Underwater vehicle comprising an elongated body and a stern equipped with at least one steering gear
The underwater machine addresses the challenges of discretion and equipment deployment by using motorized deployment means and water current deflectors, resulting in improved integration, acoustic stealth, and ease of equipment deployment.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- FR2021013270
- Authority / Receiving Office
- FR · FR
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2021-12-10
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-11
- Estimated Expiration
- 2041-12-10
AI Technical Summary
Existing underwater machines with elongated bodies and sterns equipped with governing devices face challenges in discretion, particularly acoustic, and difficulties in deploying equipment outside the machine.
The underwater machine incorporates motorized means for deploying equipment outside, including a motorized rack associated with an equipment ejection pusher, and side gowns with water current deflectors to facilitate equipment deployment.
This solution enhances the integration and discretion of the underwater machine, improves acoustic stealth, and simplifies the deployment of equipment, such as drones, outside the machine.
Smart Images
Figure 00000007_0000 
Figure 00000008_0000 
Figure 00000009_0000
Abstract
Description
Title of the invention: Underwater vehicle comprising an elongated body and a stern equipped with at least one steering gear
[0001] The present invention relates to an underwater vehicle.
[0002] More particularly, the invention relates to an underwater vehicle of the type comprising an elongated body and comprising a stern equipped with at least one steering device.
[0003] It is known that more and more underwater vehicles of this nature, such as for example submarines themselves or drones, include means in the form of a housing for receiving at least one piece of equipment outside the vehicle.
[0004] This type of housing-like means can also be commonly called a hangar or other, and can accommodate different equipment such as, for example, equipment intended for divers or other.
[0005] Generally speaking, this type of means is placed at the rear of the submarine's mass.
[0006] However, these means have a certain number of drawbacks, in particular in terms of their discretion, particularly acoustic, and the difficulties of deploying the equipment outside of them.
[0007] The aim of the invention is therefore to solve these problems.
[0008] To this end, the invention relates to an underwater vehicle of the type comprising an elongated body and comprising a stern equipped with at least one steering device, characterized in that it comprises means in the form of a housing for receiving at least one piece of equipment outside the vehicle, comprising motorized means for deploying the equipment outside the means in the form of a housing.
[0009] According to other characteristics of the machine according to the invention, taken alone or in combination:
[0010] - the motorized deployment means comprise a motorized rack associated with an equipment ejection push button;
[0011] - the motorized rack is associated with an output pinion of an electric motor, placed in the upper part of the housing-shaped means;
[0012] - the housing-shaped means comprise one or more lateral vents provided with generating deflectors in these housing-shaped means of a water current to facilitate the deployment of said equipment outside the housing-shaped means;
[0013] - the housing-shaped means comprise several distributed lateral vents around these means in the form of housing;
[0014]
[0015]
[0016]
[0017]
[0018]
[0019]
[0020]
[0021]
[0022]
[0023]
[0024]
[0025]
[0026]
[0027] - the front part of the housing-shaped means for receiving the equipment is fixed to the body of the underwater vehicle and the rear part is fixed to the steering gear thereof; - the steering gear of the machine has rudders arranged in a St. Andrew's cross; - the rear part of the housing-shaped means is fixed on the two upper rudders of the steering gear; - the housing-shaped means are fixed to the rudders by means of position-holding bars; - the equipment in the means in the form of a receiving housing of the underwater vehicle includes at least one drone. The invention will be better understood on reading the following description, given solely by way of example and with reference to the appended drawings, in which: - [Fig.l] [Fig.l] represents a side view of the stern of an underwater vehicle according to the invention, - [Fig.2] [Fig.2] represents a perspective view of this stern, - [Fig.3] [Fig.3] represents a perspective view illustrating gills lateral means in the form of a housing forming part of a device according to the invention, and - [Fig.4] and [Fig.5] Figures 4 and 5 illustrate detailed perspective views motorized means for deploying equipment outside the housing-shaped means forming part of the construction of the machine according to the invention. In fact, these figures 1 and 2 illustrate an underwater vehicle which is designated by the general reference 1 in these figures. This underwater vehicle 1 is for example made up of a submarine itself or even a drone. This comprises an elongated body comprising a stern equipped with at least one steering device designated by the general reference 2 in these figures. This stern also includes means of propulsion consisting for example of a propeller, a propeller pump or other. In fact, means in the form of a housing for receiving at least one piece of equipment are provided outside the under-hand device according to the invention. These housing-shaped means are for example designated by the general reference 3 in these figures and are presented for example in the form of a hangar, for example cylindrical or other, for receiving equipment such as an underwater drone. Of course, other equipment can be considered. The front part of these housing-shaped means is fixed for example at 4, on the body of the underwater vehicle 1, while the rear part of these is fixed on the steering gear 2 thereof.
