Underwater docking station for an unmanned underwater vehicle, system and method for handling operations in a body of water

Abstract

An underwater docking station comprises a cage frame (11), which has an inlet port (12) and delimits an internal housing (6) for accommodating an underwater vehicle (7); a first acoustic transceiver assembly (14) configured to exchange acoustic signals with the underwater vehicle (7); a first optical transceiver (15) assembly configured to exchange optical signals with the underwater vehicle (7); an integrated electronic system (28) comprising a control unit (16), which is in communication with the first acoustic transceiver assembly (14) and with the first optical transceiver assembly (15), and is configured to generate acoustic signals and / or optical signals for driving the underwater vehicle (7) along a return path toward the inlet port (12) of the cage frame (11) and to transmit said generated signals to the underwater vehicle (7) by means of the first acoustic transceiver assembly (14) and / or the first optical transceiver assembly.

Description

[0001] "UNDERWATER DOCKING STATION FOR AN UNMANNED UNDERWATER

[0002] VEHICLE , SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR HANDLING OPERATIONS IN A BODY

[0003] OF WATER"

[0004] Cross-Reference to Related Applications

[0005] This Patent Application claims priority from Brazil ian Patent Application No . BR 10 2024 019324-5 filed on September 19 , 2024 , the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference .

[0006] Technical Field

[0007] The present invention relates to an underwater docking station for an unmanned underwater vehicle .

[0008] Moreover, the present invention relates to a system and a method for handling operations in a body of water .

[0009] Background

[0010] As known, unmanned underwater vehicles are deployed at a work site in a body of water to carry out many underwater civil operations for infrastructure and environmental scopes , such as installation support , inspection maintenance , repair, sampling and surveillance of underwater structures .

[0011] Usually, the known unmanned underwater vehicles fall into two categories : Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs ) , which are connected to a power and control station by means of an umbilical cable , and Autonomous Unmanned Vehicles (AUVs ) , which are sel f-powered, are based on arti ficial intelligence algorithms and can be controlled or operated in certain phases by humans in a remote control station .

[0012] In particular, the advanced underwater vehicles are equipped with the most recent software and hardware devices , allowing the underwater vehicles to navigate and exploit their missions . In greater detail , the software and hardware devices comprise sonars , cameras , doppler acoustic sensors , accelerometers and inertial sensors , depth gauges , stereo camera' s , lasers , lights , acoustic modems , optical modems , and other communication systems , such as surface satellite systems , power management systems and power accumulators . The above mentioned devices usually consume a large amounts of energy and some of them are inef fective when the underwater vehicle is far from the bed of the body of water and thus the underwater vehicle is forced to navigate without external reference points .

[0013] Generally, said underwater vehicles are assisted at the surface by a floating support vessel , which is configured to launch, control and recover the underwater vehicle at the surface of the body of water .

[0014] However, this solution has some negative drawbacks such as the operational risks caused by unpredictable conditions of the body of water that could negatively af fect the launch and the recovery, and the absence of advanced functionalities that could be provided by a mid-water or suspended communicating base station, which could increase the performances of the underwater vehicles and extend the missions of the underwater vehicles .

[0015] As a consequence of technology developments in the underwater vehicle field and to overcome the above mentioned drawbacks , improved wire-guided vehicles (ROV) , AUV / ROV hybrid and wireless resident underwater vehicles designed around the needs of autonomous features have been developed . These types of vehicles must interface or integrate , time by time , with field assets such as underwater base stations on the bed of the body of water for recharging, data exchange and mechanical protection .

[0016] In many scenarios , it is convenient to adopt a suspended communicating base station (" flying garage" ) , by which the recovery operations are not limited by the bed of the body of water and that are designed to cooperate , accommodate and eventually relocate the underwater vehicle . In particular, it is commonly known to connect the underwater base station to the floating support vessel so as to suspend the underwater base station in the body of water . An example of said underwater base station is disclosed in document WO 00 / 71415 .

[0017] The underwater base station of the above-defined type ful fils the functions of providing shelter to the underwater vehicle , recharging the underwater vehicle with electrical power, exchanging data with the underwater vehicle at high speed, and allowing to trans fer the support vessel with the base station recovered onboard whi le the underwater vehicle remains subsea and then performing a rendez-vous between two di f ferent working sites .

