

[0015] Fig.10a is a side view of an anchor system according to one embodiment.

[0016] Fig.10b yes Fig.10a A close-up side view of the anchor system.

[0017] Fig.11 is a side view of a vehicle including one embodiment of a vehicle float.

[0018] Fig.12 is a perspective view of a carrier according to another embodiment.

[0019] Fig.13 is a perspective view of a carrier according to yet another embodiment.

[0020] Fig.14a , Fig.14b and Fig.14c Different embodiments of helical anchors are shown.

[0021] Fig.15 A helical anchor comprising a non-circular shaft portion is shown.

[0022] Fig.16aA top view of a block including a non-circular hole into which a non-circular shaft portion of an anchor has been inserted is shown in a first position.

[0023] Fig.16b Shows Fig.16b Top view of the block and anchor in the second position.

[0024] Fig.16c A perspective view of a block including a non-circular hole into which a non-circular shaft portion of an anchor has been inserted is shown.

[0025] Fig.17 A side view of a floating tackle carrying a vehicle on a body of water is shown.

[0026] Fig.18 Shows the carrier Fig.17 top view of the floating tackle.

[0027] It should be noted that the drawings are not drawn to scale, and that for illustrative purposes throughout the drawings, elements of similar structure or function are generally represented by the same reference numerals. It should also be noted that the drawings are intended only to facilitate the description of the preferred embodiments. The drawings do not illustrate every aspect of the described embodiments and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Various embodiments discussed herein (including Figure 1 The example shown in FIG. 100 is directed to a vehicle 100 configured to maneuver in a body of water 105 and to install an anchor 110 in an underwater substrate 115 such as a seabed. Figure 1 As shown in one example, a plurality of anchors 110 may be mounted in a base 115 with lines 120 extending from the anchors 110 to floats 122 on the surface of the water 105; however, as discussed in more detail herein, the anchors 110 may be used in a variety of other ways. In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 may include an operating tether 130 extending to and operably connected to a support vessel 140 (such as a boat, ship, etc.).

[0029] Although various example embodiments discussed herein relate to installing anchors 110 in the ocean and on the sea floor, additional examples may relate to any suitable body of water 105 and substrate 115 within the body of water 105. For example, various embodiments may be employed in natural or artificial bodies of water 105 such as oceans, rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, creeks, reservoirs, swimming pools, etc. Additionally, the vehicle 100 may be configured to operate at various suitable depths, including in shallow marine to deep marine environments.

[0030] Furthermore, while various embodiments relate to a substrate 115 (such as a seabed) located at the bottom of a body of water 105, other embodiments may relate to installing the anchor 110 in various suitable natural or artificial substrates 115 that may be at various angles or orientations. For example, the anchor 110 may be in the seabed at various angles, wherein the anchor 110 is oriented perpendicular to the plane of the substrate or at other suitable angles, such as parallel to gravity, etc. Such a seabed substrate 115 may include various types of materials, such as sand, silt, mud, gravel, rock, and / or sold rock, etc. Thus, various embodiments may be configured for use with a soft substrate 115 such as silt, a hard substrate such as solid rock, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, embodiments may be configured to install the anchor in materials such as wood, concrete, polymers, metals, ice, etc., which in some examples may be part of an underwater structure such as a concrete slab, a sunken ship, a pontoon, a pile, a retaining wall, an underwater building, a dam, an iceberg, etc. Thus, some examples may be configured to mount the anchor in a vertical or inverted substrate, or other suitable angle (such as the hull of a floating vessel or an iceberg). Additionally, some embodiments may involve an aerial vehicle 100 configured to mount an anchor 110 .

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown in the example of , some embodiments include a vehicle 100 having a tether 130 that extends to a support vessel 140 (such as a ship), and the tether 130 provides communication between the vehicle 100 and the support vessel 140, a power supply to the vehicle 100, a fluid supply to the vehicle 100, a physical tether of the vehicle 100, etc. For example, in some embodiments, an operator on the support vessel 140 can control the vehicle 100 to install one or more anchors 110 in a substrate, which may include providing control data to the vehicle 100 via the tether 130; receiving data from the vehicle 100 (e.g., video, sensor data, position data, vehicle status data, etc.); providing fluid to the vehicle 100 (e.g., to fill ballast tanks or floats to change the buoyancy of the vehicle 100); physically moving, pulling, or towing the vehicle 100, etc. However, in some embodiments, one or more of such functions may not be present, and / or the tether 130 may not be present at all. For example, some embodiments may include an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle 100 that may operate with no or limited control signals and without external power, such that a tether 130 may not be required.

[0032] Additionally, some embodiments may include wireless communication with the vehicle 100, such that there may be no wired connection to the vehicle 100. For example, some embodiments may wirelessly communicate with the vehicle 100 in midair when the vehicle or the vehicle antenna is surfaced, or the vehicle 100 may include a wireless antenna floating on the water 105, where the wired connection to the vehicle 100 is below the water 105. Some embodiments may include underwater wireless communication. Furthermore, while some embodiments include a ship, boat, or other vessel as the support vessel 140, in some embodiments, the support vessel 140 may include a land-based system, an above-water structure such as a drilling platform, an aerial vehicle, etc.

[0033] In addition, although Figure 1 The example of FIG. 1 shows a plurality of anchors 110 installed in a substrate 105 with lines 120 extending from the anchors 110 to floats 122 on the surface of the water 105, but in other embodiments, one or more anchors 110 of various suitable sizes may be installed with or without various suitable hardware for various suitable uses. For example, in some embodiments, one or more anchors 110 may be used for docks, seawalls, wave energy systems, wind turbines, anchoring vessels (such as ships), aquaculture, boat mooring, buoy anchoring, oil and gas, pipeline anchoring, scientific instrument anchoring, geotechnical core drilling, wells, tunnels, marine mapping, geological testing, etc.

[0034] Go to Figures 2 to 8 , shows an example embodiment of a carrier 100 that includes a carrier frame 205 having four arms 210 extending therefrom, with rotary pushers 212 disposed at respective distal ends of the arms 210. The arms 210 may be rotatably coupled to the carrier frame 205 via arm joints 214, and the arms 210 may be locked in position via respective arm locks 216. For example, Figure 8 The configuration of the carrier 100 is shown, wherein the arm 210 is arranged parallel to the central axis Y of the carrier 100 and can be rotated upward via the arm joint 214 to a position as shown in FIG. Figures 2 to 8 The configuration shown, wherein the arms 210 extend perpendicular to the central axis Y in a common plane and are locked in place via arm locks 216. Figures 2 to 8 An example of an arm lock 216 positioned on the frame is shown in the example of FIG, but other embodiments may include an arm lock 216 disposed on the arm 210, such as a hook or the like.

[0035] In various embodiments, it may be desirable for the arm 210 to be foldable. Figure 8to more easily transport the vehicle 100. In some embodiments, the thruster 212 and / or other elements may be easily removed from the vehicle 100 for transport, and in some cases, the vehicle 100 and any of its elements may be packaged for air shipment, which may be desirable for installation lead time in various examples.

[0036] Additionally, in some embodiments, it may be desirable for the arm 210 to be actuated to different positions rather than being locked at a particular angle, such as 90° from the central axis Y. For example, in some embodiments, the vehicle 100 may be configured to move the arm 210 to be greater than and / or less than 90° from the central axis Y. It may be desirable to move the arm 210 upward and / or downward to avoid the arm 210 or the thruster 212 from striking a substrate or other object during anchor installation, changing torque or rotation, generating upward or downward forces, etc. In some examples, the arms 212 may be constrained to move in unison; may be individually actuated to different individual angles; may be actuated in groups, etc.

[0037] Additionally, in some embodiments, the length of the arm 210 can be varied. For example, the arm 210 can be telescopic, configured to move in and out of the frame 205, etc. It may be desirable to vary the length of the arm 210 to avoid the arm 210 or the thruster 212 from striking a substrate or other object during anchor installation, varying torque or rotation, etc.

[0038] Although Figure 3 and Figures 5 to 8 , Fig.12 The example of FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of a vehicle 100 having four arms 210, but other embodiments may have any suitable number of arms 210, including 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 24, 36, 48, 56, 72, etc. Additionally, in some embodiments, arms 210 may not be present in the vehicle 100; for example, the vehicle 100 may have one or more central thrusters that are not disposed on the arms 210.

[0039] The vehicle may include one or more buoyancy tanks 220, an electronics system 230, a vertical thruster 240, and an anchor system 250. In some embodiments, the tether 130 may be coupled to the frame 205 and aligned with the central axis Y via a slip ring tether attachment 260 at the top end.

[0040] In some examples, the winch for the tether 130 may incorporate a slip ring to allow the tether 130 to be paid out from the support vessel. Additionally, the tether 130 may incorporate a slip ring near or on the vehicle 100 to allow the vehicle 100 to rotate without twisting the supporting tether when the vehicle 100 rotates to install the anchor 110. The slip ring may be designed to rotate with very little torque so that the rotational stiffness of the tether 130 is sufficient to cause the rotation. The slip ring may be configured to carry an axial load sufficient to match the tensile resistance of the tether 130. In some embodiments, a slip ring may not be used, wherein the tether is allowed to twist a limited number of times during the installation of the helical anchor, but untwisted and even reversed between installations.

