KR20150030785A - General purpose submarine having high speed surface capability - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a submarine capable of aquatic activity with the passenger compartment completely or mostly above the waterline. The ship has high speed, long distance water voyage and inner harbor ability.

Description

{GENERAL PURPOSE SUBMARINE HAVING HIGH SPEED SURFACE CAPABILITY}

The present invention relates to a general-purpose submarine having a high-speed aquisition capability.

There are many different types of vessels that can be classified as submarines or submersibles. Typically, a submarine is considered to be an autonomous ship capable of advancing and redirecting in water, capable of bearing seaworthy, capable of seaworthy voyages, and capable of safe underwater activities. A submersible can generally be submerged in water, but its ability to navigate the sea on its own can be limited or considered to be any vessel that does not have this capability. Both submarines and submersibiles carry passengers in the water. Therefore, submarines or submersibles must have at least negative buoyancy or neutral buoyancy and provide propulsion for passengers. Although some submersibles require passengers to wear self contained undewater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) gears, most submarines and submersibles provide several types of survival craft for passengers. All submarines and many submersibles safeguard passengers from underwater pressure.

Buoyancy is the upward force by which water acts on a submerged or partially submerged object. Vessels float in water when the boost buoyancy is equal to the gravity pulling down the vessel. The boosting buoyancy applied to an object underwater is called the hydrostatic lifting force. The magnitude of buoyancy or hydrostatic lift depends on the amount of water displaced by a particular object. When the object is at the surface, gravity pulls the object down. If the bottom is sealed like a ship, the bottom pushes the water to the side. The volume of water drained, known as the water displacement, becomes equal to the volume of the object below the water surface. The buoyant force acting on an object is equal to the weight corresponding to the volume of water being replaced.

Since the displacement of the ship on the water depends on its weight, it can be adjusted using ballast. Ballast is water that is generally capable of entering a sealed hull ballast chamber of a ship.

In the waterline, water is usually added to the ballast area to add additional mass to the bottom of the vessel. This increases the safety of the water by lowering the center of gravity of the ship. Submarines or submersibles generally do not require ballast water for historical stability because they already have a low center of gravity and little cargo variability. In addition, submarines and submersibles usually sit at a very low water level during ascent, and only a very small volume of the entire vessel is above the waterline.

In a submarine or submarine, water is added to the ballast area to help submarine or submarine dive below the surface. This can be seen as reducing the ship's displacement or increasing its weight, all of which have the same mathematical effect. In submarine terms, the addition of ballast water is generally considered to reduce the buoyancy of the ship. If the ballast area is filled, these areas appear to have inherently buoyant forces, which is why buoyancy does not act on the ship. The mass of these ballast zones must still be taken into account for the energy required to propel the ship in water. These ballast areas are also referred to as variable displacement because they reduce the buoyancy of the ship by entering the ship by reducing the displacement.

For ships capable of underwater activities such as submarines and submersibles, they must have neutral buoyancy by controlling the amount of ballast water. Neutral buoyancy refers to the condition that buoyant upward force is equal to downward pulling force of gravity. Under these conditions, the ship may use its propulsion system to float, descend and navigate in water.

In a conventional submarine, the weight of the ship is set to be sufficient to overcome the buoyancy due to the fixed displacement of the ship. Fixed displacement is the volume of several parts of a submarine that is watertight and can not be flooded, and this volume determines the minimum buoyancy. This weight setting is necessary to fully submergible controllable ballast so that the ship can be submerged and neutrally buoyant even when there is no residual weight. Therefore, the variable displacement amount is a determining factor of the loading capacity. In most submarines, most of the fixed displacement is accommodated inside the pressure hull, which is a reinforced passenger compartment that is resistant to excessive pressure of water deep down.

Conventional mini submersibles are used for deep-sea diving science or industrial missions or for underwater diving trips. Both types have a minimum controllable ballast which is essential to obtain the buoyancy required to float just above the surface of the passenger sufficient to allow access to the ship. In these ships, the variable displacement is too small compared to the fixed displacement. Because of this fact, these small submersibles can not float on the surface of the water so that most of their volume is above the waterline. These submersibles can not obtain the required amount of negative pressure to do so. Maintaining the majority of the vessel volume in water when injured, simplifies the structure of the vessel and keeps the vessel stable both while in the water and while floating. However, this design allows very low loading variability by limiting the ability to travel at the surface of the water.

The vessel capable of underwater activity was originally developed for military purposes, but today it is used for a variety of purposes. Modern submarines and submersibles are very specialized, but they range from vessels used as military weapon platforms to vessels used for scientific research in the deep ocean, to ships used for recreational underwater diving. Despite the abundance of submarines and submersibles for many special missions, there is no truly universal ship capable of underwater activities that can be used for various purposes. Also, to date, there are no underwater vessels that have small, cost-effective, considerable autonomy and navigational capabilities, and a range of activities. The only submarine that can be sailed on the high seas today is a military submarine with a large ship size. Small vessels capable of underwater activities with true navigational and endurance capabilities are very useful for both commercial and military use.

The design and capabilities of existing submarines and submersibles range from simple diver underwater scooters to the US Navy's large nuclear missile armed boomer. Nonetheless, all existing submarines and submersibles share a common characteristic that each of these is designed for very specific uses and has limited use in applications other than its intended use.

The real submarines of almost every world are today large, ship sized military vessels. In fact, the only true submarine used today is the trans-oceanic military vessel used by the US Navy and other industrial countries. These submarines are among the most sophisticated vessels that have been built so far.

Some countries are still using diesel-electric military submarines, which have been widely used during World War II. Modern submarines exhibit better dive times, speeds, submissions and armed levels, but the basic functions are similar. These military submarines use water engines to charge submersible electric batteries. The US Navy and some foreign navy replace diesel-electric submarines with many nuclear-powered designs that can spend months underwater. Reactors used to propel these vessels can operate for many years without the need to add fuel, and these reactors typically only need to rise to the surface once every few months to provide supplies and replace crew.

Transoceanic military submarines are used for many different missions, and each type of submarine is generally accomplished by a special kind of submarine. Today, the US Navy has an Ohio-Class Submersible Ship Ballistic Missile Nuclear (SSBN), a Submersible Ship Guided Missile Nuclear (SSGN) class, Submarine (SSN) and Virginia SSN (Submarine Ship Nuclear). The Ohio-class SSBN, also known as the boomer, is used as a submersible mobile propulsion platform for ballistic missiles. The SSGN class is a boomer that carries cruise missiles and is converted to use as a platform for special bombing operations. LA and Sylph SSN are fast-attack submarines and Virginia SSN-class are fast-attack submarines, used as cruise missile platforms and special bombing platforms. All US Navy submarines are nuclear powered and can dive down to at least 244 m (800 ft) below the surface.

The transoceanic submarine is designed to cruise long distances at relatively high speeds compared to the watercraft. These vessels typically have sizes on the order of a large water craft. All of these military submarines are used solely for military purposes. These submarines are very expensive and impractical for cargo haulage. Passenger travel is cheaper, faster, more practical and more comfortable than other means. These submersibles are not practical for industrial use because they do not operate around or below other vessels or maritime platforms due to their size. The absence of windows, the large-sized crew required for operation, the huge production costs are not suitable for any tourism or recreational use. Therefore, these huge military submarines have no other purpose besides the current war platform.

There are many existing submersibles that can be used for different purposes, but each submersible is only useful for a specific mission. Smaller submersibles are being used both in the military and civilian sectors and are generally characterized by the fact that these mini submersibles are used as a means of transport used to access deeper oceans with large vertical ranges rather than voyages on the high seas .

The most basic submersible is a pod that is lifted by the watercraft using a support cable. Diving species and spherical divers are examples of these simple pods.

The submerged species is basically an air pocket submerged in an airtight room with a partially open bottom. The bottom may have a hole in its center or a hatch opening when the diving paper is submerged. The submerged species acts as an elevator that transports the diver deeply down to the surface of the water and as a decompression chamber to send the diver back to the surface of the water. Submersible species are subject to excessive pressure from deep through the use of ambient pressure compensation. As the dive paper descends below the water surface, the hydraulic pressure outside the submerged species increases. If air is not replenished with submerged species, seawater enters through the hole and begins to fill the submerged species. The air trapped inside the submerged species presses at the top until it reaches the ambient pressure outside the sea. When the pressure inside and outside of the submerged species becomes equal, the seawater no longer enters the submerged species. As the diving species continues to descend, the pressure builds up, the air becomes more pressured, and the air pocket becomes smaller. Since pressure is the same inside and outside the sub species, sea water does not add any stress to the sub species' walls as long as the diving species are kept open. This means that low strength general materials can be used for the production of submerged species, provided that they are reasonably airtight.

Conventional modern subspecies are designed to keep the interior dry. Pressurized air is released into the deep submerged species to prevent water from penetrating deeply. Air is typically provided by a water support line through a lifeboat connection. Air is provided at slightly higher pressure than seawater pressure outside the submerged species. This allows the air to escape slowly through the open submerged species and keep the fresh air supplied to the passengers fresh. When the diving water rises to the surface of the water, the pressure of the water decreases and the air inside expands and is discharged as foam.

The main limitation of all ambient pressure submersibles, including submerged species, is the result of passenger limitations. The body is stressed by an increase in peripheral pressure, but it increases the amount of gas inside the blood by drawing more air into the lungs to compensate. If too much nitrogen enters the bloodstream, a coma can occur. This risk can be mitigated to some extent by mixing the respiratory mixture with other inert gases such as helium. Because oxygen is further introduced into the blood by compression, the respiratory mixture generally contains a lower amount of oxygen than the normal surface air. Peripheral pressure As pressure rises when the submersible rises, the body must vent the excess air accumulated during the pressure dive through breathing. This is a slow process, and the longer the depth of time and the deeper the depth, the longer the excess air discharge work must last. If the ambient pressure submersible floats too quickly, the gas inside the blood can cause bubbles, which can lead to "bends", which can be accompanied by great pain and can cause fatal embolisms.

Therefore, the passengers of the ambient pressure submersible must depressurize when they ascend to the surface of the water, just as scuba divers do. This limits the use of the ambient pressure submersible to the same depth as the scuba diver can reach. This is up to about 61 meters (200 feet), and about 10 meters (33 feet) is more practical for non-professional divers.

In order to allow diving for longer periods of time and rapid rise and to protect passengers under dangerous high pressure conditions common to ambient pressure submersibles, the passenger compartment must be maintained at a normal atmospheric pressure of 1 atm. However, the pressure from seawater rises more and more as the depth increases. The passenger compartment must be strong and pressure-resistant.

The pressure hull is a pod for personnel deployment with a very strong, dry material that can withstand the rupture force in the deep and protect the passengers without compensating for the ambient pressure. Pressure hulls are generally spherical or cylindrical in shape because they tend to be inherently strong in compressive forces. If this shape is removed, the pressure drop is greatly reduced, greatly reducing the maximum depth the hull can reach. Therefore, the pressure hull is dried to have a high shape accuracy. These precision tolerances increase the time and cost of constructing the hull.

A diving club is a simple structure of a pressure hull suspended in a cable. The diver usually has a viewing window and a cabin for the crew inside. Stored oxygen and carbon dioxide scrubbers are commonly used for life support. The dive was the first submersible to carry people down to depths of 914 m (3000 ft) below the surface, initially used for scientific research. These dives are not used much anymore.

Both submerged species and submerged species are limited by the lack of complete autonomy in the mid-range cable connecting them to the surface or waterline, and in both water and water. To provide a life-saving cable or lifeboat, you will need your own crew, and you will need a high cost, large waterline. These submerged species and submersibles can not be used as diving vehicles due to the inability to carry out self-propulsion, power storage and buoyancy control with large cable disturbances. Instead, these subspecies and divers are only useful for work or observation. Diving is limited to a depth of approximately 1066 m (3500 ft), while diving species are dangerous if they are deeper than approximately 90 m (300 ft).

The deep-sea wreck (DSV) is designed to study the deepest part of the ocean. There are relatively few and are used for scientific and military research. DSVs usually require support lines but can not navigate. DSVs fall into two categories: bassscapes and deep-sea submersibles.

Bassscape is an old, out-of-the-box ship, so far fewer than ten have been manufactured. Bashiscape was used to reach the challenger deep in the Mariana Trench in the South Pacific, the deepest point on the surface. Bassscape is a spherical pressure hull suspended in a floating superstructure filled with petroleum fuel. The fuel is not used for propulsion but to provide resistance to pressure in the deep. The fuel also provides buoyancy control. In order to descend, the fuel is discharged to reduce buoyancy. In order to float, the metal pellets are discharged from the vessel to reduce the weight. The pellet is held in place by the electromagnet, which means that the bustscape can float to the surface immediately if an electrical fault occurs. Battery powered thruster provides propulsion and steering power in the water, but its capability is largely limited by large superstructures.

Bassscape is very limited in its size and low maneuverability in the water, although it is capable of diving into deep waters. It is also difficult to start and return. Currently, there is no active bass scape.

The deep-sea submersible is a small battery-operated submersible with a spherical steel pressure hull. These deep-sea submersibles are similar to bass skis but do not have smaller, fuel-filled superstructures. Pressure hulls are typically thinner than bass skies and therefore have a lower maximum diving depth. Lighter weight allows the surface to be floated without the use of bussescape fuel superstructure. The deep sea submersibles float using the buoyancy of the pressure hull with a high pressure air blowing buoyancy tank and an oil filling facility chamber or a high strength glass-bead foam block.

The deep-sea submersible has a small ballast tank filled with air at the surface to ensure that a small fraction of its volume is above the waterline. The ballast tank is submerged by submersing the vessel, and the tank keeps the ambient pressure in the deep by keeping the bottom open. During diving, these vessels usually have negative buoyancy and use gravity to sink to the desired depth. The vessel then obtains neutral buoyancy by reducing weight and injecting high pressure air into the ballast tanks. To rise to the surface again, deep-sea submersibles drop disposable metal ballasts and do not normally require electrical propulsion. Battery operated electric motors are limited and used for underwater propulsion and steering. Because of its small size, deep-sea submersibles are more adjustable than bass skies.

The reliability of weight drop for sleeping injuries can be a problem in deep-sea submersibles. This can be difficult to achieve if reconfiguration is expected or you need to raise the weight while diving. Deep-sea submersibles are less variable in buoyancy and minimum weight drop, so they are assigned less weight for injury. Air blowing ballast tanks accommodate only a small fraction of the passenger room displacement and provide very minimal adjustable buoyancy.

Extreme safety precautions and precision engineering are essential for deep sea submersibles. Since the displacement of the pressure hull is required for surface lifting, the submarine will sink to the seabed once the pressure hull is submerged. Precision engineering required to prevent this risk increases manufacturing costs.

DSV has little or no navigation capability or range of activity because it uses a battery power thrust and most of its volume is in water when floated to the surface. A waterline is required to carry these deep-sea submersibles and recover them from the submerged areas. In some cases, a huge crane is required to descend the DSV into the sea.

Also, the DSV has a very narrow passenger compartment. The spherical pressure hull is generally designed to have the minimum amount of extra space needed to accommodate passengers and essential metrology instruments. The US Navy has one DSV that is larger than the most common DSV, but it is too expensive for non-military use. Overall, DSVs are useful for a very narrow range of tasks, but are severely constrained by their range of activity, lack of safety, autonomy, and speed.

Other conventional conventional types of submersibles are travel submersibles. Traveling submersibles are part of the largest civilian submersibles, which accommodate more than sixteen passengers. These travel submersibles are equipped with pressure hulls and operate at a depth of 0.3 to 91 m (1 to 300 ft). The pressure hull is generally large, long and made of steel and has some oversize hemispherical acrylic viewing windows. The travel submersible is driven by a large battery array located in the keel and propelled by an electric thrust.

Traveling submersibles are not useful for purposes other than tourism. These travel submersibles lack speed, autonomy and navigational capabilities. These travel submersibles are only a small fraction of their volume above the waterline when floated to the surface. These travel submersibles rely on the battery power and air reservoir that require a support vessel or pier for recharging. Traveling submersibles must be large in size for cost-effectiveness, which limits the diving depth of the travel submersible as pressure hulls are subjected to large forces.

Traveling submersibles, like the DSV, use the buoyancy of the passenger compartment to float to the surface of the water. Thus, when the pressure vessel hull penetration is damaged, the submersible sinks into the seabed. This leads to an increase in the design cost.

Several travel submersibles with small diesel engines are being manufactured to have autonomy to go back and return to diving areas without support vessels. However, these submersibles still lack the ability to navigate in the open sea and their range of activity is very limited. In addition, these submersibles are somewhat unstable in rough sea activities and still have other travel-related subsystems related to depth, speed, size and cost.

Ambient pressure A personal submersible uses the ambient pressure as in a submerged species to sustain the deep pressure. This limits its use to the depth that the scuba diver can reach. The simplest form of ambient pressure personal submersible is a wet hull submersible.

Wet hull submersibles are underwater vessels that are propelled by submersibles in the sea while passengers are exposed to seawater. These submersibles typically have a small ballast tank to help obtain neutral buoyancy and an electric motor for propulsion. The passenger is supplied with air through a respiratory device, such as an air-filled helmet or scuba gear portion.

Wet hull submersibles are obviously very limited in their use. Passengers can be exposed to water temperatures and become a problem in cold climates. Passengers are also exposed to water pressure, which means that the wet hull submersible is limited to a depth of approximately 61 m (200 feet), even if operated by a professional diver using a breathing gas mixture. A limited depth of 10 m (33 ft) is more practical for sports divers.

In the military, a wet hull submersible, called a Seal Delivery Vehicle (SDV), is used. The passenger compartment is completely enclosed but the water comes in. Therefore, SDV has the same disadvantages as other wet hull submersibles.

The ambient pressure dry hull is a submersible with a closed hull so that the inside is dry. A gauge is used to determine the ambient pressure of the external seawater. Air is fed through the valve to the passenger compartment until the internal pressure equals the external water pressure. When the submersible floats to the surface, a check valve is used to discharge air and the hydraulic pressure decreases. This hull can be dried in any form, suitably airtight, if appropriate.

The ambient pressure dry hull is limited in depth due to many factors. Above all, these hulls do not go too far in depth due to the amount of air they hold and the reserve of battery power. More importantly, it is a restriction by the human body. The depth that a highly trained divers can reach is about 61 m (200 ft), while the more practical depth limit is 10 m (33 ft) above the surface of the water.

Ambient pressure Personal submersible is generally battery operated. These submersibles rarely have a range of water activities, navigation capabilities or autonomy. These submersibles rely on the waterline to reach the dive area and charge the battery and supply air. Though a few submarines with a diesel marine engine have been manufactured a little, they are still experiencing the same depth limitations as all other ambient pressure designs.

The Advanced Seal Team Transportation System (ASDS) is a submersible that uses a pressure hull for naval seals operations. The system is relatively large as a submersible and is 19 meters (62 feet) long. The ASDS is designed for submersibles for advanced special applications. The system uses only battery power for propulsion, which greatly limits its range and navigation capability. The ASDS has a small amount of buoyancy to float to the surface of the water and instead docks with the host submarine in general. The prices of these submersibles are very expensive and are therefore not used for non-military applications.

All existing submarines and submersibles are designed, built and used for specific roles. There is therefore a need for a universal submarine. These submarines should be able to perform a number of roles in the water with a strong resistance to submarine, long range, high speed and autonomy and should be able to navigate in the water. These submersibles will be useful for both civilian and military use. There are many features and abilities that a universal submarine must have.

A general-purpose submarine should be relatively small in size but able to accommodate passengers. Historically, submarines have not been practical for long haul cargo or passenger transport. Tourism, industrial and safety applications are all useful uses of submarines, but they all require compact submarines compared to nuclear powered military vessels. The small size is also key to reducing the cost of submarine production, operation and maintenance. A submarine with a smaller pressure hull can operate deeper than a large submarine because the pressure is distributed throughout the small surface area of the hull. A good general-purpose submarine should be able to accommodate crew or passenger squad from one to as many as twelve during diving. In most cases, this must be accomplished by using 1-barge hulls of various sizes to ensure safe and rapid injury. This capability is useful for scientific, military, entertainment, industrial and other uses.

A general-purpose submarine should be a competent sailing ship with long range and strong endurance capabilities. Universal submersibles are also autonomous, capable of self-generation and air supply, and capable of storing them for diving. These submarines are more efficient and cheaper than submarines that require waterborne vessels. The safety factor in rough seas should also be higher because there is a need to escape the typhoon without the aid of the water support line. The ability to navigate over a long range of activities allows the private industry to avoid the cost of a first-aid line. A general-purpose submarine can be dispatched from a regular dock and can move to its destination by itself.

In addition, a good general purpose submarine should be able to achieve an adequate descent rate because it is useful in an environment with high speed movements. The speed allows the travel submarine to transport more passengers without the aid line. Speed is also useful for military and safety activities. In addition, the speed reduces the cost of the mission by lowering the cost and preventing the ship from accessing the typhoon.

A general-purpose submarine should be capable of changing, and be capable of accommodating equipment required for a variety of different missions. The ability to change is a key feature of a general-purpose submarine. These submarines should be able to increase the comfort of the passenger compartment when used as a recreational or travel role, to be able to accommodate weapons and military equipment added to submarines when used in a military role, and, when used in scientific or industrial roles, , Actuators, reservoirs and tools must be installed. These reengineering capabilities do not require a substantial redesign of the submarine, and ideally these reengineering abilities should not significantly increase the cost and time required to deploy this variability of the general-purpose submarine.