[0018] However, the above mentioned underwater base station is only designed for mechanical protection and recharge purpose . Generally, the docking is sues are addressed by using funnel-shape guides , which have the aim to guide the entrance of the underwater vehicle into the underwater base station, leading progressively the underwater vehicle towards a connector of the underwater base station .

[0019] However, high relative and decoupled movements of the underwater vehicle and the underwater base station could prevent or even abort the docking operations , causing inacceptable risks of losing the underwater vehicle .

[0020] Summary

[0021] An aim of the present invention is to provide an underwater docking station for an unmanned underwater vehicle that mitigates the drawbacks of the prior art highlighted herein .

[0022] In particular, an aim of the present invention is to provide a suspended underwater docking station that is mainly based on power and communication electronics and is configured to ass ist the underwater vehicle under his various phases . In greater detail the underwater docking station is temporary resident , launchable from surface assets , such as Multipurpose Supply Vessels (MSV) or Floating Production Storage and Of floading Units ( FPSO) or platforms , and is capable to stay suspended to a crane or a proper winch, at mid-water or near seabed, cooperating and assisting the underwater vehicle for several scope such as subsea battery recharge , data exchange , parking capabilities , physical protection .

[0023] In accordance with the present invention, it is provided an underwater docking station for an unmanned underwater vehicle , the docking station comprising :

[0024] - a cage frame , which has an inlet port and delimits an internal housing for accommodating the underwater vehicle ;

[0025] - a connecting device , which is arranged inside the internal housing of the cage frame and is configured to connect mechanically and / or electrically and / or for data exchange the underwater vehicle to the docking station when the underwater vehicle is accommodated into the internal housing;

[0026] - a first acoustic transceiver assembly configured to exchange acoustic signals with the underwater vehicle ;

[0027] - a first optical transceiver as sembly configured to exchange optical signals with the underwater vehicle ; and

[0028] - an integrated electronic system comprising a control unit , which is in communication with the first acoustic transceiver assembly and with the first optical transceiver assembly, and is configured to generate acoustic signals and / or optical signals for driving the underwater vehicle along a return path toward the inlet port of the cage frame and to transmit said generated signals to the underwater vehicle by means of the first acoustic transceiver assembly and / or the first optical transceiver assembly .

[0029] In general , the underwater docking station can communicate with the underwater vehicle by using the first acoustic transceiver assembly within the range of approximately 3000 meters , and switch to the first optical transceiver assembly within the range of approximately 70 meters , while using high band optical and inductive connection when the underwater vehicle is docked to the connecting device .

[0030] The integrated electronic system can be advantageous used for various phases such as the homing of the underwater vehicle to the underwater docking station, by which the underwater vehicle progressively exchanges information with the underwater docking station and leads to the final docking position .

[0031] Moreover, the underwater docking station can be connected to the surface of the body of water with or without umbilical cable .

[0032] Furthermore , the communication capabilities of the underwater docking station can provide three di f ferent modes of operations , such as full autonomous mode , by which all steps of the miss ion are executed by the underwater docking station sending images over the steps or video without any operator intermediate actions , or semi-autonomous mode , by which some sub-steps of the whole procedure are released by the operator after receiving data from the underwater docking station, or manual mode , by which the operator takes control over all steps of the mission .

[0033] In particular, the integrated electronic system comprises a plurality of electronic devices comprising at least one between a trans former, a position sensor assembly, a light emitting device such as a LED, a current sensor, a temperature sensor .

[0034] In particular, the plurality of electronic devices are interlinked through a communication network .

[0035] In this way, it is possible to allow the exchange of data within the integrated electronic system such as to provide an integrated surface to vehicle manageable network .

[0036] In particular, the cage frame comprises a funnel-shaped structure , which extends between the inlet port and the internal housing and is configured to guide the entry of the underwater vehicle inside the internal housing to further facilitate the docking operations .

[0037] A further aim of the present invention is to provide a system for handling operations in a body of water that mitigates the drawbacks of the prior art highlighted herein .

[0038] In accordance with the present invention, it is provided a system for handling operations in a body of water, the system comprising :

[0039] - the docking station as previously described; and

[0040] - an unmanned underwater vehicle , which is configured to be accommodated into the internal housing of the docking station and comprises a second acoustic transceiver assembly configured to exchange acoustic signals with the first acoustic transceiver assembly, and a second optical transceiver assembly configured to exchange optical signals with the first optical transceiver assembly .