[0041] In some examples, tether 130 may incorporate features for increasing the rotational resistance of tether 130 in water 105. Such features may reduce the tendency of the portion of tether 130 above the slip ring to rotate with the portion below the slip ring. In some examples, the feature may take the form of a set of radial paddles or arms attached to tether 130.

[0042] The tether and / or slip ring may be attached to 130 in such a manner that tension applied to the tether 130 or auxiliary tensioning member may be transferred directly through the frame of the vehicle 100 to the anchor 110 and / or a device (e.g., anchor system 250) that holds the anchor 110. This may allow for testing anchor embedment strength and removal of the anchor via direct pull from the supporting surface vessel 140 via the tether 130.

[0043] The buoyancy tank 220 may be configured to contain a fluid (e.g., a liquid and / or a gas) that may be configured to change the buoyancy of the vehicle 100. For example, changing the buoyancy of the vehicle 100 may be desirable to allow the vehicle 100 to sink from the surface of the water 105 to a location where the anchor 110 will be installed; float to the surface of the water 105 for collection, resupply, receiving instructions, etc.; provide maneuverability in the water; exert additional downward force on the anchor 110 being installed, etc. Additionally, as Fig.11 As shown in the example of , some embodiments may include one or more vehicle floats 1100 that can be removed from the vehicle via a float release device 222. In various embodiments, changing the buoyancy of the vehicle 100 may include foam elements, introducing and / or removing various fluids (such as water, air, carbon dioxide, helium, nitrogen, etc.) to the floating light 220 and / or the vehicle float 1100.

[0044] Electronic system 230 includes or is associated with various sensors and / or imaging devices, including torque sensor 232, top camera 234, and bottom camera 236 (see Figure 6 and Figure 7), inertial measurement unit, Doppler odometer (DVL), magnetometer, imaging sonar, liquid level sensor, water pressure sensor, thermometer, lidar, global positioning system (GPS), etc. Additional embodiments and functions of the electronic system are discussed in more detail herein.

[0045] like Figures 4 to 7 As shown, in various embodiments, the vehicle 100 may include a pair of vertical thrusters 240 on opposite sides of the frame 205, wherein the vertical thrusters 240 are aligned parallel to the central axis Y and point downwardly toward the anchor 110 and the anchor system 250, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 In other embodiments, there may be any suitable plurality of vertical thrusters 240, a single vertical thruster 240, or there may be no vertical thruster 240. Additionally, in various examples, one or more vertical thrusters 240 may be oriented or orientable in various suitable directions.

[0046] The anchor system 250 may include an anchor servo system 252 configured to grasp and / or release the anchor 110, a torque tube 254, an anchor attachment claw 256, and a rotational compliance plate 258 that may be used for torque surges as discussed herein. Fig.10a and Fig.10b A close up view of anchor system 250 is shown wherein shaft 112 and eyelet 116 of anchor 110 may be retained by anchor system 250 via anchor guide 259 of torque tube 254 , wherein attachment claw 256 is configured to grasp and release eyelet 116 of anchor 110 via actuation of anchor servo 252 .

[0047] For example, in various embodiments, an anchor 110 may be coupled to the vehicle 100 (e.g., by the attachment claws 256 grasping the eyelet 116 of the anchor 110 via actuation of the anchor servo system 252); the vehicle 100 may bring the anchor 110 to a position on the substrate 115 at the bottom of the body of water 105 and install the anchor 110; the vehicle 100 may release the installed anchor 110 (e.g., by the attachment claws 256 releasing the eyelet 116 of the anchor 110 via actuation of the anchor servo system 252); and the vehicle 100 may then acquire another anchor 110 that may be transported to another installation location in the substrate 115 at the bottom of the body of water 105. As discussed herein, the vehicle 100 may be configured to rotatably install the anchor 110, and the vehicle may similarly be configured to rotatably unload or remove the anchor 110.

[0048] While examples of attachment claws 256 that grasp and release the eyelet 116 of the anchor 110 are shown in various examples herein, it should be appreciated that in other embodiments, there may be various suitable mechanisms for coupling the anchor 110 to the carrier 100, such as a clamp, a claw connection, a magnetic lock, a nested polygonal shaft, etc.

[0049] Go to Fig. 9 , a block diagram of a support vessel 140 and an electronic system 230 of a vehicle 100 is shown, wherein the support vessel 140 and the electronic system 230 are operably connected via a network connection 910, which may include a tether 130, a wireless connection, etc., as discussed herein. In this example, the support vessel 140 is shown as including a support computer system 920 and a support power source 930. The electronic system 230 of the vehicle 100 is shown as including a vehicle computing system 940, a vehicle power source 950, one or more position sensors 960, a torque sensor 232, a top camera 234, and a bottom camera 236.

[0050] In various embodiments, the supporting computing system 920 may include any suitable device, including a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a tablet computer, a smart phone, an embedded system, etc. The supporting power source 930 may include various suitable power sources 930, including batteries, solar arrays, generators, marine engines, the electrical grid, etc. As discussed herein, in some examples, the supporting vessel 140 may be configured to provide power from such a supporting power source 930 to the vehicle 100, which may be used to charge the vehicle power source 950 and / or power various systems of the vehicle 100.

[0051] For embodiments of the vehicle including electrically actuated thrusters, in some examples, an optimized power system may be designed. Because anchor installation may be a periodic activity interspersed with bursts of high-power anchor installations and long periods of transportation and setup, various embodiments include a vehicle 100 with an energy storage device (e.g., a battery) on board. In some examples, providing the vehicle 100 with sufficient battery capacity for multiple anchor installations may be undesirable from a cost and weight perspective. In various embodiments, power is fed to the vehicle 100 via an umbilical cable, such as a tether 130.

[0052] Since some examples of the vehicle 100 may be designed for non-constant high output work, the requirements for the power transmission capabilities of the rope 130 may be reduced. For example, in some embodiments, the tether 130 may be constructed to support the average power requirements of the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 may have a battery system with sufficient capacity to install one or more anchors 110. Energy can then be continuously provided by the tether 130, for example, to recharge the vehicle power supply 950 at an average usage rate during a working day. In some examples, each anchoring event may draw energy from the vehicle power supply 950 at a rate higher than the tether can provide. In various examples, recharging may occur during the intervals between anchoring events. This may allow an embodiment to have a much smaller tether 130 than required to supply the peak power requirements of the vehicle 100. Similar methods can be implemented with hydraulic or pneumatic systems.

[0053] In various embodiments, the vehicle computing system 940 may include any suitable device, including a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a tablet computer, a smart phone, an embedded system, etc. The vehicle computing system 940 and the support computing system 920 may include one or more processors and a memory that may store instructions (e.g., software) that, when executed by the one or more processors, may cause the vehicle 100 and / or the support vessel 140 to perform the various methods described herein, including methods of installing the anchor 110, unloading the anchor 110, etc.

[0054] The one or more position sensors 960 may include various suitable types of sensors, including global positioning systems (GPS), magnetometers, gyroscopes, and the like. The top camera 234 and the bottom camera 236 may include various suitable types of cameras configured to capture images of various suitable wavelengths of light, including the visible spectrum, ultraviolet light, infrared light, and the like. Although various examples show the top camera 234 and the bottom camera 236 on the top and bottom of the frame 205 of the vehicle, one or more cameras may be positioned in various other suitable positions in any suitable number. In addition, in addition to the camera, various embodiments may include any suitable imaging system, such as a lidar, sonar, and the like. In various embodiments, the vehicle 100 may include an imaging system that stabilizes the operator's field of view when the vehicle 100 is rotationally mounted with the anchor 110. This may take the form of a physically moving camera bracket, a video processing script that counteracts the rotational motion of the vehicle 100 so that the video image remains rotationally stationary during operation or recording, and the like. It should be clear that additional embodiments may include various suitable sensors, imaging devices, positioning devices, and the like, and therefore the examples described herein should not be interpreted as limiting.

[0055] For example, in some embodiments, the vehicle 100 may function as a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that is completely, substantially, or at least partially controlled by a human operator and / or the support computer system 920. In one example, the human operator may receive data from the vehicle 100 via the network connection 910, such as data from sensors (e.g., torque sensor 960 and position sensor 232) and imaging devices (e.g., cameras 234, 236), which may be presented to the human operator via an interface (such as a screen, etc.) of the support computer system 920. The human operator may control the vehicle 100 to perform various tasks based on the information so presented, such as maneuvering in the water 105, coupling with the anchor 110, releasing the anchor 110, installing the anchor 110 in the base 115, removing the anchor from the base 115, etc., which may include input to an interface such as a joystick, a yoke, a graphical user interface on a touch screen, etc.

[0056] In various embodiments, such control by the operator via the supporting computer system 920 may be at various levels of control granularity, including initiating execution of an anchor installation plan; providing overall objectives for anchor installation; initiating general actions during anchor installation; providing general instructions for anchor installation; providing specific instructions for anchor installation; controlling specific motor functions during anchor installation, and the like.

[0057] For example, in one embodiment, an operator may upload or input an anchor installation plan into the supporting computer system 920 and instruct the vehicle 100 to execute the anchor installation plan, which causes the vehicle 100 to execute the anchor installation plan, including automatic installation of one or more anchors 110 without additional input from the operator (however, if an error occurs that requires the operator's attention, the vehicle 100 may alert the operator).

