Various embodiments of an apparatus and method for achieving and maintaining a desired depth of a submersible vessel are disclosed. The submersible vessel has both a ballast control system designed to alter a buoyancy of the submersible vessel and one or more vertical marine thrusters, designed to position the submersible vessel at a desired depth. Using the combination of the ballast control system and one or more thrusters, a desired depth may be achieved and maintained more quickly, more quietly and more accurately than vessels using only a ballast control system or one or more thrusters, respectively, alone.

Various embodiments of an apparatus and method for achieving and maintaining a desired depth of a submersible vessel are disclosed. The submersible vessel has both a ballast control system designed to alter a buoyancy of the submersible vessel and one or more vertical marine thrusters, designed to position the submersible vessel at a desired depth. Using the combination of the ballast control system and one or more thrusters, a desired depth may be achieved and maintained more quickly, more quietly and more accurately than vessels using only a ballast control system or one or more thrusters, respectively, alone.

The systems and associated methods are for autonomously launching and recovering payload objects such as vessels, equipment and people by partially submerging a multi-mode unmanned vehicle in a controlled manner. Mechanical, power, signal and logical system components operate in a coordinated manner to repeatedly and reliably perform unmanned launch and recovery of payloads in a variety of conditions and sea states from a catamaran style hull with multi-mode, high-performance characteristics.

Underwater apparatuses and methods of operating underwater apparatuses. The apparatus includes a power source such as an aluminum-water cell. Waste product from the power source may be channeled into various portions of the apparatus to adjust the buoyancy of the apparatus, the center of buoyancy of the apparatus, and/or the trim of the apparatus.

Underwater apparatuses and methods of operating underwater apparatuses. The apparatus includes a power source such as an aluminum-water cell. Waste product from the power source may be channeled into various portions of the apparatus to adjust the buoyancy of the apparatus, the center of buoyancy of the apparatus, and/or the trim of the apparatus.

A system includes a first jacket that contains seawater and a first tank storing a first fluid under pressure. A second jacket contains seawater and a second tank storing a second fluid under pressure. An actuator cylinder defines a space that receives the fluids from the first and second tanks. The actuator cylinder includes an actuator piston that divides the space into a first volume for the first fluid and a second volume for the second fluid. A hydraulic cylinder includes a hydraulic piston configured to move and change an amount of hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic cylinder, wherein the hydraulic piston is fixedly coupled to the actuator piston. A buoyancy plug changes a position in connection with the amount of the hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic cylinder, wherein the position of the buoyancy plug affects a buoyancy of a vehicle.

A low frequency underwater sound source for use in an autonomous underwater vehicle includes a cylindrical body having a front portion, a rear portion, a cylindrical piezo-ceramic ring transducer disposed therebetween, and a resonant pipe surrounding the transducer. A gap is formed between an inner surface of the pipe and an outer surface of the transducer. Alternatively, the sound source includes a cylindrical body, a front fairing disposed forward of the cylindrical body, a plurality of metal rods connecting the front of the cylindrical body and the rear of the fairing, a spherical piezo-ceramic transducer disposed between the cylindrical body and the fairing, and a resonant pipe mounted at the front end of the cylindrical body. The spherical transducer is disposed within a cavity within the resonant pipe. A cylindrical orifice is formed between the front end of the resonant pipe and the rear of the fairing.

Autonomous craft capable of extended duration operations as lighter-than-air craft, having the ability to alight on the surface of a body of water and generate hydrogen gas for lift via electrolysis using power derived from a photovoltaic system, as well as methods of launching an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having a deployable envelope from a surface of a body of water.

Autonomous craft capable of extended duration operations as lighter-than-air craft, having the ability to alight on the surface of a body of water and generate hydrogen gas for lift via electrolysis using power derived from a photovoltaic system, as well as methods of launching an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having a deployable envelope from a surface of a body of water.

A method for regulating the buoyancy of an underwater vehicle in such a way that it substantially exhibits a predetermined target buoyancy Fc when it is immersed in a volume of liquid delimited by a first surface and a second surface, along a vertical axis, the method includes starting from an initial buoyancy of the vehicle that keeps the vehicle at the level of the first surface, a first step of modifying the density of the vehicle so that it moves closer to the second surface, the first step being implemented as far as a second step of detecting the crossing, by the vehicle, of a predetermined non-zero threshold on distance with respect to the first surface, along the vertical axis, then a third step of modifying the density of the vehicle until the vehicle exhibits substantially the target buoyancy.