A general-purpose submarine should be able to safely protect its passengers by submerging it to the depths most of the seawater, useful for industry and travel. For many uses, such a journey would be sufficient to a depth of 10 m (33 feet), but in many embodiments, such a submarine dives to at least 152 m (500 feet), which is about 90% It should be possible. This depth is sufficient to provide military capability because light travels beyond the depths penetrating seawater in most locations, and long range submersibles do not perform well at depths below 305 m (1000 feet). For industrial operation, most oil pipelines and internal structures lie at an altitude of 91 m (300 ft) above sea level.

The time for a general-purpose submarine to maintain a dive should be at least as long as it can be maintained throughout the entire activity day. This will allow industrial or scientific activities to achieve enough work for all dates, and military users will be able to dive during the daytime to remain concealed. Of course, the longer dive time capability increases the safety because it allows additional time to rescue the attacked submarine.

All general-purpose submarines shall be highly secure. Safety is especially important due to the fact that there is autonomy and self-navigation is possible in the high seas. Such a vessel should be able to cope with various system failures during diving, as well as unstable conditions in severe climatic conditions and sleep.

A general-purpose submarine should be able to be inexpensively dried. Manufacturing and operating costs should not exceed the combined cost of the watercraft and submersible or the combined cost of the watercraft and the remotely operated vehicle (ROV).

The problem must be overcome to design and install a general-purpose submarine with many of the above features and capabilities. First, the small size should be able to match the high speed, navigation, endurance capacity and long range of activity.

Historically, it has been difficult to design a relatively small submarine capable of long-distance navigation and high-speed inter alia. Conventional submarines with the above mentioned capabilities are excessively large, heavy and expensive. These submarines are only useful for military purposes. In the private industry, the problem of navigating was solved by transporting small submersibles using the waterline, which is expensive and consuming. However, the demand for long-distance navigation and high-speed endurance makes the design more difficult by signifying that this general purpose line should be a true submersible rather than a simple submersible. Ships must be capable of navigating long distances in water or be capable of operating in water, as well as being capable of operating in water. Long-distance underwater navigation can only be accomplished successfully using a huge pile of water-filled batteries using either nuclear or diesel power. These methods are practical for large transoceanic submarines, but not for small submarines.

The existing design of a small submersible can not function as a true waterline. The design of a small submersible relies on batteries and propulsion electric motors. Batteries have a very limited amount of energy to store, and in order to act as a true waterline, the vessel must carry large, heavy fuel loads. Also, a submarine must have a powerful large engine in order to be able to work on the surface. The use of powerful large-scale engines and large fuel reserves provides high-speed, long-range range and large payload capacity in waterboats. However, adding such an engine to an existing submersible design is not a simple matter. Attempts made to add a diesel engine to a travel or submersible industrial submersible are inefficient because their functionality is limited by the design of the submersible.

The first reason for failing to add large engines and fuel reserves to existing designs is due to the weight gain due to these additives. Small submersibles typically have small buoyancy, and extensive modifications are needed when adding significant loads. The addition of large rushes and fuels results in the submarine being unable to float to the surface. These submarines have no practical use. Therefore, an additional amount of drainage must be added to the submarine to provide additional buoyancy.

Small submersibles are increased in size to provide additional displacement of their pressure hull. This not only adds the required displacement to allow the engine to float to the surface, but also protects the engine from pressure and seawater deep down. Still, the pressure hull must increase significantly to accommodate large engines. This increase greatly increases the weight and fixed displacement of the ship (which increases the dive weight). The net result of this arrangement is the reduction or minimum gain of the ship's power-to-weight ratio. Using this method, a huge increase in the weight required to add power to a small submersible sets the contradiction that causes the power to be rather weighty. Therefore, small submersible designers could only include small engines and fuel tanks. The small amount of power provided limits the voyage, inland port, speed and range of activity.

The second reason for failing to add large engines and fuel reserves to existing submersible designs is due to hull geometry and draft. The normal hull shape of a submersible is cylindrical, optimized for underwater activity and very low speed operation. When active on the surface, these submersibles, most of which are below the waterline, are subjected to very coarse maneuvers, resulting in significant sea resistance. In addition, these submersibles are not well tolerated because they do not have the sharp objects necessary to run through waves and rough seas. Thus, the increase in power only increases the speed to a minimum, because of the deep draft and improperly shaped hulls, which are subject to considerable sea resistance and are too poorly operated in rough seas.

The next issue to overcome for the design and construction of a universal submarine is the harmony of small size and changeability. Conventional mini submersibles have proven to be very difficult to change. The main reason for this difficulty is the buoyancy approach of the submersible design. Most submersibles are designed to have minimal buoyancy when floated to the surface, thus having very little ability to maintain sleeping ability accompanied by extra weight. Also, since most of the buoyancy is from the passenger compartment, the passenger compartment must be installed very carefully and carefully examined. If the seawater penetrates into the passenger compartment, the submersible sinks and passengers can die. Adding equipment to the hull usually requires a redesign of the entire submersible. Thus, the submersible is designed with minimal load and any reconstruction requires extensive redesign. Reconstructing already constructed submersibles for other uses is costly, time consuming, and impractical.

The next challenge that must be overcome to design and build a general-purpose submarine is to simplify design and balance diving depth and duration with low cost. Normally, the submersible suitable for the civil user is the submersible of the ambient pressure. These submersibles do not require engineering attempts involving strong pressure hulls and pressure hulls. However, the ambient pressure submersible is only safe to depths of up to about 10 m (33 feet) and up to a depth of about 61 m (200 feet) up for professional divers using breathing mixed air.

On the other hand, pressure hulls are required to allow the ship to perform deep and long diving. Conventional submersible designs with integrated pressure hulls face disaster risks when rollovers or leaks occur, and therefore existing designs require expensive and complex safety engineering techniques. Thus, when using existing designs, it is impossible to achieve deep and long-term diving while lowering costs and simplifying design considerably.

The next challenge that must be overcome to design and build a general-purpose submarine is the combination of design simplicity and low cost and safety. Historically, one of the key issues in designing simple and inexpensive submersibles is the huge cost of administering engineering safety to conventional submersibles. The ambient pressure submersible is relatively inexpensive and simple in design, but must be operated by an expert who is inherently dangerous and who understands the decompression procedure. Pressure hull design is inherently safer than ambient pressure design because it does not expose passengers to increased pressure in the deep. Though still safe, pressure hull design requires a lot of engineering expertise to maintain safety due to the pressure differences that exist in the deep. In addition, due to the small amount of buoyancy normally present on one side of the pressure hull, failure of the pressure hull will result in the submersible sinking to the seabed under normal design. Therefore, complex engineering techniques and maintenance precautions should be used to ensure safety. This increases the cost. In other words, it would not be possible to design simple and inexpensive submersibles with a high degree of safety when using current designs.

Another problem that must be overcome to design and build a general-purpose submarine is a balance between navigational, high-speed, endurance, and long range activities and change capabilities. A submersible that can be configured to perform multiple roles must be small in size. However, the small size is incompatible with the traditional concepts needed to achieve long-distance navigation and high-speed endurance capabilities. In addition, changeable submarines must be capable of carrying variable loads.

Speed, range of activity, navigation and endurance capabilities require large engines and large fuel storage. The submarine must be able to carry this weight. In addition, the ability to change increases mounting requirements because the vessel must be able to carry a variety of heavy items such as manipulator arms, weapons, armor equipment, cabinets, deck space attendants, or added instrumentation. The limited displacement in normal design, and therefore buoyancy, does not allow such an extra weight, since the submersible may not float to the surface when these things are added.

The present invention provides a submarine capable of high speed and long distance water navigation and portability such as a speedboat. The present invention has a very unique approach to overcome the various problems of providing a universal submarine. The present invention is also the first submarine capable of mass production.

The submarine of the present invention includes a basic assembly including a surface hull, a passenger compartment, a main ballast chamber, and an aft engine room, as well as many optional assemblies and components. A user-changeable vessel is provided by using a compatible base assembly and a component connection grid that facilitates the exchange of components. Among the basic assemblies that may be involved in the ship are the passenger compartment, the surface hull, the upper body part, the aerator engine room, the middle frame, the side tank and the main inner ballast.

The submarine typically contains a large amount of variable displacement through a staged ballast system. A unique ballast system includes a main internal ballast chamber, a main external ballast chamber, a trim ballast system, and a semi-controllable ballast region. The total volume of the fully-controllable ballast is generally about twice the volume of the passenger compartment drainage volume and approximately equal to the volume of the aqueduct of the entire vessel, except that the actual fully-controllable ballast volume may be more or less than these estimates have.

In some embodiments, the main internal ballast chamber remains fully submerged and open to the environment while the vessel is submerged in water. The ambient pressure air compression is not necessary because it remains open to sea water and functions like a wet hull. The main outside ballast chamber is filled only to the extent necessary for the submarine to obtain neutral buoyancy. These primary external ballast chambers are sealed by valves from both the main internal ballast chamber and the external environment at the beginning of diving. The ambient pressure air compression is provided for the main external ballast chamber at depth. In some embodiments, each main internal ballast chamber is connected to the main external ballast chamber via a pit-trap connection.

In an embodiment that accommodates a trim ballast system, the trim ballast system includes a series of small ballast chambers and is used to regulate the equilibrium state of the vessel. The trim ballast chamber is mainly located in the front part of the side tank and the stabilization tank functions as the rear trim chamber. Of course, other optional trim seals can be added if desired.

The semi-controllable ballast region is a free-flood zone that is emptied by gravity as the submarine floats and is substantially closed against seawater during aquatic activities. During the lifting process, the main inner and outer ballast chambers typically lift the ship until the freely submerged semi-controllable ballast region is just above the waterline. These areas are then gravity drained until they are emptied through a large one-way valve, gate, or combination thereof. The net effect is that the semi-controllable ballast will provide neutral buoyancy while the vessel is submerged, but will provide additional drainage while the vessel is at the surface of the water. In addition, a semi-controllable ballast provides free-standing drainage in the area immediately above the waterline while at the surface of the water. This freeboard displacement helps to prevent shaking of the ship while the ship is at the surface of the water.

The submarine of the present invention typically includes a passenger compartment which becomes a pressure hull. The pressure hull passenger compartment will be made of a very strong material that will withstand the pressure in the deep and will generally be of a cylindrical or spherical shape. The passenger compartment is ideally located at a high level on the ship, separated from sea water by the surface hull during the aquatic activity. When the submarine is at the surface, the passenger compartment is completely elevated out of the seawater or isolated from the seawater by the surface hull so that no part of the passenger compartment is in direct contact with seawater. The control for the knob is located in the passenger compartment, and all of the hull penetrations will generally be only within the lower third of the passenger compartment.

Submarines include surface hulls which may be any type of hull, such as a drain hull or a sliding hull, depending on the performance characteristics required by the end user. The surface hull accommodates the main internal ballast chamber and can accommodate several different components. By using the surface hull, the ship has a considerable drainage capacity and a floating capacity on the water surface. This lowers the sea water resistance and allows the ship to move at high speed on the water surface.

The ship includes an upper body part that extends laterally from both sides of the passenger compartment and extends from the rear to the passenger compartment. The outer surface includes deck and safety tank mounts and, if present, a spoiler. If provided, the diving plane will normally be placed on the upper body part. The semi-controllable ballast region is located within the upper body part and additional components can be accommodated therein.

Ships often include fuel and water engine systems. The fuel and water engine system preferably includes at least one variable displacement fuel cell, at least one fuel grid, at least one water engine, at least one gear sub-system, at least one external drive, at least one And a water engine room.

The vessel discharges fuel from the variable displacement fuel cell so that the volume of the variable displacement fuel cells is reduced when the fuel is consumed. The fuel grid supplies fuel to the entire vessel, and the water engine provides power to the vessel. The external drive is connected to the water engine to provide propulsion.

The water engine room is pressure hull or air compensated to the ambient pressure compensated deeply. The water engine room accommodates many components, including the water engine. If the water engine room is air compensated by ambient pressure, it can be installed as lightweight material.

The vessel typically has at least one air grid that provides air to various parts of the vessel and to the system. Typically, the air system includes four or five air grids that include a high pressure air storage grid, an emergency air grid, a perimeter air compensation grid, an oxygen grid, and a low pressure primary air grid in some embodiments. Each system has different uses, but these systems share many common connections and resources.

Air systems assist many uses in ships. The air system is used to empty the ballast compartments, provide ambient pressure air compensation for the components and assembly, provide life support to the passenger compartment, and vent the battery tubing, if provided. The air system can also be used to provide life support to the divers and, if desired, to convert the pressure hull passenger compartment to the surrounding compressors.

The air system may also include a carbon dioxide scrubber. Together with the oxygen reservoir, these carbon scrubbers provide a robust life support system to help the submarine maintain long-term diving.

The air system can be recharged by itself, contributing to the autonomous characteristics of the ship. The high-pressure air storage grid uses and compresses the aeration air, and other air grids (except the emergency grid) use a down-adjuster to draw air from this grid.

Vessels generally include electrical systems used to provide power to electrical components. The electrical system includes at least one alternator, at least one battery, and at least one electrical grid.

The alternator draws power from the water engine while the vessel is at the surface to charge the battery that stores the power. The electric grid includes wiring, relays and switches, and connects many different components to the power stored in the battery. The ship has three different electrical systems, including a primary electrical system, a secondary electrical system and an auxiliary electrical system. The primary system serves to charge the secondary system and the auxiliary system draws power from the secondary system via the inverter.

The ship of the present invention typically has a hydraulic system as a system for delivering power to the entire ship. The system provides power to the ram that operates the steering and balance states of the cockpit, the passenger compartment entrance, the water engine ballast chamber cover and the external drive. In addition, the hydraulic pressure drives the valves around the ship and transfers power to the thruster.

The hydraulic system can be classified into a propulsion hydraulic system, an auxiliary hydraulic system, and a control hydraulic system. The propulsion system uses two electric motors operated by the primary electrical system. The auxiliary system is operated by a hydraulic pump driven by a water engine. The control system uses a hydraulic unit driven by the secondary electrical system and uses a hydraulic accumulator.

The submarine may also include a submersible pod which is a pressure-hull-based or ambient-pressure-compensating ballast chamber located outside the passenger compartment. These submersibles can be used to accommodate many different components, including a wide array of batteries and optional equipment.

Overall, the vessel is very easy to configure for special applications. Each base assembly is fabricated using attachment points and grid connections to be mounted to another assembly or a central framework assembly. Thus, these assemblies can be easily replaced or removed for quick repair.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The submarine according to the present invention is capable of high-speed and long-distance waterborne navigation and internal navigation, such as a speedboat. Further, the submarine according to the present invention is capable of mass production and has a capability of changing.

1 is a front view of an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an external side view of an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a side cutaway view of one embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a frontal incision view of an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a bird's-eye view of one embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a bottom view of an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a side view of an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 8 is an air and main sea water grid of an embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention combines high-speed water speed, long-range navigation and endurance capabilities and the ability to protect passengers at dive sites. In addition, the vessel provides a high degree of on-site variability and a use-changeable modular design, making it very suitable for industrial, travel, government, military and recreational use. The ship has a relatively simple but very innovative design that is very safe, without the need for over-engineering engineering. The ship of the present invention is the first general-purpose submarine.

In order to overcome all problems and provide a true universal submarine, the present invention was designed by taking a fundamentally different view from a conventional submersible design. Versatile diving capability is achieved through the use of true pressure hulls, large buoyant sheathing, high power-to-weight ratio, high fuel reserves, and high volume above the waterline during water- Characteristics.

The size of the vessel of the present invention is related to its usefulness throughout the industry. Although much smaller than a large nuclear propulsion military submarine, the vessel of the present invention has a proven ratio that enables inland navigation and navigation at the surface of the water. The vessels of the present invention are also of sufficient size to carry significant supplies for the duration of a multi-day mission. Relatively small sizes make it easy to transport, including road transport, air transport, boat ramp launch, joint docking slip, and large ship transport. Faster speeds and greater undercarriage are also possible due to their relatively small size. The purchase cost, the crew cost, the fuel cost, the maintenance cost, the operation cost, and the repair cost are all cheaper than the large submarine. It was one of the biggest problems that the present invention should overcome to incorporate the wide functionality of such a submarine in such a small size.

One of the key features of the present invention is its unique approach to ballasting. A controllable variable displacement is provided at a much higher rate than a conventional submersible. In addition to displacement, another aspect of the ballast approach is the step-up and separation of the ship's fully-controlled ballast and semi-controlled ballast forms. Thus, in many embodiments, the vessel uses both a high percentage of variable ballast as well as a staged ballast design that is separated into main, inner, outer and semi-controllable parts. Each ballast segment works differently to achieve performance that was never seen before in these small ships.

Most conventional submersibles and submarines handle ballasting in the same fashion. Each has a little more than the smallest controllable ballast needed to get a small portion of its volume above the surface of the water and to gain enough buoyancy to balance the ship during diving activities. The fixed displacement provided is enormous compared to the variable displacement provided. The amount of buoyancy that can be controlled thereby becomes smaller than the buoyancy inherent in the ship. This approach is appropriate for large military vessels, because these military vessels carry out almost all underwater operations. In the case of smaller dives, designers provide ballast only to the extent that they come out of sleep to provide supplies and power and replace passengers or crew. Underwater performance is maximized and little attention is paid to water performance.

As a result of conventional accidents involving ballasting, conventional submersibles and submersibles have a very deep draft at which most of the volume is below the waterline during aquatic activity. This has the disadvantage of being a constant overturning threat, which helps to keep the ship in a stable state, but makes the water-cruising capability and loading variability to be very small and complex and costly safety precaution engineering techniques must be considered.

The submarine of the present invention is contrary to conventional thinking by taking a different approach and using most of the submarine volume for ballasting. This massive ballasting is essential for the submarine to be able to work on the surface as a long-range activity range waterline. The controllable massive ballast also allows the submarine to have a high degree of on-board variability, to be configured for versatility, and to have in-water lifting capabilities. Safety is inherently increased by reducing the risk of rollover or descent due to pressure hull penetration.

In the present invention, the total volume of the fully-controllable ballast is approximately twice the volume of the fixed displacement of the passenger compartment, which may be somewhat different from the actual ballast volume, and is generally approximately equal to the volume of the water displacement of the entire vessel. Thus, the controllable ballast is typically designed to provide greater buoyancy than the passenger compartment when fully emptied. This feature distinguishes the present invention from other pressure hull series designs because the present invention does not have to depend on the buoyancy of the passenger compartment in order to recharge to the surface of the water.

The submarine can be prevented from sinking to the seabed even if leakage occurs due to damage to the hull penetration portion. Although the passenger compartment can be a peripheral pressure using a given air reservoir, the leakage is generally limited to filling the lower 1/3 point of the passenger compartment volume. Thereafter, even if a certain amount of buoyancy can be obtained by injecting air into the main ballast, the ship is returned to the water surface, and the swing of the captured ship is accelerated due to the expansion of the trapped air. Sufficient clearance to the main ballast to compensate for approximately one-third of the loss in the passenger compartment can be obtained at a depth of 61 meters (200 feet) from a fully-charged air storage tank.

In one embodiment of the invention, the large, controllable ballast enables a maximum negative swing in buoyancy of up to approximately 10.8 ton (24,000 lb) before the vessel completely loses its ability to return to the surface. On the other hand, deep-sea submersibles enable negative buoyancy changes of only about 0.45-1.13 tonnes (1000-2500 lb) before preventing sleeping ability. Sleep restoration is fundamentally guaranteed in the submarine of the present invention when working at reasonably shallow depths.

In addition, safety is enhanced by the fact that when the submarine is at the surface, the unique ballast system allows the passenger compartment to rise completely or dominantly over the waterline. Thus, when on the surface, the hull penetration is no longer locked and there is no risk of leakage. The surface hull incorporated into the submarine provides additional barriers between the passenger compartment and seawater when at the surface of the water. Due to the appropriate amount of lift and the use of hydraulic support, the passenger compartment may be completely or predominantly above the waterline. This also requires complex and costly engineering techniques for each hull penetration that may be required in a conventional submarine to achieve the same degree of safety. In the present invention strong safety precautions are provided in a simple and cost effective design.

In addition, a large proportion of controllable ballast significantly improves the marine performance and carrying capacity of the ship. Important shipments and heavy components, such as watercraft, fuel and batteries, can be added to ships, even if this is not possible in conventional submersibles.

A very shallow draft is also obtained due to the large controllable ballast in large areas. This allows unprecedented submarine watering speeds by lowering sea water resistance and allowing the hull to coalesce. Thus, the unique ballast system allows long-range navigation and high-speed harnessing capability to be provided to a small submersible with a loading capacity so that it can be easily configured for many applications.

The ballast system of the present invention allows for high mounting variability and high stability benefits by using sealed or partially open ballast chambers as well as free flood zones during diving. In many embodiments, the ballast system can be divided into three zones each operating differently. The main interior, main exterior and anti-controllable areas work together to submerge and float the vessel.

The main internal ballast chamber shall remain fully open and fully flooded while the vessel is submerged in water. These ballast chambers function similarly to wet hulls by keeping them open to the sea, so they do not require a peripheral pressurized air chamber to withstand deformation in the deep.

On the other hand, the main outer ballast chamber is only filled to the extent necessary to obtain neutral buoyancy. The large size of these ballast chambers allows for large mounting variability, which can be further increased by the standard addition of removable weight. The main outside ballast chamber is sealed by large valves from both the main internal ballast chamber and the external environment at the beginning of diving. The displacement is fixed and therefore the amount of buoyancy provided by these ballast chambers is determined. The main outer ballast chamber is compensated with air from the deep to prevent deformation. This results in a lightweight structure, which keeps the weight of the vessel light again and increases water performance.