[0058] In another example, the operator may monitor the execution of the anchor installation plan and approve or initiate various steps during execution, such as loading the anchor 110; moving to the anchor installation location; beginning to install the anchor 110; terminating the installation of the anchor 110 (e.g., stopping the rotation of the vehicle); releasing the installed anchor 110; returning to the support vessel 140, etc. In such examples, in various embodiments, the vehicle may autonomously complete the approved or initiated tasks and stop before proceeding with further tasks (however, the vehicle 100 may also alert the operator if an error occurs during the execution of the task that requires the operator's attention).

[0059] In various embodiments, an operator can control specific actions of the vehicle during one or more steps of installing the anchor 110, including driving the vehicle 100 to an anchor installation position (e.g., via a joystick using a camera and / or presented positioning data as a guide); lowering the vehicle 100 at the anchor installation position so that the head 114 of the anchor 110 engages the base 115; initiating and controlling rotational speed, applied torque, and / or thruster power during installation of the anchor 110; detaching from an installed anchor by actuating the anchor system 250; driving away from an installed anchor 110, etc.

[0060] As discussed herein, the vehicle 100 may be configured to perform various actions, steps, functions, etc. autonomously and without direct input from a human operator. In various embodiments, the vehicle 100 may be configured to maintain a set orientation during installation or removal of the anchor 110. For example, the vehicle may desire to maintain the central axis Y of the vehicle 100 perpendicular to the surface of a horizontal substrate (i.e., parallel to gravity). Therefore, the vehicle 100 may be configured to automatically change the power and / or orientation of one or more thrusters (e.g., 212, 240) to maintain such a desired orientation without direct input from an operator. In various embodiments, the mounting angle of the anchor 110 may be set to be at any suitable angle relative to gravity and / or the plane of the substrate 115 (including horizontal, inclined, vertical, or inverted substrates, etc.) on which the anchor 110 is mounted.

[0061] The present disclosure includes systems and methods for installing anchors in underwater substrates 115 (such as seabeds) in various aspects. In various embodiments, remotely controlled vehicles (ROVs) can be configured to operate underwater and also provide a large amount of rotational torque around a vertical axis (e.g., greater than 50 Nm, 100 Nm, 1000 Nm, 10000 Nm, 100000 Nm, 100000 Nm, etc.) to install spiral anchors in the seabed. In some examples, this can be achieved by moving any suitable type and number of thrusters (e.g., thrusters 212, 250) outward from the axis of rotation (such as the central axis Y). Placing the thrusters in such a configuration that the thrust axis of such thrusters is substantially tangent to a circle centered on the vehicle axis of rotation X can give a maximum torque around the vehicle central axis Y. As discussed herein, thrusters 212 are mounted on arms 210 extending from the main vehicle frame 205 to maximize torque capacity. In various embodiments, increasing the arm radius can directly increase the available torque at the expense of rotation speed.

[0062] During the rotational installation, the anchor 110 may need to apply some downward force. In some embodiments, the vehicle may use a counterweight system whose weight is otherwise counteracted via tension on the tether 130 from a winch or the like at the ground support vehicle 140. The vertical force may be applied to the vehicle 100 by one or more thrusters having a substantially vertical orientation or by tilting one or more torque-generating thrusters downward so that when providing torque about the vertical axis Y, they also provide a vertical downward force.

[0063] In some examples, vertical thrust may be provided by adding pitch to the arm 210 of the streamlined shape 1200 such that Fig.12 and Fig.13The arm 210 shown in FIG. 1 may be configured to act as a large propeller. In various examples, this may achieve high vertical thrust (e.g., greater than 50 Newtons, 100 Newtons, 1000 Newtons, 10,000 Newtons, 100,000 Newtons, etc.). In some embodiments, the axial thrust may be 0.1 to 5 times the weight of the anchor as the anchor 110 being installed. In some embodiments, the axial thrust may be 0.1x to 10x the sum of the direct thrust, and in some examples, such 10x multiples, etc., may be achieved by pitching the arm 210 of the vehicle 100 into a large propeller configuration. In various embodiments, the orientation of one or more propellers 212 on the arm 210 can be changed via rotation of the arm 210; however, in some embodiments, the arm 210 and the propellers 212 can be rotated independently, which may be desirable in some examples having a streamlined 1200 arm 210 so that the forces generated by the orientation of the streamlined 1200 arm 210 can be controlled separately from the forces generated by the orientation of the one or more propellers 212 on the arm 210.

[0064] In some embodiments, a slight downwash may be applied by one or more propellers or other suitable elements, which may be desirable to help keep the water column in the anchor mounting area free of suspended sediment, which may aid in camera visibility and operation.

[0065] In some examples, a downward force may be applied on anchor 110 by managing the buoyancy of vehicle 100 and / or anchor 110. For example, a vehicle may carry a buoyancy element (e.g., one or more vehicle floats 1100, pontoons 220, etc.) with sufficient buoyancy to support anchor 110 while maneuvering anchor 110 to an installation site, and then release, deflate, or submerge the buoyancy element to become negatively buoyant and provide downward force on anchor 110 for installation.

[0066] In some embodiments, the anchor 110 may include a small tip lead-in screw or the like to aid in initial engagement with the substrate 115 and to aid the anchor 110 in providing its own initial downforce. The tip screw on the head 114 of the anchor 110 may be configured to have a different pitch than one or more of the main helical plates (e.g., the main helical plates may be larger and above the tip on the shaft 112 of the anchor 110). For example, a more aggressive pitch angle at the tip of the head 114 may allow the screw tip to be used to pull down on the anchor 110 relative to the main anchor plates, or a less aggressive pitch to aid in initial engagement with the seabed. Generally, in some examples, with multiple larger helical plates, it may be necessary to be very careful to match the pitches in order to minimize soil disturbance and maximize holding strength.

[0067] In various embodiments, the anchor 110 and / or the carrier 100 may be configured to better penetrate into a substrate 115 having rock elements. For example, adapted operation of the rock hammer drill tip and / or the carrier 100 may include hammer drilling, vibration mode, etc., which may be desirable to improve the installation and retention strength of the anchor 110 in various types of substrates 115. Some embodiments may include the cutting edge of the spiral plate and may be adapted to better facilitate such drilling action, for example, a tapered lead-in or a sharp and / or serrated cutting edge that may be enhanced with a specific rock cutting surface. In some embodiments, the carrier 100 may operate as a rock drill or auger, thereby enabling pre-drilling for the anchor and inserting the rock anchor, etc. In various examples, rock anchoring may be accomplished below the sediment layer.

[0068] In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 may be used to drill a well directly, drill a tunnel for a cable or pipeline, etc. The drilling axis may deviate significantly from the vertical rotation axis (e.g., axis Y), and some examples may include a flexible shaft that may transmit torque to a drilling axis that may not be straight. Thus, in various embodiments, various suitable types and configurations of anchors 110 may be used, and examples of anchors 110 herein (including Fig.14a , Fig.14b and Fig.14c The anchor head 114 shown should not be construed as limiting.

[0069] In some embodiments, the anchor 110 may include a dished spiral plate for reduced bending stresses, multiple turns of the spiral plate for distributing the load over multiple turns, structures to allow deflection, plates with sharp and / or serrated edges to help cut through rock and mixed sediments as well as hard sediments, specialized anchor tips for improved starting performance and traction (especially in more challenging substrates), and the like.

[0070] Anchor 110 with central axis 112 and head 114 including spiral plate can be configured to have plate forming flat spiral geometry. Then the load of plate can be basically bending. The load of joint of plate and axis can be loaded in bending and shearing. In some embodiments, this may require relatively thick plate to carry the load it supports. Changing the geometry of spiral plate to include conical dish shape can allow stress redirection in spiral plate. Dish-shaped spiral plate can withstand lower bending load, and can have circumferential tensile load instead, wherein in some examples, multiple spiral rotations that may be thinner and allow some deflection can help to achieve this. There can also be reduced bending moment at the interface with central axis 112, thereby leaving only shear load in some examples. This can allow thinner plate to support equivalent anchoring load, which can provide overall lighter system and can reduce manufacturing and deployment costs.

[0071] While some examples include an anchor 110 having a single shaft 112, some embodiments may include an anchor system including multiple shafts 112 that may be used to further drive the anchor 110 into a substrate 115. For example, an anchor having a first shaft 112 may be driven into a substrate 115 near the end of the first shaft 112, and a second shaft 112 may be coupled to the end of the first shaft. The vehicle 100 may be coupled to the second shaft and further drive the first shaft into the substrate 115 via the second shaft 112. Additional shafts 112 may be added as needed to further drive the first anchor into the substrate.

[0072] While various embodiments discussed herein relate to the rotational installation of an anchor 110 in a substrate 115 in a body of water 105, additional embodiments may include various other rotational applications associated with a substrate 115 in a body of water 105, such as drilling, obtaining core samples, geological testing, calibration anchor testing, and the like. For example, in some embodiments, the vehicle 100 may drill a hole in a substrate 115 using a drill bit (e.g., coupled in an anchor system 250), and then load and install an anchor 110 in the resulting hole. In further embodiments, a calibration test anchor or test drill bit may be rotatably driven into a substrate, which may be used to identify the type of substrate 115 present, the holding strength of various types of anchors 110 that may be installed in the substrate 115, and the like. In some examples, a seafloor area may be mapped via multiple test anchor installations or test drillings.

