Submersible vehicle with a floodable actuator vessel

Abstract

A submersible vehicle may include a propulsion assembly, a pressure vessel, and a floodable actuator vessel. A bulkhead may seal a pressure shell of the pressure vessel to prevent fluid intrusion into an interior cargo compartment of the pressure shell when the submersible vehicle is submersed into a fluid. The floodable actuator vessel may be coupled to the pressure vessel and may include a floodable shell and a plurality of actuators. The floodable shell may include a plurality of flood openings configured to permit fluid intrusion into an interior flood space of the floodable shell when the submersible vehicle is submersed into a fluid. Each actuator may be disposed within the interior flood space and affixed to an interior surface of the floodable shell at an actuator opening through which an external fin is actuated to maneuver the submersible vehicle in coordination with the propulsion assembly.

That which is claimed: 
     
         1 . A submersible vehicle comprising:
 a propulsion assembly comprising a motor and a propeller;   a pressure vessel comprising a pressure shell and a bulkhead, the bulkhead being configured to seal the pressure shell to prevent fluid intrusion into an interior cargo compartment of the pressure shell when the submersible vehicle is submersed into a fluid; and   a floodable actuator vessel coupled to the pressure vessel, the floodable actuator vessel comprising a floodable shell and a plurality of actuators, the floodable shell comprising a plurality of flood openings configured to permit fluid intrusion into an interior flood space of the floodable shell when the submersible vehicle is submersed into the fluid, each actuator of the plurality of actuators being disposed within the interior flood space and affixed to an interior surface of the floodable shell at an actuator opening through which an external fin is actuated to maneuver the submersible vehicle in coordination with the propulsion assembly.   
     
     
         2 . The submersible vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the floodable shell is removably coupled to the bulkhead;
 wherein the bulkhead is removably coupled to the pressure shell to permit access into the interior cargo compartment of the pressure shell.   
     
     
         3 . The submersible vehicle of  claim 2 , wherein, when submerged, a first pressure within the interior cargo compartment is different from a second pressure within the interior flood space; and
 wherein an external pressure on an external surface of the pressure shell and the second pressure are equal.   
     
     
         4 . The submersible vehicle of  claim 1 , further comprising a battery and a controller disposed within the interior cargo compartment;
 wherein the controller is configured to output electrical signals to control actuation of the plurality of actuators and a rotational speed of the motor via electrical wires that pass through penetrators of the bulkhead.   
     
     
         5 . The submersible vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the floodable shell is coupled between the pressure shell and the propulsion assembly;
 wherein electrical wires that control operation of the motor of the propulsion assembly pass through the interior flood space of the floodable shell.   
     
     
         6 . The submersible vehicle of  claim 5  further comprising a sensor shell configured to support a sensor, the sensor shell being operably coupled to the pressure shell;
 wherein, when submersed, an internal pressure of the pressure shell is higher than an internal pressure of the floodable shell and the sensor shell. 
 
     
     
         7 . The submersible vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the floodable actuator vessel further comprises foam disposed within the interior flood space of the floodable shell that is subjected to at-depth pressures, wherein the foam provides buoyancy to the floodable actuator vessel to compensate for a weight of the plurality of actuators and the plurality of external fins;
 wherein the foam comprises a syntactic foam.   
     
     
         8 . The submersible vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein an external profile of each of the flood openings is disposed substantially parallel to a direction of fluid flow over an exterior of the submersible vehicle when moving to prevent fluid flow into the interior flood space and associated turbulence. 
     
     
         9 . The submersible vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein a first material used to form the pressure shell has a lower plasticity, a higher impact strength, a higher compressive strength, and a higher fatigue strength than a second material used to form the floodable shell. 
     
     
         10 . The submersible vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein each actuator of the plurality of actuators comprises an actuator shaft that extends from the interior flood space through the actuator opening and into a space external to the floodable shell;
 wherein a pressure applied to the actuator shaft is uniform across an external surface of the actuator shaft due to equal pressures within the interior flood space and the space external to the floodable shell.   
     
     
         11 . A floodable actuator vessel of a submersible vehicle, the floodable actuator vessel comprising:
 a floodable shell comprising a plurality of flood openings configured to permit fluid intrusion into an interior flood space of the floodable shell when the submersible vehicle is submersed into a fluid;   a plurality of external fins;   a plurality of actuators, each actuator of the plurality of actuators being disposed within the interior flood space and affixed to an interior surface of the floodable shell at an actuator opening through which a respective external fin of the plurality of external fins is actuated to maneuver the submersible vehicle.   
     
     
         12 . The floodable actuator vessel of  claim 11 , wherein the floodable shell is configured to be removably coupled to a pressure vessel of the submersible vehicle such that the floodable actuator vessel is a removable modular component of the submersible vehicle. 
     
     
         13 . The floodable actuator vessel of  claim 11 , wherein, when submerged, a pressure within the interior flood space and an external pressure on an external surface of the floodable shell are equal. 
     
     
         14 . The floodable actuator vessel of  claim 11 , wherein the actuators are configured to receive electrical signals to control actuation of the external fins. 
     
     
         15 . The floodable actuator vessel of  claim 11  further comprising foam disposed within the interior flood space of the floodable shell that is subjected to at-depth pressures;
 wherein the foam provides buoyancy to the floodable actuator vessel to compensate for a weight of the plurality of actuators and the external fins. 
 
     
     
         16 . The floodable actuator vessel of  claim 15 , wherein the foam comprises a syntactic foam. 
     
     
         17 . The floodable actuator vessel of  claim 11 , wherein an external profile of each of the flood openings is disposed substantially parallel to a direction of fluid flow over an exterior of the submersible vehicle when moving to prevent fluid flow into the interior flood space and associated turbulence. 
     
     
         18 . The floodable actuator vessel of  claim 11 , wherein each actuator of the plurality of actuators comprises an actuator shaft that extends from the interior flood space through the actuator opening and into a space external to the floodable shell;
 wherein a pressure applied to the actuator shaft is uniform across an external surface of the actuator shaft due to equal pressures within the interior flood space and the space external to the floodable shell.   
     
     
         19 . A method of operating a submersible vehicle comprising a pressure vessel coupled to a floodable actuator vessel, the method comprising:
 flooding an interior flood space of a floodable shell of the floodable actuator vessel with a fluid due to submersion of the submersible vehicle into the fluid, the fluid flooding into the interior flood space via a plurality of flood openings in the floodable shell, wherein a plurality of actuators are disposed within the interior flood space, wherein the plurality of actuators are affixed to a plurality of external fins that extend from an exterior surface of the floodable shell;   preventing intrusion of the fluid into an interior cargo compartment of a pressure shell of the pressure vessel despite submersion of the submersible vehicle into the fluid, the interior cargo compartment being air-filled, wherein a controller is disposed within the interior cargo compartment; and   controlling, via the controller, an output of electrical signals to the plurality of actuators and a motor of a propulsion assembly to maneuver the submersible vehicle while the interior flood space of the floodable shell is flooded and the interior cargo compartment is air-filled.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  further comprising maintaining level buoyancy of the submersible vehicle due to foam disposed within the interior flood space.