The main internal ballast chamber, which is completely filled deep, has neutral buoyancy. However, since the upper portion is sealed, air can be directly injected into the main internal ballast chamber in an emergency and captured in the ballast chamber. Under these scenarios, each main internal ballast chamber functions like a positive buoyancy subspecies. In addition, the pit trap connection between the main internal and external ballast chambers ensures that the internal ballast chamber can be completely emptied even if all valves fail to open. This level of safety is unique to the invention and allows the submarine to float under any hypothetical situation.

As a result of the sealing properties of the main ballast system, safety at the water surface also increases. Even if the surface hull is destroyed, the ingress of water is permitted only until the trapped air reaches ambient pressure. This serves as an effective double hull. In addition, even if the ship is overturned due to bad weather, the ship can improve its safety by submerging itself and posing itself.

A semi-controllable ballast is a free-flood zone that is emptied by gravity as the ship floats and is effectively closed against seawater during aquatic activities. The main inner and outer ballast chambers typically lift the ship until the freely submerged semi-controllable ballast region is just above the waterline. These areas are then gravity drained until they are emptied through a large one-way valve or hull gate. The net effect is that the semi-controllable ballast will have neutral buoyancy while the vessel is submerged, but will provide additional drainage while the vessel is at the surface of the water. In addition, a semi-controllable ballast provides free-standing drainage in the area immediately above the waterline while at the surface of the water. This freeboard displacement helps to prevent shaking of the ship while the ship is at the surface of the water.

The functionality of the ship's entire ballast system allows for improved aquatic performance as well as diving and floatation without the use of complex mechanical work essentials. The unique ballast system results in significantly increased loading capacity with only minimal additional weight. This increases the ability of the ship to change by allowing high power and fuel reserves to be added. The achieved level of safety can not be compared to any conventional submersible because the ship can float under any hypothetical situation.

Another feature of embodiments of the present invention is the ability to entail a system that allows self recharging after diving and an additional system that recharges a powerful diving battery. In part due to the loading capacity and variability provided by the unique ballast system, the vessel is autonomous to be able to carry these additional systems. Air stores are typically life support materials that are scuba breath air to be used for ballasting operations. The substantial loading capacity provided by a unique ballast system also allows the vessel to carry a larger amount of more common oxygen and carbon dioxide scrubber stock. This has improved life support capabilities and repeatedly increases the robustness of life support systems. The submarine of the present invention is more convenient than a conventional mini submersible because it does not require a coast or water line to perform multiple dives. Because of its ability to recharge itself, submarines can submerge multiple times and the amount of fuel provided is a major limiting factor in refueling capability. This capability allows the ship to dive for longer periods of time than a conventional submersible.

A peculiar feature of the ship lies in the treatment of the stabilization problem. Due to the fact that a large portion of the submarine volume is on the waterline while at the surface, the center of gravity of the ship crosses the buoyancy center of the ship when the ship is submerged. At the intersection, the most traditional waterline is not stable and there is a risk of overturning. However, in certain embodiments of the present invention, by using a carefully balanced weight distribution and the safety tank mounted on the upper side and the freeboard discharge amount maintained above the waterline when these points intersect, .

Another important feature of an embodiment of the present invention that distinguishes it from conventional submersibles is its modular configuration that is application-modifiable components and assemblies. This modularity allows for high sphere performance. While most submersibles are pre-configured for special use and dried as a single unit, embodiments of the present invention are designed for multi-use and high volume production with customizable capabilities for each individual submarine.

In one embodiment, the vessel includes one or more main assemblies that are pre-fabricated large sections of the vessel. Main assemblies such as passenger compartments, upper body parts, surface hulls, water engine rooms, side tanks, main internal ballasts, and central frames can be easily replaced, added or removed to repair or change the ship's capabilities. Each main assembly is typically pre-fabricated using pre-attached components. The ship typically comprises at least one passenger compartment, at least one surface hull, at least one main internal ballast, and at least one water engine room.

Other main assembly and many common marine components or submarine components can also be incorporated into the vessel or easily connected to the grid to provide power, air, seawater and / or hydraulic pressure. Since a conventional submersible has a passenger compartment as a main body, each change greatly affects the submersible. Meanwhile, in the present invention, the passenger compartment is only one assembly and is not affected by most changes to the vessel.

Various ship assembly methods are allowed by using the main assembly. In one embodiment, a central framework main assembly is used in which other main assemblies can be mounted on top. The central frame is an I-beam frame or rigid box, which may typically be steel, composite, aluminum or other rigid material, and includes pre-drilled mounting holes or brackets for attachment of other main assemblies and components.

In one embodiment, the rigid reinforcing member may be provided integrally with the main assembly itself. The reinforcing member may comprise steel, composite, aluminum or other rigid material, and pre-perforation mounting holes or brackets for attachment of other main assemblies and components are located in the assembly itself.

In other embodiments, neither the framework nor the reinforcement member is used. Instead, the stiffness and strength are provided by monocoque, i.e., by drying the main assembly using methods known in the art, such as monolithic construction or structural skin. This method is commonly used in automobile or waterboat manufacturing. When using the monolithic drying method, the main assemblies are designed to have sufficient mechanical strength through wrinkles, internal welding or other means that integrate these assemblies into a single chassis, thereby eliminating the need for a body-on-frame .

Other embodiments may use a combination of monolithic and frame body structures. When used to connect main assemblies, these assembly methods are all prepared for the use of assembly lines that have never been used for submarine drying. The ability to change the ship is also greatly improved by using the main assembly and components that can be easily replaced.

Another feature of an embodiment of the present invention is that it includes a pressure-resistant pod, excluding the passenger compartment. Typically, the ship includes a true 1 atmospheric pressure hull passenger compartment that also accommodates control, instrumentation, and passenger comfort elements. However, other components are isolated from the passenger compartment and sealed in their own pressure diving pods.

The passenger compartment has connections to the air grid, which allow the air grid to alternatively function as a peripheral pressure compartment. The vessel can act as a subspecies to depress the diver in the decompression sickness, and an egress collar can be included to assist the diver in the diving. In addition, the ambient pressure mode can be used in emergency situations to provide improved safety by preventing flooding in the passenger compartment. The ability to compensate the passenger compartment with ambient pressure, together with the fact that the hull penetration is only on the lower third of the passenger compartment, ensures that the passenger compartment is not completely filled with seawater even if the hull penetration is broken.

The diving pod is a pressure hull placed outside the passenger compartment or a ballast compartment with an ambient pressure compensated. The battery dummy tube is typically a pressure hull submersible pod and the aeration engine room is typically a submersible pneumatic submersible pod. These submersibles increase the ability of the vessel to change because components are not easily accommodated in the passenger compartment and are more easily replaced. This also reduces the weight required to submerge the submarine by keeping the fixed displacement low and improves water performance. Safety is also improved by isolating potentially hazardous components, such as high-voltage wires or fuel reservoirs, from the passenger compartment.

Embodiments of the present invention, including the ambient pressure air compensation grid, help to prevent deep sea deformation and seawater intrusion of the ambient pressure submersible pods, chambers and ballast chambers.

The ambient pressure air compensation grid includes a peripheral core reader that reads the ambient water pressure at a deep location. The peripheral core readers equalize the pressure in the grid, and the air is distributed to the submarine pods, chambers and components attached to the ambient pressure air compensation grid and to the peripheral core manifolds that are connected through a vent hose or tubing. Due to this air compensation system, these components can be constructed of lightweight materials and have various shapes as long as they have reasonable airtightness. In addition, the system allows for a higher power-to-weight ratio by helping to reduce the ship's fixed displacement and overall weight.

Another advantage offered by the Compressed Air Compensation Grid is that shelf inventory components that are not designed for submarines submerged at high pressure in water can be used for submersibles submerged at this depth. Air compensation for these components eliminates the need for special development or testing and allows any sealed water resistant component to be retrofitted to adhere to the ambient pressure air compensation grid to prevent deformation and / or seawater intrusion. Components, such as, for example, a marine radar dome, can typically be attached to the ambient pressure air compensation grid via a vent hose. This improves the ability of the ship to change and simplifies its design.

An important feature of the present invention is the ability to include surface hulls and achieve high power-to-weight ratios.

Conventional submarines and submersibles use drainage hulls, which have very deep drafts to reduce water visibility and produce large amounts of seawater resistance during aquatic activities. Sea water resistance slows down and increases the energy required for water activity.

Drain hull vessels have limited forwarding speed due to seawater resistance and ship length. A ship of a certain length can not go faster than its hull speed due to the wave action caused by the ship moving forward, and the wave action is determined by the length of the ship. Drainage hull vessels intended to exceed their own hull speed must push the bow wave.

Other forces must be used to achieve speeds higher than the hull speed. The hydrodynamic levitation due to the movement of the ship can be used to exceed the hull speed. The hydrodynamic levitation force is caused by the tendency of the ship to rise forward as the ship moves forward and seawater collects forward of the foreign object. With sufficient thrust from the engine and proper hull design, the ship can obtain a sufficient amount of hydrodynamic buoyant power to climb aboard the waves and waves in the debris. Planing is similar to the skipping of water across a water surface, rather than a stone entering the surface, like a drainage hull. Sliding greatly increases the speed of the ship because the ship is no longer restricted by the hull speed. Seawater resistance is also minimized because more of the ship is floated out of the sea than the drain hull.

The unique ballasting of the present invention can lower the draft. Compensation of the ambient pressure When combined with the weight and space savings of the engine compartment and submersible pod, the submarine can reach a sufficiently high power-to-weight ratio during a water activity to make the slides. The ship includes a sliding surface hull, and thus can maintain high speed during water operation.

One embodiment of the present vessel is the first submarine including a pressure hull and a skid hull. A large amount of horsepower and a large amount of fuel reservoir accommodated in the peripheral pressure compensation water engine room makes this possible. Historically, slides have been considered almost impossible for submarines with pressure hulls. A true submarine has never achieved a significant degree of glide. The sliding ability of the submarine according to the present invention solves the problem of balancing the ability to change and small size, long haul navigation and high speed resistance.

Another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention is a variable displacement fuel system.

Fuel storage is a problem for submarines and submersibles due to many factors. Diesel fuel does not need to be protected from deep pressure by being compressed to a minimum extent, but diesel fuel leaves a gap in the fuel tank as it is used. This gap must be taken into account, otherwise the fuel tank wall will be deformed. All submarines that carry fuel need to compensate for changes in fuel during mission. Therefore, the fuel tank should be compensated for by ambient pressure, or alternatively, it should be dried on the pressure hull.

When the fuel is placed in the pressure hull, the displacement is fixed but the fuel weight will vary as used. The weight compensation should be added to lower the efficiency, but allow the submarine to submerge when the fuel is low. Peripheral pressure compensated fuel tanks provide engineering problems if the air is provided to provide a risk of fire or if the tank is compensated by seawater. Some military submarines used during the Second World War used sea water compensation systems, but they are not very practical and very complicated for non-military vessels. In fact, many conventional submersibles simply do not carry fuel and instead use only batteries for energy storage. As a result, range and navigation capacity are excessively limited.

In some embodiments, the submarine of the present invention utilizes a variable displacement fuel cell capable of carrying more than 500 gallons of fuel reserves on a small ship and having a weight less than the conventional design. The variable displacement fuel cell includes a fuel bag of a flexible material disposed in the main ballast tank or in the free-flooded area inside the vessel. The fuel is removed from the cell by the fuel pump as it is used, thereby reducing the displacement of the fuel cell. As the displacement of the fuel cell is reduced, more seawater enters the ship, resulting in a net result of almost no need for additional weight to obtain neutral buoyancy at the beginning of diving.

A number of compensating weights may be used in the vessel to offset diving with the maximum fuel load. Because diesel fuel has a weight of about 0.5 to 0.7 kg (1 to 1.5 lb) / gallon less than water, the vessel actually has a greater buoyancy due to the greater fuel. This means that the vessel is heavier in water as fuel consumption and sea water replaces that volume. While the actual maximum fuel load may be small in certain models, the submarine is designed to have enough weight to allow diving with a maximum fuel load of more than 500 gallons. To demonstrate the advantages of a variable displacement fuel cell, the compensation weight for a ship sailing in seawater with 525 gallons of diesel fuel is only about 365 kg (804 lb), while at least 1691 kg (3728 lb) of compensating weight is required. This massive reduction in ship weight helps to allow for shallow drafts, which again contribute to the ship's sliding and high-speed performance capability.

1 to 8, a ship according to the present invention can include a central frame 8, and the central frame includes a passenger room 1, a surface hull 42, an upper body part 37, the water engine room 20, the main internal ballast chamber 2, and the side tank 15 can be attached. The side tanks can be further separated into a main outside ballast chamber and a trim ballast chamber (3).

The passenger compartment 1 contains a passenger and a control unit for the operation of the ship. In many embodiments, the passenger compartment 1 is a pressure hull. In an alternative embodiment, the passenger compartment 1 may be a peripheral pressure hull. In another alternative embodiment, the passenger compartment includes a hemispherical head portion 36 as shown in Fig. In some embodiments, the passenger compartment 1 includes an air conditioner 56.

The surface hull 42 serves to separate the passenger compartment 1 from seawater during an aquatic activity and to help the vessel achieve high speed during a water voyage. In many embodiments, the surface hull 42 is a skid hull. In an alternative embodiment, the surface hull 42 is a drain hull. In another alternative embodiment, the surface hull 42 is a surfaced hull 38 as shown in Fig. In some embodiments, the surface hull 42 includes a hull gate 18.

The upper body part 37 surrounds the lower portion of the passenger compartment 1 and extends laterally from both sides of the passenger compartment and extends over the passenger compartment 1 at the rear side. In many embodiments, the upper body part 37 includes a semi-controllable ballast region 9 that can have a semi-controllable ballast one-way flap 41 and a stable tank 4. In some embodiments, the upper body part 37 also includes a jumper 5 (shown as a portion developed in Fig. 5) that can be deployed during diving activities. In some embodiments, the rear deck and side deck areas 16 may be used for additional batteries (in the dive pods 49) or submersibles 49, 50 (in the dive pods 50) have. In certain embodiments, the upper body part 37 may include a spoiler 10. The spoiler 10 may include a tubing 39 that may be used for snorkeling purposes. In an alternative embodiment, a large stabilization tank 48 may be used. In some embodiments, the upper body part may include an inorganic mounting portion 53, a well-shaped space 54, or a manipulator arm 55.

In many embodiments, the water engine room 20 is compensated with ambient pressure by the aid of the peripheral pressure input check valve 45 and the peripheral core reader 22. [ The water engine room 20 mainly accommodates the water engine 31 using the water engine gear portion 32 to operate the external drive portion included in the external drive portion housing 23. [ In many embodiments, the external drive housing 23 is compensated with ambient pressure. An external drive seal 24 can be used to help keep the water engine room 20 in a sealed state where the external drive is located. The water engine 31 draws fuel from the fuel cell 17, which is mainly a variable displacement fuel cell, via the fuel line 30 and the fuel check valve 29. The water engine room (20) typically includes an engine cover (11) for maintaining a sealed condition from the components. In some embodiments, the vessel may include a thruster housed in an aft thruster tube assembly 51 and a bow thruster housed in an alien thruster tube assembly 52.

In many embodiments, the ballast system unique to the present invention includes a main internal ballast chamber 2, a main external ballast chamber 7, a trim ballast chamber 3, and a semi-controllable ballast region 9 . Each main internal ballast chamber 2 is opened to the external environment via the main internal ballast input 43 and is connected to the main external ballast chamber 7 via the pit trap connection 44 and the main ballast valve 27. [ Lt; / RTI > The main internal ballast chamber 2 mainly includes a ballast liner 28. In many embodiments, the main outer ballast chamber 7 is open to the outside environment using the exhaust valve 26 via the ballast exhaust 21. In certain embodiments, a water pump 19 may be used to assist water injection and discharge to the ballast system.

In many embodiments, the vessel includes an electrical system and an air system. The electrical system uses the battery dummy 12, which can be stored in the dive pod, to store power. In many embodiments, the air system includes an oxygen tank 13, an SCBA storage tank 14, an emergency air tank 33, a high pressure compressor 34, and an air grid. The air grid includes a low pressure air delivery line 40, a low pressure air delivery and compensation line 46, a high pressure air delivery line 47 and an air grid check valve 25.

Hereinafter, the main assembly of the ship and other components will be described in detail.

As used herein, the term " peripheral core manifold "refers to a central hub that is maintained at ambient pressure and distributes ambient pressure compensating air to other components of the ship.

As used herein, "peripheral core reader" refers to a device that reads ambient pressure and / or responds to ambient pressure.

In the present specification, the term " peripheral pressure "refers to the pressure of the ship exterior environment at a predetermined time.

As used herein, the term "buoyancy" refers to an upward force acting on a ship in accordance with its general meaning in the art, and is equal to the weight corresponding to the volume of water drained by the ship.

The term "carbon dioxide scrubber " as used herein refers to a device or material used to remove most, if not all, carbon dioxide from air samples consistent with the general meaning in the art.

The term "buoyancy center" of a vessel as used herein refers to the geometric center of buoyancy acting on the vessel in accordance with its general meaning in the art.

The term "center of gravity" of the vessel in this specification refers to the geometric center of the ship mass in accordance with its general meaning in the relevant technical field.

As used herein, the term " component "refers to any device or material that may be suitably included in any submerged, submersible, or waterline.

The term "fully-controllable ballast chamber" as used herein refers to a ballast chamber that is designed to receive pressurized air for certain purposes and has a direct controllable connection to the air grid or a direct controllable connection to the air grid Refers to a ballast chamber that is connected to a ballast chamber and that includes a main internal ballast chamber and any main external ballast chamber but does not include a trim ballast chamber.

As used herein, the term "fuel cell" refers to any container that is reasonably capable of holding fuel.

Referred to herein as a "hydraulic accumulator" refers to an accumulator that holds a fluid and provides fluid to the hydraulic system, but until the pressure of the hydraulic system drops below a predetermined threshold, at which point additional fluid is provided to the hydraulic accumulator, To any container that does not receive the < RTI ID = 0.0 >

The term " hydrostatic lifting force "as used herein refers to the buoyant force of water that pushes the vessel while it is stationary, consistent with its general meaning in the art.

In this specification, the term "main ballast system" refers to both the main internal ballast chamber and the main external ballast chamber.

In this specification, the term "neutral buoyancy" means the same condition as gravity and buoyancy acting on the ship, which means that the ship does not float or sink in water.

As used herein, the term "passenger compartment" refers to components of a ship that will be safely occupied by a passenger during the operation of the vessel.

"Use-changeable" as used herein refers to removal and replacement of removable components, such as by separating component parts from a submarine, for example by attaching other components to a submarine, without having to extensively redesign the vessel And means capable of being altered, arranged or reconfigured for a specific mission or purpose, including those capable of open design.

As used herein, the term " inner harbor "refers to a vessel that is consistent with the general meaning in the art and capable of withstanding harsh conditions such as high winds, large waves and heavy rains in the sea, It means ability.

The term "semi-controllable ballast region" as used herein refers to a region that is at least partially open to the environment when the vessel is submerged and is completely filled with water, and when the vessel is at the surface of the water, Or any ballast chamber of the ship which is freely drained by the ballast chamber.

As used herein, the term "submarine" refers to an autonomous vessel that is capable of advancing and redirecting in water, capable of navigating on the high seas, capable of bearing, capable of burning passengers underwater and capable of safe operation.

As used herein, the term " submersible " refers to a vessel or means of transportation that is capable of safely bringing a passenger down the surface of the water and safely returning the passenger to the surface of the water.

As used herein, the term "water displacement" refers to the volume of water drained by a ship during an aquatic activity, consistent with the general meaning in the art.

As used herein, "water voyage " means consistent with the general meaning in the art and refers to moving and / or diverting during an aquatic activity.

The term "aquatic activity" as used herein refers to when the volume is on the waterline as much as is reasonably possible to have the volume of the vessel in accordance with its general meaning in the relevant technical field. For example, in the case of a typical large submarine, the aquatic activity refers to when the upper hatch is open and a sufficient volume of the vessel is above the waterline so that passengers and / or supplies can be moved in and out.

Herein, the term "waterline" is intended to refer to a general meaning in the art, typically designed for aquatic activities and is typically designed for underwater activities, including speedboats, oil tankers, cruise ships, Including, but not limited to, vessels such as ships.

As used herein, the term " upper body part " refers to the deck area and side area of a ship and encompasses any component that can be attached to the deck area. Also, "upper body part" may encompass any semi-controllable ballast area located on or within the deck area and side area.

In this specification, the term "variable displacement" of a ship refers to the volume of a ship which can safely and reasonably be flooded without any risk to the passengers of the ship.

As used herein, the term " variable displacement fuel cell "refers to a fuel cell whose volume can vary as fuel is used from the cell.

The term "ship" as used herein refers to ships designed for sea or underwater navigation.

In the present specification, the term "a vessel capable of underwater operation" refers to a submarine or submarine.

Ship Overview

Conventional small vessels capable of underwater activities are pre-constructed and dried in a single unit. The passenger compartment is generally the body of the traps, so that any changes to the ship will affect the passenger compartment. All changes must therefore be analyzed for the effect on crucial passenger acceptance.

The vessel of the present invention is designed to be easily reconfigured, thereby enabling mass production. Many pre-fabricated shelf stocks are incorporated into the vessel to provide a modular, useable, and changeable open design. As a result, each vessel produced on-demand can be more suitable for the intended use. The vessels of the present invention can be used for almost all marine related applications such as recreational uses, military uses or industrial uses, for example by oil companies.

