Disclosed is a system for recovering, in a support and storage structure, an autonomous aquatic vehicle, the structure including an access opening through which the autonomous vehicle can pass to enter into a housing of the structure or leave the housing in a main access direction, at least one drive member of the autonomous vehicle being arranged in the access opening, the drive member including at least one movable motorised drive element, which can be engaged with the shell of the autonomous vehicle and which enables the autonomous vehicle to be driven into or out of the structure.

A system has a submarine vessel and a submarine docking port. The docking port is arranged for transfer of electrical energy to the submarine vessel when the submarine vessel is docked. The submarine vessel has a submarine navigation system. The docking port has a primary coil for emitting a magnetic field. The submarine vessel has a secondary coil. The submarine vessel has means for measuring a strength of the magnetic field received by the secondary coil. The submarine vessel has a positioning electronics that guides the submarine vessel in a horizontal plane to maximize the measured local magnetic field. The positioning electronics guides the submarine vessel in the vertical direction when the measured magnetic field is at a local maximum and the magnetic field increases when the submarine vessel descends towards the primary coil. Also, a method is for docking a submarine vessel on a submarine docking port.

An apparatus. The apparatus includes a body and a plurality of control surfaces attached to the body. A first control surface is configured to control an ascent and descent of the apparatus, responsive to ascent/descent control information. A second control surface is configured to control a roll of the apparatus responsive to roll control information, and a third control surface is configured to control a yaw of the apparatus responsive to yaw control information. The apparatus further includes a releasable first docking fixture attached to the body, the first docking fixture configured to engage a second docking fixture on a payload.

A cable termination including an integral instrument package providing intelligence. The instrument package may assume many forms and may serve many purposes. In a preferred embodiment, the termination includes a position-determining system and an on-board processor. The processor determines a current location in space for the termination based on the information it is receiving. This positional information may then be transmitted to an external receiver. In the scenario where the termination is attached to a payload, the positional information may be used by an external positioning device (such as a crane) to control the motion of the termination and thereby place the payload in a desired position. The termination also preferably includes load-monitoring and recording features. The termination may also carry one or more ROV's/AUV's.

A subsurface battery system includes a ballast mass at the seafloor, a deep-sea electronics module, having an interface to seafloor payloads, and a subsurface buoyant pressure vessel having a battery. The ballast mass is attached to the deep-sea electronics module. The deep-sea electronics module is connected to the battery. The subsurface buoyant pressure vessel is submerged to a water depth of approximately 50 meters to 500 meters. The system is used for powering the seafloor payloads.

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.

The present invention discloses a device and system for magnetographic analysis of mechanical flaws and defects along structures located underwater for example, metallic pipelines, utilizing an autonomous magnetic tomography method (MTM) apparatus based on the inverse magnetostrictive effect for magnetographic identification, in the form of an array of flexible autonomous undersea vehicle (AUV) torpedo constructions of interconnected elements or pods. The array of AUV torpedo constructions are flexibly linked together so that the device can readily navigate within the contours of pipeline to be inspected using the flow media as propulsion means or alternatively by means of independent motive means without interfering with the system flow. The torpedo construction elements or pods each contain three MTM sensors situated 120 degrees apart on a non-perpendicular cross section arrangement, and perform a variety of independent functions. e.g., data storage data, sensor data memory unit, odometer distance measurements, GPS location, geomagnetic navigation capability.

The invention relates to a launch apparatus for an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle—in particular, for an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle or for a Remotely Operated Vehicle—with a launching tube having an inner wall and an outlet, and the Unmanned Underwater Vehicle contained within the launching tube, whereby the Unmanned Underwater Vehicle has a vehicle casing with a vehicle casing inhomogeneity, such that an ejection of the Unmanned Underwater Vehicle causes different contact loads between the vehicle casing and the inner wall, whereby the Unmanned Underwater Vehicle has a detachable compensating form, which is designed in such a way that the vehicle inhomogeneity is compensated, such that the result is a combination of the Unmanned Underwater Vehicle and the detachable compensating form, the combination whereof, when ejected, causes a substantially more uniform contact load to occur between the combination and the inner wall.

An autonomous underwater system for environmental monitoring including a multidisciplinary underwater station including onboard instrumentation, at least one autonomous modular underwater vehicle movable inside an area to be monitored along an assigned route, and at least one external instrumental modulus which can be connected to the vehicle, wherein the multidisciplinary underwater station includes a docking area, an interface system, an equipping system for supplying the vehicle with instrumental moduli, and a management system.

The present disclosure relates to a docking station whereby an underwater robot can be maintained, repaired and managed all the time. According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a docking station can be provided that may comprise: a receiving unit configured to receive an underwater robot therein and positioned under a surface of water; a maintenance unit provided on the receiving unit and positioned above the surface of the water; and a conveyor unit configured to convey the underwater robot from the receiving unit to the maintenance unit.