Submarine Buoyancy Control via Dynamic Density Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Underwater vehicles face challenges in adjusting buoyancy to optimize mission performance, as conventional methods are either fixed and not robust to environmental changes or require manual, precise, and time-consuming adjustments, limiting their ability to dive or ascend efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A method and device for adjusting the buoyancy of underwater vehicles by modifying their density through variable tanks, detecting a predetermined distance threshold, and adjusting until a target buoyancy is achieved, allowing for precise control and automation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the vehicle has positive buoyancy to return to surface automatically, then ease of operation is improved, but energy consumption increases when diving
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the buoyancy characteristic changeable during operation. The vehicle transitions from positive buoyancy (for easy surface return) to negative buoyancy (for efficient diving) by controlling water intake into ballast tanks, allowing optimal energy consumption for different mission phases
2Reliability
If the vehicle has negative buoyancy to be discreet on seabed, then reliability for covert operations is improved, but energy consumption increases when surfacing
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts buoyancy by controlling ballast tank water levels. When covert positioning is needed, the vehicle takes on water to achieve negative buoyancy. When surfacing is required, water is expelled to restore positive buoyancy, minimizing energy consumption for both states
3Manufacturing precision
If static weighing is performed to balance buoyancy, then manufacturing precision is improved, but adaptability to environmental changes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of relying on fixed static weighing, the patent implements dynamic buoyancy control through ballast tanks that can adjust water intake and expulsion. This allows the vehicle to adapt to changes in water density, temperature, and vehicle mass variations during operation, maintaining optimal buoyancy without re-manufacturing
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the buoyancy parameter dynamically by varying the mass of water in ballast tanks. This allows continuous adjustment of the vehicle's overall density to match changing environmental conditions, resolving the contradiction between initial precision and ongoing adaptability
4Manufacturing precision
If manual density adjustment is performed to achieve target buoyancy, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements automated feedback control where sensors monitor the vehicle's position and buoyancy state, and the control system automatically adjusts ballast tank water levels to achieve and maintain target buoyancy. This eliminates time-consuming manual adjustments while maintaining high precision through continuous monitoring and correction
Solution Approach 2:
The vehicle performs self-adjustment of buoyancy through automated control systems that manage ballast tank operations. The system independently monitors its own state and makes necessary density adjustments without external intervention, significantly improving productivity while maintaining precision
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
Enables underwater vehicles to achieve a predetermined buoyancy efficiently and automatically, independent of initial conditions, improving mission endurance and adaptability to changing environments without the need for continuous operator intervention.
Implementation Method 1
Buoyancy is the force acting on the underwater vehicle and is the result of the difference between the Archimedes' thrust and the weight of the vehicle
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
Figure 1c
AI summary
A method for controlling the buoyancy of a submarine vehicle (1) such that it substantially has a predetermined target buoyancy Fc when it is submerged in a volume of liquid delimited by a first surface and a second surface along a vertical axis (z), the method comprising: - starting from an initial buoyancy of the vehicle which maintains the vehicle at the level of the first surface (S), a first step (100) of modifying the density of the vehicle (1) such that it approaches the second surface, the first step being implemented until a second step (200) of detecting the crossing, by the vehicle (1), of a predetermined non-zero distance threshold (SD) with respect to the first surface (S), along the vertical axis, then a third step of modifying the density of the vehicle (1) until the vehicle has substantially the target buoyancy.