[0073] Additionally, in various embodiments, the anchor 110 can be any suitable weight, size, and / or shape, and in some embodiments, the shaft 112 can have a diameter of about inches, feet, or meters. For example, some embodiments of the vehicle can be configured to handle anchors having shaft diameters of 0.5 inches to 2 inches, 2 inches to 4 inches, 6 inches to 12 inches, 1 foot to 4 feet, 1 meter to 2 meters, 4 meters to 10 meters, etc. For example, one embodiment can include an anchor 110 having a 1 inch shaft 112 with a 10 inch diameter helical plate on the head 114 of the anchor 110. Another example can include an anchor 110 having a 0.5 meter shaft 112 with a 5 meter diameter helical plate on the head 114 of the anchor 110.

[0074] In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 may be permanently attached or remain attached to the anchor 110 when the anchor 110 is installed in the substrate. Such a configuration may form a mobile anchoring solution that may overcome some of the limitations of traditional drag-buried anchors. For example, a vessel may release the vehicle 100, which may install the anchor 110 in the substrate 115 and remain coupled to the anchor. The anchor 110 and vehicle 100 may provide temporary anchoring or mooring for the vessel, and when the vessel needs to move from that location, the vehicle 100 may unload the anchor 110 from the substrate 115 and return it to the vessel so that the vessel may depart.

[0075] In some embodiments, such anchoring may be automated in various ways. For example, an operator on the support vessel 140 may deploy the vehicle 100 and simply instruct the vehicle to anchor within certain parameters (e.g., within a certain radius of the vessel, within a defined area, with at least a defined anchor strength, within a specific depth range, with tether lengths within a certain range, etc.), and the vehicle 100 may automatically generate an anchor for the support vessel 140, which in some examples may include testing for suitable anchoring locations, etc. In further embodiments, the operator may control the vehicle 100 at various levels of granularity in the process of generating an anchor for the support vessel 140, as discussed herein.

[0076] In some examples, multiple carriers 100 may be used to create an anchor array that may increase the speed and accuracy of anchoring and may reduce the impact of multiple point anchoring, which may be desirable in some examples of temporary applications where anchoring may be frequent and anchoring speed may be desired. In some examples, multiple anchors 110 may be installed and removed simultaneously.

[0077] In order to reduce the amount of force or torque required to insert the anchor 110 into the substrate 115, in some embodiments, the anchor 110 can be configured so that a fluid can be pumped out or into the surface of the anchor 110. The fluid can be used to erode or loosen the sediment in front of the leading edge of the anchor 110 or to keep the sediment or other materials from contacting or causing friction with the surface of the anchor 110. Some embodiments may have a tube capable of carrying fluid along the structure of the anchor 110 and along the leading edge and / or other edges of the anchor 110. The tube may have a plurality of orifices through which fluid can be discharged or sucked. In some embodiments, there may be a pump that forces water or other fluids into the anchor 110 through the tube or other cavity and forces the water to flow out through one or more orifices, slots or other openings on the surface of the anchor 110. Such a pump may be located on the support vessel 140 and / or on the vehicle 100. The connection from the vehicle 100 to the anchor 110 (e.g., the anchor system 250) may include a device that allows the pumped fluid to flow from the vehicle 100 to the anchor. The connection from vehicle 100 to anchor 110 may have a disconnectable fluid coupling.

[0078] The orifices for directing fluid out of the surface of the anchor 110 (e.g., shaft 112, head 114, etc.) can be configured to cause a high velocity discharge of the fluid. The orifices can be configured to cause material in front of the orifices to preferentially move in a selected direction (such as radially inward or outward from the anchor axis Y). The orifices can be configured to create a cavity in the sediment in front of the leading edge of the anchor, which can preferentially allow the anchor to move downward into the sediment.

[0079] There may also be a pumping system that can draw fluid from some surfaces of the anchor 110 while discharging fluid from other surfaces. The fluid can be absorbed so that the volume of fluid recovered and the volume of the substrate 115 eroded offsets the volume of fluid displaced, allowing the anchor 110 to pass through the substrate 115 without significantly displacing substrate 115 that is not in the path of the anchor 110 moving through the substrate.

[0080] In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 may include an attachment or location where one or more anchors 110 may be stored. Such an attachment or location may be configured to hold one or more anchors 110, which one or more caps may then be loaded into the anchor system 250 for installation. Similarly, one or more anchors 110 removed from the base 115 may be stored on or around the vehicle 100. In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 may be configured to store one or more anchors 110 that may be automatically loaded and / or unloaded from the anchor system 250. Such embodiments may be desirable to allow the vehicle 100 to install multiple anchors 110 at a time without having to obtain additional anchors 110 (e.g., from a support vessel 140) and / or to collect multiple anchors 110 at a time without having to unload one anchor 110 at a time (e.g., to a support vessel 140).

[0081] Thus, an anchor installation method of one embodiment includes automatically loading a first anchor 110 into an anchor system 250 from an anchor supply of a plurality of anchors 110 disposed on or about a vehicle 100, installing and releasing the first anchor 110, automatically loading a second anchor 110 from an anchor supply into the anchor system 250, and installing and releasing the second anchor 110. An anchor removal method of one embodiment may include engaging with a first anchor 110 and removing it from a base 115, automatically removing the first anchor 110 from the anchor system 250 and storing the first anchor 110 in an anchor storage location on or about the vehicle 100, engaging with a second anchor 110 and removing it from a base 115, automatically removing the second anchor 110 from the anchor system 250 and storing the second anchor 110 in an anchor storage location on or about the vehicle 100.

[0082] In various embodiments, attaching one or more anchors 110 to the vehicle 100 may be performed in the water 105 away from the support vessel 140. As discussed above, the vehicle 100 may have a mechanism to automatically couple the anchor 110 to the vehicle 100. In some examples, the mechanism may include a latch system. The anchor 110 may be provided with a buoyancy member that may allow the anchor 110 to float independently and remain in an orientation that may allow the vehicle 100 to couple with the anchor 110 when both the anchor 110 and the vehicle 100 are free floating in the water 105. The anchor coupling to the vehicle 100 may be assisted by an operator, may be assisted by using a manipulator arm mounted on the vehicle 100 or the support vessel 140, etc. The anchor 110 may be stowed and hoisted on the support vessel 140 or other vessel to a position where the vehicle 100 may be attached to such anchor 110, and in some embodiments, the vehicle 100 is lifted directly above the water 105 to assist in anchor attachment.

[0083] In various embodiments, anchoring operations may require the use of multiple anchors 110. In some examples, anchors 110 may take up a large amount of space relative to the available area on the support vessel 140 where the anchors 110 are stored. In order to preserve free deck space on the support vessel 140, the anchors 110 may be transported in an assembled or disassembled state with the head 114 (e.g., with a spiral plate) and the shaft 112 uncoupled. The anchors 112 may be transported in racks on the side of the vessel 140, in vertical racks or other suitably oriented racks, on a towed barge or tackle, on a separate support vessel (which, in some examples, may be provided with periodic anchor resupply), etc.

[0084] As discussed herein, the vehicle 100 may include various suitable anchors 110 and an anchor loading / unloading system (e.g., anchor system 250) that allows the vehicle 100 to engage and / or release the anchors 110, which in some embodiments may be automated or may require the assistance of a human operator or an external loading / unloading system. Fig.15 and Figures 16a to 16c An example of such a system and anchor 110 of one embodiment is shown in FIG. 1 , which includes a block 1600 having a non-circular hole 1615 into which a non-circular shaft extension 116 (or a portion of shaft 112) can be inserted. When anchor 110 is rotated to a position (e.g., see Fig.16b ), the anchor shaft extension 116 and the shaft 112 can remain captured in the hole 1615 and can be held vertically. In another rotational position (see, for example, Fig.16a and 16b ), the shaft extension 116 and the shaft 112 may not be held vertically and may be released. Mechanical latches of some embodiments may include, but are not limited to, independently mechanically actuated systems, permanent and electromagnetic systems, load-triggered systems, and the like.

[0085] In some embodiments, one or more anchor lines 120 and the like may be attached to the anchor 110 prior to installation. In some examples, rotating the anchor 110 for installation with the anchor lines 120 attached may cause undesirable twisting of the one or more anchor lines 120. Thus, in some examples, the vehicle 100 may be configured such that the anchor lines 120 may be threaded through the vehicle 100 (see, e.g., FIG. 1 ). Fig.12 ), tightly around the vehicle 100, etc. In various examples, such one or more anchor lines 120 may then be drawn from the surface of the water 105 to count and counteract rotations during anchor installation, etc. In some examples, the anchor line 120 may be attached to the anchor 110 with a swivel so that the anchor 110 may be rotated without twisting the anchor line 120.

