USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Thomas A Frank

Stephen C Butler

Jackeline D Diapis

David Michael Nugent

Lynn T Antonelli

Thomas D Barron

Thomas A O'Connell

Claude D Michel

Extendable air-based line arrays of directional projectors are provided with the arrays affixed and parallel to a ship hull. An anchor and a vibration isolator are affixed to the hull and the arrays in which the anchor and isolator separate the arrays from the hull. Each of hydraulically-actuated arms rotatably connect at a cam to an arm stop affixed to the anchor. A sound vibration dampener is positioned between the arm stops. The arms are capable of extending the directional projectors to an activation position with the projectors forming narrow beams into the water to become sonar waves that reflect from a target. The reflections from the target are received with a hydrophone on the ship.

Air based sonar projector array

A method for designing an acoustic array includes establishing a desired beam pattern, acoustic wavelength and beamwidth for the array. Geometric parameters are calculated from these constraints. The array is modeled as a plurality of elements positioned in accordance with the geometric parameters. An amplitude shading function is calculated. An array of acoustic elements is constructed having an area calculated from the calculated amplitude shading function. An acoustic array designed by this process is further provided.

Method for designing an acoustic array

A user worn man overboard beacon that provides multiple indication means to alert a ship to an overboard crew person and to assist in locating the crew person. The beacon device is contained in a housing attached to the clothing of the sailor and is activated upon contact with seawater. A battery powers the multiple indicators contained in the housing, which include a high intensity strobe light to provide a visual indication, an x-band radar patch antenna to transmit a radar signal indication that can be detected by the ship's radar system, and an acoustic transducer to project an acoustic signal indication that can be detected by the ship's sonar system.

Man overboard beacon

A multi-port projector of acoustic energy in water includes a cylindrical hollow transducer having open annular ends. A thin, flexible member is secured to each annular end to extend across each opening to be displaced by the transducer, and the transducer and flexible members form an interior sealed from ambient water. A battery/electronics module is in the interior and is spaced from the transducer and flexible members to couple driving signals to the transducer for reciprocally displacing it and the flexible members in response to the driving signals. An inert liquid fills the interior around the module, and an open truss on each annular end exposes the flexible members to the ambient water. Cylindrical portions coaxially extending with the transducer on a common longitudinal axis are connected to the open trusses for projecting acoustic energy of lower frequency than conventional cylindrical transducers of similar size.

Low-frequency sonar countermeasure

A portable flood control revetment comprising an elongated collapsible and inflatable tube of flexible material impervious to air and water, the tube having a bottom wall and other walls defining an internal compartment, and a multiplicity of cables in the compartment, each extending from one of the walls to another of the walls to hold the tube in a selected shape when the tube is filled with air or water. The bottom wall defines at least one pocket for receiving a corresponding at least one hold-down member, and other of the walls are provided with closeable orifices for permitting flow of air and water into and out of the compartment to respectively inflate, fill, and collapse the tube.

Portable flood control revetment

A system and method is disclosed for retrieving an untethered submarine tube-retrievable UUV in which the untethered submarine tube-retrievable UUV may be retrieved through the torpedo tube of a submarine. The untethered submarine tube-retrievable UUV has a capture cable extending therefrom with a transducer to produce a homing signal. A tethered homing signal seeking UUV is guided toward the homing signal. Capture arms on the tethered homing signal seeking UUV engage the capture cable and guide the capture cable to one of several cable snagging eye-members. The winching cable is then winched back into the torpedo tube thereby drawing the untethered submarine tube-retrievable UUV into the torpedo tube.

Method and apparatus for retrieving an unmanned underwater vehicle

A fluid propulsion device is used to discharge a working fluid at a predemined variable discharge rate. The fluid propulsion device includes a fluid chamber that is expandable upon receiving the working fluid. The fluid chamber has a plurality of chamber sections that contract at different predetermined rates to discharge the working fluid from the fluid chamber at the variable discharge rate. In one example, an elastomeric bladder defines the fluid chamber and includes a plurality of bladder sections each having a different coefficient of elasticity, causing the bladder sections to contract at the different predetermined rates. In one application, the fluid propulsion device is used in a projectile launching system, such as an airgun. The fluid propulsion system controls the launching of the projectile by discharging the working fluid at the variable discharge rate, resulting in a corresponding acceleration of the projectile.

Fluid propulsion device for use in a projectile launching system

In an electrical power conversion system designed to operate on three-phase C voltage generated by a motor generator, a modification is provided to permit the use of a DC power source to operate same. The power conversion system has a plurality of AC-to-DC conversion means for converting the generated three-phase AC voltages. The first specified DC voltage is supplied to a voltage reduction means and the second specified DC voltage is supplied to a control logic circuit of the power source and means, utilizing power from said DC power source, for supplying DC voltages equivalent to the first and second specified DC voltages. The supplying means is isolated from the generated three-phase voltage such that the power conversion system can operate on: 1) three-phase AC voltage generated by the motor generator, 2) DC voltages equivalent to the first and second specified DC voltages from the supplying means, or 3) a combination of the three-phase AC voltage generated by the motor generator and the DC voltages from the supplying means.

Power conversion system modification to permit use of DC power source

A contamination capacitance probe system is disclosed that capacitively mtors whether or not two or more fluids or materials that have to remain separated have been mixed or mingled and that provides first and second control signals respectively representative of the unmingled and mingled conditions. The system includes a capacitance sensor constituted by spaced-apart first and second capacitor plates of preselected size and spacing. The plate size and spacing is selected to render negligible any effect that the different materials or fluids or materials might have on the capacitance of the sensor. Circuit means are disclosed that includes a capacitance to frequency convertor, a frequency to voltage convertor, and a Schmidt trigger operative to provide the first and second control signals. The contamination capacitance probe system of the present invention is operable with any two or more fluids or materials having different dielectric constants and that are either immiscible or miscible.

Growing community of inventors

Middletown, RI, United States of America

Thomas A Frank