[0041] Thanks to the present invention, the underwater vehicle can communicate with underwater vehicle in several ways . Each communication system is implemented for a certain use , depending on di f ferent relative distance ranges between the underwater docking station and the underwater vehicle

[0042] In this way, the underwater vehicle can perform a wider range of mission in the body of water and, when the mission is accomplished, the underwater vehicle can return to the underwater docking station in a safer and faster manner . In this way, it is possible to reduce the time and the costs to bring the underwater vehicle back to the underwater docking station .

[0043] A further aim of the present invention is to provide a method for handling operations in a body of water that mitigates the drawbacks of the prior art highlighted herein .

[0044] In accordance with the present invention, it is provided a method for handling operations in a body of water, the method comprising the steps of :

[0045] - providing an underwater docking station comprising a cage frame , which has an inlet port and delimits an internal housing; exchanging acoustic signals between the docking station and an unmanned underwater vehicle ; exchanging optical signals between the docking station and the underwater vehicle ;

[0046] - generating acoustic signals and / or optical signals for driving the underwater vehicle along a return path toward the inlet port of the cage frame ; and

[0047] - transmitting said generated signals to the underwater vehicle .

[0048] Thanks to the present method, it is possible to handle the return and the docking of the underwater vehicle to the docking station in a safe and easy manner, reducing the risks of docking failure or vehicle loss .

[0049] Brief Description of the Drawings

[0050] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the following description of a non-limiting example of implementation, with reference to the accompanying Figures , wherein :

[0051] - Figure 1 is a schematic lateral view of a system for handling operations in a body of water reali zed in accordance with the present invention;

[0052] - Figures 2-4 are lateral views , with parts removed for clarity and schematic parts , of the system of Figure 1 in respective operating configurations ;

[0053] - Figure 5 is a perspective view, with parts removed for clarity, of an underwater docking station of the system of Figure 1 ;

[0054] - Figure 6 is a sectional view, with parts removed for clarity, of the docking station of Figure 5 ; and - Figure 7 is a front view, with part removed for clarity, of the docking station of Figure 5 .

[0055] Description of Embodiments

[0056] With reference to Figure 1 , number 1 schematically denotes a system for handling operations in a body of water 2 .

[0057] In particular, the system 1 is configured to handle operations , such as inspection operations or surveillance operation, in the body of water 2 on an underwater installation 3 .

[0058] In the case herein described and illustrated, the underwater installation 3 is arranged on a bed 4 of the body of water 2 and is employed, as an example , for the extraction and / or production of hydrocarbons from wells , not shown in the attached Figures , which are formed in the bed 4 of the body of water 2 and are integral parts of the underwater installation 3 itsel f .

[0059] In the following description, "hydrocarbon production" means the extraction of hydrocarbons , the treatment of hydrocarbons , the treatment of fluids related to the production of hydrocarbons and subsequent transport .

[0060] In accordance with further embodiments , not shown in the attached Figures , the underwater installation 3 may comprise infrastructures for the exploitation of energy from renewable sources , such as infrastructure necessary for the installation and operation of a wind turbine park installed on the bed 4 of the body of water 2 .

[0061] The system 1 comprises an underwater docking station 5 comprising an internal housing 6 ; and an unmanned underwater vehicle 7 , which is configured to be accommodated into the internal housing 6 of the docking station 5 .

[0062] According to the embodiment shown in Figure 1 , the underwater vehicle 7 is an Autonomous Unmanned Vehicles (AUVs ) , which is sel f-powered and controlled without the need of connecting cables .

[0063] According to a further embodiment , not shown in the attached Figures , the underwater vehicle 7 is a Remotely Operated vehicles (ROVs ) , which is connected to the docking station 5 by means of a cable for power supply and / or for data exchange .

[0064] Moreover, the system 1 comprises a surface station 8 and an umbilical cable 9 , which connects electrically and for data exchange the surface station 8 to the underwater docking station 5 .

[0065] In the case herein described and illustrated, the systems 1 comprises a support floating vessel 10 , on which is arranged the surface station 8 . In particular, the umbilical cable 9 is also configured to connect mechanically the docking station 5 to the support floating vessel 10 .