[0086] In some examples, by passing the plurality of anchor lines 120 through separate fairleads on the vehicle 100, in some examples, withdrawing the vehicle 100 to the surface after the anchor is released can be used to unwind the plurality of anchor lines 120, as long as the relative orientation of the vehicle 100 can be known. In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 can carry one or more anchor lines 120 on a reel attached to the vehicle 100. After installing the anchor 110, the anchor line reel can pay out the line as the vehicle 100 is driven away from the anchor 110. This can result in no relative twisting between the anchor 110 and the anchor line 120.

[0087] In some embodiments, it may be desirable for the anchor 110 to have a short axial shaft 112 or no axial shaft 112. The one or more spiral plates of the anchor head 114 may be buried deep enough in the base 115 to generate sufficient holding force. One or more anchor lines 120 may then extend from the attachment point on the head 114 or short shaft 120 of the anchor 110 toward or upward and through the top of the base 115. In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 may carry a structural extension that may allow it to bury such a short shaft or shaftless anchor 110 and then release such an anchor 110 within the base. In some examples, such a structural extension may include a tube through which one or more anchor lines 120 may pass. In various embodiments, such an extension may have a locking and release mechanism to disengage from the anchor 110. Such an extension may be smooth and / or tapered to allow low friction removal from the base 115 when the vehicle 100 pulls the extension upward out of the base 115 after releasing the extension from the anchor 110. In some embodiments, spiral ridges, plates, etc. may also be incorporated into such a tube to better facilitate withdrawal through the vehicle 100.

[0088] In some embodiments, the anchor 110 may carry multiple anchor lines 120 from a single anchor 110. The anchor lines 120, anchor line pigtails, etc. may (and in some cases must) be installed on the anchor 110 before the anchor is buried in the substrate 115. In various embodiments, the anchor lines 120 may be managed to prevent twisting and tangling when the anchor 110 is installed. In some examples, the vehicle 100 may allow one or more anchor lines 120 to pass through the frame 205 or other parts of the vehicle 100 to prevent or reduce tangling of the anchor lines 120. In various embodiments, the vehicle 100 may carry a reel or other storage device that holds one or more anchor lines 120. In some examples where the vehicle 100 is separate from the installed anchor 110, the vehicle 100 may spool out these anchor lines 120 without twisting them.

[0089] While various embodiments may include a reel or other storage device that holds one or more anchor lines 120, other embodiments may include a reel from which a continuous line of one or more anchor lines 120 may be produced. For example, some embodiments of the vehicle 100 may be configured to cut the line on the reel and couple the cut line to the anchor 110 (before, after, or during installation of the anchor 110) to produce one or more anchor lines 120 coupled to the anchor. Such coupling may include a knot, a crimp fit, or other suitable hardware. The anchor line may be made of a variety of suitable materials, including metal cables, ropes, polymer lines, chains, webbing, straps, tubes, etc.

[0090] In some examples, the vehicle 100 may carry smaller lines than the final anchor line 120 and bring those smaller lines (e.g., leaders) to the surface of the water 105 after installing one or more anchors 110. There may be devices or configurations on the anchors 110 or anchor line pigtails that allow the full-sized anchor line 120 to be pulled down onto and coupled to or passed through the anchors 110 or pigtails after installation.

[0091] In some examples, the anchor 110 to which the vehicle 100 is attached may have multiple shafts 112 and / or anchor lines 120 that conform to an external shape (e.g., circular, square, etc.) such that after being released by the vehicle 100 and loaded with multiple anchor lines, each shaft 112 is free to bend in the desired load direction, which can reduce bending moments and fatigue loads in the associated anchor shafts 112.

[0092] In various examples, because the amount of torque available from the propeller 212 is limited, it may be helpful in some embodiments to have additional torque capabilities available to rotatably drive the anchor 110 into the base 115. In various examples, additional torque beyond the torque generated by the propeller 212 accelerating the water 105 tangentially to the rotation axis Y may be obtained by using rotational inertia. The vehicle 100 or a rotationally coupled component of the vehicle 100 (e.g., a flywheel) may be used to apply a torque spike to the anchor 110. An example behavior is that the vehicle 100 rotates the anchor 110 (e.g., in the driven rotational direction about the rotation axis Y) until the upward torque resistance of the anchor balances or begins to balance the thrust capability of the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 may then rotate a small amount backward (i.e., in the direction opposite to the driven rotational direction about the rotation axis Y) using the rotational free play in the anchor connection, allowing the anchor 110 to remain in place. The vehicle 100 may then quickly rotate forward (e.g., again in the driven rotational direction about the rotation axis Y) until rotationally coupled with the anchor 110. When the vehicle is rapidly decelerated by being rotationally locked to the anchor 110 , the rotational inertia of the vehicle 100 may provide a torque spike to the anchor 110 .

[0093] For example, a method of installing the anchor 110 may include engaging the anchor 110 with a substrate and rotating the vehicle 100 about the central axis Y via one or more thrusters 212 disposed at the end of one or more arms 210 to generate rotation of the anchor 110 and drive the anchor 110 into the substrate (e.g., via threads on the anchor's head 114 and / or a downward force on the anchor 110); obtaining data corresponding to the rotation rate about the central axis Y (e.g., from a torque sensor 232, an accelerometer, visual data, etc.), and when the rotation rate of the vehicle 100 about the central axis Y is determined to be below a certain threshold, the vehicle 100 may reverse the rotation direction about the central axis Y (e.g., by reversing the rotation of the propellers of the thrusters 212, reversing the orientation of the thrusters 212, actuating reverse thrusters, etc.).

[0094] In various examples, reversing the direction of rotation of the vehicle 100 about the central axis Y may cause the anchor 110 to similarly rotate in the opposite direction, or reversing the direction of rotation of the vehicle 100 about the central axis Y may occur without or substantially rotating the anchor 110 in the opposite direction. For example, the coupling between the anchor 110 and the vehicle 100 may be one-way (e.g., via a ratchet), may enable a certain amount of reversal without or substantially rotating the anchor 110 in the opposite direction, etc.

[0095] The vehicle 100 may then rapidly rotate forward about the rotation axis Y in the drive rotation direction until rotationally coupled with the anchor 110 and causing a torque spike to the anchor 110. In various embodiments, such a torque spike may be generated multiple times. For example, in some embodiments, the vehicle 100 may determine the amount of drive or rotation of the anchor 110 generated by a given torque spike (e.g., via data from the torque sensor 232, an accelerometer, visual data, etc.), and if such drive or rotation is below a threshold, the vehicle may determine that the anchor 110 has been driven the maximum amount and may be detached from the mounted anchor 110.

[0096] In some embodiments, where the amount of driving or rotation of the anchor 110 resulting from a given torque spike is determined to be above a threshold or where the data otherwise meets certain criteria, the vehicle 100 may determine to return to maintained rotation of the vehicle 100 to drive the anchor 110. For example, the torque spike may cause the anchor 110 to move through rock or break a hard portion of the substrate 115, which may have hindered installation of the anchor 110 by maintained rotation of the vehicle 100 about the central axis Y in the driving direction.

[0097] In some embodiments, a torque limiting clutch configuration (e.g., similar to a handheld impact wrench-type tool) may be used to achieve the transition between torque spikes and rotational operation. In some embodiments, the anchor system 250 may include a slip and catch clutch device, an actuable clutch or brake, a rotating hammer component, etc., which may allow the vehicle 100 to apply a torque spike to the anchor 110, which in some examples may exceed the continuous torque capacity of the vehicle 100. In some embodiments, such a torque spike may be achieved without reversing the rotational direction of the vehicle 100. Such a torque spike may occur periodically, through kinematic constraints of motion, manually, under program control, etc. In some examples, a torque spike may occur due to the momentary coupling of the rotational inertia of the rotating vehicle 100 with the slower rotating or stationary anchor 110.

[0098] In various embodiments, the impact driver mechanism of the anchor system 250 can act as a pulse gear system that can enable a relatively small vehicle 100 to mount a much larger anchor 110, which in various examples can reduce the size, mass, and cost of the vehicle 100 and can increase convenience. For example, in various embodiments, the impact driver can allow the vehicle 100 to continue to rotate at full thrust to generate greater than average torque.

[0099] For example, the impact driver system can automatically sense when additional torque is desired and can generate a rotary impact force through a spring, a rotary hammer, and a rotary anvil. When the motor turns the shaft with the rotary hammer, the spring can compress and then release with force, which can drive the rotary hammer against the rotary anvil. This action can occur rapidly (e.g., more than 50 times per second) and can generate much greater force than a constant rotation system. For example, the vehicle 100 can rotate the hammer that compresses the spring every half turn. When the spring is released, the energy can drive the hammer down onto the anvil, twisting the anvil, thereby twisting the anchor 110. This oscillating force can distinguish the impact driver from a standard rotary driver, which may need to apply a downward force on the anchor 110 during driving the anchor 110. In some examples, the impact driver mechanism can be bidirectional, working in both directions to also enable high torque pulses for both anchor removal and installation.

[0100] While in some examples the anchor 110 may be driven until the vehicle 100 cannot rotate the anchor 110 further or until a maximum torque, rotation rate, or resistance threshold is reached, in other examples the anchor 110 may be driven to a particular desired depth, such as a maximum depth, a minimum depth, etc. Such an embodiment may be desirable in situations where consistency in the length of the anchor shaft extending from the base 115 is desired; to prevent the vehicle from striking the base 115 or other objects by driving the anchor too deep; to prevent a certain amount of contact with debris generated by driving and the anchor 110, etc.