[0028] The rear part of these housing-shaped means 3 also comprises, for example, a flared cone-shaped portion for guiding the equipment.
[0029] In fact, and as illustrated, the steering apparatus of the machine may for example comprise rudders arranged in a St. Andrew's cross, namely four rudders arranged for example in an X, at 90° to each other and designated by the general references 5, 6, 7 and 8 in [Fig.2].
[0030] Such steering devices are well known in the state of the art.
[0031] In this case, the rear part of the housing-shaped means 3 is fixed for example on the two upper rudders of the steering gear, these upper rudders being designated by the general references 5 and 8 in [Fig.2].
[0032] In fact, these housing-shaped means 3 are then fixed to these rudders by means of position-holding bars, such as the bars designated by the references 9 and 10 respectively in this [Fig.2].
[0033] As illustrated more clearly in [Fig. 3], the housing-shaped means for receiving the equipment, designated by the general reference 3, also comprise for example one or more lateral vents provided with deflectors for generating in these housing-shaped means 3, a current of water, to facilitate the movement of the equipment out of the housing-shaped means 3, through the open rear part thereof.
[0034] The water current will in fact tend to push the equipment out of these housing-like means.
[0035] In [Fig. 3], housing-shaped means are illustrated which comprise two lateral vents 11 and 12 respectively, arranged on either side of these housing-shaped means.
[0036] These side vents are provided with deflectors 13 and 14 respectively, making it possible to create in these housing-shaped means a current of water to aid the deployment of the equipment.
[0037] Of course, a different number of lateral vents distributed around these housing-shaped means can be envisaged.
[0038] In addition to these lateral vents for assisting in the deployment of the equipment, these housing-shaped means 3 may also comprise motorized means for deploying the equipment outside the housing-shaped means.
[0039] These means are, for example, emergency means for deploying the equipment, or not.
[0040] As illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, these motorized deployment means may for example comprise a motorized rack associated with a pusher. equipment ejection.
[0041] In these figures 4 and 5, the rack is designated by the general reference 15 while the pusher is designated by the general reference 16, and therefore pushes the equipment out of the housing-shaped means.
[0042] Of course, the motorized rack 15 can then be associated with an output pinion of an electric motor designated by the general reference 17 in these figures, and placed in the upper part of the housing-shaped means.
[0043] Of course, other means of motorization can be considered.
[0044] It is therefore understood that such a structure presents a certain number of advantages, in particular in terms of its integration on the hull of the underwater vehicle, its discretion, in particular acoustic, and the ease of deployment of the equipment.
Claims
Claims
1. Underwater vehicle of the type comprising an elongated body (1) and comprising a stern equipped with at least one steering device (2), characterized in that it comprises means (3) in the form of a housing for receiving at least one piece of equipment outside the vehicle, comprising motorized means for deploying the equipment outside the housing-shaped means, the motorized deployment means comprising a motorized rack (15) associated with a pusher (16) for ejecting the equipment.
2. Underwater vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the motorized rack (15) is associated with an output pinion of an electric motor (17), placed in the upper part of the housing-shaped means (3).
3. Underwater vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the housing-shaped means (3) comprise one or more lateral vents (11, 12) provided with deflectors (13, 14) for generating a water current in these housing-shaped means (3) to facilitate the deployment of said equipment outside the housing-shaped means.
4. Underwater vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that the housing-shaped means (3) comprise several lateral vents distributed around these housing-shaped means.
5. Underwater vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the front part of the means (3) in the form of a housing for receiving the equipment is fixed (at 4) to the body of the underwater vehicle and the rear part is fixed to the steering apparatus thereof (2).
6. Underwater vehicle according to claim 5, characterized in that the steering apparatus (2) of the vehicle comprises rudders arranged in a St. Andrew's cross.
7. Underwater vehicle according to claim 6, characterized in that the rear part of the housing-shaped means (3) is fixed on the two upper rudders (5, 8) of the steering apparatus.
8. Underwater vehicle according to claim 7, characterized in that the housing-shaped means are fixed to the rudders by means of position-holding bars (9, 10).
9. An underwater vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims preceding, characterized in that the equipment in the housing-shaped means for receiving the underwater vehicle comprises at least one drone.