Amphibious ROV Surface-Submerging Split for Wireless Underwater Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) face limitations in wireless communication during submerged travel and are restricted by the need for tethers, which restrict their operation and accessibility in various environments, especially in offshore and underwater operations.
Innovation Solution
A wirelessly controlled vehicle configured for air and submerged travel, featuring a submerging body and a surface body that can be coupled and decoupled, with a tether or wireless communication system to maintain connectivity, allowing for independent propulsion systems for air and liquid environments, enabling wireless operation and data transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a tether is used to connect the ROV to the control system for communication and power supply, then reliable communication and power supply are ensured, but the operational freedom and accessibility of the vehicle are restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle is divided into two separate bodies: a surface body that remains at the surface for wireless communication and control, and a submerging body that dives into water for underwater operations. The tether only connects these two bodies, not the underwater vehicle to the shore-based control system, enabling wireless ocean-wide operation while maintaining reliable communication between the control and propulsion systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The surface body acts as an intermediary between the shore-based control system and the submerging body. It receives wireless signals from the shore, processes them, and transmits commands to the submerging body via the tether, while also relaying data back to the shore. This mediator enables indirect wireless communication across the ocean.
2Ease of operation
If the ROV operates near the shore or dock for easy control and communication, then communication is facilitated, but the risk of entanglement with infrastructures or vegetation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is relocated from the traditional shore-based horizontal plane to a mobile platform (ship, drone, or floating device) that operates in the maritime dimension. This dimensional shift allows the control system to move with the vehicle offshore, maintaining communication capability while eliminating entanglement risks associated with shore-based infrastructures.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses a wirelessly controlled vehicle that is configured to travel in air, on liquid and under liquid with an ability to communicate with a remote operator through wireless communication.