[0066] With reference to Figures 2 -4 , the docking station 5 comprises a cage frame 11 , which has an inlet port 12 and delimits the internal housing 6 for accommodating the underwater vehicle 7 ; a connecting device 13 , which is arranged inside the internal housing 6 of the cage frame 11 and is configured to connect mechanically and / or electrically and / or for data exchange the underwater vehicle 7 to the docking station 5 when the underwater vehicle 7 is accommodated into the internal housing 6 ; an acoustic transceiver assembly 14 configured to exchange acoustic signals with the underwater vehicle 7 ; an optical transceiver assembly 15 configured to exchange optical signals with the underwater vehicle 7 ; and an integrated electronic system 28 comprising a control unit 16 , which is in communication with the acoustic transceiver assembly 14 and with the optical transceiver assembly 15 , and is configured to generate acoustic signals and / or optical signals for driving the underwater vehicle 7 along a return path toward the inlet port 12 of the cage frame 11 and to transmit said generated signals to the underwater vehicle 7 by means of the acoustic transceiver assembly 14 and / or the optical transceiver ass e mb 1 y 15 .

[0067] In particular, the control unit 16 is configured to selectively activate / deactivate the acoustic transceiver assembly 14 and the optical transceiver assembly 15 as a function of the relative position of the underwater vehicle 7 with respect to the docking station 5 .

[0068] In greater detail , when the underwater vehicle 7 is at a distance DI ( Figure 2 ) , preferably greater than 70 meters , from the docking station 5 , the control unit 16 is configured to activate the acoustic transceiver assembly 14 and to deactivate the optical transceiver assembly 15 so as to exchange only acoustic signals with the underwater vehicle 7 . When the underwater vehicle 7 is at a distance D2 lower than the distance DI ( Figure 3 ) , preferably lower than 70 meters , from the docking station 5 , the control unit 16 is configured to deactivate the acoustic transceiver assembly 14 and to activate the optical transceiver assembly 15 so as to exchange only optical signals with the underwater vehicle 7 .

[0069] The underwater vehicle 7 comprises an acoustic transceiver assembly 17 configured to exchange acoustic signals with the acoustic transceiver assembly 14 , and an optical transceiver assembly 18 configured to exchange optical signals with the optical transceiver assembly 15 .

[0070] In particular, the acoustic signals and the optical signals are indicative of position and / or kinematic parameters of the docking station 5 and of the underwater vehicle 7 .

[0071] Moreover, the underwater vehicle 7 comprises a frame 19 , a plurality of thrusters 20 , a power accumulator 21 configured to electrically power the underwater vehicle 7 , and a navigation sensor assembly 22 configured to detect position and / or kinematic parameters of the underwater vehicle 7 .

[0072] In particular, the navigation sensor assembly 22 comprises a gyrocompass 23 , a depth sensor 24 , a speed sensor 25 , accelerometers 26 , and an obstacle avoidance system 27 .

[0073] According to the present invention, the underwater vehicle 7 comprises a control module 29 configured to detect a relative position of the underwater vehicle 7 with respect to the docking station 5 as a function of the acoustic signals and / or of the optical signals exchanged, to calculate a return path extending from the detected position of the underwater vehicle 7 to the inlet port 12 of the cage frame 11 , and to control the underwater vehicle 7 so that the underwater vehicle 7 navigates along the calculated return path .

[0074] In particular, the control module 29 is configured to control the thrusters 20 of the underwater vehicle 7 so as to guide the underwater vehicle 7 along the calculated return path .

[0075] Moreover, the control module 29 is configured to receive the position and / or kinematic parameters of the underwater vehicle 7 detected by the navigation sensor assembly 22 , and to control the acoustic transceiver assembly 17 and the optical transceiver assembly 18 so as to transmit said position and / or kinematic parameters to the acoustic transceiver assembly 14 and to the optical transceiver assembly 15 in the form of acoustic signals and optical signals respectively .

[0076] With reference to Figures 5 and 6 , the acoustic transceiver assembly 14 comprises an acoustic transmitter 30 configured to transmit acoustic signals in the body of water 2 , and an acoustic receiver 31 configured to receive acoustic signals in the body of water 2 from the underwater vehicle 7 .

[0077] In the case herein described and illustrated, the acoustic transceiver assembly 14 comprises two acoustic transmitters 30 , preferably two underwater locator beacons . The acoustic receiver 31 comprises an underwater acoustic modem .

[0078] In particular, the acoustic transceiver assembly 14 is arranged at the inlet port 12 of the cage frame 11 . In greater detail , the acoustic transmitters 30 and the acoustic receiver 31 are mounted on a perimetral edge of the inlet port 12 .

