AUV Deployment Submersible Stacked Platform Transfer Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for deploying and retrieving autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) face challenges in efficiency and drag reduction, particularly in seismic surveys, where current systems are not optimized for compactness and low drag, affecting the ease of deployment and retrieval processes.
Innovation Solution
A submersible device with a stacked platform configuration and a transfer mechanism that allows for the deployment and retrieval of AUVs using a single port, minimizing drag and enabling efficient transfer of AUVs between platforms and deployment/retrieval ports, utilizing a transfer device and actuator to move AUVs between platforms and ports.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple ports are used for deploying AUVs from each platform, then deployment capability is improved, but drag increases and device compactness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple deployment functions into a single port by implementing a transfer mechanism that moves AUVs between platforms and the deployment port. This consolidation maintains full deployment capability while significantly reducing drag and improving device compactness compared to having separate ports on each platform.
Solution Approach 2:
The transfer mechanism acts as an intermediary between the stacked platforms and the single deployment port. It enables efficient AUV transfer from any platform to the deployment port, effectively providing multi-platform deployment capability through a single interface point, thereby reducing drag without sacrificing productivity.
2Productivity
If multiple ports are used for deploying AUVs, then deployment capability is improved, but device compactness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple deployment functions into a single port structure, maintaining the ability to deploy AUVs from multiple platforms while significantly reducing the overall device volume. The transfer mechanism enables this consolidation by efficiently moving AUVs between platforms and the single deployment port.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a distributed port configuration (one port per platform) to a centralized single-port configuration by introducing vertical stacking of platforms. The transfer mechanism operates in the vertical dimension to move AUVs between platforms and the deployment port, achieving compactness while maintaining deployment capability.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a single port is used for deploying AUVs, then drag is reduced and compactness is improved, but deployment efficiency may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer mechanism serves as an efficient intermediary that eliminates the bottleneck concern of using a single port. By automating the transfer process between platforms and the deployment port, the system maintains high deployment efficiency while enjoying the drag reduction and compactness benefits of a single-port configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The transfer mechanism prepares AUVs in advance by moving them from storage platforms to the deployment port before actual deployment is needed. This preliminary positioning ensures that AUVs are ready for immediate deployment, maintaining high deployment efficiency despite using only a single port.
4Quantity of substance
If stacked platforms are used to carry multiple AUVs, then capacity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the AUV carrying capacity into multiple stacked platforms, with each platform capable of carrying one or more AUVs. This segmentation allows the system to scale capacity by adding platforms vertically rather than expanding horizontally, managing complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The transfer mechanism is designed as a universal system that can service all platforms in the stack, transferring AUVs between any platform and the deployment port. This multi-functional design reduces overall system complexity compared to having dedicated transfer mechanisms for each platform.
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A submersible device (2) for deploying or retrieving autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), the submersible device comprising: two or more platforms (130) arranged in a stack (3a, 3b), wherein each platform is configured to carry two or more of the AUVs; a port (300, 310); and a transfer mechanism (200) comprising a transfer device (210) arranged to load or unload the AUVs onto or from the platforms, and an actuator arranged to move the transfer device between the platforms and the port in order to transfer the AUVs between the platforms and the port.