Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Mine Detection System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current sea mine detection methods are time-consuming and pose risks to manned ships, as they require multiple vehicles and direct approach to minefields, slowing convoy speeds and exposing personnel to danger.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle group comprising an unmanned surface vehicle and an autonomous underwater vehicle equipped with sonar and evaluation units for detecting and classifying contacts, allowing autonomous reconnaissance and identification of sea mines, enabling safe navigation and rapid clearance of mine-free routes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple vessels are used to detect and identify sea mines, then detection reliability is improved, but the time required to create mine-free routes increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the mine detection task into separate functions performed by different autonomous underwater vehicles: one vehicle specializes in detection while another specializes in identification. This segmentation allows parallel operation of multiple vehicles, significantly reducing the total time required to clear minefields while maintaining high detection reliability through functional specialization.
Solution Approach 2:
Detection vehicles perform preliminary scanning and identification of potential mines before the main convoy arrives. By conducting detection and classification operations in advance, the system creates mine-free routes ahead of time, allowing the convoy to travel at higher speeds without waiting for mine clearance operations.
2Measurement precision
If the minehunter navigates close to the minefield for detection, then detection precision is improved, but the risk to the manned vessel increases
Solution Approach 1:
Autonomous underwater vehicles serve as intermediaries between the manned convoy and the dangerous minefield. These unmanned vehicles perform close-proximity detection and identification tasks, gathering precise data while keeping the manned vessel at a safe distance. The autonomous vehicles transmit their findings to the convoy, eliminating the need for manned vessels to navigate close to potential mines.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manned mechanical vessels with autonomous underwater vehicles equipped with sonar and identification equipment. This substitution allows precise detection operations to be conducted by unmanned systems that can withstand the risks, while the manned convoy remains protected at a distance, receiving real-time data from the autonomous detectors.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the convoy speed is reduced to protect from sea mines, then safety of manned vessels is improved, but productivity of maritime transport decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Autonomous detection vehicles clear minefields ahead of the convoy by detecting and identifying mines in advance. This preliminary action creates verified safe passages before the main transport convoy arrives, allowing the convoy to maintain high speeds without compromising safety, thereby preserving maritime transport productivity while ensuring vessel safety.
4Reliability
If traditional sonar systems are used for deep water detection, then detection capability is improved, but the system becomes less effective at greater depths
Solution Approach 1:
Autonomous underwater vehicles equipped with specialized sonar systems act as intermediaries for deep water detection. These vehicles can operate at various depths and transmit detection data to surface vessels, enabling effective monitoring of deep water areas where traditional hull-mounted sonars have limited effectiveness, without requiring the main vessel to submerge or slow down.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables effective and reliable sea mine detection at a distance from manned ships, allowing higher convoy speeds and improved protection by autonomously detecting, classifying, and neutralizing sea mines, even at greater depths where traditional systems struggle.
Implementation Method 1
the underwater vehicle has locating means, in particular a sonar, for recording locating data in an underwater space
Data Source
AI summary
The invention concerns a group of vessels (24), having an unmanned surface vessel (3) and an unmanned underwater vessel (1, 1a), wherein the underwater vessel comprises a location device, in particular a sonar device, for sensing location data (12) in the underwater area and one evaluation unit or more evaluation units, and the evaluation unit or the evaluation units are arranged in such a manner that these comprise detection means (20) for detecting (14) a contact (MILEC) with the aid of the sensed location data (12) and with classification means (21) for classifying (15) the detected contact (MILEC) as a mine-like contact (MILCO) or non mine-like contact (NONMILCO), whereby classification is accomplished by comparing the contact (MILEC) with known mine information so that a mine-like contact (MILCO) can be identified as a mine contact (MINE) or as another object (NOMBO).