USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Steve Whiteside

Bret R Thomson

Ronald Allen Skala

Robert M Lee

Paul C Wade

Brian Daniel Shook

Brandon J Wiedemeier

Steven J Horstman

Tammy Lombardi

Jeffrey M Lloyd

Michael H Tall

Samuel R Bona

Aaron Bratten

Frank Gonzales

George T Stevens, Iv

Kristin Smith

Jeff GilChrist

Lynn Collins

A variable buoyancy buoy and method for deployment therefor can include a fixed buoyancy portion formed with a cavity and an enclosure. A pressure hull containing instrumentation can be place in the cavity, and a variable buoyancy portion that can be inserted into the enclosure. The fixed buoyancy portion can have a spar buoy configuration or a marker buoy configuration, and can further be formed with at least one opening to establish a path of fluid communication between the exterior of the buoy and the enclosure. The variable buoyancy portion can be a compressible bladder, or compressible foam, which can change form a maximum volume at the water surface to a minimum volume as the buoy descends towards stowage depth. The decrease in buoyancy facilitates retrieval of the buoy by an apparatus on the ocean floor.

Variable buoyancy buoy and deployment methods

A self-stabilizing buoy and deployment methods can include a main body and a cage that can be attached to the main body. A ballast can be slidably positioned within the cage so that the ballast moves from within said cage to outside of the cage when the buoy is deployed. The cage can be formed with at least one slot. The buoy can include a locking mechanism to fix the ballast at the distal end of cage after deployment, which can include a locking head that can be fixed to the ballast and inserted into the slot, and at least one flexible cantilevered arm that can extend from the cage into the slot at its distal end. As the buoy is deployed, the weight of the ballast can be sufficient to urge the locking head past the cantilevered arm to fix and lock the ballast during buoy deployment.

Self-stabilizing buoy and deployment methods

An autonomous underwater plow can include a frame, a plow assembly and a propulsion assembly. The plow assembly is fixed to the one end of the frame, while the propulsion assembly is pivotably attached to the other end. The propulsion assembly includes thrusters that are rigidly coupled to a float, and that provide a propulsion force perpendicular to the float buoyancy force. The plow sinks when placed in the water, but the float provides sufficient buoyancy so that the float end floats while the plow end is in contact with the ocean floor. This establishes a rake angle of between the frame and ocean floor. The plow requires less propulsion force for motion because part of the plow is floating, and requires less force to overcome obstacles on the ocean floor because the thrusters provides a constant horizontal propulsion force while the frame tilts to overcome the obstacle.

Autonomous underwater plow and method of use

An underwater plow includes a plow assembly that is attached to a frame. The plow assembly includes a blade portion, which defines a blade trough, and a sensor chute portion. The blade portion extends downwardly below a plane that is coincident with a longitudinal axis defined by the frame, while the chute portion extends upwardly above the same plane. A depressor arm is pivotably attached to the blade portion and biased to be in contact with the trough. The depressor arm has a groove that is sized to allow the cable, but not the sensors, to pass through the groove while the depressor arm is in contact with the trough. With this configuration, an array cable passes downward through the blade portion of the plow assembly and becomes buried in the ocean floor. Array sensors, however, are routed upward and pass through the chute portion of the plow assembly.

Underwater plow having an improved plow assembly

An underwater plow can include a depressor cam and a chute cam that are pivotably attached to a blade portion. The blade portion can be formed with a trough and the depressor cam can be biased in the trough. The chute cam can be formed with a groove having a minimum thickness at its attached end and an increasing taper to a maximum thickness at its distal end. A sensor passing through the plow contacts the edge of the depressor cam, causing depressor cam rotation away from the trough. The sensor passes the depressor cam and pushes against the chute cam, which causes the chute cam to contra-rotate relative to the depressor cam until the sensor passes through the chute arm at is maximum thickness. Once the sensor passes through, the cams contra-rotate back to their respective biased positions.

Buoyancy stabilized underwater plow and methods for use

A cable brake system for deployments of cable comprising: a frame configured to be mounted on a ship; a repeater supporting track mounted longitudinally to the frame, the supporting track being configured for slidingly supporting a plurality of repeaters; a spool positioned exterior to the frame, the spool having the cable wrapped therearound and being capable of supplying the cable to an interior of the frame; at least one planar surface on an interior of the frame, the planar surface being positioned approximately parallel to the repeater supporting track; and a plurality of brake sub-assemblies being supported by the planar surface in a manner so as to establish a serpentine path for the cable and to impart variable frictional resistance to the cable.

Cable brake for sea deployments of light cable

An apparatus for cutting an underwater cable, wire or line is provided. The apparatus includes a body with a lid and a base. A piston is located, within the body, and a piston rod is coupled to the piston. An elongate lever cutting element is pivotally coupled to a distal end of the piston rod and also pivotally coupled to the base. Upon actuation, water is introduced through the lid and into the body, moving the piston and piston rod, which actuates the elongate lever cutting element. This Abstract is provided for the sole purpose of complying with the Abstract requirement rules that allow a reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the disclosure contained herein. This Abstract is submitted with the explicit understanding that it will not be used to interpret or to limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Steve Whiteside