[0101] In some examples, the length of the anchor 110 mounted to the vehicle 100 may be known by determining the length of the anchor 110 that has been driven into the substrate 115 and / or the length of the anchor 110 extending from the substrate using various reference frames. For example, various suitable indications may be used, including one or more of: a determination of the distance between the vehicle and the substrate 115 (e.g., visual, sonar, lidar, etc.); the number of rotations of the vehicle 100 during installation; the torque during installation; the change in the depth of the vehicle during installation; contact with a physical stop or guide of the vehicle; a visual inspection of markings on the shaft 112, etc.

[0102] In some examples, the anchor 110 may be driven to a minimum or maximum determined holding strength. For example, the holding strength of the anchor 110 may be determined based on: the torque during installation; the depth of the anchor 110; the type and configuration of the anchor 110; the composition or type of the substrate; whether the vehicle 100 is unable to drive the anchor 110 further; the number of rotations during installation; the number of torque spikes performed, etc. Similarly, in some embodiments, the vehicle 100 may perform tests on the installed anchor 110, such as attempting to pull it out of the substrate (e.g., via a down thruster 240, etc.), moving the anchor 110 from one side to another (e.g., off the center axis Y), applying vibrations to the anchor 110, etc. For example, movement of the anchor 110 beyond a given threshold may result in a failure of the installation test of the anchor 110.

[0103] In various embodiments, a determination may be made to terminate, complete, or interrupt installation based on one or more of such criteria being met and / or not being met. For example, anchor installation may be determined to be complete and successful when the holding strength reaches a certain threshold and when the anchor 110 has been driven at least a minimum amount into the substrate. Similarly, a determination may be made that an attempted anchor installation has failed based on one or more of such criteria being met and / or not being met. For example, where the anchor 110 has been driven to a maximum depth threshold and the holding strength has not yet reached a minimum threshold, a determination may be made that the anchor installation has failed, and the installation process may be interrupted, the anchor 110 may be unloaded (e.g., by pulling or rotating the anchor out of the substrate 115), the anchor 110 may be abandoned, etc.

[0104] As discussed herein, in various embodiments, such determinations may be made automatically without human interaction with the vehicle 100. For example, where the vehicle 100 determines that anchor installation is complete, it may detach from the installed anchor 110 and proceed to install another anchor 110, return to a designated location, provide an alert to an operator, etc. Where it is determined that anchor installation has failed or is incomplete, the vehicle 100 may continue to attempt to install the anchor 110; take remedial action (e.g., perform a torque spike); interrupt the installation; send an alert to an operator; remove the anchor 110 from the substrate; attempt to install the anchor 110 in another location, replace it with a smaller or larger anchor, etc.

[0105] In some embodiments, the torque generated during anchor installation can be used as a proxy for or to determine anchor holding strength. In various examples, the anchor can be adapted during the installation process, such as by bolting to a larger spiral plate, until the desired installation torque is generated and the desired holding force is thereby achieved. In various examples, this can significantly reduce the need for detailed and often expensive substrate analysis. In some embodiments, the torque generated by the vehicle 100 can be continuously monitored during the installation of the anchor 110. For example, the torque generated by the vehicle 100 can be determined by one or more of the following: monitoring thruster power usage and thereby determining the thrust generated; direct thrust measurement; direct torque measurement system, etc. Various suitable instrumentation systems can be used to better facilitate anchor placement monitoring, such as cameras, sonar systems, etc.

[0106] In some embodiments, such as Fig.17 and Fig.18 As shown, the vehicle 100 may be designed to include or be connected to a tackle 1700 that can be towed by a support vessel 140 or the like. The tackle 1700 may include a plurality of tackle floats 1721 supported by a frame 1710. In various examples, the tackle 1700 may have towing points and may have a presentation surface suitable for the vehicle 100 to reduce hydrodynamic drag from the vehicle 100 when moving horizontally through the water 105. The tackle 1700 may have sufficient buoyancy to partially or completely lift the vehicle 100 out of the water during transport, such as Fig.17 105, wherein the frame 205, arms 210, propellers 212, etc. are shown floating on the water 205. In some embodiments, one or more of the tackle floats 1710 can be deflated to lower or slide the vehicle 100 into the water 105. For example, one of a pair of floats 1710 can be deflated, which can allow the vehicle 100 to slide into the water 105. Similarly, the vehicle 100 can be loaded onto the tackle 1700, and then one or more of the floats 1710 can be inflated to lift the vehicle 100 out of the water for towing.

[0107] In some examples, the vehicle 100 may be configured to automatically deploy or return to the tackle 1700, including an operator providing a "deploy" or "return" instruction; a user initiates an anchor installation plan and the vehicle 100 automatically deploys, installs one or more anchors 110, and then returns to the tackle 1700. However, in some examples, the operator may guide the vehicle 100 via controls or physically (e.g., via a crane, winch, rope, etc.) as it is deployed and returned to the tackle 1700.

[0108] In some embodiments, the trolley 1700 may be used primarily for storage and / or transportation of the vehicle 100; however, in some embodiments, the trolley 1700 may be part of a method of installing and / or unloading the anchor 110. For example, in one embodiment, one or more anchors 110 may be transported on the trolley 1700 so that the vehicle 100 may obtain the anchor 110 from the trolley 1700 for installation, which may be automated or manual. For example, an anchor bank may enable the vehicle 100 to directly attach and pick up a helical anchor, noting that in various embodiments, the anchor 110 need not be stored vertically, nor does the vehicle 100 need to remain in a vertical orientation at all times in various embodiments.

[0109] Additionally, in some embodiments, a tether 130 and / or network connection 910 may be between the vehicle 100 and the tackle 1700. For example, the tether 130 may extend from the support vessel 140 to the tackle 1700 and to the vehicle 100, or the tackle 1700 may operate as a support vessel 140. In one embodiment, there may be a wireless connection between the tackle 1700 and the support vehicle 140, where there is a wired and / or wireless connection (e.g., including the tether 130 and / or network connection 910) between them. In some examples, the tackle 1700 may be configured to provide power, air, positioning data, control data, etc. to the vehicle. Thus, while some embodiments may include a simple mechanical tackle 1700, other embodiments may include a more complex tackle 1700 with a computer system, power supply, air box, etc. Thus, various embodiments of the tackle 1700 may include one or more elements of the vehicle 100 and / or the support vessel 140, and in some embodiments, such elements may specifically not be present in the tackle 1700.

[0110] In various examples, the control software for the vehicle 100 may be configured to control the movement of the vehicle 100 in six axes. The focus of control may be relative to the vehicle 100 itself or other suitable reference frame. When installing the anchor, the vehicle 100 may experience a change in focus, which in some examples may use a unique control mode. For example, when the anchor tip touches down on the target installation location, the vehicle 100 may switch to a control mode centered on the point where the anchor 110 contacts the substrate or the point in the substrate 115 where the anchor 110 is expected to pivot around. In this control mode, the anchor tip may be expected to provide a lateral fixed point. In various examples, the vehicle 100 may maneuver itself on a hemispherical surface relative to this point, where the radius decreases as the anchor 110 is installed into the substrate 115. The control goal may be to keep the anchor shaft 112 vertical (or at another desired target angle) by maneuvering the vehicle 100 laterally as the vehicle 100 rotates the anchor shaft 112 about the central axis Y. There may also be situations where the anchor 110 is intentionally installed at an angle to the vertical. In this case, the vehicle 100 may attempt to maintain the anchor axis along a given orientation and altitude vector.

[0111] In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 can achieve highly accurate and repeatable positioning of the anchor. In various embodiments, surface GPS, underwater positioning systems, direct observation (eg, via a camera), etc. can be used to help facilitate high accuracy.

[0112] In various embodiments, the load carrying capacity of the anchor 110 and vehicle 100 can be expanded from a few kilograms to thousands of tons. The thruster size, speed, number, arm length, etc. can be changed to achieve the desired torque and speed. In some examples, a pulsed rotational inertia method can be used to increase the effective torque capacity of smaller vehicle 100 systems, thereby enabling them to drive larger anchors 110.

[0113] In some examples, a hydraulic motor or the like may be torsionally engaged between the vehicle 100 and the anchor 110. For example, in some examples, this approach may be used to assist with torque pulses and better utilize the rotational inertia of the vehicle 100 for this purpose.

[0114] In some embodiments, multiple helical anchors may be deployed in close proximity and in a fixed pattern to enable group anchoring capabilities, such as anchoring of a larger rigid structure with multiple anchoring points, branch mooring lines with multiple smaller anchors connected to a larger mooring line (which may provide redundancy and may reduce maximum anchor size and depth), multiple anchor swing mooring configurations, etc. High precision anchoring of various embodiments may enable anchoring systems that are not traditionally used, for example, anchors 110 may be precisely mounted within a ground plate that includes a hole pattern for inserting anchors 110. A similar situation may be that in some examples, vehicle 100 may be operated in a manner comparable to an electric screwdriver.

[0115] As discussed herein, possible applications for such a vehicle 100 and anchor 110 may include aquaculture, boat mooring, buoy anchoring, wind turbines, oil and gas, pipeline anchoring, scientific instrument anchoring, geotechnical core drilling, wells, tunnels, and the like.

