Controlled underwater vehicle to surface vessel link - is for power and data transmission using sonar link to prevent breakage

摘要

The controlled link is between an underwater vehicle and a controlling surface vessel for transmitting power and data to and from the underwater vehicle, and depends on a sonar link to ensure that the surface vessel positions itself and winds in the link lines appropriately to prevent breakage as the two units move respectively. The surface vessel (1) is linked to the underwater vehicle (2), typically operating on the sea floor, by a cable (3, 4) with a stage buoy (4) at some intermediate point. A sonar transmitter (13) to the underwater vehicle, and an array of 4 receivers (8, 9, 10, 11) on the surface vessel, allows automatic calculation of the relative positions of the two units and a control network (16) drives the surface vessel drive (21) and cable wind drive (22) to maintain the surface vessel within certain limits of the circumference of a circle centred at the underwater vehicle (2).