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(12) United States Patent (Io) Patent No.: US 9,873,495 B2 Stone Et Al

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(12) United States Patent (Io) Patent No.: US 9,873,495 B2 Stone Et Al 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 (12) United States Patent (io) Patent No.: US 9,873,495 B2 Stone et al. (45) Date of Patent: Jan. 23, 2018 (54) SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATED 2702112 (2013.01); B63G 20081004 (2013.01); RENDEZVOUS, DOCKING AND CAPTURE B63G 20081008 (2013.01) OF AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER (58) Field of Classification Search VEHICLES CPC .............. B63G 8/001; B63G 2008/004; B63G 2008/008; B63B 2231/76; B63B (71) Applicant: Piedra-Sombra Corporation, Inc., Del 2027/165; B63B 2702/12 Valle, TX (US) USPC ........................................ 244/172.4; 356/150 See application file for complete search history. (72) Inventors: William C. Stone, Del Valle, TX (US); Evan Clark, Pasadena, CA (US); (56) References Cited Kristof Richmond, Miami, FL (US); Jeremy Paulus, Santa Clara, CA (US); U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Jason Kapit, Pocasset, MA (US); Mark Scully, Portland, OR (US); Peter 3,809,002 A * 5/1974 Nagy ...................... B63B 21/58 114/245 Kimball, Palo Alto, CA (US) 4,177,964 A * 12/1979 Hujsak ................... B64G 1/646 114/250 (73) Assignee: Stone Aerospace, Inc., Del Valle, TX 4,588,150 A * 5/1986 Bock ...................... B64G 1/646 (US) 244/115 4,890,918 A * 1/1990 Monford ................ B64G 1/646 (*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this 244/172.4 patent is extended or adjusted under 35 5,340,060 A * 8/1994 Shindo ................... B64G 1/646 U.S.C. 154(b) by 192 days. 244/172.4 (Continued) (21) Appl. No.: 14/887,262 Primary Examiner Anthony D Wiest (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm Miguel Villarreal, Jr. (22) Filed: Oct. 19, 2015 (57) ABSTRACT (65) Prior Publication Data A system for automated rendezvous, docking, and capture of US 2016/0176487 Al Jun. 23, 2016 autonomous underwater vehicles at the conclusion of a Related U.S. Application Data mission comprising of comprised of a docking rod having lighted, pulsating (in both frequency and light intensity) (60) Provisional application No. 62/094,680, filed on Dec. series of LED light strips thereon, with the LEDs at a known 19, 2014. spacing, and the autonomous underwater vehicle specially designed to detect and capture the docking rod and then be (51) Int. Cl. lifted structurally by a spherical end strop about which the B63G 8/00 (2006.01) vehicle can be pivoted and hoisted up (e.g., onto a ship). The B63B 27116 (2006.01) method of recovery allows for very routine and reliable (52) U.S. Cl. automated recovery of an unmanned underwater asset. CPC ........ B63G 8/001 (2013.01); B63B 20271165 (2013.01); B63B 2231176 (2013.01); B63B 13 Claims, 26 Drawing Sheets RE US 9,873,495 B2 Page 2 (56) References Cited U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 8,006,937 B1 * 8/2011 Romano ................ B64G 1/646 244/172.4 8,047,149 B1 * 11/2011 Antonelli ................ GO IS 3/784 114/230.1 8,245,370 B2 * 8/2012 Ritter ..................... B64G 1/646 24/595.1 9,139,310 B1 * 9/2015 Wang ........................ B64F 1/36 2015/0376851 At * 12/2015 Yu .......................... B63G 8/001 405/218 * cited by examiner U.S. Patent ,Tan. 23, 2018 Sheet 1 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 V~ N 2 Nf N N VW U.S. Patent ,Tan. 23, 2018 Sheet 2 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 U.S. Patent Jan. 23, 2018 Sheet 3 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 U.S. Patent Jan. 23, 2018 Sheet 4 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 FIGURE 4 40 U.S. Patent ,Tan. 23, 2018 Sheet 5 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 10 FIGURE 5 12 42 14 U.S. Patent Jan. 23, 2018 Sheet 6 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 FIGURE 6 12 14 U.S. Patent ,Tan. 23, 2018 Sheet 7 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 72 76 50 14 U.S. Patent ,Tan. 23, 2018 Sheet 8 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 FIGURE 8 10 38 92 96 10; U.S. Patent Jan. 23, 2018 Sheet 9 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 FIGURE 9 58 116 1] 120 U.S. Patent ,Tan. 23, 2018 Sheet 10 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 U.S. Patent ,Tan. 23, 2018 Sheet 11 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 U.S. Patent ,Tan. 23, 2018 Sheet 12 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 U.S. Patent Jan. 23, 2018 Sheet 13 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 U.S. Patent Jan. 23, 2018 Sheet 14 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 U.S. Patent ,Tan. 23, 2018 Sheet 15 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 U.S. Patent Jan. 23, 2018 Sheet 16 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 U.S. Patent ,Tan. 23, 2018 Sheet 17 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 U.S. Patent ,Tan. 23, 2018 Sheet 18 