Modular UUV Attachment Mechanism for Field-Reconfigurable Modules
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) and autonomous vehicles are expensive due to high nonrecurring engineering costs and have limited versatility, as they are designed for specific missions, making them costly and inflexible, with proprietary systems that hinder component sharing and field repairs.
Innovation Solution
A modular design for UUVs and autonomous vehicles that allows users to assemble and configure modules such as command and control, propulsion, sensors, and buoyancy control, using magnetic attachments to eliminate the need for hull penetrations and enable field repairs, with modules that can be easily combined and replaced.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If specially designed vehicles are manufactured for specific missions, then mission-specific performance is improved, but production cost increases due to high nonrecurring engineering costs and limited economies of scale
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle is divided into separate functional modules (propulsion module, payload module, control module, etc.) that can be independently manufactured and then assembled. This segmentation allows each module to be produced separately, enabling economies of scale for common modules while maintaining mission-specific configurations through different module combinations.
Solution Approach 2:
Standardized interface mechanisms allow the same base modules to be used across multiple mission configurations. The universal attachment system enables a single module to serve multiple functions by being reconfigured with different payload modules or control modules, reducing the need for dedicated vehicles for each mission type.
2Ease of manufacture
If vehicles are designed with fixed configurations, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but adaptability deteriorates as vehicles cannot be modified for new missions
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle configuration is made dynamic through the releasable attachment mechanism, allowing modules to be added, removed, or reconfigured after manufacturing. This enables the vehicle to adapt to new missions by simply changing module combinations rather than redesigning the entire vehicle, maintaining manufacturing simplicity while achieving high adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the vehicle into independent modules with standardized interfaces, the system allows flexible reconfiguration for different missions. Each module maintains its simple manufacturing design, but the modular architecture enables unlimited combinatorial possibilities for mission-specific configurations.
3Device complexity
If proprietary systems are used in vehicles, then system integration is improved, but ease of repair deteriorates as components cannot be shared or replaced across different vehicle models
Solution Approach 1:
The releasable attachment mechanism serves as a universal interface that can accommodate different module types and configurations. This universal standard allows components to be shared across multiple vehicle models and enables easy replacement of modules in the field, improving repairability while maintaining system integration through standardized connection protocols.
4Strength
If vehicles require hull penetrations for component attachment, then structural integrity is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases and field repairs become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical hull penetration methods with a magnetic or friction-based releasable attachment mechanism. This substitution eliminates the need for complex hull modifications, drilling, and sealing operations, thereby maintaining structural integrity while significantly reducing manufacturing complexity and enabling easy field repairs.
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
This modular design reduces production costs, enhances mission flexibility, and allows for field repairs, improving the reliability and productivity of UUVs and autonomous vehicles by enabling them to be adapted for various missions without the need for new vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
A magnetically coupled propulsion assembly includes a drive shaft having a first magnet fixedly coupled thereto and a propeller assembly having a second magnet fixedly coupled to a propeller
Data Source
AI summary
A system for releasable attachment mechanisms comprising modular elements and attachable components, including a male end adapted to join a single-piece female end by rotating the male end into the single-piece female end such that data bus terminals align and power bus terminals align. The system can be assembled from these modular elements and components to meet desired mission and performance characteristics without the need to purchase specially designed systems for each mission. The joints connecting the modules are designed such that power and data connections between modules are reliably made.