USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Edwin H Wood

William G Matthews

Russell D Calasant

John P Tullai

William E Swanson

A towed array handling system is provided for installation within the enled sails of future submarines. The system has a large diameter reel which provides storage for the entire array and tow cable when not deployed. The area within the enlarged sail is sufficient to allow for a dual winch and reel system for separately storing and deploying single line and/or multi line arrays. The reel applies the full tension of the streamed array as it is deployed and retrieved. When locked, the reel applies the full array streaming tension during high speed tow. The towed array is ducted from the winch to a mid ships tow point via a guide path through a ballast tank which contains only two bends. The upper sheave at the bend closest to the winch is free wheeling and the lower sheave is part of a transfer device which pulls the array from the winch during the initial phase of deployment. The guide duct is aligned with the winch to provide even spooling of the array, especially the multi line array, onto the winch.

Mid ships tow point for single line and multi line towed arrays

There is presented an antenna assembly comprising an elongated mast slida mounted in a support structure. A first electric motor is disposed at a proximal end of the mast for moving the mast along the axis of the mast, and a second electric motor is disposed at a distal end of the mast for moving the mast rotatively about its axis.

Submarine antenna positioning assembly

The drogue of the present invention induces drag for a plurality of underer tow lines. A tail section is axially movable within a nose section and extends partially therefrom. A tow line passes through the nose section and is coupled to the tail section. A rod is fixed to the nose section and extends through and axially away from the nose section into the tail section. A spring couples the nose section to the tail section such that the spring is placed in tension when the tail section and nose section are caused to move axially towards one another. In turn, the nose section and tail section are caused to move axially away from one another when the spring is allowed to relax. Drag wings mounted on the tail section are movable between a first minimal drag position and a second maximum position. Movement of an actuator mounted in the tail section causes corresponding movement of the drag wings between the first and second position. An engagement mechanism supported on the rod's aftmost end engages and moves the actuator in correspondence with movement of the spring. Clamping arms extend radially from the tail section and cooperate in pairs to clamp adjacent line drogues therebetween as the spring is placed in tension.

Drag inducing drogue for multiple towed arrays

A rotary positioning module (RPM) for a paravane for use in connection with cable or hose towed from a towing platform through a towing medium. The RPM includes a stationary portion and a rotational portion, The stationary portion is adapted to be attached to the cable or hose, and includes a plurality of electrically-energizable field windings symmetrically positioned around the cable or hose, The rotational portion is rotatably mounted around the stationary portion for controlling orientation of rotary positioning module wings attached thereto as it is being towed through the towing medium to facilitate the positioning of the cable or hose in a towed array. The rotational portion includes a plurality of permanent magnets symmetrically positioned around the stationary portion in proximity to the field windings of the stationary portion and a rotary position sensor. The rotational position sensor senses the angular position of the rotational portion relative to the stationary portion and enables a controller on a towing platform to control the electric current to the field windings to facilitate the angular positioning of the rotational portion in relation to the stationary portion.

In-line rotational positioning module for towed array paravanes

A capstan and stowage reel assembly for arrays towed by submarines, the ambly comprising a capstan mounted for rotation about an axis, the capstan having a toothed annular wall and an annular external wall adapted to receive cable/array means thereon, a capstan toothed drive means engaged with the toothed wall to cause the rotation of the capstan, a combination winch/stowage reel mounted for rotation about the axis, the reel having first and second circular flanges adapted to receive the cable/array means therebetween, the first flange having a toothed portion, a reel toothed drive means engaged with the toothed flange to cause the rotation of the reel, and a guide conduit for guiding the cable/array means from the capstan onto the reel in cable/array retrieving operations and from the reel onto the capstan in cable/array means deployment.

Combination capstan and stowage reel assembly for arrays towed by

A combination winch and stowage reel assembly for arrays towed by submari, the assembly comprising a hub, a slip ring mounted in the hub and in communication with a receiver in the submarine, a reel rotatably mounted on the hub, the reel having gear teeth on a periphery thereof, a tow cable fixed to the reel and adapted to have attached to a free end thereof an array to be towed behind the submarine, the tow cable being in communication with the slip ring to form a communication path including the array, the tow cable, the slip ring and the receiver, a drive gear engaged with the reel gear teeth, and a motor for turning the drive gear, thereby to turn the reel on the hub to pay out and take up the cable.

Combination winch and stowage reel assembly for arrays towed by

An electric drive system that is used in submarines, for powering or contling towed arrays handling systems and other machinery, which has at least one submersible brushless direct current motor whose operation is monitored and regulated by a 6-step variable bus motor controller receiving command signals from a control and indicator unit. The controller receives, in addition to the command signals for the operation of the motor from the control and indicator unit, signals indicative of the rotational velocity of the motor from the motor itself. The controller comprises a servo-mechanism unit that compares the two signals and adjusts the speed of the motor in compliance with the command signals from the control and indicator unit.

Electric drive system for submarine machinery

A submarine has a vertical stabilizer providing a chamber in which is rotbly mounted a reel for rotation about an athwartships axis. One of the side elements of the reel has an engageable surface adjacent its periphery, and a drive motor in the stabilizer is engaged with the engageable surface of the one side element to effect rotation of the reel. An elongated cable is coiled about the hub of the reel and extends outwardly of a passage extending to the aft end of the stabilizer. A mechanism inside in the vertical stabilizer guides the cable between the passage and the storage space to facilitate coiling of the cable on to the reel and for deploying the cable therefrom. A brake mechanism is used to prevent the reel against rotation to prevent further either deploying or coiling of the cable. A driving mechanism controls the rate of deploying of the cable.

Growing community of inventors

North Franklin, CT, United States of America

Edwin H Wood