Image recording as long as possible during one activity is required in deep sea exploration. Necessity of multi-directional image recording, optical and chemical observations and probing of mineral resources of seabed are also increased. There is no underwater exploration device enable these requirements. It is disclosed that at least one battery-driven underwater exploration body having three pressure-resistant hollow glass spheres for housing an image capturing device, an illumination device, a recording device, an acoustic communication device and a control device controlling thereof and at least one battery body having an approximately the same shape and structure as the underwater exploration body are connected with each other by a connecting tool to provide the connectedly-formed underwater exploration device.

A system for navigation of an autonomously navigating submersible body during entry into a docking station below the water surface includes a determiner for determining an actual motion vector of the autonomously navigation submersible body in relation to the set motion vector describing the optimum entry direction into the docking station and a calculating unit. The calculating unit serves to determine the deviation between the actual motion vector and the set motion vector to determine control vectors based on the deviation and to thereby control the autonomously navigating submersible body during entry.

A protective subsea housing for protecting an equipment space enclosed by the housing has an access opening in a wall of the housing for providing access to the equipment space by an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV). The housing has a closure that is movable by translation, or by rotation relative to an axis transverse to or extending through the wall, to open and close the access opening, and an operating member, such as a rotary coupling, that is positioned outside the equipment space and is engageable and movable by the UUV to move the closure.

A fixed-wing aerial underwater vehicle includes a shell component, a flight component and a pneumatic buoyancy component. The flight component includes a fixed wing and rotors, and the fixed wing and the rotors are mounted in the shell component. The pneumatic buoyancy component includes an air bladder and an inflation and deflation portion, and the inflation and deflation portion can inflate and deflate the air bladder. The air bladder is installed on the shell component, a containing space is formed in the shell component, and the inflation and deflation portion is partially or entirely installed in the containing space. Each rotor includes a rotor supporting rod, a motor base, a motor and a propeller, which are sequentially connected. A control method for the fixed-wing aerial underwater vehicle mentioned above is further provided.

Disclosed is a self-balancing control method for an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) that includes: fitting the UUV vehicle with at least one reversible propeller; converting the forces the unmanned underwater vehicle is subjected to into a resultant force in each of at least one degree of freedom (DOF) of motion based on a DOF of motion control model, where each of the DOF of motion corresponds to a measurable motion control parameter; designing a corresponding sub-PID controller according to each of the at least one DOF of motion; and calculating the thrust required by each of the at least one reversible propeller based on a thrust distribution matrix.

A carbon dioxide cycle power generation system includes a first carbon dioxide storage configured to store a first portion of carbon dioxide and a second carbon dioxide storage configured to store a second portion of the carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide cycle power generation system also includes a generator configured to generate electrical power based on a flow of at least part of the carbon dioxide between the first and second carbon dioxide storages. The carbon dioxide cycle power generation system is configured to cycle between different underwater depths in order to employ water pressure and/or water temperature in creating the flow of the at least part of the carbon dioxide through the generator. The second carbon dioxide storage includes an annular region surrounding a central region, where the annular region has a variable internal volume configured to receive at least part of the second portion of the carbon dioxide.

The present invention includes an apparatus and method for volumetric and gravimetric storage of reactants and waste comprising: one or more reactant or fuel storage bladders; and one or more waste storage bladders, wherein the reactant or fuel storage bladders and the waste storage bladders form a stack of bladders, and the stack of bladders are interleaved between the reactant or fuel storage bladders and the waste storage bladders, such that both a volumetric and a gravimetric balance is maintained as reactant or fuel are used and the waste bladder is filled.

A modular compartment bulkhead assembly is provided that includes a first external body, a bulkhead, and a second external body. The first external body segment may include a first end portion. The first end portion may be coupled to an external seal body and the external seal body may include a first internal channel. The bulkhead may include an internal seal body. The internal seal body may be configured to be inserted into the first internal channel of the external seal body to form an internal seal between the bulkhead and the first external body segment. The second external body segment may include a second end portion. The second end portion may include a second internal channel, and the external seal body may be configured to be inserted into the second internal channel to form an external seal between the external seal body and the second external body segment.

The present disclosure is directed to a helical conveyor for underwater seismic exploration. The system can include a case having a cylindrical portion. A cap is positioned adjacent to a first end of the case. A conveyor having a helix structure is provided within the case. The conveyor can receive an ocean bottom seismometer (OBS) unit at a first end of the conveyer and transport the OBS unit via the helix structure to a second end of the conveyor to provide the OBS unit on the seabed to acquire the seismic data. The system can include a propulsion system to receive an instruction and, responsive to the instruction, facilitate movement of the case.

An apparatus includes first and second tanks each configured to receive and store a refrigerant under pressure. The apparatus also includes at least one generator configured to generate electrical power based on a flow of the refrigerant between the tanks. The apparatus further includes a collector configured to transfer solar thermal energy to one of the tanks to heat the refrigerant in that tank and/or radiate thermal energy from one of the tanks into an ambient environment to cool the refrigerant in that tank. In addition, the apparatus could include first and second insulated water jackets each configured to receive and retain water, where the first tank is located within the first insulated water jacket and the second tank is located within the second insulated water jacket.