In many embodiments, the present invention includes a main assembly, a component grid, and a diving pod.

In many embodiments, the vessel includes a mainframe (8) main assembly including a skeleton of material having a pre-formed rigid attachment point. In certain embodiments, the framework may be made of metal, composite, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the pre-formed rigid attachment point is a bolt-on reinforcing hole. The skeleton may be formed of an I-beam or a box-shaped tube. Different ships may use different skeletal shapes. In one embodiment, the skeleton is in the shape of a rectangular box with a triangular brace if necessary to withstand stress and wave action of the aquatic movement. In certain embodiments, the central frame 8 includes additional structural supports extending downwardly into the keel.

In many embodiments, the passenger compartment 1 is an attachment assembly that is attached to the central frame 8, surface hull 42, or upper body part 37. This minimizes the impact on the passenger compartment 1 of changes to the vessel by providing advantages over conventional small vessels capable of underwater activity. In many cases, this allows the ship to be changed without affecting the passenger compartment 1.

The main assemblies of the vessel of the present invention can be obtained with different designs that can be replaced and selected as desired. In many embodiments, the main assemblies are large vessel sections specially manufactured for drying the vessel of the present invention. The main assemblies may be mounted on each other or, if present, mounted on the center frame 8 on the preset attachment point.

The passenger compartment 1, the upper body part 37, the surface hull 42, the water engine room 20, the side tank 15 and the main inner ballast 2 are present in the main assembly usable in the ship of the present invention . Each of these main assemblies is attached to or attached to the main frame (8) main assembly. One of the advantages of the present invention is that any of the main assemblies can be replaced without substantially affecting the other main assemblies or reinstalling the other assemblies. In this regard, the present invention is a modular submarine. In some embodiments, the vessel includes a sliding speedboat hull to obtain high speed. This surface hull 42 may be replaced with a somewhat slower but more efficient drainage hull used in another embodiment.

The ship includes a passenger compartment (1) for accommodating a passenger and a knob. In many embodiments, the passenger compartment 1 is attached to the central frame 8 main assembly via a series of side rings bolted to predetermined rigid attachment points on the central frame 8, respectively. In another embodiment, the passenger compartment 1 is attached directly to the surface hull main assembly 42, the upper component main assembly 37, or both. In most embodiments, the passenger compartment 1 is the portion that receives the greatest buoyancy of the vessel while the vessel is in the water, so that a large portion of the weight of the vessel is typically suspended in the passenger compartment 1. In some embodiments, the passenger compartment 1 includes an air conditioner 56.

The upper body part 37 surrounds at least most of the lower half of the passenger compartment 1 in many embodiments. The design of the upper body part 37 is variable and may include components such as a resting deck, a mounting space, an inorganic mounting portion 53, a well space 54 and a manipulator arm 55. In many embodiments, the upper body part 37 accommodates a ballast system component including a safety tank 4 and a semi-controllable ballast region.

In many embodiments, the water engine room 20 is on the side of the passenger compartment 1. The water engine room (20) protects the water engine (31) and other parts when the ship deeply submerges in water.

In many embodiments, the surface hull 42 is attached to the lower half of the central frame 8 and to the keel extension. The surface hull 42 makes it possible to function as a regular water tank carrier when the ship is at the surface of the water. The surface hull 42 mainly accommodates the main internal ballast chamber 2. In one embodiment, the fuel cell 17 and / or the air tanks 13, 14, 33 are also contained within the surface hull 42.

The main internal ballast chamber (2) typically includes a series of ballast water compartments. In many embodiments, the ballast water compartment is received within the surface hull 42. The side tanks 15 typically extend on both sides of the surface hull 42. In many embodiments, the side tanks 15 receive the main outer ballast chamber 7 and the trim ballast chamber 3. The side tank 15 may function to add buoyancy to the vessel both when the vessel is at the surface and when submerged in the water.

In many embodiments, the main assembly receives hardware, an air reservoir, an electrical reservoir, a fuel reservoir, and other components that help the vessel function. Many different components can be included in the vessel of the present invention. In many embodiments, the vessel comprises at least one ballast chamber, at least one water engine, at least one fuel cell, at least one alternator, at least one battery, at least one subsurface engine, A thruster, at least one air compressor, at least one air storage tank, and a control for controlling the vessel. In some embodiments, the vessel further comprises an electrical system as well as a hydraulic system for power distribution. Most of the ship components are marine inventory components or standard submarine components. Some parts, such as ballast chambers, are custom made.

In many embodiments, the components of the vessel are arranged into a system connected by a grid. The grid system includes a high pressure air storage grid, an emergency air grid, a low pressure primary air grid, a peripheral pressure air compensation grid, an oxygen grid, a main ballast water grid, a trim ballast water grid, an electric grid, And a fuel grid. Each grid system includes a connector that allows components and component pods to be easily attached to and detached from the vessel. The connector is connected to the component and component pods and allows the ship to be easily repaired and improved.

Every vessel operating underwater must take into account the fact that components can be damaged by deep water pressure or seawater intrusion. In many embodiments of the present invention, the passenger compartment 1 and the aquamarine compartment 20 provide inherent protection primarily for the components that are sealed inside. Other ship components must be capable of or protected from intrinsically deep pressure and seawater, such as air tanks 13, 14, 33 and fuel cell 17.

In many embodiments, direct air compensation is used to protect ship components in deep areas. Internal air pressure is added directly to the compensation to create a pressure difference of almost 0 psi between the inside and the outside of the component. In another embodiment, a diving pod is used to protect the ship components deeply. Diving pods are individual enclosures that counteract external pressures to accommodate components. Peripheral pods connected to the ambient pressure air compensation grid are examples of submersible pods that can be used. Pressure hull pods are another example of a submersible pod that can be used. The pressure hull pods are airtightly installed so that they can withstand the pressure at deep depths in the water through the construction without air compensation. The submersible pod may serve as a replaceable module holding a component pile or a consumable store in various embodiments. Many embodiments include a battery dummy pod that can be replaced with another battery dummy pod by receiving the cascaded batteries and disconnecting them from the electrical grid connection.

In many embodiments, the vessel of the present invention is relatively small in size and is typically less than 15.2 meters (50 feet) in length. In some embodiments, the length of the vessel is less than 35 feet (10.7 m). In another embodiment, the length of the vessel is less than 6.1 m (20 feet). In another embodiment, the length of the vessel is less than 3 meters (10 feet).

In many embodiments, the width of the vessel is less than 6.1 m (20 feet). In another embodiment, the width of the vessel is less than 3 meters (10 feet).

In many embodiments, the height of the vessel is less than 3 meters (10 feet). In another embodiment, the height of the vessel is less than 1.8 m (6 feet).

In many embodiments, the vessel has a dry weight of between about 1.1 tonnes (2500 pounds) and about 27 tonnes (60,000 pounds). In another embodiment, the vessel has a dry weight of between about 1.1 ton (2,500 pounds) and about 13.6 ton (30,000 pounds). In yet another embodiment, the vessel has a dry weight of between about 1.1 ton (2,500 pounds) and about 6.8 ton (15,000 pounds).

Passenger room

Passenger rooms in submarines range from those that provide a place to sit while being exposed to seawater to those that envelop the passengers in a protective 1 atmosphere drying environment. As the vessel submerges in water, the surrounding pressure of the seawater rises and begins to pressurize the vessel. To counteract this, the passenger compartment can be kept close to the ambient pressure of the seawater, or the passenger compartment can be made strong enough to sustain seawater pressure in the deep.

The ship can maintain the ambient pressure by allowing the ballast chambers to be filled with seawater. The wet hull submarine fills the passenger compartment with seawater. These submarines are virtually useless because of the risk of exposure to seawater in deep passengers. The cold climate and high pressure prevent the wet hull submarine from submerging too deep into the water. Also, oxygen should be delivered directly to passengers instead of being delivered directly to the passenger compartment.

The ship may maintain the ambient pressure by using compressed gas in the ship ballast chamber. One way to use this type of passenger compartment is to form an opening at or near the bottom of the passenger compartment. As the ship deeply submerges in water, water enters through the openings and air is forced above the passenger compartment.

The surrounding pressure dry hull is a type of passenger compartment that maintains the ambient pressure from deep. The passenger compartment is sealed in a dry interior and a gauge is used to determine the ambient pressure of the seawater. Air is provided to the drying chamber until the pressure equals the pressure of the external seawater. A check valve is used to discharge the air as the ship floats to the surface and the ambient pressure decreases. Since the pressure inside and outside the passenger compartment remains almost the same, any shape and reasonable airtightness can be used. The ambient pressure dry hull is limited in depth by the amount of air that these hulls can carry and the battery power reserve. These dry hulls also have intrinsic limitations that must be taken slowly when returning to the surface of the water to dive deeply to avoid embolism or decompression of passengers.

The pressure hull is constructed of a strong material and has a proper shape to support a large force without pressure. The inside of the pressure hull remains at 1 atmospheric pressure. Pressure hulls are generally cylindrical or spherical, and the drying and drying costs of vessels using pressure hulls are typically higher than those of vessels using other types of passenger compartments.

The present invention has a passenger compartment (1) that accommodates a passenger use control unit and provides space for passengers to occupy during diving. The passenger compartment 1 optionally manages other supplies such as a screw-bar material and a pure oxygen bottle.

In one embodiment of the present invention the passenger compartment 1 is elongated along the top of the vessel and comprises a series of rigid attachments 8 on the central frame 8, surface hull 42, upper body 37 assembly, Lt; / RTI > The passenger compartment 1 may be mounted at different locations so that it can be moved up, down, forward or backward in different embodiments. This allows additional control over the capacity of the shipments beyond the capacity obtained by side tank or surface hull installation. These changes can be used to provide some stability to the vessel, both on the surface and submerged in water. To achieve this, the height of the passenger compartment 1 can be adjusted to either strengthen or loosen the vessel by moving the center of gravity of the vessel or the buoyancy center of the vessel as desired.

In many embodiments of the vessel, the passenger compartment 1 is mounted to the other assembly by a series of bands on the exterior of the passenger compartment 1. [ In one embodiment, the band is a composite material such as carbon fiber. In an alternative embodiment, the band is a composite material such as carbon fiber. In another alternative embodiment, some bands are metal and the other band is composite.

In many embodiments, the passenger compartment 1 occupies the largest portion of the ship's fixed displacement. The passenger compartment 1 comprises about 40% to about 60% of the total volume of the docking stationary displacement of the ship. In one embodiment, about 50% of the total volume of the dive fixed displacement of the vessel is provided to the passenger compartment 1.

In various embodiments of the present invention, the passenger compartment 1 is located in front of the aquatic engine room 20. This forward position helps to offset the buoyancy of the water engine room during diving in order to maintain the balance stability of the vessel. The volume of seawater drained by the water engine room 20 during diving is considerable with respect to the total volume of the fixed displacement of the passenger compartment 1. In one embodiment, the total volume of seawater drained by the water engine room 20 during diving is about 75% of the total volume of fixed displacement of the passenger compartment 1.

Any suitable type of passenger compartment may be used in the vessel of the present invention. In one embodiment, a wet hull is used. In another embodiment, a peripheral pressure dry hull is used. In another embodiment, a pressure hull is used so that the hull is configured to maintain a pressure of 1 atmospheres within the hull while the vessel is deeply submerged in water. Unlike conventional pressure hull submarines, in many embodiments, It is not the main body. Instead, the pressure hull is a component or module that is attached to the central frame 8 or other assembly, thereby permitting a greater degree of adaptation when changing positions relative to other components of the ship.

The vessel's pressure hull passenger compartment may have any suitable size and shape well known to those skilled in the art. In one embodiment, the pressure hull is spherical. In another embodiment, the pressure hull is formed as a cylindrical body with a curved end.

In many embodiments, the pressure vessel passenger compartment is formed as a cylinder having a hemispherical end. In some embodiments, the outer diameter may range from about 1 m (3 ft) to about 3 m (10 ft). In one embodiment, the outer diameter of the pressure hull is about 1.2 meters (4 feet). In some embodiments, the length of the pressure hull can range from about 1.8 m (6 ft) to about 7.3 m (24 ft). In some embodiments, the length of the pressure hull is in the range of about 3.6 m (12 feet) to about 5.5 m (18 feet). The pressure hull of the ship is expandable, and since larger or smaller ship hulls are constructed, the pressure hull can be increased or decreased.

The pressure hull passenger compartment may be constructed of steel, aluminum, titanium, carbon fiber, acrylic resin, or any other strong material known to be capable of supporting the compressive force of water deep, or any combination of these materials. In some embodiments, the pressure hull includes an observation window made of a transparent material. In many embodiments, the viewing window is comprised of acrylic. In one embodiment, one hemispherical end of the pressure hull is made of acrylic. In another embodiment, both hemispherical ends of the pressure hull are made of acrylic. In an alternative embodiment, some or all of the cylinders of the pressure hull are made of acrylic. In another embodiment, the entire pressure hull is comprised of acrylic.

In some embodiments of the invention, the pressure vessel passenger compartment is separated into subsections that are coupled to each other using a collar. In one embodiment, a series of acrylic cylinders are connected to each other with a circular I-beam made of metal or carbon fiber with an O-ring gasket disposed to provide a hermetic seal to the joint portion. The bands used to connect the pressure hull passenger compartment to the center frame assembly are located on the collar.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the pressure hull passenger compartment uses an internal skeletal structure. In one embodiment, the pressure hull comprises a series of upright reinforcing rings made of circular I-beams and longitudinal support beams made of metal or carbon fibers. The pressure hull is covered with metal and acrylic sections.

In many embodiments, the pressure hull passenger compartment has a maximum active depth of at least 15.2 meters (50 feet). In some embodiments, the pressure hull passenger compartment has a maximum active depth of at least 61 meters (200 feet). In another embodiment, the pressure vessel passenger compartment has a maximum active depth of at least 182 meters (600 feet). In another embodiment, the pressure hull passenger compartment has a maximum active depth of at least 366 meters (1200 feet). In another embodiment, the pressure vessel passenger compartment has a maximum active depth of at least 457 meters (1500 feet).

In many embodiments, the passenger compartment 1 includes a passenger access door. The hatch may have a locking mechanism. Any suitable hatch and hatch-locking mechanism may be used. In one embodiment, the hatch is hydraulically operated.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the passenger compartment 1 includes therein a metal frame which is used for mounting the internal components of the passenger compartment 1. The frame includes a mounting point and a conduit for controlling the knob, instrument devices, a knob and passenger seat, and other internal components. In one embodiment, the steering wheel seat and the control panel are located in front of the passenger compartment 1.

In one embodiment, the passenger compartment 1 comprises an interior in the form of a luxury car. In some embodiments, the inside of the passenger compartment 1 also includes a sanitary facility for use for toilet purposes. The passenger compartment 1 may also include an oxygen tank and a carbon dioxide scrubber material.

The passenger compartment 1 is connected to another system of the ship via the hull penetration. In some embodiments, the hull penetration is located in the lower 1/3 point of the passenger compartment 1. Standard submarine hull-through connectors generally known in the art are used in electrical, hydraulic and air connectors. The passenger compartment 1 is powered from the electrical system of the ship through an electrical connector. The passenger compartment 1 is connected to the vessel's oxygen grid. The passenger compartment 1 is also connected to an air grid for the introduction of pressurized air. The pressure grid allows compensation pressure and can function as another life support. In one embodiment, passenger compartment 1 is connected to a low pressure primary air grid.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the passenger compartment 1 is climate controlled via an internal air conditioning system.

In some embodiments, the passenger compartment 1 includes a dormant relief valve that can be opened to the outside environment. In one embodiment, the dormant relief valve is located at the bottom of the passenger compartment 1 adjacent the seat of the keyway and is open to the free flood zone of the upper body part 37. [ The dormant relief valve will normally be open while the vessel is working on the water surface and will normally be closed during diving. The valve can be opened during diving in certain emergency situations or during certain normal situations when the passenger compartment 1 is operating as a peripheral hull. In one embodiment, the valve outlet is located beneath the bottom of the passenger compartment 1 within the surface hull 42 region. A dormant relief valve may be used to mitigate the partial vacuum created in the sealed passenger compartment to ensure that the hatch can be opened easily. The dormant relief valve may serve as a drain for condensate that may accumulate in the passenger compartment 1 from an air conditioning system or other source. In addition, the dormant relief valve allows the hatch to be closed without a complete seal while the vessel is operating at the surface of the water. Finally, the dormant relief valve may allow air from the air grid, such as a low pressure primary air grid or a high pressure air storage grid, to be introduced into the passenger compartment 1 during diving for a given ambient pressure operation have.

In some embodiments, the ability of the passenger compartment to maintain a pressurized condition from a low pressure primary air grid or a high pressure air storage grid may be combined with a dormant relief valve to allow for different life support modes and ambient pressure operation of the vessel. When the ship is submerged, a semi-closed or open-circuit breathing system at ambient pressure or 1 atmosphere may be used. In the event of water intrusion due to hull penetration or other hull failure, maintaining the ambient pressurized condition can slow the leak and prevent the water from rising from the inside of the passenger compartment (1) above the penetration height. The vessel may also be used to depress the diver undergoing decompression sickness. This is accomplished by moving the diver to the passenger compartment of the pressure vessel and moving the vessel to the appropriate depth in the water where the passenger compartment is pressurized by ambient pressure. The vessel is then floated over an appropriate period of time for adequate decompression.

In one embodiment, the passenger compartment 1 is designed for use similar to a submerged species. The passenger compartment includes a hatch disposed at a lower portion of the passenger compartment.

In many embodiments of the present invention, a ballast exhaust valve 26 is located within the pressure hull passenger compartment. Whereby the ballast exhaust valve 26 can be closed by hand in the event of a hydraulic failure while emptying the ballast.

In many embodiments, all electrical circuits of high amperage and all other system components that may jeopardize the safety of the passenger may be located outside the passenger compartment 1 or may be isolated so as to be external to the passenger compartment 1.

In one embodiment, the passenger compartment 1 includes a bilge pump which can be used to pump all the seawater inside the passenger compartment while at the surface of the water. The seawater is pumped out by opening the bilge circuit and the valve that is closed during normal times to protect the passenger compartment (1) from pressure or seawater intrusion during diving.

In one embodiment of the invention, an armor may be added to the outside of the passenger compartment to provide improved protection against bullets or other weaponry. In most embodiments, the pressure hull passenger compartment is already resistant to small arms launches due to its medium configuration and shape.

Many embodiments of the passenger compartment 1 described herein provide advantages over existing boats and submarines in safety. Properly constructed pressure hull passenger compartments provide more protection to passengers from wave action while the vessel is at the surface of the water. The passenger compartment 1 can be fully sealed while on the surface of the water and is made safer even in bad weather by allowing the use of an existing life-saving system. These life-saving systems also provide additional safety even when the ship sinks. When seawater enters the passenger compartment 1 due to a partial failure of the hull penetration part, the penetration can be located in the lower 1/3 of the passenger compartment 1, so that it is sufficient for the passenger to survive until re- Air bubbles may be present in the passenger compartment 1. In addition, the passenger compartment 1 typically does not come into contact with seawater while the vessel is on the surface of the water, thereby helping to prevent flooding due to wave action while the hatch is open.

Surface hull

Conventional small ships capable of underwater activities have very little or no ability to navigate water. Conventional small ships rely on buses or barges to transport these ships to diving areas. These conventional small vessels using pressure hulls usually have a very deep draft when they are at the surface of the water. Generally, only the hatch and the upper deck protrude above the water surface. Water voyages are virtually nonexistent due to deep drafts and lack of sufficient power. Deep drafts while at the surface of the water reduce the clock on the seawater and cause a tremendous amount of seawater resistance, causing the ship to lose speed and requiring a large amount of energy for forward movement. The vessel of the present invention is the first vessel having a comparatively small size capable of underwater activity and capable of fully active water navigation.

The present invention includes a surface hull (42) in which the ship is in contact with seawater during an aquatic activity. The surface hull 42 provides a significant amount of drainage while at the surface of the water, thereby providing a shallow draft to the ship, as is common with conventional ships. In many embodiments, the surface hull 42 is mounted on the lower half of the center solo 8. In another embodiment, the surface hull 42 is directly connected to the passenger compartment 1, upper body part 37 or both.

In various embodiments of the present invention, the surface hull 42 includes a main internal ballast assembly 2 and may contain vessel components such as air tanks 13, 14, 33 or fuel cells 17. In some embodiments, the surface hull 42 accommodates additional loads or cargo. In many embodiments, the surface hull 42 surrounds the water engine chamber assembly 20.

In some embodiments, the surface hull 42 has a series of hull gates 18 that are opened such that the amount of drainage produced by the surface hull can be reduced if the knob is desired.

The use of the surface hull 42 helps to produce a significant amount of drainage while the vessel is at the surface of the water. This provides a lifting force and allows the ship to have a very shallow draft like a regular waterboat. In addition, the surface hull 42 is a first line that protects the ship from sinking, having several characteristics similar to the double hull airstream.

In many embodiments, the surface hull 42 protects the components inside the ship from the most reasonable aquatic hazards while the vessel is at the surface of the water. In some embodiments, the surface hull 42 may be provided with additional mounts or cargo.

Any existing watercraft hull design can be used as the surface hull 42 of the present invention. Various hull forms can change the overall water buoyancy, water floatability, water velocity, endurance performance, safety and fuel efficiency. Any suitable material or materials can be used to construct the surface hull, including aluminum, glass fibers, and composites.

