Unmanned watercraft designed for transporting equipment

Abstract

Unmanned watercraft intended for the transport of equipment. The watercraft comprises: - a floating hull (2); - propulsion means (3); - steering means (4); - a power source (5); - communication means (8, 9); - means for geographically locating the craft (12); - means for measuring the environment (10, 11); - means for visualizing the environment (7); - control means (13); - a compartment for housing equipment (14). The floating hull (2) further comprises: - a removable door (15) for hermetically sealing the compartment (14); - securing means for holding equipment in the compartment (14); - locking means (16a, 16b, 16c, 16d) for the door (15) on the floating hull (2). Figure for the abbreviation: Figure 1

Description

Title of the invention: Unmanned watercraft for transporting equipment

[0001] The present invention relates to a nautical craft intended for carrying out logistical missions, such as the delivery and storage of various equipment on a shore, upstream or in parallel with a troop landing, or as the provisioning of supplies to troops who have landed on a shore comprising:

[0002] - a floating hull;

[0003] - means of propulsion;

[0004] - means of direction;

[0005] - a source of energy;

[0006] - means of communication;

[0007] - means of geographically locating the device;

[0008] - means for measuring the environment;

[0009] - means of visualizing the environment;

[0010] - control means;

[0011] - a housing unit intended to accommodate equipment;

[0012] It is known that in the case of a landing of troops on a shore from a carrier ship at sea, the supply of equipment, such as food, ammunition, weapons, transmission equipment, medical equipment, is essential to the performance of the landed troops.

[0013] In particular, when the carrier ship is offshore for its own safety, the landed troops must organize themselves to transport all the equipment they would need. Resupplying by a landing craft, such as a landing barge, would be relatively inconspicuous given the size of the vessel. The lack of discretion could lead to the detection of the landed troops and compromise the mission. Thus, the landed troops must carry a significant amount of equipment, which can hinder their mobility.

[0014] Consequently, the mission of the landed troops is limited by their ability to operate with the equipment they can carry during the landing. In the event of unforeseen circumstances, or if the mission were to be prolonged, the troops' survival could be threatened.

[0015] An object of the present invention is to provide a simple, robust and economical means which avoids the problems encountered in the known technique, in particular the problems of carrying equipment.

[0016] To this end, the invention relates to a nautical craft in which the floating hull further comprises:

[0017] - a removable door allowing the housing to be hermetically sealed;

[0018] - means of securing equipment to keep it in the accommodation;

[0019] - means for locking the door on the floating hull.

[0020] The compartment, made watertight by the removable door, allows equipment to be transported from the carrier vessel to troops stationed on the shore. The size of such a watercraft can be reduced to ensure relative discretion.

[0021] According to other advantageous aspects of the invention, the watercraft comprises one or more of the following features, taken individually or in all technically possible combinations:

[0022] - the floating hull contains foam elements ensuring buoyancy when the the hull is flooded with water;

[0023] - the means of propulsion and orientation consist of waterjets;

[0024] - the energy source is an electric battery;

[0025] - the means of communication are an HF or VHF radio transmitter;

[0026] - the means of geographical localization consists of a GPS receiver;

[0027] - the means for measuring the environment include at least one device like a sounder, a log, an anemometer;

[0028] - the means for visualizing the environment are a fixed, steerable camera in site or azimuth, or an omnidirectional camera, the viewing means being mounted securely on a mast fixed to the hull of the nautical craft.

[0029] Optionally, the watercraft is such that the control means are capable of directing the watercraft without human intervention.

[0030] The invention will become clearer upon reading the following description, given solely by way of non-limiting example, and made with reference to the drawings in which:

[0031] [Fig.1] [Fig.1] is a side view of a nautical craft according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0032] [Fig.2] [Fig.2] is a top view of the watercraft in [Fig.1];

[0033] [Fig.3] [Fig.3] is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the watercraft in [Fig.1]

[0034] With reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3, a first embodiment of a nautical device 1 according to the invention.

[0035] The watercraft 1 comprises a watertight hull 2 ​​suitable for navigating on a body of water, in particular seawater. In particular, the overall length of the hull is between 2 m and 3.5 m, the maximum width is between 0.5 m and 1.5 m, and the height is between 0.5 m and 2 m. Such dimensions make the nautical craft according to the invention particularly discreet, especially compared to a conventional landing barge.

[0036] The watercraft 1 further comprises a pair of propulsion means. These propulsion means are, for example, electric waterjets or conventional propeller-driven thrusters, 3, 4, which provide both propulsion and steering. The term "waterjet" refers to a water jet propulsion device. It is known to those skilled in the art that using a pair of propulsion means allows a watercraft to rotate by applying different rotational speeds to obtain thrust vectoring. The thrusters 3, 4 are attached (integrated internally or externally) to the watertight hull 2 ​​by means of fasteners known from the prior art. The thrusters are powered by an electrical harness (not shown) passing through the fasteners.

[0037] Advantageously, the watercraft further includes a power source, for example by at least one Lithium-ion polymer technology electric battery 5 intended for powering the watercraft.

[0038] Advantageously, the watercraft comprises a mast 6 attached to the hull 2, at the top of which are installed environmental viewing means 7, such as an omnidirectional camera 7 for viewing the environment of the watercraft. The height of the mast is, for example, between 0.7 m and 2 m. According to one embodiment, the power and data cables of the omnidirectional camera 7 pass through the mast 6 to the inside of the watertight hull 2.

