Woundable Vertical Sonar Antenna for Winch Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
The deployment, recovery, and storage of sonar systems with transmitting and receiving acoustic antennas are complex and hazardous due to structural heterogeneity, requiring manual intervention and separate storage of components, which is cumbersome and not suited for omnidirectional transmission in horizontal planes.
Innovation Solution
A towed linear submersible body with juxtaposed rigid segments that can pivot to maintain a vertical configuration during operation and curve for storage on a winch, allowing for automatic deployment and storage without manual uncoupling, featuring coupling means for towing and trailing cables and stabilizing elements for hydrodynamic stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the transmitting antenna is stored independently on the deck while the receiving antenna is wound on the winch, then the structural heterogeneity is accommodated, but the deployment and recovery operations become complex and require manual intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the transmitting antenna and receiving antenna into a single integrated assembly that can be stored together on the winch drum. The transmitting antenna is configured with a flexible structure that allows it to be wound alongside the receiving antenna and towing cable, eliminating the need for separate storage of the transmitting antenna on the deck and simplifying deployment and recovery operations to a single winch operation
Solution Approach 2:
The transmitting antenna employs a flexible, dynamic structure rather than a rigid one, enabling it to conform to the curved path of the winch drum during storage and to assume various configurations during deployment and operation. This flexibility allows the antenna to transition between stored and operational states without requiring complex manual manipulation
2Extent of automation
If manual uncoupling of the fish from the electrotowing cable and receiving antenna is required, then the components can be separately maintained, but the operation becomes hazardous in heavy weather and requires human intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The transmitting antenna is permanently integrated with the receiving antenna and towing cable into a single assembly that is deployed and recovered together as one unit. This eliminates the need for manual uncoupling operations between components, allowing the entire assembly to be automatically handled by the winch even in heavy weather conditions without exposing operators to hazardous manual manipulation
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated assembly is designed to deploy and recover automatically through the winch operation alone, without requiring human operators to manually connect or disconnect components. The system serves itself by using the winch's single operation to simultaneously handle the towing cable, receiving antenna, and transmitting antenna as a unified assembly
3Adaptability or versatility
If the transmitting antenna is designed for vertical-axis transmission, then omnidirectional transmission in horizontal planes is achieved, but the antenna structure becomes complex to store on a winch
Solution Approach 1:
The transmitting antenna uses a flexible, dynamically configurable structure rather than a rigid fixed geometry. This allows the antenna to maintain its vertical-axis configuration for omnidirectional transmission during operation while being able to conform to the curved storage configuration on the winch drum when not in use, resolving the conflict between functional geometry and storage requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The antenna structure can change its physical parameters including shape and configuration. During operation, it assumes a vertical linear configuration for omnidirectional transmission, while during storage it transitions to a curved configuration that fits on the winch drum, allowing the same structure to satisfy both operational and storage requirements
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 easy and automatic deployment and storage of the sonar system, maintaining vertical orientation for omnidirectional transmission and reducing manual intervention, while allowing storage on a single winch without uncoupling the transmitting antenna from the receiving antenna or towing cable.
Implementation Method 1
under the joint action of the traction F exerted by the towing cable, of the traction force exerted by the trailing cable and of the hydrodynamic drag applied by the weight of the water in which it is submerged
Implementation Method 2
an elongated antenna of great length with neutral buoyancy
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to the general field of undersea mechanics and that of ship-towed linear bodies which must be towed in a vertical position and which, at rest, are designed to be stored on the drum of a winch. The invention consists in a towed linear submersible body capable of adopting a rectilinear configuration in a vertical position when it is towed at a total immersion depth and of adopting a curved configuration at rest, having a radius of curvature allowing it to be wound onto the drum of a winch. The device according to the invention comprises a plurality of rigid segments that are articulated and can adopt relative to one another an orientation making it possible to form a rectilinear body or a curved body, of which the radius of curvature is adapted to the drum of the winch onto which it is wound. The segments are associated with coupling means that are specific and configured so that a vertical rectilinear posture is naturally obtained when the device is totally submerged and towed by the ship, while the curved posture is obtained naturally by the winding of the device onto the winch. The invention applies to the production of linear and vertical transmitting acoustic antennas.