Conventional ships capable of aquatic activities generally use drainage hulls. In addition, many watercourses use the form of a drain hull. The drainage hull drains the seawater as the ship moves. Drainage hulls require a relatively low power-to-weight ratio and provide high fuel economy.

In some embodiments, a drain hull is used as the surface hull 42. Any existing drain hull can be used. In certain embodiments of the invention, drain hulls with sharp foreign bodies, substantially curved bottoms and bottoms, and very shallow drafts are used. Examples of drainage hulls that may be used include standard ship hulls, hull formations and hull form hulls. In one embodiment, a minimum repair area SWATH drain hull is used.

Embodiments using a drain hull as the surface hull 42 may include a smaller water engine 31 and a smaller water engine room 20 due to low horsepower requirements.

Drain hull vessels are limited in their speed of forwarding by sea water resistance and ship length. A ship of a certain length can not go faster than its hull speed due to the wave action caused by the ship moving forward, and the wave action is determined by the length of the ship. Drainage hull vessels intended to exceed their own hull speed must push the bow wave.

Other forces must be used to achieve speeds higher than the hull speed. The hydrodynamic levitation due to the movement of the ship can be used to exceed the hull speed. The hydrodynamic levitation force is caused by the tendency of the ship to rise forward when the seawater is collected forward in the direction of the forward movement of the ship. With sufficient thrust from the engine and proper hull design, the ship can obtain a sufficient amount of hydrodynamic buoyant power to climb aboard the waves and waves in the debris. Sliding is similar to watering the water, as the drain hull does not penetrate the water through the surface. Sliding greatly increases the speed of the ship because the ship is no longer restricted by the hull speed. Seawater resistance is also minimized because more of the ship is floated out of the sea than the drain hull.

The sliding hull allows the ship to achieve much faster speeds while lowering its loading capacity and fuel efficiency.

In many embodiments, a sliding hull is used as the surface hull 42. [ Any existing hull can be used. In certain embodiments of the present invention, a flat hull, having a substantially flat bottom, curved foreign objects, and a flat crossbar is used. Such a sliding hull requires a high power-to-weight ratio to obtain a glide through hydrodynamic levitation. In many embodiments, the vessel is capable of carrying out high speed water activities well beyond 32 km (20 miles) per hour. In some embodiments, the vessel can achieve a speed of at least 48 km (30 miles) during an aquatic activity. In another embodiment, the vessel is capable of achieving a speed of at least 40 miles per hour during an aquatic activity. In another embodiment, the vessel is capable of achieving a speed of at least 96 km (60 miles) per hour during aquatic activity.

Ordinary small vessels capable of underwater action are misaligned, too heavy, too large, too low in seawater when floated, and / or have too little power to obtain any significant amount of hydrodynamic levy while on the surface . The present invention is the first ship that can use a sliding hull and incorporates a pressure hull for underwater activity.

Ballast system

The ship of the present invention has a ballast system that can operate both when it is submerged and when it is at the surface of the water. The ballast system includes a main ballast system, a trim ballast system, and a semi-controllable ballast region that can be partially controlled when the vessel is at the surface of the water.

Main ballast system

Typically, the main ballast system is used in normal conditions to allow the ship to float above the waterline and to be submerged and to obtain a neutral near-buoyant force in water, a fully-removable ballast chamber or a staged System. The main ballast system includes at least one, preferably a plurality of hull gates 18 disposed on the bottom surface of the vessel. The hull gates 18 are openings that can be opened to allow seawater to enter and exit the system and watertight to seal the system to prevent seawater from entering. The seawater flows through the hull gate 18 due to the effects of gravity or air pressure. The vessel may optionally include a pump 19 or pump system to accelerate the flow of seawater through the hull gate 18. Such pump or pump systems are well known to those skilled in the art.

In many embodiments of the present invention, each hull gate 18 is connected to the main internal ballast 2 via a pump. The main inner ballast 2 is located entirely within the surface hull 42 of the ship and includes at least one ballast chamber. In one embodiment, the main internal ballast 2 comprises four ballast chambers, two of which are arranged forwardly and two of which are rearwardly filled at the same time under normal conditions. The ballast chamber is separated by the sidewall within the main inner ballast region and sealed by the ballast liner (28). The ballast liner 28 provides a hermetic seal and can be made of a durable plastic material. Each main internal ballast chamber is connected by an airtight connection to the emergency air grid, which is the passage through which air can be introduced into the ballast chamber. In one embodiment, each main inner ballast chamber is sealed only on its top and sides and its bottom is a free flooded semi-controllable And is opened to the ballast region. In an alternative embodiment, each main internal ballast chamber is completely sealed at its bottom and filled through its own hull gate 18 or a plurality of hull gates 18. A pump 19 may optionally be used to accelerate filling of the ballast chamber with seawater.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the main internal ballast chamber provides space for the placement of modular system components that can be added or removed depending on the desired vessel configuration. These components are pierced by airtight connectors to connect the components to a high pressure air storage grid, a low pressure primary air grid, an emergency air grid, an ambient air compres- sion grid, an electrical, hydraulic, and / or fuel grid. In one embodiment, the air storage tanks 13, 14, 33 are located in the main internal ballast chamber. Additional modular components in other embodiments may include battery dummy pods, fuel cells 17, or any other component that can be pressure compensated or sealed to the dive pod, or implicitly watertight and pressure resistant have.

In many of the embodiments of the present invention, each main inner ballast chamber is connected to a corresponding main outer ballast chamber 7 via a trap 44. Each of the pit traps 44 includes a connecting piping which exits from the top of the main internal ballast chamber and is bent upwardly through the main ballast valve 27 and downward into the bottom of the main external ballast chamber 7. [ Because the main internal ballast chamber must be completely filled before the internal seawater flows over the main external ballast chamber 7, the trap 44 forces the ballast to operate continuously.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the primary outer ballast includes two outer side tanks 15 located in the port and starboard, each of which is separated into a front and a back chamber. The main outer ballast chamber (7) is completely sealed on all sides. The main outer ballast chamber 7 is preferably essentially watertight and hermetic, but can be closed with a plastic ballast liner 28 for hermetic sealing. In some embodiments, the side tanks 15 may be attached to the vessel using only bolts to facilitate replacement capability. The size, material, size and exact position of the side tanks 15 may vary depending on the configuration of the vessel.

Each primary outer ballast chamber 7 is connected to an exhaust valve 26 which exits the tank through an exhaust port 21 which allows the tank to exhaust air when the system is filled with seawater. In some embodiments, an exhaust fan may be included inside the exhaust port 21 to accelerate the exhaust of air from the system. Each primary outer ballast chamber 7 is further connected to air grids via a hermetic connection through which pressure compensated air may be introduced into or discharged from the outer ballast chamber or pressurized air may be pumped out of the tank Can be added. Optionally, a bilge pump or a plurality of pumps may be included at the bottom of the main outer ballast chamber 7 to further remove seawater as needed.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the side tank 15 can be configured as a pressure vessel that can sustain pressure and does not require pressure compensation.

In another alternative embodiment of the present invention, there are no connections between the main inside and main outside ballast chambers 7. Instead, each ballast chamber is filled through its own hull gate 18 and emptied through its own exhaust valve 26.

In another alternative embodiment, there is no external ballast chamber 7. Only internal ballast, which can be designed to be flooded in sequence or simultaneously, is used.

In another alternative embodiment, a watertight and airtight box or airbag may be used in the inner or outer ballast chamber.

When embodiments of the present invention are active at the surface, the main ballast system is completely or substantially free of seawater and is sealed against seawater intrusion. The hull gates 18 generally remain closed and all ballast system valves remain closed. No air or seawater enters or leaves the system. However, the main ballast system can be used to adjust the equilibrium state of the ship by adding a small amount of seawater through the hull gate 18 as needed.

In one embodiment of the invention, a preliminary dive check must be performed prior to submerging the ship down over the surface of the water. During the preliminary diving inspection, the hull gate 18 is opened but the exhaust valve 26 and the main ballast valve 27 remain closed. Seawater enters the main ballast chamber by gravity, but seawater can not fill the main ballast chamber because the air is compressed internally until the seawater enters the main ballast chamber due to the force exerted by the air pressure.

In one embodiment of the present invention, during the normal dive process in which the vessel transitions from aquatic activities to diving activities, the main ballast system is submerged in order. Both the main ballast valve 27 and the exhaust valve 26 are opened so that the air can be discharged from the ballast system while the hull gate 18 remains open so that seawater can enter the ballast system. In an alternative embodiment, the vessel may include a pump and / or an exhaust fan to accelerate the process by introducing seawater into the pump or venting the exhaust to the exhaust fan. The seawater enters the internal ballast chamber via the hull gate 18 (and, if present, through the pump system). As the main internal ballast chamber is filled, the air is introduced into the main external ballast chamber 7 through the trap 44 and the opened main ballast valve 27 and through the exhaust valve 26 and the exhaust port 21, And is discharged outside. Once the main inner ballast chamber is completely filled with seawater and the air is emptied, the seawater flows into the bottom of the main outer ballast chamber 7 through the main ballast valve 27, through the arc of each of the breech traps 44. The main outer ballast chamber (7) continues to fill until the ship submerges and reaches neutral near buoyancy. The main ballast valve 27 and the exhaust valve 26 are closed to capture a volume of air fixed in the main outer ballast chamber 7 within a point where neutral proximity buoyancy is obtained. Alternatively, in embodiments in which the inner and outer ballast chambers are not connected, the ballast is submerged stepwise by timed opening of the hull gate 18 and exhaust valve. The hull gate 18 and the exhaust valve 26 of the main internal ballast chamber are first opened to completely fill the main inner ballast. Thereafter, the outer ballast chambers are opened and filled and then closed until a neutral proximity buoyancy is obtained.

In some embodiments, while the vessel is submerged in water, the hull gates 18 remain open to seawater. Even in a part of this embodiment, the pump system and the exhaust fan do not operate. The main internal ballast chamber remains fully filled. The main ballast valve 27 is kept closed and the seawater-to-air ratio within the main external ballast chamber 7 remains constant as long as the pusher operating the vessel does not intentionally alter it. As the ship submerges and the ambient pressure of the outside rises, air is added into the main external ballast chamber 7 through the air grid connection as necessary to compensate the pressure of the main outside ballast chamber. The ambient pressure compensation maintains the structural integrity of these components deeply. Although the air is added as the depth increases, the volume of air present in the ballast chamber due to compression does not change. Since the main internal ballast (2) is completely filled with seawater, no pressure compensation is required at all.

In various embodiments of the invention, during the normal flotation process, contrary to the dive process, seawater is emptied from the system and air is added to the system. The hull gate 18 remains open so that seawater can exit the system. The main ballast valve 27 in the trap 44 is opened. Air is injected into the main outer ballast chamber 7 via the air grid system connector, thereby pushing the seawater into the main inner ballast 2 via the pit trap 44. The seawater entering the main inner ballast (2) from the main outer ballast chamber (7) again pushes the seawater out of the main inner ballast through the hull gate (18). After the ballast water has been completely discharged from the main outer ballast and is filled with air, the air discharges the seawater from the trap 44 and the main inner ballast water begins to drain through the hull gate 18. In some embodiments, a pump is used to assist in the release of seawater from the system. Once the ballast water is substantially discharged and filled with air in the main internal ballast 2, the hull gate 18 is closed. All remaining seawater is pumped out. Once the seawater is completely drained in the main ballast system, the main ballast valve 27 and the exhaust valve 26 are closed and the system is again closed against the environment.

Trim ballast system

The main ballast system may be supplemented by a trim ballast system including a series of small ballast chambers used to control the posture or trim of the vessel. In many embodiments of the present invention, two forward trim ballast chambers (3) are located in front of the main outer ballast chamber (7) inside each side tank (15). The two trim ballast system rooms are located on the ship's upper body part (37) towards the hull, one at the port and one at the starboard. In one embodiment, at least two trim ballast chambers 3 are located in each side tank 15. In many embodiments, the trim ballast chamber includes a stabilization tank (4). The size and material of the stabilization tank 4 may vary depending on the configuration of the ship. If a heavy load is expected to be shipped on top of the vessel, a large stabilization tank (4) may be used to add stabilization during the diving process. As the load increases, a larger stabilization tank 48 may be used.

In many embodiments, the stabilization tank 4 assists in the stabilization of the vessel when switching from a water surface to a diving state. When the ship sinks and the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy become equal, the stabilization tank 4 remains just above the waterline. When the vessel is about to roll, the stabilization tank (4) at the bottom of the vessel enters the seawater and stabilizes the ship by providing additional displacement to prevent rollover.

In various embodiments of the present invention, the trim ballast system room 3 is configured to be watertight and airtight. In an alternative embodiment, the trim ballast system room 3 may be closed with a durable plastic ballast liner 28 to provide a hermetic seal.

In one embodiment of the invention, each trim ballast tank is connected to a valve system and a pump (a plurality of pumps) that draw seawater from the semi-controllable ballast region 9. Seawater can be added to or removed from each ballast chamber as desired by the pump system. Each trim ballast chamber (3) is further connected to an air grid via a hermetic connection, through which air can be pressure-compensated through the air grid or introduced into or discharged from the ballast chamber as required to discharge seawater from the ballast chamber .

In various embodiments of the present invention, while the vessel is submerged, the trim ballast system may be used to obtain an absolute balance trim and neutral buoyancy after the main ballast system has been used to reach neutral proximity buoyancy. While the vessel is fully submerged, the trim ballast system room (3) changes the internal weight-to-air volume ratio as necessary by adding or subtracting seawater from the pump or by adding or subtracting air from the air grid. This process is controlled to adjust the ship's absolute balance and neutral buoyancy to the desired level by the vessel's steering wheel. Each trim ballast chamber 3 operates independently of the others to allow full control of the balance state. As the ship submerges and the outer peripheral pressure increases, air is supplied to the trim ballast chamber 3 as necessary to compensate the pressure in the trim ballast chamber through the air grid connection.

In alternative embodiments of the vessel, the trim ballast tanks may be configured as pressure vessels that do not require pressure compensation.

Semi-controllable ballast region

In certain embodiments of the present invention, the vessel is provided with at least one additional semi-controllable ballast region (9) that remains substantially dry while the vessel is active on the water surface and is completely submerged in the seawater when the vessel is submerged in water . Since these ballast zones are open to the environment, they maintain the ambient pressure deep. In many embodiments, the semi-controllable ballast region has no seawater in at least 60% of the total while the vessel is active on the surface. Preferably, at least 65% of the total during the aquatic activity is free of seawater. More preferably, at least 70% of the total during the aquatic activity is free of seawater. Even more preferably, at least 75% of the total during the aquatic activity is free of seawater.

In one embodiment, the semi-controllable ballast region 9 surrounds the aquatic engine room 20. In one embodiment, the semi-controllable ballast region is filled and drained to a hull gate 18 located in the main inner ballast chamber via the connection. In an alternative embodiment, the semi-controllable ballast region is filled or emptied via its hull gate or plurality of gates 18. [ Alternatively, the semi-controllable ballast region may comprise a pump or a plurality of pumps 19 to aid filling and draining. In one embodiment, the semi-controllable ballast region 9 surrounding the aquamental engine room 20 discharges seawater via one lower flapper valve when the vessel is floating after diving. In various embodiments including the pump 19, the pump 19 is used to help accelerate the introduction and discharge of seawater.

In one embodiment, a semi-controllable ballast region 9, such as a semi-controllable ballast free area, is located in the upper body part 37 of the hull. In many embodiments of the present invention, the freeboard area is substantially enveloped by all sides except the bottom (which opens to the semi-controllable ballast area surrounding the aquamarine engine room), so that a significant amount of seawater enters the area ≪ / RTI > A one-way drain from the bottom of the freeboard area allows seawater to be discharged during the ascent or storm, but only a small amount of seawater can enter the ship during aquatic activities. The one-way water pipe is located above the waterline during normal water activities. When the ship submerged into the water, the freeboard region is completely submerged through the connection to the lower semi-controllable ballast region 9 surrounding the water engine room 20, and the air is fed through the one-way flapper valve 41, . When the ship is at the surface, the freeboard area provides freeboard drainage. As the ship ascends, the freeboard area rises above the waterline and the seawater exits through the drain and hull gates through the connection to the lower semi-controllable ballast area when the ship is floating after diving.

In alternative embodiments, the freeboard area may use a decking with a small gap at the top to allow air to escape during diving instead of using a one-way flapper valve.

Additional ballast system features

The amount of ballast used in a vessel may vary depending on the embodiment and will depend on a number of factors including the total weight to be included in the vessel. In many embodiments, the combined volume of all fully-controllable ballast chambers of the vessel is between about 125% and about 315% of the total fixed displacement volume of the vessel passenger compartment. In one embodiment, the combined volume of all fully-controllable ballast chambers is approximately 200% of the total fixed displacement volume of the passenger compartment 1. Also, in many embodiments, the combined volume of all fully-controllable ballast chambers of the vessel should be between about 75% and about 125% of the total water displacement volume of the vessel. In one embodiment, the combined volume of all fully-controllable ballast chambers is approximately 100% of the total water displacement volume.

The ballast system of the present invention requires only air pressure and gravity to substantially fill and discharge the ballast system with seawater. If an embodiment includes a pump and / or exhaust fan, the ballast system continues to operate even if the pump and / or exhaust fan fails. When the ship is at the surface of the water, the air pockets captured by the main ballast system protect the ship to some extent. Even when the hull gate 18 is stopped in a fixed state or the surface hull 42 is ruptured, the ship will not sink unless air is trapped inside the ballast chamber. The seawater can only enter through the ruptured hull gates 18 or the surface hull 42 in an amount sufficient to pressurize the air inside the ballast chamber. Once the air pressure inside the ballast chamber equals the force of the water pushing it, the ship is stabilized and remains on the surface of the water.

The ballast system also allows the ship to self-correct even when the ship is flipped over from the surface. Even if the ship is upside down on the surface of the water, the vessel 's steering wheel can start the diving process. The ballast system is inundated by inverting the inlet so that the seawater enters the main outer ballast chamber (7), and the main inner ballast is submerged by the air escaping from the hull gate (18). Once the vessel is submerged, the center of gravity of the vessel is above the center of the buoyancy, so that the vessel itself reverses and returns to normal diving operation. Then, the kicker starts the flotation process and returns to the surface in the appropriate direction.

The compartmentalization of the ballast system allows the ship to return to the water even if it is destroyed. Each compartment can be independently filled with air, and only a fraction of the total buoyancy is needed for injuries. In many embodiments, even if the passenger compartment 1 is broken and filled with seawater, the reserve buoyancy in the main ballast system is sufficient to float the vessel to the surface if there is sufficient air to achieve positive buoyancy at depth .

Although the main internal ballast chamber is normally completely filled with seawater when the vessel is submerged, air can flow through the emergency air grid to the main internal ballast, without the aid of an air grid, such as a low pressure primary air grid or a high pressure air storage grid, Thereby forming a preliminary buoyancy supply source. In many embodiments, the trap 44 prevents air from escaping from the main inner ballast 2, even if the valve fails or the connected main outer ballast chamber 7 is broken. The pit trap 44 design is passive and valve independent, and the emergency air grid replaces the low pressure primary air grid when a low pressure primary air grid is provided. In embodiments without a low pressure air grid, the emergency air grid replaces the high pressure air storage grid. Thus, even if both the electric, hydraulic, and low-pressure primary air (high-pressure air storage) grid fail, it does not affect the ability of the pusher to activate reserve buoyancy to float the vessel to the surface. In some embodiments, a reserve lift greater than 12,000 lbs., Equivalent to approximately one-half of the total variable buoyancy of these marine embodiments, can be activated by filling the main internal ballast chamber with air. This buoyancy is far enough to lift the ship to the surface.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the vessel comprises an emergency drop weight. If the air filling capacity of any primary ballast chamber is lost while the vessel is submerged, the emergency drop-off weight may drop in order to float the vessel to the surface based on the fixed displacement. Thus, in the case of an embodiment comprising a drop weight, the weight of the emergency drop weight should be such that the weight of the vessel at the falling emergency drop is less than the total weight of the seawater drained by a volume of fixed displacement. In addition, the weight of the emergency drop weight shall be such that the total ship weight at the time of attachment of the emergency drop weight is greater than the total weight of the seawater drained by a volume of fixed displacement.

The vessel of the present invention provides a significantly variable displacement compared to a conventional waterline or a conventional vessel capable of underwater activity. This remarkable variable displacement is important in allowing the ship of the present invention to have the diving and underwater activity capability of a conventional submarine and the strong endurance capability of a conventional watercraft. This large proportion of variable displacement also allows for a high degree of changeability, since adding or removing components does not have a significant impact on the vessel's aquatic, submersible, submerging or sleeping ability .

When the ship of the present invention is active on the surface of the water, a large amount of that volume is located above the waterline to provide a strong resistance to endurance, such as a conventional waterline. This causes potential problems if you want to dive, which is solved by a unique ballast system. When it is at its highest elevation above the sea, the center of gravity of the ship, which is the geometric center of mass, lies above the center of buoyancy, the geometric center of buoyancy acting on the ship. As the ship submerges in the water, the buoyancy center of the ship rises and crosses the center of gravity of the ship. When the buoyancy center and the center of gravity are the same, the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy are offset from each other, so that all vessels are in the unstable point and there is a risk of overturning. In order to prevent overturning and to have the ability to straighten the vessel itself even when rollover occurs, embodiments of the present invention utilize a stabilizing tank 4 mounted on the side of the upper body part 37, with a carefully balanced weight distribution And the amount of free standing drainage remaining on the waterline when the center of gravity intersects the center of buoyancy during the dive.