[0079] The optical transceiver assembly 15 comprises an optical transmitter 32 configured to emit optical signals in the form of light beams , and an optical receiver 33 configured to receive optical signals in the body of water 2 from the underwater vehicle 7 .

[0080] Moreover, the integrated electronic system 28 comprises a position sensor assembly 34 configured to detect the position and the orientation of the docking station 5 in the body of water 2 .

[0081] In particular, the position sensor assembly 34 comprises a gyroscope to detect the orientation of the docking station 5 in the body of water 2 , and a depth sensor to detect the depth of the docking station 5 in the body of water 2 .

[0082] Moreover, the position sensor assembly 34 comprises a camera configured to acquire imagines / or videos video of the underwater vehicle 7 when the underwater vehicle 7 is inside the internal housing 6 so as to assist the docking of the underwater vehicle 7 with the connecting device 13 ( Figure 5 ) .

[0083] In particular, the control unit 16 is configured to receive position and / or kinematic parameters of the docking station 5 detected by the position sensor assembly 34 , and to control the acoustic transceiver assembly 14 and the optical transceiver assembly 15 so as to transmit said position and / or kinematic parameters to the acoustic transceiver assembly 17 and to the optical transceiver assembly 18 in the form of acoustic signals and optical signals respectively .

[0084] According to the present invention, the cage frame 11 comprises a funnel-shaped structure 38 , which extends between the inlet port 12 and the internal housing 6 and is configured to guide the entry of the underwater vehicle 7 inside the internal housing 6 . Moreover, the integrated electronic control system 28 comprises an electrical power accumulator 39 configured to recharge the underwater vehicle 7 when the underwater vehicle 7 is accommodated into the internal housing 6 .

[0085] With reference to Figure 6 , the connecting device 13 is arranged at an end of the docking station 5 opposite with respect to the inlet port 12 and comprises a mechanical connector 40 configured to latch the underwater vehicle 7 to the connecting device 13 and an inductive connector 41 configured to supply electrical power to the underwater vehicle 7 and to exchange data with the underwater vehicle 7 .

[0086] Moreover, the docking station 5 comprises a locking system 42 configured to lock the underwater vehicle 7 inside the internal housing 6 of the cage frame 11 . The locking system 42 comprises an engage pin 43 movable between a retracted position, in which the underwater vehicle 7 is disengaged from the cage frame 11 , and an extended position, in which the engage pin 43 pushes the underwater vehicle 7 against the cage frame 11 so as to engage the underwater vehicle 7 to the cage frame 11 ; a driving mechanism 44 configured to move the engage pin 43 between the retracted position and the extended position; and an actuator 45 configured to actuate the driving mechanism 44 .

[0087] In particular, the docking station 5 comprises a highspeed optical transceiver 35 configured to exchanged optical signals with the underwater vehicle 7 when the underwater vehicle 7 is docked into the internal housing 6 . As an example , the optical transceiver 35 can exchange optical signals with the underwater vehicle 7 at a speed of 1 Gigabit per second .

[0088] With reference to Figure 7 , the docking station 5 comprises visual marks 46 arranged outside the internal housing 6 and visual marks 47 , which are arranged inside the internal housing 6 and are smaller in si ze than the visual marks 47 .

[0089] In use and with reference to Figure 2 , once the underwater vehicle 7 has terminated a mission in the body of water 2 and the underwater vehicle 7 is located at the distance DI ( region Rl ) from the docking station 5 , the control unit 16 activates the acoustic transceiver assembly 14 so as to exchange acoustic signals with the transceiver assembly 17 of the underwater vehicle 7 .

[0090] In particular, the control unit 16 generates acoustic signals for driving the underwater vehicle 7 along the return path and transmits said generated signals to the underwater vehicle 7 by means of the acoustic transceiver assembly 14 .

[0091] In greater detail , in the region Rl the docking station 5 and the underwater vehicle 7 exchange status information, such as information regarding the position and the orientation of the docking station 5 .

[0092] The acoustic transceiver assembly 17 receives the acoustic signals transmitted by the acoustic transceiver assembly 14 and the control module 29 of the underwater vehicle 7 detects a relative position of the underwater vehicle 7 with respect to the docking station 5 as a function of the acoustic signals received and calculates a return path extending from the detected position of the underwater vehicle 7 to the inlet port 12 of the cage frame 11 .

[0093] In particular, the control module 29 controls the thrusters 20 of the underwater vehicle 7 so as to guide the underwater vehicle 7 along the calculated return path .

