External Diver Airlock Sharing Weapon Tube Ballast Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for deploying divers from underwater vehicles are subjected to maximum immersion pressure, occupy significant space in the thick hull, and complicate manufacturing and qualification.
Innovation Solution
An external diver deployment airlock connected to the thick hull via a first passage and the external environment via a second passage, sharing filling/emptying means with a weapon launching tube to control airlock operations, including pressure equalization and shared equipment like ballast tanks and trim adjustment means.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If an airlock is integrated inside the thick hull for diver deployment, then diver deployment capability is achieved, but the thick hull occupies significant space and complicates manufacturing and qualification
Solution Approach 1:
The airlock is extracted from the thick hull and placed in the external hull instead. This separation removes the complex pressure-containing structure from the thick hull, simplifying its manufacturing and qualification while maintaining diver deployment capability through the external airlock structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The submarine structure is segmented into distinct functional zones: the thick hull for crew protection and pressure containment, and the external hull for housing the airlock and other equipment. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, reducing overall system complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If an airlock is placed inside the thick hull, then diver deployment is enabled, but the airlock occupies significant space in the thick hull
Solution Approach 1:
The airlock is extracted from the thick hull volume and relocated to the external hull. This extraction frees up valuable space within the thick hull for other critical systems while maintaining the airlock's diver deployment function in the external structure.
3Adaptability or versatility
If an airlock is integrated into the thick hull, then diver deployment is achieved, but the airlock is subjected to maximum immersion pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The airlock is extracted from the pressure-containing thick hull and placed in the external hull that does not require maximum pressure resistance. This eliminates the need for the airlock to withstand maximum immersion pressure, simplifying its structural design and reducing stress on the deployment system.
Solution Approach 2:
The external hull acts as an intermediary structure between the thick hull and the external environment. It provides a pressure-transition zone that allows the airlock to operate without directly承受ing maximum immersion pressure, facilitating safer and easier diver deployment.
4Ease of operation
If separate filling/emptying means are provided for the airlock and weapon launching tubes, then independent control is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The filling and emptying control systems for the airlock and weapon launching tubes are merged into a single integrated system. This shared control mechanism reduces the number of separate systems required, simplifying device complexity while maintaining the ability to control both functions through unified management.
Solution Approach 2:
The filling/emptying control system is designed with multi-functionality to serve both the airlock and weapon launching tubes. This universal system can adapt to control different components, reducing overall system complexity while preserving independent operational control through programmable or selectable modes.
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
Facilitates diver deployment with reduced impact on submarine weight and stability, simplifying manufacturing and qualification by integrating a modular airlock that shares resources with existing facilities.
Implementation Method 1
the airlock being brought into equal pressure with the outside of the underwater vehicle outside of the phases of deployment of the diver(s)
Implementation Method 2
The underwater vehicle also includes a ballast tank equipped with means for adjusting the buoyancy of the underwater vehicle
Implementation Method 3
stability adjusting means for modifying the stability of the underwater vehicle by redistributing water between tanks
Data Source
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AI summary
The underwater vehicle (1) comprises at least one thick hull (2) resistant to the maximum immersion pressure and is characterized in that it further comprises an air lock (4) outside the thick hull (2), for deploying a diver, the air lock (4) being connected to the thick hull (2) via a first opening (5) and to the environment outside the underwater vehicle via a second opening (6) and at least one weapon-launching tube associated with filling/emptying means (15, 16) for controlling the operation of the tube, and in that the air lock (4) for deploying the at least one diver is connected to the means (15, 16) for filling/emptying the weapon-launching tube in order for the air lock and the tube to be mutually used and allow the operation of the air lock to be controlled by using said means at least in part.