The stabilization tank (4) stabilizes the ship as part of the trim ballast system while the ship is submerged in the water. When the vessel is submerged and the center of gravity crosses the center of buoyancy, the stabilization tank (4) remains just above the waterline. When the vessel is about to roll, the stabilization tank (4) located below the vessel enters the sea to provide additional displacement and stabilize the vessel to prevent the vessel from overturning. Some of the freeboard half-controllable ballast areas remaining above the waterline when the center of gravity intersects the center of buoyancy provide free-standing drainage that provides the same use. In embodiments having a higher loading capacity for the upper body part 37, the stabilization tank 4 may be larger to offset the additional rollover risk due to the higher center of gravity.

Upper body part

The present invention relates to a passenger compartment comprising an upper body part which is at least a majority of the lower half of the passenger compartment 1 and extends laterally from both sides of the passenger compartment 1 and which in many embodiments extends over the passenger compartment 1 from the rear, Assembly (37). The upper body part 37 may be connected to the central frame 8 by bolts, adhesives or other means and in many embodiments may be combined with the surface hull 42 to form the upper half of the ship exterior structure.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the upper body part assembly 37 serves as a shell of the vessel. In certain embodiments, the upper body component assembly 37 includes a track, a spoiler 10, a stabilization tank mount, and a freeboard half-controllable ballast region. The upper body part assembly 37 also accommodates additional ship components or pods, including battery dummy pods, fuel cells or air tanks.

In one embodiment, the upper body part assembly 37 includes compartments for storage of consumables or consumable supplies, such as oxygen bottles, scrubber materials, supplies, munitions, or diver support equipment such as diver propulsion carriers.

Any suitable marathon may be used for the upper body part assembly 37. In one embodiment, the marquee includes an open recreational deck for a passenger and a seating space. In alternate embodiments, the marquee includes a manipulator arm 55 and a rack or well-shaped space 54 for securing or separating the mount while the vessel is submerged. In another alternative embodiment, the clubhouse includes mounted weaponry 53.

In some embodiments, the upper body assembly 37 includes an armoring plate. In one embodiment, the upper body part assembly 37 also includes an attachment point or well-shaped space 54 for the weapon or sensor pod and the munition storage.

In many embodiments of the present invention, the upper body part assembly 37 includes a rigid attachment point used for the installation of the components. The rigid attachment point may also have a grid attachment for delivery of air, electric power or hydraulic pressure as desired.

In many embodiments, the spoiler 10 extends over the water engine room 20 at the rear of the vessel. The spoiler 10 can be used as a mount for optional equipment including radar, GPS, communication means or other antennas. In one embodiment, the spoiler 10 may be configured to be used as a cockpit while the vessel is in water. In another embodiment, the spoiler 10 is used as a point of attachment for intake vents and exhaust vents.

In many embodiments of the present invention, the upper body part assembly 37 includes a mounting portion for the stabilization tank 4 located on the hull side of the vessel. In one embodiment, the upper body part assembly 37 includes a mounting for at least two stabilization tanks 4. In some embodiments, the seating for the stabilization tank may be located on the spoiler 10.

In many embodiments, the upper body part assembly 37 includes a freeboard drainage area. The freeboard multiple area includes a semi-controllable ballast area (9) which allows a limited seawater intrusion while the ship is at the surface of the water, but is completely submerged when the ship is submerged in water. The freeboard drain area substantially encloses all sides except the bottom, thereby preventing a significant amount of seawater from entering this area when the ship is at the surface of the water. A one-way water pipe located at the bottom of the freeboard area allows seawater to be discharged during a float or storm, but only a small amount of seawater can enter the ship when operating on the water surface of the ship. Drainpipes are located above the waterline during normal aquatic activities. When the ship submerged into the water, the freeboard area is completely submerged through the one-way connection to the anti-controllable ballast area surrounding the water engine room 20 and the air is discharged through the one-way flapper valve 41 disposed at the top . When the ship is at the surface, the freeboard area provides freeboard drainage. As the ship ascends, the freeboard area rises above the waterline and the seawater escapes through the drainage line when the ship is docked and is emerging. In an alternative embodiment, the freeboard drainage area may utilize a corridor with a small gap at the top to allow air to escape during diving instead of using a one-way flapper valve 41.

The upper body part assembly 37 can have any shape and can be constructed of any suitable material. Examples of materials that may be used include glass fibers, carbon fibers, aluminum, other metallic materials and composites, and combinations of these materials. In one embodiment, the upper body part assembly 37 is constructed using the same material as the surface hull 42. [

The size and shape of the upper body part assembly 37 may vary depending on the main function of the desired vessel. In one embodiment, the upper body part assembly 37 has a size and shape that provides a greater degree of free standing drainage while the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy that occur during diving intersect. In another embodiment, the upper body assembly 37 has a more hydrodynamic shape to allow greater ship speeds. In an alternative embodiment, the upper body part assembly 37 has a size and shape for a good appearance. The club seat is formed so as to be more visible in the passenger compartment 1.

Fuel and water engine systems

The fuel and water engine systems according to various embodiments of the present invention allow unprecedented range, speed and mission duration for small vessels capable of underwater activity. Vessels can normally be dispatched from land as well as large vessels by carrying enough fuel for long-term missions. The vessel also has the ability to produce power, recharge the battery, and move from the water phase at high speed while regenerating the air reservoir. Conventional small vessels capable of underwater operations rely on external sources for bus, power, battery recharging and air storage recharging to reach the diving area.

In addition, the vessel of the present invention is much safer than an ordinary small vessel capable of underwater operation. The water-propulsion system serves as a backup for the battery-powered underwater propulsion system, and even if the underwater propulsion system fails, the vessel can float from the water mission to the surface and return to the land.

The fuel and water engine system of the present invention comprises at least one fuel cell (17), at least one fuel grid, at least one water engine (31), at least one water engine gear portion (32) And at least one water engine room (20).

Variable displacement fuel cell

In order for the ship to submerge by itself, the ship must reach a level of buoyancy which is almost completely neutral. Because petroleum-based fuels have buoyancy in water, their use makes it difficult to reach near neutral buoyancy. In addition, ships moving from the watercraft require power to carry a large amount of fuel. Conventional vessels capable of underwater activities involving fuel must compensate for varying fuel levels during the course of the mission. When the fuel is in the pressure hull, the displacement due to the fuel tank is fixed while the weight of the fuel changes. The ship must carry sufficient weight beyond the buoyancy of the tank when the tank is empty. These extra weights require more energy to move the ship.

Since the ship of the present invention can carry a large amount of fuel, it is special among small ships capable of underwater activities. Variable displacement fuel cells help to make this possible.

Various embodiments of the invention store the fuel in at least one fuel cell 17. In many embodiments, at least one fuel cell 17 is a variable displacement fuel cell. The variable displacement fuel cell comprises a fuel bag made of a flexible material that lies within the main inner ballast (2) or the free-water immersion area inside the vessel. In many embodiments, the flexible material is a flexible polymeric material. The fuel pump discharges the fuel from the fuel cell as needed to reduce the amount of discharged fuel cells. As the displacement of the fuel cell is reduced, a larger amount of seawater enters the ship. This solves the need for additional weight to reach neutral proximity buoyancy. Due to this low weight requirement, embodiments of the vessel can have low drafts and, if desired, can be slid to obtain high speeds in water.

The ship of the present invention can be mounted and diving irrespective of the amount of fuel remaining. Due to the variable displacement fuel cell, the underwater ship becomes heavy with fuel consumption. Therefore, the maximum buoyancy state of a ship is when it has a full fuel load.

Additional fuel cells 50 may be added to adjust the overall weight of the vessel. In one embodiment, a weight of approximately 181 kg (400 lb) per 200 gallons of additional fuel added to the vessel must be added.

In one embodiment, the vessel includes four variable displacement fuel cells, one on each side of which is provided on the front and one on the stern so that two are provided on the starboard at two ports. In this embodiment, each variable displacement fuel cell holds approximately 125 gallons of diesel fuel. In an alternative embodiment, more or less variable displacement fuel cells may be used and variable displacement fuel cells of various sizes may be used .

In an embodiment including forward and aft fuel cells 17 on the sides of the vessel, the forward variable drain fuel cell may be attached to the debris variable drain fuel cell by a common fuel line. The fuel line may be a hose or a pipe, and preferably has a one-way check valve that allows the fuel to flow only from the front side cell to the solids side cell. This is because the vessel normally sits higher than the rear in front of the water surface, allowing the fuel to flow from the front to the rear. In addition, ships in water are usually lower forward than backward. Due to the buoyancy of the fuel, this also allows the fuel to flow from the front to the rear. Capturing the fuel in the rear fuel cell 17 reduces the fluctuation amount of the center of gravity while the ship is in the aquaplanes and reduces the fluctuation amount of the center of buoyancy when the ship is in the water.

In many embodiments, the variable displacement fuel cells are held in position despite being buoyant underwater by being fixed below.

The variable displacement fuel cell may be filled with a porous sponge baffle material that restores the fuel cells to a circular shape when the vacuum is relieved. In one embodiment, the baffle material comprises approximately 10% of the volume inside the variable displacement fuel cell. The baffle material helps the refueling process because the fuel cell automatically expands when the system is opened for fuel refueling.

Since the fuel is not highly compressible, the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the variable displacement fuel cell is close to zero. This allows the variable displacement fuel cell to maintain the ambient pressure when the ship is submerged.

Fuel grid

The fuel grid connects the variable displacement fuel cell to the water engine (s) 31. The fuel grid includes at least one connection fuel line, at least one fuel pump, at least one refill port, and at least one valve for controlling fuel flow. Because the variable displacement fuel cell maintains ambient pressure, the fuel line in the fuel grid rises to ambient pressure. In some embodiments, at least one water engine 31 at the other end of the fuel grid is sealed in a peripheral pressure pod, and there is no pressure differential in the fuel system. In an alternative embodiment, the water engine (s) 31 are located on the pressure hull so as to maintain a pressure of one atmosphere. In these embodiments, a valve must be added to the fuel line of the fuel grid to prevent the pressure difference from pressurizing the fuel into the aeration engine room 20. [

Water engine

The ship of the present invention uses at least one water engine (31). Many different types of engines can be used. In many embodiments, a combustion motor is used. In one embodiment, an inboard diesel engine is used. In another embodiment, a turbine is used.

In one embodiment, two 440 horsepower marine marine diesel engines are used. In an alternative embodiment, two cylindrical turbine engines are used. In one embodiment, the turbine engines are each a 1200 horsepower engine. In an alternative embodiment, the turbine engine is a 1400 horsepower engine each.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, the power-to-weight ratio of the vessel during the aquatic activity is at least 1 horsepower per 50 pounds of gross vessel weight. In another embodiment, the power-to-weight ratio of the vessel during the aquatic activity is at least 1 horsepower per 35 kg (35 pounds). In another embodiment, the power-to-weight ratio of the vessel during the aquatic activity is at least 1 horsepower per 9 kg (20 pounds). In another embodiment, the power-to-weight ratio of the vessel during the aquatic activity is at least 1 horsepower per 4.5 kg (10 pounds).

In one embodiment, the engine cooling system requires ambient pressure compensation by being open to seawater. In an alternative embodiment, the water engine room 20 is a pressure hull and a valve is used to close the cooling system against seawater.

The external driver

The water engine 31 is connected to an external driving part disposed outside the water engine room 20. Any standard external drive unit known in the art can be used. In some embodiments, a jet driver is used.

Water engine room

The water engine room (20) protects the water engine (31) and other sealed equipment from pressure and water intrusion when the ship is deep in the water. In many embodiments, the water engines 31 are mounted in the water engine room 20 so that they can be easily replaced by being bolted to the ship at a later time. In some embodiments, the water engine room 20 is equipped with a compressor and an alternator. The components mounted on the water engine room 20 can be removed for repair. In many embodiments, electrical and other components, which typically need to be kept outside of the seawater, are mounted within the water engine room 20 to keep these components out of the passenger compartment 1, .

The water engine room 20 can be composed of many different materials and many different shapes. In one embodiment, the water engine room 20 is made of a material having a high level of resistance to NIJ risk.

In many embodiments, the water engine room 20 is only the second largest fixed displacement component following the passenger compartment 1. The water engine room 20 may be the heaviest assembly after its components are installed. Reconstruction of the water engine room 20 typically requires a change in weight distribution. Adjustment to the side tank 15 can compensate for the weight change.

The water engine room 20 increases the safety of the ship by separating the fuel system from the engines from other parts of the engine including the passenger compartment 1. [ This greatly reduces the risk of injury from fire.

In many embodiments, the water engine room 20 is an ambient pressure compensating submersible pod. Compensation of the ambient pressure The diving pod keeps the overall weight of the vessel low and allows the water engine room (20) to be installed with a flat surface. By using the flat plane, the water engine room 20 can be located within the outer range of the ship, thereby reducing the necessary fixed displacement of the ship.

In many embodiments, the peripheral-pressure compensated water engine room 20 includes a peripheral core reader 22. The peripheral core reader 22 may include one pipe vertically mounted inside the peripheral-pressure-compensated water engine room 20. In one embodiment, the tubing is approximately 0.5 m (18 inches) in length. The piping is opened to a free-flooded semi-controllable ballast region whose upper portion is open to the inside of the water engine room 20 and whose bottom surrounds the water engine room. At least one float trigger is mounted inside the pipe. In one embodiment, three float triggers are mounted and each is spaced from one another by a range of about 0.07 m (3 inches) to about 0.1 m (4 inches). As the ship is underwater, the seawater rises in the pipeline as the surrounding seawater pressure increases. When the seawater passes the first two float triggers, the two electrical switches are closed. When the second electrical switch is closed, the electrical valve is opened to transfer air from an air grid, such as a low pressure primary air grid or a high pressure air storage grid. Air from the air grid is discharged directly into the water engine room (20). In some embodiments, one float trigger and one electrical switch are used.

In many embodiments, as the pressure inside the ambient pressure compensating water engine room 20 becomes slightly higher than the external ambient pressure, the air will flow seawater out of the surrounding core readers until the float falls and the two switches open to stop the air flow Forced discharge. In alternative embodiments, any float, valve, trigger, pressure sensor or meter known in the art may be used to regulate the air.

In many embodiments, an in-line down-regulator is placed at various locations on the vessel to compensate for transient pressure regulation due to the pressure control difference due to the distance from the peripheral core reader 22 do. And adds an additional amount of pressure difference of about 3.07 N / cm 2 (0.445 psi) to the triggers of the peripheral core reader 22 at each 0.3 m (12 in) upward in the trigger of the peripheral core reader 22. In certain embodiments of the present invention, each component with an in-line down-regulator also has an independent purge valve for ventilation.

In many embodiments, the peripheral core reader tubing has a third subfluid disposed over the tubing. When the seawater reaches the third fluid, a warning alarm on the control panel of the passenger compartment 1 is activated to signal that the ambient pressure air compensation grid is not delivering sufficient air to prevent water intrusion. The cause is a vessel drop or system failure that is too fast to compensate for the ambient pressure compensation grid. In the event of such a warning, the vessel's cockpit must stop the water descent.

When the ship is on the water surface, the ventilation openings formed on the peripheral pressurized air-bearing water engine room 20 are continuously opened. In many embodiments, a ventilation opening is formed in the upper part of the water engine room 20. In one embodiment, a snorkel system is added to the aquisition engine room 20 to provide air to the aquisition engine when the vessel is in water but very close to the water surface.

When the ship is on the water surface and wants to submerge in water, the air vents on the surrounding pressurized air-bearing water engine room (20) are closed. Pressure regulated air is discharged from the air grid into the ambient pressure compensation water engine room 20. In one embodiment, a hydraulic ram and a latch system are provided on the water engine room cover 11 to prevent any amount of pressure from opening the lid 11. The water engine 31 allows air to enter the structure so that there is no net differential pressure between its interior and exterior.

As the vessel floats in the water, the air expanding in the water engine room 20 will be discharged to the outside environment without having to open any valves. In many embodiments, the vessel has an air escape conduit of sufficient size to accommodate a very rapid rise in an emergency situation. In many embodiments, the air escape pipe is made of a pit trap to prevent intrusion of water at a deep place.

In many embodiments, the water engine room vent cover is located above the position of the peripheral core reader trigger. This ensures that air is discharged out of the water engine room 20 instead of entering seawater when leakage water is generated in the lid 11. Further, since the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the water engine room 20 is almost 0 psi, it will be small even if leakage occurs. Even if the float trigger system fails, the vessel is still adequately air compensated at the failed depth. The ship will only need to rise slightly to return to safe conditions.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the water engine room 20 is a pressure hull water engine room. Pressure hull water engine rooms do not require any air compensation and are useful for vessels that will descend to very deep water levels, such as beyond 457 m (1500 ft). Valves should be included to completely isolate the exhaust system when the vessel is submerged in water. When using a pressure hulled water engine room, the weight of the ship increases due to the construction of heavy materials and the need for spherical or cylindrical designs. Pressure-tight hull-through connectors are used for all electrical, hydraulic and air connections. In addition, the output shaft from the water engine 31 must have a special pressure-tight watertight seal where these shafts exit the pressure hull water engine room and are connected to the external drive.

In many embodiments, the external drive is connected to the ambient pressure air compensation grid. This provides pressure compensation when the vessel is deep in the water. The standard type seal 24 provided on a conventional external drive part common in the art is water tight.

In one embodiment, a two-to-one external drive portion transmission is used in each watercraft engine 31 to provide a total of 3,400 ft-lbs of transmission torque with the propeller.

In many embodiments, the tunnel emerging from the ambient pressure water engine room 20 accommodates an external drive shaft. The tunnel is connected to the external drive housing (23) to form a watertight connection. This serves to prevent seawater from entering the water engine room 20. In some embodiments, the output shaft seal connects the inner housing through a hermetic line attached to the peripheral-pressure compensated water engine chamber 20 to ventilate the inner housing to insure that the pressure difference between the inner pressure and the outer hydrostatic pressure is close to zero psi Protected.

Air grid

The present invention includes at least one air grid that can be used to provide air to certain parts of the vessel. The present invention uses air grids or multiple air grids to store renewable air and oxygen. In addition, the present invention is capable of storing much more air than an ordinary small vessel capable of underwater operation. Due to the ability to store a large amount of air, embodiments of the present invention can empt the main ballast chamber, provide pressure compensation for the large water engine room 20 and the secondary ballast chamber, Or the passenger compartment 1 can be made to have a peripheral pressure, and in the case of power or hydraulic pressure failure, the water surface can be lifted and a backup life span can be provided.

While the life support system of a ship is very limited by the fact that a conventional non-marine vessel capable of underwater activity involves only a limited amount of carbon dioxide scrubber and pure oxygen, certain embodiments of the present invention involve a carbon dioxide scrubber and pure oxygen As well as renewable air supplies that can be used as alternative sources of life. This reduces the amount of pure oxygen that must be used while the vessel is in water.

In many embodiments, the present invention comprises four or five air grid systems. These air grid systems are a high pressure air storage grid, an emergency air grid, a ambient pressure air compensation grid, an oxygen grid, and a low pressure primary air grid in some embodiments. These grid systems can be interconnected and share common resources.

High Pressure Air Storage Grid

The high pressure air storage grid includes at least one self-contained breathing air (SCBA) compressor 34 and at least one high pressure SCBA storage tank 14. They are connected using housings, valves and regulators that are primarily known in the art. In one embodiment, a high pressure air storage grid compresses air from the surface and stores it. In one embodiment, the high pressure air storage grid stores air at about 34,482 N / cm2 (5,000 psi). In some embodiments, at least one high pressure SCBA storage tank 34 is located within the water engine room 20 and is driven by the water engine 31. In one embodiment, the total speed at which all compressors operate is at least about 0.56 m < 3 > (20 cubic feet) per minute. In another embodiment, the total rate of engagement at which all compressors operate is at least about 1.1 cubic meters per minute (40 cubic feet). In many embodiments, the compressor removes excess moisture and contaminants from the air through a series of seawater separators and filters to ensure that the air has low levels of moisture and other contaminants.

In many embodiments, the storage tanks of the high pressure air storage grid store approximately 12.7 m3 (450 cubic feet) to approximately 14.2 cubic meters (500 cubic feet) of air, respectively, at a high pressure, such as 5,000 psi. In one embodiment, the total storage capacity of all the storage tanks is about 113 m3 (4,000) cubic feet. In another embodiment, the total storage capacity of all the storage tanks is 141.5 m 3 (about 5,000) cubic feet. The total storage capacity is limited only by the space available for additional storage tanks.

In certain embodiments, the high pressure air storage grid may be used via a draw valve to recharge the external SCUBA tank if such a tank is being used for the diver.

Emergency Air Grid

The emergency air grid is a backup system for the primary air grid. Emergency air grids can provide air to the vessel in case of system failure and require no power or hydraulic pressure to operate.

In many embodiments, the emergency air grid includes at least one emergency situation reserve air tank (33) isolated from a storage tank of another air grid system. The reserve tank receives air through the one-way valve during the refueling process. The emergency air grids can deliver air directly from the reserve tank to the main internal ballast chamber using a series of hoses and connectors known in the art.

In many embodiments, at least one needle valve, which may be open by hand, is located in the passenger compartment 1 of the vessel to operate the emergency air grid. If desired, the steering wheel of the ship may open at least one needle valve which is understood to inject air directly into the main internal ballast chamber. When the vessel is at the surface of the water, the emergency tank reserve tank 33 may be used to manually empty the main outside ballast after submergence.