[0094] With reference to Figure 3 , when the underwater vehicle 7 is at the distance D2 ( region R2 ) , lower than the distance DI , from the docking station 5 , the control unit 16 deactivates the acoustic transceiver assembly 14 and activates the optical transceiver assembly 15 so as to exchange optical signals between the underwater vehicle 7 and the docking station 5 .

[0095] The control unit 16 generates optical signals for driving the underwater vehicle 7 along the return path and transmits said generated signals to the underwater vehicle 7 by means of the optical transceiver assembly 15 .

[0096] The optical transceiver assembly 18 receives the optical signals transmitted by the optical transceiver assembly 15 and the control module 29 controls the thrusters 20 of the underwater vehicle 7 so as to guide the underwater vehicle 7 along the return path .

[0097] In particular, in the region R2 , it is possible for an operator to take control of the underwater vehicle 7 using a proper command console on the surface of the body of water 2 . Moreover, in the region R2 , the underwater vehicle 7 can communicate directly with the position sensor assembly 34 without the need of the control unit 16 of the docking station 3 so as to allow the data information to be exchanged faster .

[0098] With reference to Figure 4 , when the underwater vehicle 7 is inside the internal housing 6 of the cage frame 11 ( region R3 ) , the underwater vehicle 7 connects mechanically to the connecting device 13 , which provides also an electrical connection to recharge the underwater vehicle 7 with electric power and a data exchange connection for exchanging data between the underwater vehicle 7 and the docking station 5 . In this situation, the high-speed optical transceiver

[0099] 35 exchanges optical signals with the underwater vehicle 7 at high speed, preferably at a speed up to 1 Gigabit per second .

[0100] Finally, when the underwater vehicle 7 is connected to the connecting device 13 , the locking system 42 ( Figure 6 ) locks the position of the underwater vehicle 7 inside the internal housing 6 of the cage frame 11 .

[0101] It is clear that variations may be made to the present invention with respect to the embodiments described with reference to the accompanying Figures without departing from the scope of protection of the claims .

Claims

CLAIMS1. An underwater docking station for an unmanned underwater vehicle, the docking station (5) comprising:- a cage frame (11) , which has an inlet port (12) and delimits an internal housing (6) for accommodating the underwater vehicle (7) ;- a connecting device (13) , which is arranged inside the internal housing (6) of the cage frame (11) and is configured to connect mechanically and / or electrically and / or for data exchange the underwater vehicle (7) to the docking station (5) when the underwater vehicle (7) is accommodated into the internal housing (6) ;- a first acoustic transceiver assembly (14) configured to exchange acoustic signals with the underwater vehicle (7) ;- a first optical transceiver (15) assembly configured to exchange optical signals with the underwater vehicle (7) ; and- an integrated electronic system (28) comprising a control unit (16) , which is in communication with the first acoustic transceiver assembly (14) and with the first optical transceiver assembly (15) , and is configured to generate acoustic signals and / or optical signals for driving the underwater vehicle (7) along a return path toward the inlet port (12) of the cage frame (11) and to transmit said generated signals to the underwater vehicle (7) by means of the first acoustic transceiver assembly (14) and / or the first optical transceiver assembly (15) .

2. The docking station as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the control unit (16) is configured to selectivelyactivate / deactivate the first acoustic transceiver assembly (14) and the first optical transceiver assembly (15) as a function of the relative position of the underwater vehicle (7) with respect to the docking station (5) .

3. The docking station as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the acoustic signals and the optical signals are indicative of position and / or kinematic parameters of the docking station (5) .

4. The docking station as claimed in any one of the foregoing Claims, wherein the first acoustic transceiver assembly (14) comprises an acoustic transmitter (30) configured to transmit acoustic signals in a body of water (2) , and an acoustic receiver (31) configured to receive acoustic signals in the body of water (2) from the underwater vehicle ( 7 ) .

5. The docking station as claimed in any one of the foregoing Claims, wherein the first acoustic transceiver assembly (14) is arranged at the inlet port (12) .

6. The docking station as claimed in any one of the foregoing Claims, wherein the first optical transceiver assembly (15) comprises an optical transmitter (32) configured to emit optical signals in the form of light beams, and an optical receiver (33) configured to receive optical signals in a body of water (2) from the underwater vehicle ( 7 ) .