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 Pie 152 --3N 168 162 140 U.S. Patent Jan. 23, 2018 Sheet 19 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 FIGURE 19 148 140 U.S. Patent ,Tan. 23, 2018 Sheet 20 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 FIGURE 20 16 154 U.S. Patent ,Tan. 23, 2018 Sheet 21 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 FIGURE 21 Blink Detector I —A02 (176) (178) (174) Image A03, Digital Data I Enable A01 Camera Target Relative Bearing Target Relative Roll Line Finder (184) Tar et Line A06 Vehicle ' Enable A053~ Vehicle ~ Orientation (182) Pose—I (optional) r Robot A04 Control -T , (18 0) Range Finder U.S. Patent ,Tan. 23, 2018 Sheet 22 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 FIGURE 22 Image Data B01 Total Intensity (186) Spectral B02 Power (188) Density B03 Filter Blink Amplitude (190) B04 Threshold (192) Enable U.S. Patent Jan. 23, 2018 Sheet 23 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 FIGURE 23 Image Data C01— Threshold Intensity (194) Yes CO2~ Saturated? (196) No CO3 (19 8)Waitfor C09 Next Image (210) Vehicle Orientation (optional) C04 (200) o C05 (202) TYes Average C06 (204) Line Target Line C07 qCenterensity Line Angle C08 (208) (206) Target Relative Roll Target Relative Bearing U.S. Patent Jan. 23, 2018 Sheet 24 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 FIGURE 24 Image Data D01 Extract Blobs (212) Target Line Filter Blobs (214) No D03- Sufficient (216) Blobs? Yes Wait for Average Blob D07 Next Image (224) 218 Separation No Estances (220) Agree? Yes D06. Convert to Range (222) Target Range U.S. Patent ,Tan. 23, 2018 Sheet 25 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 FIGURE 25 U.S. Patent Jan. 23, 2018 Sheet 26 of 26 US 9,873,495 B2 ~.: US 9,873,495 B2 2 SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATED pulsating (in both frequency and light intensity) series of RENDEZVOUS, DOCKING AND CAPTURE LED light strips is on the docking rod, with the LEDs at a OF AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER known spacing. The vehicle specially designed to detect and VEHICLES capture the rod and then be lifted structurally by a spherical 5 end strop about which the vehicle can be pivoted and hoisted CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED up (e.g., onto a ship). APPLICATIONS Functional target capabilities of the AUV of the present invention include: nominal 10 kilometer penetration range This original non-provisional application claims priority under the ice shelf; operating maximum depth of 1 kilome- lo to and the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. ter; building a high resolution up-look bathymetry map of 62/094,680, filed Dec. 19, 2014, and entitled "Autonomous the underside of the ice shelf along the exploration track; Rover/Airborne-Radar Transects of the Environment acquiring line bathymetry at the bottom of the Ross Sea Beneath the McMurdo Ice Shelf," which is incorporated by under the ice shelf; collecting sonde cast equivalent data at reference herein. 15 one kilometer spacing; conducting proximity operations in contact with the ice shelf every kilometer (including the STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT primary astrobiology protein fluorescence measurements into the ice, collecting water samples (three at each proxops This invention was made with Government support under location), and high resolution images); ability to track the Grant No. NNX12AL65G awarded by NASA. The Govern- 20 vehicle on the surface during a mission (using through-ice ment has certain rights in this invention. localization systems); ability to communicate with the vehicle at high bandwidth via a vehicle-deployed data fiber; BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION and ability to communicate with the vehicle at very low bandwidth using a custom wireless transceiver. 1. Field of the Invention 25 The AUV may be deployed from a workshop/mission The present invention relates to an automated rendezvous control center, such as one located on the sea ice in and docking (ARD) system. More specifically, the present McMurdo Sound adjacent the ice barrier (the McMurdo Ice invention relates to a system and method for automated Shelf locality of the Ross Ice Shelf), to explore, map, and rendezvous and docking(ARD) for autonomous underwater conduct astrobiology science under the ice cap. The AUV of vehicles (AUVs) for mapping, inspection and intervention 30 the present invention has a length of 4.34 m, width of 1.15 that allows for very routine and reliable automated recovery m, a height of 0.80 m, and weighs 950 kg. However, it is of an unmanned underwater asset. contemplated that large variances of these dimensions can 2. Description of the Related Art be made and still be within the scope of the invention. Autonomous underwater vehicles exist in the art and are The present invention uses a pair of custom designed, used to perform highly complex missions, sometimes in 35 very high efficiency primary thrusters (Prime Movers) to extreme environmental conditions.
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