In many embodiments, the air in the emergency air grid is stored at high pressure. In one embodiment, the air in the emergency air grid is stored in the emergency situation reserve air tank 33 at a pressure of 34,482 N / cm2 (5,000 psi).

In some embodiments, the emergency air grid may be injected into the hydraulic ram through a special valve. If the ship's hydraulic system fails, the emergency air grid can cause the hydraulic ram to function as an air pressure ram.

In one embodiment, the emergency situation reserve air tank 33 may be connected to the main grid via a valve to provide additional air if the main grid needs more air.

Low pressure primary air grid

The low pressure primary air grid is supplied with air from a high pressure air storage grid storage tank. The high-pressure storage tank is connected via a down-regulator.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the air in the low pressure primary air grid is 1,655 N / cm 2 (240 psi). A down-regulator may be set and valves, hoses and connectors may be selected to provide high pressure to the pressure of the high-pressure air system, if desired.

In various embodiments of the present invention, a low pressure primary air grid is used to evacuate the ballast chamber, vent hydrogen from the battery tube during charging, provide a passenger room ventilation system, provide a passenger room switching and breathing system, And / or provide air to the ambient pressure compensation grid. In some embodiments, the low pressure primary air grid performs all these tasks.

In some embodiments, the air from the low pressure primary air grid is used to empty the seawater from the ballast chamber of the vessel at the end of the dive. This can be done when the ship is floating and is in a point just below the surface of the water. An electric or hydraulic valve is used to discharge air from the main grid to the secondary ballast.

In many embodiments, the low pressure primary air grid includes an electrical valve within the battery tube. While charging the battery, the valve automatically opens and air flows into the battery tube at low speed. When the air pressure in the battery tube reaches a predetermined pressure, the check valve disposed at the other end of the battery tube is opened to vent all the hydrogen that can be generated in the battery charging process until then to the outside environment. In one embodiment, the predetermined pressure required to open the check valve is 3.4 N / cm2 (0.5 psi).

In many embodiments, the low pressure primary air grid includes an airtight line leading to the passenger compartment 1. The airtight line passes through a valve that can be manually opened and closed. When the valve is opened, air can enter the passenger compartment 1 and be ventilated through the dormant relief valve of the passenger compartment. This feature enables the entrance of the passenger compartment 1 to be completely closed while the air in the passenger compartment 1 is continuously ventilated. This is particularly useful when the vessel is on the surface of the water, but opening the hatch due to waves or weather causes problems.

In certain embodiments, the low pressure primary air grid may be used for pressure control of the passenger compartment 1, if desired. The injection valve can be opened to allow air in the main grid to enter the passenger compartment 1. [ In one embodiment, the injection valve is manually opened and closed. In an alternative embodiment, the pressure inside the passenger compartment 1 is regulated by the meter system. Once the pressure inside the passenger compartment 1 is slightly higher than the ambient pressure outside the passenger compartment 1, an open or semi-closed breathing circuit can be used. In the case of an open breathing circuit, the dormant relief valve of the passenger compartment 1 is opened while the SCBA air from the low pressure primary air grid is continuously delivered. This provides the ability to stay underwater for a longer period of time by allowing less oxygen to be used. In the case of a semi-closed breathing circuit, a carbon dioxide scrubber is used to allow the same air to be regenerated and to reduce the time it takes to restore the SCBA air when the ship is at the surface.

In one embodiment, a compressor is used to discharge air from the passenger compartment 1. The passenger compartment 1 is maintained at an internal pressure of 1 atmosphere and a renewable SCBA air storage is used for lifting. In one embodiment, the SCBA air reservoir is used in an open breathing circuit. In an alternative embodiment, the SCBA air reservoir is used in a semi-closed breathing circuit.

In some embodiments, the low pressure primary air grid is used to provide air to one or more divers using a take-off connection. An SCBA regulator can be used, and each diver is connected to a low pressure primary air grid using a lifeline. This allows divers to overcome the limitations of conventional mini-diver air storage and dive for extended periods of time.

The ambient pressure air compensation grid

The Compressed Air Compensation Grid provides air to the submarine pond dams, chambers and compartments when the vessel is submerged underwater, allowing them to maintain ambient pressure and preventing deformation and seawater intrusion. The system provides the vessel with a choice of materials that have a weight that is lighter than the weight normally required to withstand pressure. The system provides the additional advantage that the submersible pods, chambers and other components can be constructed in a variety of geometric shapes without being limited to conventional spherical or cylindrical shapes for pressure vessels only.

Another advantage provided by the ambient pressure air compensation grid is that shelf inventory components not intended for use at high pressure depths in the water can be used in ships at such depths. Air compensation for these components eliminates the need for special development or testing and allows any sealed seawater component to be modified and attached to the ambient pressure air compensation grid to prevent deformation and / or seawater intrusion. In many embodiments, the components are attached to the ambient pressure air compensation grid via a vent hose.

In many embodiments, the ambient pressure air compensation grid draws air from the high pressure air storage grid. The air is down-regulated by the peripheral core reader 22, which meters the external ambient pressure and makes the pressure equal across the ambient pressure air compensating grid to match the external ambient pressure. In another embodiment, the ambient pressure air compensation grid draws air from the low pressure primary air grid.

In one embodiment, the peripheral core reader 22 may include a single pipe vertically mounted within the ambient pressure compensated water engine room 20. In one embodiment, the tubing is approximately 0.5 m (18 inches) in length. The piping is opened to a free-flooded semi-controllable ballast region whose upper portion is open to the inside of the water engine room 20 and whose bottom surrounds the water engine room. At least one float trigger is mounted inside the pipe. In one embodiment, three float triggers are mounted and each is spaced from one another by a range of about 0.07 m (3 inches) to about 0.1 m (4 inches). As the ship is underwater, the seawater rises in the pipeline as the surrounding seawater pressure increases. When the seawater passes the first two float triggers, the two electrical switches are closed. When the second electrical switch is closed, the electrical valve is opened to transfer air from an air grid, such as a low pressure primary air grid or a high pressure air storage grid. Air from the air grid is discharged directly into the water engine room (20). In some embodiments, one float trigger and one electrical switch are used.

In some embodiments, the air from the ambient pressure air compensation grid is distributed through a peripheral core manifold that is connected to the pods, chambers, and other components attached to the ambient pressure air compensation grid through a vented hose or tubing. The ventilation hoses lead to all components and chambers that are air compensated from the surrounding core manifold. Any suitable airtight box can be used in the peripheral core manifold. In many embodiments, the water engine room 20 serves as a peripheral core manifold.

In many embodiments, as the pressure inside the peripheral core manifold is slightly higher than the external ambient pressure, air forces the seawater out of the peripheral core reader 22 until the float falls and both switches reopen. In alternative embodiments, any float, valve, trigger, pressure sensor or meter known in the art may be used to regulate the air.

As the vessel floats in the water towards the surface, the external ambient pressure of the seawater decreases and the air in the ambient pressure air compensation grid expands. In many embodiments, the valves used to deliver the air in the peripheral compressed air compensation grid are closed, and the expanding air is vented to the vents of the peripheral core manifold via any of the one-way valves known in the art, And then escapes into the environment. In one embodiment, as air expands, the components are again vented to the peripheral core manifold. In an alternative embodiment, the component is vented to the outside environment via a pop-off or check valve disposed on the component.

In many embodiments, the in-line down-regulator is disposed at various positions in the vessel to compensate for the transient pressure regulation due to the pressure regulator difference due to the distance from the peripheral core reader 22. [ And adds an additional amount of pressure difference of about 3.07 N / cm 2 (0.445 psi) to the triggers of the peripheral core reader 22 at each 0.3 m (12 in) upward in the trigger of the peripheral core reader 22. In certain embodiments of the present invention, each component with an in-line down-regulator also has an independent purge valve for ventilation.

In many embodiments, the peripheral core reader tubing has a third subfluid disposed over the tubing. When the seawater reaches the third fluid, a warning alarm on the control panel of the passenger compartment 1 is activated to signal that the ambient pressure air compensation grid is not delivering sufficient air to prevent water intrusion. The cause is a vessel drop or system failure that is too fast to compensate for the ambient pressure compensation grid. In the event of such a warning, the vessel's cockpit must stop the water descent.

In various embodiments, various components of the vessel include a check valve to prevent overpressure control. In one embodiment, the side-tank ballast chamber includes a check valve to allow air to escape when the internal pressure is greater than about 13.9 N / cm2 (2 psi) above the external ambient pressure.

Any component can be directly compensated for air by connecting it to the ambient air compres- sion grid via a ventilation hose or by enclosing it in a component or dive connected to the ambient pressure air compensation grid. In some embodiments of the present invention, the external drive, the predetermined radar dome and antenna dome, the hydraulic oil reservoir, and the trim ballast tank 3 are all directly air compensated by being connected to the ambient pressure air compensation grid through a ventilation hose .

In one embodiment, the ambient pressure air compensation grid shares an air line with a high pressure air storage grid. In another embodiment, the ambient pressure air compensation grid shares an air line with the low pressure primary air grid.

In many embodiments, the vessel employs an external drive using direct air compensation from the ambient pressure air compensation grid. A typical external drive is sealed in seawater but can only withstand a pressure differential of about 69 N / cm2 (10 psi) between the exterior and interior of the external drive. By connecting the external drive to the ambient pressure air compensation grid, the net pressure differential of the external drive remains at approximately 0 psi, preventing seawater from entering the external drive.

Oxygen grid

The oxygen grid includes at least one oxygen tank (13) and a connection to the passenger compartment (1). In certain embodiments, the oxygen grid includes connectors and regulator valves known in the art.

In some embodiments, the carbon dioxide scrubber operates in conjunction with an oxygen tank or tanks 13. Any carbon dioxide scrubber known in the art may be used. In one embodiment, a cartridge filled with soda lime is used as the carbon dioxide scrubber.

In various embodiments of the present invention, oxygen is manually introduced into the passenger compartment 1 using a valve. In an alternative embodiment, the oxygen is introduced into the passenger compartment 1 using a meter system known in the art.

Oxygen and carbon dioxide scrubber materials should normally be replenished when the vessel is not at sea.

Electrical system

Conventional ships capable of underwater use electric energy because they can not use combustion engines in deep water. Most ships depend on the power generated by the water and battery storage. Some super-sized submarines carry a large amount of fuel reserves and batteries. The vessel of the present invention is the first vessel capable of underwater operation and relatively small in size capable of generating and storing a power source for diving with sufficient range to carry a substantial amount of fuel reserves and to utilize fuel reserves. Since the present invention is capable of recharging its own battery, the total diving time and propulsion time due to the arrangement is much higher than that of an ordinary small vessel capable of underwater operation.

The present invention comprises an electrical system comprising at least one alternator, at least one battery, and at least one electrical grid. In many embodiments, the electrical system comprises a series of alternators connected to a water engine 31 that generates electricity, a battery dummy for power storage, an electrical wiring grid, relays, and electrical components of the vessel Lt; / RTI >

In various embodiments of the present invention, when the vessel is operating on the water surface, the vessel uses its propulsion water engine (31) to generate its own power from the fuel storage via the alternator. While on the surface, the alternator provides power to the components of the engine and supplies power to the electrical grid to operate ancillary systems such as light bulbs, sensors, telecommunications equipment, and air conditioning systems that the vessel may contain . The alternator also charges the battery within the battery stack 12 to store power. When the ship is submerged in water, the water engine 31 must not operate and the battery storage provides power to the electrical system. Electric motors and thrusters are mainly used for propulsion and steering of ships. In an alternative embodiment, the electric motor drives the hydraulic pump to supply power to the hydraulic thruster. The battery storage unit supplies power to the motor or thruster as well as an auxiliary diving system such as a light, sensor, communication equipment and air conditioning system that the vessel can contain. Motors and thrusters allow the ship to navigate underwater at the speed normally attained by conventional mini-submersibles.

In many embodiments, the vessel of the present invention comprises three electrical systems including a primary electrical system, a secondary electrical system and an auxiliary electrical system. Each electrical system may include a series of self-contained battery dummies 12. The voltage levels and current types for each system may vary depending on the specific mission the vessel is expected to perform, and any appropriate voltage may be used for each system. In one embodiment, the primary electrical system is 96V direct current (VDC), the secondary electrical system is 12V direct current (VDC), and the auxiliary electrical system is 110V ac (VAC).

In various embodiments of the present invention, the primary electrical system includes battery dummies connected in series. In one embodiment, each battery dummy includes eight 12V batteries providing a total system voltage of 96V. In an alternative embodiment, each battery dummy includes eight 30V batteries providing a total system voltage of 240V. In other alternative embodiments, different numbers of batteries and / or different total system voltages may be used. The battery stack in the primary electrical system is connected to the electrical grid and the primary electrical system stores most of the power needed for the operation of the ship while the vessel is submerged in water and thus drives the thruster or the hydraulic thruster To supply the driving force for the hydraulic pump directly. The primary electrical system also recharges the secondary electrical system by DC-DC converter means.

In many embodiments, the primary battery stack is accommodated within an individual submodule pod that includes an ambient pressure compensating pod or a pressure hull tube. A pod or tube containing the primary battery stack may be located anywhere in the vessel, either within the main ballast tank or within the top part 37 module, including just below the deck. Typically, the pods or tubes holding each primary battery stack are designed with a buoyancy-to-weight ratio of approximately 1 to have neutral proximity buoyancy. In addition, the tube may be positioned so as to maintain and stabilize the ship's balance as it transitions from a floating surface state to a submerged state.

The number of primary battery stacks may vary and any suitable number may be used. In one embodiment, four battery dummies are used that are housed in a pressure hull tube. In an alternative embodiment, four battery dummies are used that are housed in an ambient pressure compensation pod.

In many embodiments, each primary battery stack is designed to be quickly and easily detachable from the electrical grid. This allows the entire battery or individual battery to be replaced modularly for repair or storage as well as for battery improvement or battery type change. Within the primary electrical system, each battery can be connected to a sensor so that it can be individually monitored, and each dummy can be manually shut off to isolate it in an emergency situation.

In various embodiments of the present invention, the secondary electrical system includes battery dummies connected in parallel. In one embodiment, one battery stack is used that includes two 12V batteries. Two additional 12V batteries are provided and are normally kept in a disconnected state, but can be connected as needed as a back-up supply. In alternative embodiments, different numbers of batteries, batteries with higher or lower voltages, and / or additional battery stacks may be used. The battery stack in the secondary electrical system is connected to the electrical grid, and the secondary electrical system provides power for lighting and cockpit (passenger room) control and for engines that start the ship when the ship is at the surface. The secondary electrical system also provides power to the auxiliary electrical system by DC-AC inverter means.

The secondary electrical system battery may be located either above or inside the vessel including the water engine room 20 or the passenger compartment 1. [ In many embodiments, the secondary battery stack is housed within a submersible pod or a pressure hull tube containing individual ambient pressure compensation pods. A pod or tube containing a secondary battery pile may be located anywhere in the vessel, either within the main ballast tank or within the top part 37 module, including just below the deck. Typically, a pod or tube holding each secondary battery stack is designed with a buoyancy-to-weight ratio of approximately 1 to have neutral proximity buoyancy. In addition, the tube may be positioned so as to maintain and stabilize the ship's balance as it transitions from a floating surface state to a submerged state.

In many embodiments, each secondary battery stack is designed to be quickly and easily detachable from the electrical grid. This allows the entire battery or individual battery to be replaced modularly for repair or storage as well as for battery improvement or battery type change.

Any type of suitable battery or battery system with sufficient storage capacity can be used for both primary and secondary electrical system batteries. In certain embodiments of the present invention, the individual batteries used in both the primary electrical system battery stack and the secondary electrical system are of the lead-acid absorbent glass mat (AGM) type. Typically, an AGM battery achieves a fast recharging rate (30 minutes to recharge to approximately 80% capacity) without significantly reducing battery life. In an alternative embodiment, a silver-zinc battery may be used. Each battery in a given battery stack need not be of the same type, and many different batteries and battery systems are known in the art.

In many embodiments, the primary electrical system battery stack is recharged by at least one alternator. In one embodiment, the primary battery stack is 96V and charged by two 48V ac generators in series. The alternator is connected to the water engine via a pulley drive to allow the ship to be at the surface of the water and recharge primary batteries when the water engine is operating. In an alternative embodiment, two parallel 96V alternators are used to charge the 96V primary battery stack. In another embodiment, one 96V alternator is used to charge the 96V primary battery stack. In another embodiment, one 240V alternator is used to charge the 240V primary battery stack. The secondary battery may also be charged by at least one additional alternator. In one embodiment, two 12V alternators charge two 12V secondary batteries.

In various embodiments of the present invention, the battery dummy 12 is equipped with a pressure and seawater sensor alarm. The battery dummy 12 ventilates all of the gas generated in the recharging process to the outside.

In many embodiments of the present invention, the auxiliary electrical system is an alternating current system. In one embodiment, the voltage of the auxiliary electrical system is 110V. The AC power of all auxiliary electrical systems is generated from an external power source such as a DC-AC inverter in a secondary electrical system or a shore power available at the ship's captain. When connected to external power, the battery charger slowly charges the primary battery stack to its total capacity. The auxiliary electrical system supplies power to all ac devices connected to the ship. This may include an AC air conditioning system within the passenger compartment as well as any device connected to a passenger compartment operating at the same voltage as the auxiliary electrical system. In one embodiment, the auxiliary electrical system is 110 VAC and a 110V computer, power tool, or other device may be connected in the passenger compartment and may draw power from the auxiliary electrical system.

In many embodiments of the present invention, all of the high voltage wiring in the electrical system and the electrical grid is maintained outside the passenger compartment 1. This reduces the risk of fire in the passenger compartment (1).

Hydraulic system

Many embodiments of the present invention include at least one hydraulic system to help transmit power across the vessel. The hydraulic system can be used to actuate the cockpit, the hatch, the water engine room cover 11, the external drive trim and the steering. In some embodiments, the hydraulic system operates a valve on the entire vessel, such as within a ballast system. In some embodiments, the hydraulic system delivers power to the thruster.

In many embodiments, the vessel of the present invention includes a propulsion hydraulic system, an auxiliary hydraulic system, and a control hydraulic system, which are three separate hydraulic systems. These three systems share a common reservoir, but each system typically has a separate power source.

The propulsion hydraulic system uses at least one electric motor operated by the primary electrical system. In one embodiment, the propulsion hydraulic system uses two electric motors operated by a primary electrical system. In one embodiment, a primary electrical system that provides power to an electric motor includes a battery stack that is connected in series to provide a direct current of 96V total output. The electric motor drives a hydraulic pump that supplies fluid power to the thruster. A solenoid valve can be used for direction control. In many embodiments, the propulsion hydraulic system provides power to the hull exhaust pump. The hull exhaust pump discharges seawater from inside the hull, helping the submarine float from diving.

Using a hydraulic system to operate the thruster lowers the installation cost of the thruster and increases mounting flexibility. In many embodiments, the vessel includes a control valve to allow one electric motor to operate multiple thrusters.

In many embodiments, the hydraulic system functions as an efficient transmission means by controlling the transmission of horsepower across the vessel.

The auxiliary hydraulic system uses a hydraulic pump to generate fluid power. The hydraulic pump is driven by the water engine 31. In one embodiment, the vessel is provided with two hydraulic pumps each driven by one water engine (31). In one embodiment, one hydraulic pump activates the hydraulic steering system for the water phase external drive and the other hydraulic pump drives the air compressor used to recharge the air supply of the ship. In an alternative embodiment, the flow output from all of the hydraulic pumps is combined to operate a steering system for the water phase external drive, an air compressor used to recharge the air supply of the ship, and a high voltage alternator. In another embodiment, the flow output from all of the hydraulic pumps is engaged and activates any other device that must draw power from the water engine 31.

The control hydraulic system uses a hydraulic unit driven by the secondary electrical system to fill the hydraulic accumulator. The hydraulic accumulator pressurizes and stores the fluid to be used by the hydraulic cylinder in the vessel. A hydraulic cylinder using fluid stored by a hydraulic accumulator activates the water engine inlet, the ballast control valve, the main hatch and the Zamta. In many embodiments, the hydraulic unit is a hydraulic pump having a closely coupled electric motor. In many embodiments, the secondary electrical system driving the hydraulic unit includes a battery stack that is connected in parallel to provide a 12V output direct current.

In many embodiments, the hydraulic accumulator includes a switch. When the stored fluid is used and drained to a predetermined pressure from the fluid accumulator, the switch actuates the fluid power unit to recharge the fluid accumulator. The use of a fluid accumulator offers the advantage that it is not necessary to operate the fluid power unit when an actuator is used. Instead, the fluid power unit is activated only when the pressure drops below a predetermined point. If the fluid power unit fails, the fluid accumulator permits operation of the actuator for a limited period of time until the stored fluid is completely drained.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to an example of a specific configuration of a ship.

The examples and embodiments described herein are provided for illustrative purposes only. Many different configurations and modifications are possible as described and fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Example 1

The embodiments of the invention described below are configurations that may be useful for entertainment or sports.

I-beams made of a corrosion-resistant metal or composite or a center frame made of box-shaped tubes are used. Appropriate crosshatching is included to withstand marine conditions. The main assembly attached to the center frame includes a passenger compartment, a surface hull, an upper body part, an aerator engine room, a side tank and a main inner ballast.

The passenger compartment is mounted on the central frame via a series of external corrosion resistant metal or composite bands. The passenger compartment includes a cylindrical outer pressure hull having a hemispherical end. The pressure hull has a maximum operating depth of 76 meters (250 feet) with a safety factor of 16, a length of 4.6 meters (15 feet) and an outside diameter of 1.2 meters (4 feet). Material thickness, quality and construction techniques meet the American Society of Surfactants (ABS) standards for depth ratings and safety factors.