[0039] Advantageously, the watercraft includes means of communication, for example consisting of a VHF (Very High Frequency) transmitter enabling communication with the operator of the watercraft. The VHF transmitter is, for example, made up of a whip antenna 8 mounted integrally with the watertight hull 2, connected by a coaxial cable to a modulation module 9.

[0040] Advantageously, the watercraft includes means for measuring the environment, for example a sounder 10 mounted as a unit to the hull 2, under its lower part, so as to continuously measure the depth of the water under the watercraft.

[0041] Advantageously, these measuring means may further include a log 11 mounted as a unit to the hull 2, located in the lower part of the transom of the hull 2, allowing the speed of movement of the watercraft to be measured.

[0042] Advantageously, the watercraft includes means for geographically locating the craft, for example formed by a GPS receiver 12 (Global Positioning System), mounted attached to the upper part of hull 2, allowing the nautical craft to be located precisely.

[0043] Advantageously, the watercraft includes control means, for example formed by a control device 13 capable of receiving energy from the battery 5, controlling the thrusters 3, 4 and sending and receiving data from the omnidirectional camera 7, the sounder 10, the log 11, the GPS receiver 12. The control device 13 also allows communication with a remote operator via the modulation module 9. The links between these elements are made by means of electrical cables known from the prior art.

[0044] The watercraft comprises a housing 14 in the watertight hull 2, which can be sealed watertight by a door 15 equipped with peripheral seals (not shown), the door being held securely to the watertight hull 2 ​​by means of locking means. These locking means are, for example, frog closures 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d known from the prior art.

[0045] Preferably, the housing 14 of the watercraft 1 will include retaining rings 17 for securing cargo not shown by means of straps not shown and attached to the retaining rings 17.

[0046] Advantageously, foam elements 18 will be arranged inside the hull 2 ​​to ensure the flotation of the naval craft 1 in the event of a leak.

[0047] According to the invention, the control means 13 of the watercraft 1 receive, via the communication means 8, 9, movement commands from various sources. Indeed, piloting can be carried out using different piloting stations such as a remote control type, for example, in the possession of an operator, a member of the disembarked troops, or from consoles on board the carrier vessel.

[0048] The control means 13 of the watercraft 18 also have a certain level of decision-making autonomy and self-piloting, thus enabling the planning of missions and maneuvers, as well as the execution of missions and maneuvers with only human supervision in the decision-making loop.

[0049] The control means 13 convert these commands into instructions for the propulsion means 3 and the steering means 4 of the naval craft. The control means 13 adjust the distribution of energy consumption between the energy storage means, i.e. the battery 5, the propulsion means, and the steering means 3 and 4.

[0050] The watercraft further comprises location means such as a GPS 12, environmental measurement means such as a sounder 10, and environmental visualization means such as a panoramic camera 7. The information from the location means and the measurement means Environmental information is transmitted to the operator's remote control so that the operator can have precise knowledge of the location of the naval craft and its environment in order to pilot it to avoid obstacles and steer between the carrier vessel and the shore.

[0051] Such obstacles may be floating objects of any kind such as other watercraft, buoys, mines or rocks.

[0052] The watercraft is loaded with equipment on board the carrier vessel, offshore, then once the information is communicated to the operator, the latter can take control of the watercraft and direct it towards the shore.

[0053] Once the watercraft has reached the shore, the troops have access to the compartment 14 located in the hull 2 ​​of the watercraft 1 and, by activating the locking means 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d of the door 15 on the watercraft, can remove the door 15 hermetically sealing the compartment 14 of the watercraft and access the equipment forming the cargo.

[0054] The cargo can then be unloaded from the watercraft 1 by removing the securing means which hold the cargo in the compartment 14.

[0055] As soon as the equipment is recovered by the troops on the shore, the door 15 can be put back in place and secured by the locking means 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d provided for this purpose. The watercraft 1 is then ready to put to sea again.

[0056] Once the watercraft 1 is ready, the operator can return it to the carrier vessel to be reloaded.

[0057] According to one embodiment, the control means 13 are capable of directing the watercraft 1 without human intervention.

Claims

Demands

1. A watercraft (1) intended for carrying out resupply missions for troops landed on a shore, comprising: - a floating hull (2); - propulsion means (3); - steering means (4); - a power source (5); - communication means (8, 9); - means for geographically locating the craft (12); - means for measuring the environment (10, 11); - means for visualizing the environment (7); - control means (13); - a housing for equipment (14); characterized in that the floating hull (2) further comprises: - a removable door (15) for hermetically sealing the housing (14); - securing means for keeping equipment in the housing (14); - locking means (16a, 16b, 16c, 16d) of the door (15) on the floating hull (2).

2. Watercraft according to claim 1, wherein the floating hull contains foam elements (18) ensuring buoyancy when the hull is invaded by water.

3. Watercraft according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the means of propulsion (3) and steering (4) are constituted by waterjets.

4. Watercraft according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the power source (5) is an electric battery.

5. Watercraft according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the means of communication are an HF or VHF radio transmitter.

6. Watercraft according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the means of geographic localization consist of a GPS receiver.

7. Watercraft according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the environmental measurement means include at least one device such as a depth sounder, log, anemometer.

8. Watercraft according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the means for viewing the environment are a fixed camera, orientable in elevation or azimuth, or an omnidirectional camera, the viewing means being mounted securely to a mast fixed to the hull of the watercraft.

9. Watercraft according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control means are capable of steering the watercraft without human intervention.

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