[0116] In various embodiments, the vehicle 100 can be manually driven and / or autonomously controlled. For example, the support computing system 920 on the vehicle 100 and / or the support vessel 140 can use dead reckoning, inertial navigation or acoustic navigation sensors to determine the position of the anchor and / or the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 can be autonomously transported to the target installation location and can autonomously control the position, orientation, torque, etc. to install the anchor 110. An acoustic system with a fixed beacon (as in a long baseline acoustic array) can be used to achieve navigation to the target location. Short baseline acoustic navigation technology can be used to achieve navigation relative to the surface support vessel 140. The absolute position of the vehicle 100 can be determined using a combination of GPS or other positioning technology for the surface vessel 140 and the relative position of the vehicle 100 relative to the surface vessel 140, which is determined by visual, auditory or other suitable methods. In some examples, the vehicle 100 can be operated without a tether 130 or an umbilical cable, as discussed herein.

[0117] As discussed herein, determination of anchor embedment depth may be performed by the vehicle 100 through a combination of visual observation, sensing underwater depth through pressure or acoustic methods, sensing distance to the substrate / water interface through optical or acoustic methods, etc. In some examples, the anchor 110 may be directly equipped to provide various types of data. In some examples, the instrumented anchor 110 may be used to help assess and characterize the substrate 115, perform anchor installation pre-tests, etc.

[0118] The anchor vehicle 100 can be configured to be reattached to the anchor shaft 112 or end 116 (e.g., via the anchor system 250) and rotated in a direction that would unscrew the anchor 110 from the base 115 to remove the anchor. In some examples, reattachment to the anchor 110 can be performed with a latch mechanism that can be engaged by manipulating the vehicle 100 to an engaged position. In some examples, the vehicle 100 can be attached to the anchor shaft 112 or end 116 with the aid of a manipulator arm mounted on the vehicle 100. In some examples, the anchor line 120 can be used as a guide to help reattach the vehicle 100 to the anchor 110, and in some embodiments, such coupling can occur below or within the base 115, for example, with a torque shaft configured to dig down to an anchor attachment point (such as the shaft 112 or end 116). In some examples, such action can be assisted by forcing a fluid, such as water or air, to leave the torque shaft or leave an opening near the torque shaft to help displace sediment from the anchor attachment point.

[0119] Additionally, while various embodiments of the vehicle 100 are remotely and / or autonomously operated, and are not configured to be operated by a human operator riding on or around the vehicle 100, some embodiments may be configured to be used directly by a human operator. For example, some embodiments of the vehicle 100 may include a cabin configured for a human operator, which may or may not be environmentally controlled, such that the operator may ride in the cabin without underwater breathing apparatus, etc. In some embodiments, the cabin for the human operator may be configured to remain stationary while a portion of the vehicle rotates to install the anchor 115, as discussed herein.

[0120] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be described in terms of the following:

[0121] 1. A method of installing one or more anchors in a submerged substrate in a body of water, the method comprising:

[0122] A helical anchor is coupled to an anchor installation vehicle, the anchor installation vehicle comprising:

[0123] a carrier frame, the carrier frame having a top end and a bottom end,

[0124] four linear arms extending outwardly from the carrier frame,

[0125] one or more rotary propellers disposed at the distal end of the respective arms,

[0126] one or more pontoons, the one or more pontoons being disposed on the carrier frame,

[0127] Electronic systems,

[0128] Multiple vertical thrusters,

[0129] an anchor system that holds the helical anchor, the helical anchor extending from the bottom end of the carrier frame and aligned with a central axis Y perpendicular to the four linear arms,

[0130] a tether coupled at the top end of the vehicle frame via a slip ring tether attachment aligned with the central axis Y, the tether coupled to a support vessel floating on the body of water and configured to communicate data therewith, the tether further configured to provide electrical power from the support vessel to the anchor mounted vehicle,

[0131] a top camera coupled at the top end of the carrier frame, the top camera operably connected to the electronic system,

[0132] a bottom camera coupled at the bottom end of the carrier frame, the bottom camera operably connected to the electronic system, and

[0133] a torque sensor operably connected to the electronic system;

[0134] driving the anchor installation vehicle via the rotary thruster and the vertical thruster in the body of water to an anchor installation location on the underwater substrate in the body of water, the anchor installation location comprising a location on a seabed in the body of water based at least in part on a first set of instructions received from a support computer system of the support vessel via the tether;

[0135] actuating the anchor installation vehicle in the body of water to engage a helical head of the helical anchor with the sea floor at the anchor installation location based at least in part on a second set of instructions received from the support computer system of the support vessel via the tether;

[0136] rotating the anchor installation vehicle about the central axis Y via the rotary thruster to drive the helical anchor down into the seabed at the anchor installation location while maintaining a substantially consistent orientation of the central axis Y relative to the plane of the seabed at the anchor installation location;

[0137] Determining that installation of the helical anchor is complete and stopping rotation of the anchor installation vehicle about the central axis Y; and

[0138] The anchor system is disengaged from the helical anchor to release the helical anchor.

[0139] 2. The method of clause 1, wherein completion of installation of the helical anchor is determined based at least in part on torque data obtained from the torque sensor.

[0140] 3. The method of clause 1 or 2, wherein image data from the top camera and the bottom camera are communicated to the support computer system of the support vessel vessel via the tether and displayed on a user interface of the support computer system; and

[0141] Wherein driving the anchor installation vehicle to the anchor installation location in the body of water is based on driving instructions generated via the user interface of the support computer system and received at the anchor installation vehicle via the tether.

[0142] 4. The method according to any one of clauses 1 to 3, further comprising:

[0143] coupling a second helical anchor to the anchor mounting vehicle via the anchor system;

[0144] driving the anchor installation vehicle in the body of water to a second anchor installation location on the underwater substrate in the body of water, the second anchor installation location comprising a second location on the sea floor in the body of water;

[0145] actuating the anchor installation vehicle to engage the helical anchor with the seabed at the second anchor installation location;

[0146] rotating the anchor installation vehicle about the central axis Y via the rotary thruster to drive the second helical anchor downwardly into the seabed at the second anchor installation location while maintaining a substantially consistent orientation of the central axis Y relative to the plane of the seabed at the anchor installation location;

[0147] determining that installation of the second helical anchor is complete and stopping the rotation of the anchor installation vehicle about the central axis Y; and

[0148] The anchor system is disengaged from the second helical anchor to release the second helical anchor.

[0149] 5. The method of clause 4, further comprising coupling the second helical anchor with the anchor installation vehicle being automated and occurring via an automated system of the anchor installation vehicle loading the second helical anchor from an anchor storage location onto the anchor installation vehicle.

[0150] 6. A method of installing one or more anchors in a submerged substrate in a body of water, the method comprising:

[0151] An anchor is coupled to an anchor mounting vehicle, the anchor mounting vehicle comprising:

[0152] a carrier frame, the carrier frame having a top end and a bottom end,

[0153] at least three linear arms extending outwardly from the carrier frame,

[0154] one or more rotary propellers disposed at the distal end of the respective arms,

[0155] Electronic systems,

[0156] an anchor system that holds the anchor, the anchor extending from the bottom end of the carrier frame and aligned with a central axis Y perpendicular to at least four linear arms,

[0157] a tether coupled at the top end of the vehicle frame and configured to communicate data with a support vessel floating on the body of water, the tether also configured to provide electrical power from the support vessel to the anchor mounted vehicle, and

[0158] a torque sensor operably connected to the electronic system;

[0159] driving the anchor installation vehicle via at least the rotary thruster in the body of water to an anchor installation location on the underwater substrate in the body of water based at least in part on a first set of instructions received from a support computer system of the support vessel via the tether;

[0160] rotating the anchor installation vehicle about the central axis Y via the rotary thruster to drive the anchor down into the underwater substrate at the anchor installation location; and

[0161] The anchor system is disengaged from the anchor to release the anchor.

[0162] 7. The method of clause 6, wherein the anchor mounting vehicle has exactly four arms extending from the vehicle frame.

[0163] 8. A method as described in clause 6 or 7, wherein the tether is connected to the anchor mounting vehicle via a slip ring tether attachment that is consistent with the central axis Y.

[0164] 9. The method of any one of clauses 6 to 8, wherein the anchor mounting vehicle further comprises:

[0165] A bottom camera is coupled at the bottom end of the carrier frame, the bottom camera being operably connected to the electronic system.

[0166] 10. A method as described in any of clauses 6 to 9, further comprising driving the anchor installation vehicle at least in part based on a second set of instructions received from the support computer system of the support vessel via the tether to engage the anchor with the underwater substrate at the anchor installation position.

[0167] 11. A method as described in any of clauses 6 to 10, wherein rotating the anchor mounting vehicle about the central axis Y via the rotary thruster to drive the anchor downward into the underwater base at the anchor mounting position includes maintaining a substantially consistent orientation of the central axis Y relative to the plane of the underwater base at the anchor mounting position.

[0168] 12. The method of any of clauses 6 to 11, further comprising determining that installation of the anchor is complete and, accordingly, stopping the rotation of the anchor mounting vehicle about the central axis Y.