7. The docking station as claimed in any one of the foregoing Claims, and comprising first visual marks (46) arranged outside the internal housing (6) and second visual marks (47) arranged inside the internal housing (6) .

8. The docking station as claimed in any one of theforegoing Claims, wherein the integrated electronic system (28) comprises a position sensor assembly (34) configured to detect and provide to the underwater vehicle (7) the position and the orientation of the docking station (5) in a body of water ( 2 ) .

9. The docking station as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the position sensor assembly (34) comprises a gyroscope to detect and provide to the underwater vehicle (7) the orientation of the docking station (5) in the body of water (2) , and a depth sensor to detect and provide to the underwater vehicle (7) the depth of the docking station (5) in the body of water (2) .

10. The docking station as claimed in any one of the foregoing Claims, wherein the cage frame (11) comprises a funnel-shaped structure (38) , which extends between the inlet port (12) and the internal housing (6) and is configured to guide the entry of the underwater vehicle (7) inside the internal housing (6) .

11. The docking station as claimed in any one of the foregoing Claims, wherein the integrated electronic system (28) comprises an electrical power accumulator (39) configured to recharge the underwater vehicle (7) when the underwater vehicle (7) is accommodated into the internal housing ( 6 ) .

12. A system for handling operations in a body of water, the system (1) comprising:- the docking station (5) as claimed in any one of the foregoing Claims; and an unmanned underwater vehicle (7) , which is configured to be accommodated into the internal housing (6)of the docking station (5) and comprises a second acoustic transceiver assembly (17) configured to exchange acoustic signals with the first acoustic transceiver assembly (14) , and a second optical transceiver assembly (18) configured to exchange optical signals with the first optical transceiver assembly ( 15) .

13. The system as claimed in Claim 12, wherein the underwater vehicle (7) comprises a control module (29) configured to:- detect a relative position of the underwater vehicle (7) with respect to the docking station (5) as a function of the acoustic signals and / or of the optical signals exchanged;- calculate a return path extending from the detected position of the underwater vehicle (7) to the inlet port (12) of the cage frame (11) ; and control the underwater vehicle (7) so that the underwater vehicle (7) navigates along the calculated return path .

14. The system as claimed in Claim 12 or 13, wherein the control unit (16) is configured to control the first acoustic transceiver assembly (14) so as to exchange acoustic signals with the underwater vehicle (7) when the underwater vehicle (7) is at a first distance (DI) from the docking station (5) ; the control unit (16) being configured to control the first optical transceiver assembly (15) so as to exchange optical signals with the underwater vehicle (7) when the underwater vehicle (7) is at a second distance (D2) from the docking station (5) lower than the first distance (DI) .

15. The system as claimed in any one of Claims 12 to14, and comprising a surface station (8) and an umbilical cable (9) , which connects electrically and for data exchange the surface station (8) to the underwater docking station (5) .

16. A method for handling operations in a body of water, the method comprising the steps of: providing an underwater docking station (5) comprising a cage frame (11) , which has an inlet port (12) and delimits an internal housing (6) ; exchanging acoustic signals between the docking station (5) and an unmanned underwater vehicle (7) ; exchanging optical signals between the docking station (5) and the underwater vehicle (7) ;- generating acoustic signals and / or optical signals for driving the underwater vehicle (7) along a return path toward the inlet port of the cage frame; and- transmitting said generated signals to the underwater vehicle ( 7 ) .

17. The method as claimed in Claim 16, and comprising the step of selectively activating / deactivating the exchange of acoustic signals and / or of optical signals between the docking station (5) and the underwater vehicle (7) as a function of the detected relative position of the underwater vehicle (7) with respect to the docking station (5) .

18. The method as claimed in Claims 16 or 17, and comprising the steps of exchanging acoustic signals between the docking station (5) and the underwater vehicle (7) when the underwater vehicle (7) is at a first distance (DI) from the docking station (5) ; and exchanging optical signals between the docking station (5) and the underwater vehicle(7) when the underwater vehicle (7) is at a second distance (D2) from the docking station (5) lower than the first distance (DI ) .

19. The method as claimed in any one of Claims 16 to 18, and comprising the step of connecting mechanically, electrically and for data exchange the underwater vehicle (7) to the docking station (5) when the underwater vehicle (7) is accommodated into the internal housing (6) .

20. The method as claimed in any one of Claims 16 to 19, and comprising the step of recharging the underwater vehicle (7) when the underwater vehicle (7) is accommodated into the internal housing (6) .

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