[0169] 13. A method of installing one or more anchors in a submerged substrate in a body of water, the method comprising:

[0170] The anchor is installed in the underwater substrate by rotating the anchor installation vehicle about a central axis Y to drive the anchor coupled to the anchor installation vehicle into the underwater substrate, the anchor installation vehicle comprising:

[0171] a carrier frame, the carrier frame having a top end and a bottom end,

[0172] a plurality of arms extending outwardly from the carrier frame,

[0173] one or more rotary propellers disposed at the distal end of the respective arms, and

[0174] An anchor system retains the anchor extending from the bottom end of the carrier frame, wherein the anchor is aligned with the central axis Y.

[0175] 14. The method of clause 13, wherein the anchor mounting vehicle further comprises a tether coupled at the top end of the vehicle frame, the tether configured to provide a communication channel with a support vessel floating on the body of water.

[0176] 15. A method as described in clause 13 or 14, further comprising driving the anchor installation vehicle to an anchor installation position on the underwater substrate in the water body at least via the rotary thruster based at least in part on a first set of instructions received from a support computer system of a support vessel.

[0177] 16. A method as described in clause 15, wherein the anchor installation vehicle also generates an axial force on the anchor along the central axis Y by one or more of the following: tether tension and weight, reducing the buoyancy of the anchor installation vehicle, changing the pitch of the one or more arms, an axial thrust component, and a self-starting anchor design.

[0178] 17. The method of any of clauses 13 to 16, further comprising determining that installation of the anchor is complete and stopping the rotation of the anchor mounting vehicle about the central axis Y.

[0179] 18. The method of clause 17, wherein the anchor installation vehicle further comprises a torque sensor, and wherein the determination that installation of the helical anchor is complete is based at least in part on data obtained from the torque sensor.

[0180] 19. The method of any of clauses 13 to 18, further comprising detaching the anchor system from the anchor to release the anchor.

[0181] The described embodiment is prone to various modifications and alternative forms, and its specific examples have been illustrated by example in the accompanying drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the described embodiment is not limited to the disclosed specific form or method, on the contrary, the disclosure encompasses all modifications, equivalents and substitutes. Additionally, the elements of a given embodiment should not be interpreted as being applicable only to the example embodiment, and therefore the elements of an example embodiment may be applicable to other embodiments. Additionally, the elements specifically shown in the example embodiments should be interpreted as covering embodiments that include such elements, are substantially composed of such elements or are composed of such elements, or such elements may be clearly not present in other embodiments. Therefore, the narration of the elements present in an example should be interpreted as supporting some embodiments in which such elements are clearly not present.

Claims

1. A method of installing one or more anchors in a submerged substrate in a body of water, the method comprising: A helical anchor is coupled to an anchor installation vehicle, the anchor installation vehicle comprising: a carrier frame, the carrier frame having a top end and a bottom end, four linear arms extending outwardly from the carrier frame, one or more rotary propellers disposed at the distal end of the respective arms, one or more pontoons, the one or more pontoons being disposed on the carrier frame, Electronic systems, Multiple vertical thrusters, an anchor system that holds the helical anchor, the helical anchor extending from the bottom end of the carrier frame and aligned with a central axis Y perpendicular to the four linear arms, a tether coupled at the top end of the vehicle frame via a slip ring tether attachment aligned with the central axis Y, the tether coupled to a support vessel floating on the body of water and configured to communicate data therewith, the tether further configured to provide electrical power from the support vessel to the anchor mounted vehicle, a top camera coupled at the top end of the carrier frame, the top camera operably connected to the electronic system, a bottom camera coupled at the bottom end of the carrier frame, the bottom camera operably connected to the electronic system, and a torque sensor operably connected to the electronic system; driving the anchor installation vehicle via the rotary thruster and the vertical thruster in the body of water to an anchor installation location on the underwater substrate in the body of water, the anchor installation location comprising a location on a seabed in the body of water based at least in part on a first set of instructions received from a support computer system of the support vessel via the tether; actuating the anchor installation vehicle in the body of water to engage a helical head of the helical anchor with the sea floor at the anchor installation location based at least in part on a second set of instructions received from the support computer system of the support vessel via the tether; rotating the anchor installation vehicle about the central axis Y via the rotary thruster to drive the helical anchor down into the seabed at the anchor installation location while maintaining a substantially consistent orientation of the central axis Y relative to the plane of the seabed at the anchor installation location; Determining that installation of the helical anchor is complete and stopping rotation of the anchor installation vehicle about the central axis Y; and The anchor system is disengaged from the helical anchor to release the helical anchor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein completion of installation of the helical anchor is determined based at least in part on torque data obtained from the torque sensor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein image data from the top camera and the bottom camera are communicated to the support computer system of the support vessel vessel via the tether and displayed on a user interface of the support computer system; and Wherein driving the anchor installation vehicle to the anchor installation location in the body of water is based on drive instructions generated via the user interface of the support computer system and received at the anchor installation vehicle via the tether.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: coupling a second helical anchor to the anchor mounting vehicle via the anchor system; driving the anchor installation vehicle in the body of water to a second anchor installation location on the underwater substrate in the body of water, the second anchor installation location comprising a second location on the sea floor in the body of water; actuating the anchor installation vehicle to engage the helical anchor with the seabed at the second anchor installation location; rotating the anchor installation vehicle about the central axis Y via the rotary thruster to drive the second helical anchor downwardly into the seabed at the second anchor installation location while maintaining a substantially consistent orientation of the central axis Y relative to the plane of the seabed at the anchor installation location; determining that installation of the second helical anchor is complete and stopping the rotation of the anchor installation vehicle about the central axis Y; and The anchor system is disengaged from the second helical anchor to release the second helical anchor.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein: Coupling the second helical anchor with the anchor installation vehicle is automated and occurs via an automated system of the anchor installation vehicle that loads the second helical anchor from an anchor storage location onto the anchor installation vehicle.

6. A method of installing one or more anchors in a submerged substrate in a body of water, the method comprising: An anchor is coupled to an anchor mounting vehicle, the anchor mounting vehicle comprising: a carrier frame, the carrier frame having a top end and a bottom end, at least three linear arms extending outwardly from the carrier frame, one or more rotary propellers disposed at the distal end of the respective arms, Electronic systems, an anchor system that holds the anchor, the anchor extending from the bottom end of the carrier frame and aligned with a central axis Y perpendicular to at least four linear arms, a tether coupled at the top end of the vehicle frame and configured to communicate data with a support vessel floating on the body of water, the tether also configured to provide electrical power from the support vessel to the anchor mounted vehicle, and a torque sensor operably connected to the electronic system; driving the anchor installation vehicle via at least the rotary thruster in the body of water to an anchor installation location on the underwater substrate in the body of water based at least in part on a first set of instructions received from a support computer system of the support vessel via the tether; rotating the anchor installation vehicle about the central axis Y via the rotary thruster to drive the anchor down into the underwater substrate at the anchor installation location; and The anchor system is disengaged from the anchor to release the anchor.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the anchor mounting vehicle has exactly four arms extending from the vehicle frame.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the tether is coupled to the anchor mounting vehicle via a slip ring tether attachment aligned with the central axis Y.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the anchor mounting vehicle further comprises: A bottom camera is coupled at the bottom end of the carrier frame, the bottom camera being operably connected to the electronic system.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising driving the anchor installation vehicle based at least in part on a second set of instructions received from the support computer system of the support vessel via the tether to engage the anchor with the underwater substrate at the anchor installation location.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein rotating the anchor installation vehicle about the central axis Y via the rotary thruster to drive the anchor down into the underwater substrate at the anchor installation location includes maintaining a substantially consistent orientation of the central axis Y relative to the plane of the underwater substrate at the anchor installation location.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining that installation of the anchor is complete and, accordingly, stopping the rotation of the anchor mounting vehicle about the central axis Y.

13. A method of installing one or more anchors in a submerged substrate in a body of water, the method comprising: The anchor is installed in the underwater substrate by rotating the anchor installation vehicle about a central axis Y to drive the anchor coupled to the anchor installation vehicle into the underwater substrate, the anchor installation vehicle comprising: a carrier frame, the carrier frame having a top end and a bottom end, a plurality of arms extending outwardly from the carrier frame, one or more rotary propellers disposed at the distal end of the respective arms, and An anchor system retains the anchor extending from the bottom end of the carrier frame, wherein the anchor is aligned with the central axis Y.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the anchor mounting vehicle further comprises a tether coupled at the top end of the vehicle frame, the tether configured to provide a communication channel with a support vessel floating on the body of water.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising driving the anchor installation vehicle in the body of water to an anchor installation position on the underwater substrate in the body of water at least via the rotary thruster based at least in part on a first set of instructions received from a support computer system of a support vessel.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the anchor installation vehicle further generates an axial force on the anchor along the central axis Y by one or more of: tether tension and weight, reducing the buoyancy of the anchor installation vehicle, changing the pitch of the one or more arms, an axial thrust component, and a self-actuating anchor design.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining that installation of the anchor is complete and stopping the rotation of the anchor mounting vehicle about the central axis Y.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the anchor installation vehicle further comprises a torque sensor, and wherein the determination that installation of the anchor is complete is based at least in part on data obtained from the torque sensor.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising disengaging the anchor system from the anchor to release the anchor.

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