The interior of the passenger compartment is provided with a metal or composite box-tube framework to which the internal components are to be mounted. The interior trim is a luxurious one with a row of seats for five passengers, including a steering wheel. And includes a rear mounted air conditioner. The front includes a control panel and a multi-screen display device that allows the operation of all ship systems, sensors and instrumentation connected via a computer mounted behind the control panel.

The surface hull is connected to the center frame by means of bolts connected to pre-perforated mounting holes or by means of an adhesive. The surface hull is a V-shaped power boat type hull, and the surface profile of a ship with a side tank is generally triangular. The draft in salt water is about 0.5 m (20 inches) to 0.6 m (24 inches), and the ship drains about 30,000 pounds of seawater with about 520 gallons of fuel and intermediate loading.

The interior of the surface hull completely accommodates the main internal ballast chamber and the free-floatable semi-controllable ballast region below it, which again receives the fuel cell and the air tank. The surface hull also houses a free-flooded semi-controllable ballast area that surrounds the water engine room and the water engine room to the hull. The outer surface of the surface hull is joined to the upper body part via an adhesive or gasket seal at the top.

The water engine room is a box made of a corrosion-resistant metal or a composite material, and a ventilation door, which is disposed at the top and hydraulically operated, provides a suction port. The rear hinged and hydraulically actuated large gasket seals the entire top of the water engine room. The water engine room is deeply pressure compensated and has a volume of about 3 cubic meters (109 cubic feet).

Two 34,482 N / cm2 (5,000 psi) SCBA air compressors are used to charge the air system and are hydraulically driven in the water engine room. Eight tanks located in the main internal ballast chamber are connected in reverse to the emergency air grid and store 14 cubic meters (500 cubic feet) at 31,034 N / cm2 (4,500 psi), respectively. The main air system operates at 1,655 N / cm2 (240 psi) through the down-regulator. The peripheral core reader includes a standard pipe and three trigger floats, and the water engine room serves as a peripheral core manifold.

The oxygen tank is located within the upper body part and connected to the passenger compartment. According to the ABS standard, there is enough oxygen to supply a life time of 48 hours for five people. A cartridge-like carbon dioxide scrubber with sufficient storage for 48-hour activity is mounted in the passenger compartment.

The side tanks are air compensated and internally divided into two main external ballast chambers and one forward trim ballast chamber. Each side tank is approximately 8.5 meters (28 feet) long and the combined volume of the side tank is approximately 5.5 cubic meters (195 cubic feet).

The upper body part is mounted on the center frame by bolts on the pre-boring mount point. The upper body part includes a glass fiber exterior structure that is disposed on the side of a passenger compartment with a width of about 0.9 m (3 ft) and a length of about 4 m (13 ft) and is molded into two longitudinally extending side decks. The molded fiberglass stairs on both sides descend to the rear deck, and the rear deck is approximately 3 m (10 ft) wide and approximately 1.2 m (4 ft) deep, providing an attachment seat for six passengers. A spoiler extends over the water engine seal cover and is used to mount the antenna and radar dome.

The inside of the upper body part is hollow and accommodates four battery piles and a free flood area. The upper and lower parts of the upper body part are provided with a series of one-way flapper valves so that seawater and air can enter and exit the assembly during diving and floating. The lower portion is open to a free immersion semi-controllable ballast zone whose rear surrounds the water engine room.

The hull gates open to the free water immersion area in the bottom surface hull to fill or empty the ballast system. Pumps are used to assist in the introduction and discharge of seawater. The four main internal ballast chambers are rectangular boxes with an open bottom and ballast liner and a combined volume of approximately 4.8 cubic meters (170 cubic feet). The traps connect each main outer ballast chamber to each main inner ballast chamber, and an exhaust pipe valve is located in the passenger compartment.

The trim ballast system includes a stabilization tank rear mounted at the top of the deck and a forward trim tank located within the side tank. The trim ballast chamber is air compensated and has a combined volume of about 0.5 cubic meters (19 cubic feet).

The aquatic power is provided by two 440-horsepower marine diesel engines on a two-to-one gear ratio, generating a torque of approximately 4609.8 Nm (3,400 foot-pounds) with maximum thrust. The deeply pressure-compensated external drive provides water-propulsion. Approximately 130 gallons of variable displacement fuel cells, closed with four folding baffles, are each located inside the main internal ballast chamber.

Two alternators powered by the water engine provide power to the electrical system. The four battery stacks, each housed in the dive pod, are provided as an electrical reservoir for the primary electrical system operating at 96 VDC. Each submodern pod is a tubular pressure hull of material and construction with a maximum depth rating with safety factor. Each battery dummy has a lead-acid 12V AGM dry cell battery connected in series.

The secondary electrical system operates at 12 VDC and two operational AGM type dry cell batteries mounted in the water engine room are provided as electrical storage with additional emergency spare batteries. An auxiliary electrical system operating at 110 VAC is provided by the inverter mounted in the water engine room and attached to the secondary electrical system.

A series of pumps located in the water engine room produce hydraulic pressure to be distributed to the hydraulic grid. The pump is operated by an electric motor connected to the primary electrical system grid. The main hydraulic thrusters mounted on the rear of the upper body part provide a submerged propulsion force on both sides of the rear deck. The front and rear hydraulic thrusters provide yaw control. A folding type rudder mounted on the front part of the upper body part assembly helps to control pitch and roll.

The water engine drives the pump through a power take-off to provide power to an auxiliary hydraulic system that provides balance and steering to the external drive. The control hydraulic system activates the valve, the blind, and the vent, and is driven by a pump attached to the electric motor operated by the secondary electrical system using the power stored in the capacitor.

The ship is equipped with GPS, radar, front and rear-sensing sonar, automatic dial and charting system. The external antenna is pressure compensated.

The entire vessel is about 9.7 m (32 ft) long and about 8.5 m (28 ft) at the waterline. The total beam with side tanks installed is about 4.1 m (13.5 ft) and the draft is about 0.5 m (20 inches). Height is about 1.8 m (6 ft), 0.25 m (10 in.) From the keel to the top of the passenger compartment, and 2.6 m (8.5 ft) from the keel to the top of the spoiler. The dry weight of the ship is approximately 11.8 ton (26,000 lb).

Example 2

The embodiment of the invention described below is a configuration that may be useful for military purposes.

I-beams made of a corrosion-resistant metal or composite or a center frame made of box-shaped tubes are used. Appropriate crosshatching is included to withstand marine conditions. The main assembly attached to the center frame includes a passenger compartment, a surface hull, an upper body part, an aerator engine room, a side tank and a main inner ballast.

The passenger compartment is mounted on the central frame via a series of external corrosion resistant metal or composite bands. The passenger compartment includes a cylindrical outer pressure hull having a hemispherical end. The pressure hull has a maximum operating depth of 183 m (600 ft) with a safety factor of 7, length of 4.6 m (15 ft) and outer diameter of 1.2 m (4 ft). Material thickness, quality and construction techniques meet the American Society of Surfactants (ABS) standards for depth ratings and safety factors. In addition, the materials used in construction have high NIJ hazardous level resistance.

The interior of the passenger compartment is provided with a metal or composite box-tube framework to which the internal components are to be mounted. The inner trim allows five passengers, including the steering wheel, to sit in the longitudinal direction. And includes a rear mounted air conditioner. The front includes a control panel and a multi-screen display device that allows the operation of all ship systems, sensors and instrumentation connected via a computer mounted behind the control panel. A sub-adjustment control section is included in the general seat area.

The surface hull is connected to the center frame by means of bolts connected to pre-perforated mounting holes or by means of an adhesive. The surface hull is a V-shaped power boat type hull, and the surface profile of a ship with a side tank is generally triangular. The draft in salt water is about 0.5 m (20 inches) to 0.6 m (24 inches), and the ship drains about 30,000 pounds of seawater with about 520 gallons of fuel and intermediate loading.

The interior of the surface hull completely accommodates the main internal ballast chamber and the free-floatable semi-controllable ballast region below it, which again receives the fuel cell and the air tank. The surface hull also houses a free-flooded semi-controllable ballast area that surrounds the water engine room and the water engine room to the hull. The outer surface of the surface hull is joined to the upper body part via an adhesive or gasket seal at the top.

The torpedo arrangement is connected to an electrical grid for computer fire control and is included on the surface hull.

The water engine room is a box made of a corrosion-resistant metal or a composite material, and a ventilation door, which is disposed at the top and hydraulically operated, provides a suction port. The rear hinged and hydraulically actuated large gasket seals the entire top of the water engine room. The water engine room is deeply pressure compensated and has a volume of about 3.1 cubic meters (110 cubic feet). The materials used in the construction of the ballast chambers have high NIJ hazardous level resistance.

Two 34,482 N / cm2 (5,000 psi) SCBA air compressors are used to charge the air system and are hydraulically driven in the water engine room. Eight tanks located in the main internal ballast chamber are connected in reverse to the emergency air grid and store 14 cubic meters (500 cubic feet) at 31,034 N / cm2 (4,500 psi), respectively. The main air system operates at 1,655 N / cm2 (240 psi) through the down-regulator. The peripheral core reader includes a standard pipe and three trigger floats, and the water engine room serves as a peripheral core manifold.

The oxygen tank is located within the upper body part and connected to the passenger compartment. According to the ABS standard, there is enough oxygen to supply a life time of 48 hours for five people. A cartridge-like carbon dioxide scrubber with sufficient storage for 48-hour activity is mounted in the passenger compartment.

The side tanks are air compensated and internally divided into two main external ballast chambers and one forward trim ballast chamber. Each side tank is approximately 8.5 meters (28 feet) long and the combined volume of the side tank is approximately 5.5 cubic meters (195 cubic feet). Side tanks are made of materials with high NIJ hazardous level resistance.

The upper body part is mounted on the center frame by bolts on the pre-boring mount point. The upper body part comprises an aluminum outer structure which is disposed on the side of the passenger compartment with a width of about 0.9 m (3 ft) and a length of about 4 m (13 ft) and which is molded into two longitudinally extending side decks. The aluminum stairs molded on both sides descend to the rear deck, about 3 m (10 ft) wide and 4 ft (1.2 m) deep. The profile minimizes radar tracking and a radar-absorbing coating is used.

The rear and side decks have rigid attachment points or grid attachments to which the gun mount or missile launcher can be attached. In addition, a well-shaped space is built in the stage, and guns and missiles can be recovered into the submersible pods. Diving pods also exist to accommodate munitions.

The inside of the upper body part is hollow and accommodates four battery piles and a free flood area. The upper and lower parts of the upper body part are provided with a series of one-way flapper valves so that seawater and air can enter and exit the assembly during diving and floating. The lower portion is open to a free immersion semi-controllable ballast zone whose rear surrounds the water engine room.

The hull gates open to the free water immersion area in the bottom surface hull to fill or empty the ballast system. Pumps are used to assist in the introduction and discharge of seawater. The four main internal ballast chambers are rectangular boxes with an open bottom and ballast liner and a combined volume of approximately 4.8 cubic meters (170 cubic feet). The traps connect each main outer ballast chamber to each main inner ballast chamber, and an exhaust pipe valve is located in the passenger compartment.

The trim ballast system includes a stabilization tank rear mounted at the top of the deck and a forward trim tank located within the side tank. The trim ballast chamber is air compensated and has a combined volume of about 0.5 cubic meters (19 cubic feet).

The aquatic power is provided by two 1400 horsepower turbine engines. The deeply pressure-compensated jet drive provides water-propulsion. Approximately 130 gallons of variable displacement fuel cells, closed with four folding baffles, are each located inside the main internal ballast chamber.

Two alternators powered by the water engine provide power to the electrical system. The four battery stacks, each housed in the dive pod, are provided as an electrical reservoir for the primary electrical system operating at 96 VDC. Each submodern pod is a tubular pressure hull of material and construction with a maximum depth rating with safety factor. Each battery stack has eight silver-zinc 12V batteries connected in series.

The secondary electrical system operates at 12 VDC and two silver-zinc batteries mounted in the water engine room are provided as electrical storage with an additional emergency spare battery. An auxiliary electrical system operating at 110 VAC is provided by the inverter mounted in the water engine room and attached to the secondary electrical system.

A series of pumps located in the water engine room produce hydraulic pressure to be distributed to the hydraulic grid. The pump is operated by an electric motor connected to the primary electrical system grid. The main hydraulic thrusters mounted on the rear of the upper body part provide a submerged propulsion force on both sides of the rear deck. The front and rear hydraulic thruster tubes provide yaw control.

The water engine drives the pump through a power take-off to provide power to an auxiliary hydraulic system that provides balance and steering to the external drive. The control hydraulic system activates the valve, the blind, and the vent, and is driven by a pump attached to the electric motor operated by the secondary electrical system using the power stored in the capacitor.

Vessels are equipped with military GPS, radar, front and rear-sensing sonar, automatic steering and charting. The external antenna is pressure compensated. An additional military communication device exists in the dive pod.

The entire vessel is about 9.7 m (32 ft) long and about 8.5 m (28 ft) at the waterline. The total beam with side tanks installed is about 4.1 m (13.5 ft) and the draft is about 0.5 m (20 inches). Height is about 1.8 m (6 ft), 0.25 m (10 in.) From the keel to the top of the passenger compartment, and 2.6 m (8.5 ft) from the keel to the top of the spoiler. The dry weight of the ship is approximately 11.8 ton (26,000 lb).

Example 3

The embodiment of the present invention described below is a configuration that can be useful for industrial use.

I-beams made of a corrosion-resistant metal or composite or a center frame made of box-shaped tubes are used. Appropriate crosshatching is included to withstand marine conditions. The main assembly attached to the center frame includes a passenger compartment, a surface hull, an upper body part, an aerator engine room, a side tank and a main inner ballast.

The passenger compartment is mounted on the central frame via a series of external corrosion resistant metal or composite bands. The passenger compartment includes a cylindrical outer pressure hull having a hemispherical end. The pressure hull has a maximum operating depth of 183 m (600 ft) with a safety factor of 7, length of 4.6 m (15 ft) and outer diameter of 1.2 m (4 ft). Material thickness, quality and construction techniques meet the American Society of Surfactants (ABS) standards for depth ratings and safety factors. The front end is made of acrylic, and the passenger compartment has acrylic on the bottom and top.

The interior of the passenger compartment is provided with a metal or composite box-tube framework to which the internal components are to be mounted. The interior includes a couch for sleeping facilities, a sanitary system for the ocean, and seats for two passengers, including a steering wheel. The front includes a control panel and a multi-screen display device that allows the operation of all ship systems, sensors and instrumentation connected via a computer mounted behind the control panel.

The surface hull is connected to the center frame by means of bolts connected to pre-perforated mounting holes or by means of an adhesive. The surface hull is a drain hull. The draft in salt water is deeper than the draft in the above example and the ship drains about 18,000 tons (40,000 pounds) of seawater with full fuel load and medium payload.

The interior of the surface hull completely accommodates the main internal ballast chamber and the free-floatable semi-controllable ballast region below it, which again receives the fuel cell and the air tank. The surface hull also houses a free-flooded semi-controllable ballast area that surrounds the water engine room and the water engine room to the hull. The outer surface of the surface hull is joined to the upper body part via an adhesive or gasket seal at the top. A portion of the surface hull consists of acrylic to provide an observation window through the passenger compartment floor.

The water engine room is a box made of a corrosion-resistant metal or a composite material, and a ventilation door, which is disposed at the top and hydraulically operated, provides a suction port. The rear hinged and hydraulically actuated large gasket seals the entire top of the water engine room. The water engine room is deeply pressure compensated and has a volume of about 1.7 cubic meters (60 cubic feet).

Two 34,482 N / cm2 (5,000 psi) SCBA air compressors are used to charge the air system and are hydraulically driven in the water engine room. Eight tanks located in the main internal ballast chamber are connected in reverse to the emergency air grid and store 14 cubic meters (500 cubic feet) at 31,034 N / cm2 (4,500 psi), respectively. The main air system operates at 1,655 N / cm2 (240 psi) through the down-regulator. The peripheral core reader includes a standard pipe and three trigger floats, and the water engine room serves as a peripheral core manifold.

The oxygen tank is located within the upper body part and connected to the passenger compartment. According to the ABS standard, there is enough oxygen to supply a life time of 48 hours for two persons. A cartridge-like carbon dioxide scrubber with sufficient storage for 48-hour activity is mounted in the passenger compartment.

The side tanks are air compensated and internally divided into two main external ballast chambers and one forward trim ballast chamber. Each side tank is approximately 8.5 meters (28 feet) long and the combined volume of the side tank is approximately 10 cubic meters (350 cubic feet).

The upper body part is mounted on the center frame by bolts on the pre-boring mount point. The upper body part includes a glass fiber exterior structure that is disposed on the side of a passenger compartment with a width of about 0.9 m (3 ft) and a length of about 4 m (13 ft) and is molded into two longitudinally extending side decks. There are an extra four fuel cells on the upper body part to double the fuel load. There are also mounts for the two manipulator arms.

The inside of the upper body part is hollow and accommodates four battery piles and a free flood area. The upper and lower parts of the upper body part are provided with a series of one-way flapper valves so that seawater and air can enter and exit the assembly during diving and floating. The lower portion is open to a free immersion semi-controllable ballast zone whose rear surrounds the water engine room.

The hull gates open to the free water immersion area in the bottom surface hull to fill or empty the ballast system. Pumps are used to assist in the introduction and discharge of seawater. The four main internal ballast chambers are rectangular boxes with an open bottom and ballast liner and a combined volume of approximately 4.8 cubic meters (170 cubic feet). The traps connect each main outer ballast chamber to each main inner ballast chamber, and an exhaust pipe valve is located in the passenger compartment.

The trim ballast system includes a stabilization tank rear mounted at the top of the deck and a forward trim tank located within the side tank. The trim ballast chamber is air compensated and has a combined volume of about 0.5 cubic meters (19 cubic feet).

The aquatic power is provided by a single 44-horsepower marine diesel engine through a two-to-one gear ratio and produces a torque of approximately 4609.8 Nm (3,400 foot-pounds) with maximum thrust. The deeply pressure-compensated external drive provides water-propulsion. Approximately 130 gallons of variable displacement fuel cells, closed with four folding baffles, are each located inside the main internal ballast chamber.

Two alternators powered by the water engine provide power to the electrical system. The four battery stacks, each housed in the dive pod, are provided as an electrical reservoir for the primary electrical system operating at 96 VDC. Each submodern pod is a tubular pressure hull of material and construction with a maximum depth rating with safety factor. Each battery dummy has a lead-acid 12V AGM dry cell battery connected in series.

The secondary electrical system operates at 12 VDC and two operational AGM type dry cell batteries mounted in the water engine room are provided as electrical storage with additional emergency spare batteries. An auxiliary electrical system operating at 110 VAC is provided by the inverter mounted in the water engine room and attached to the secondary electrical system.

A series of pumps located in the water engine room produce hydraulic pressure to be distributed to the hydraulic grid. The pump is operated by an electric motor connected to the primary electrical system grid. The main hydraulic thrusters mounted on the rear of the upper body part provide a submerged propulsion force on both sides of the rear deck. The front and rear hydraulic thruster tubes provide yaw control.

The water engine drives the pump through a power take-off to provide power to an auxiliary hydraulic system that provides balance and steering to the external drive. The control hydraulic system activates the valve, the blind, and the vent, and is driven by a pump attached to the electric motor operated by the secondary electrical system using the power stored in the capacitor.

The ship is equipped with GPS, radar, front and rear-sensing sonar, automatic dial and charting system. The external antenna is pressure compensated.

The entire vessel is about 9.7 m (32 ft) long and about 8.5 m (28 ft) at the waterline. The total beam with side tank is about 4.1 m (13.5 ft) and the draft is about 1 m (40 inches). Height is about 1.8 m (6 ft), and from the keel to the top of the passenger compartment is 0.25 m (10 inches). The dry weight of the ship is about 13.6 ton (30,000 lb).

1: Passenger compartment 2: Main internal ballast compartment
3: Trim ballast chamber 15: Side tank
18: Hull gate 20: Water engine room
37: upper body part 42: surface hull

Claims (413)

Surface hull,
A water engine room for accommodating at least one engine,
A ballast system including at least one ballast chamber,
Includes a passenger compartment,
Wherein the passenger compartment is mounted such that the majority of the passenger compartment volume is above the waterline when the submarine navigates on sea level. The submarine of claim 1, wherein the passenger compartment comprises a pressure hull. The submarine of claim 1, wherein the passenger compartment includes a peripheral passenger compartment. The submarine of claim 1, wherein the ballast system is a stepped ballast system. The sub-tank of claim 1, further comprising a central frame, wherein said surface hull, said water engine room and said passenger compartment are each attached to said central frame. The use-changeable submarine of claim 1, wherein the ballast system comprises at least one fully-controllable ballast chamber. 7. The submarine of claim 6, wherein the combined volume of the at least one fully-controllable ballast chamber is between about 125% and about 315% of the total volume of the passenger compartment. 8. The submarine of claim 7 wherein the combined volume of the at least one fully-controllable ballast chamber is approximately 200% of the total volume of the passenger compartment. 7. The submarine of claim 6, wherein the combined volume of the at least one fully-controllable ballast chamber is between about 75% and about 125% of the total volume of water displacement of the submarine. 10. Use-changeable submarine according to claim 9, wherein the combined volume of said at least one fully-controllable ballast chamber is approximately 100% of the total volume of the water displacement of said submarine. 3. The submarine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the hull penetration in the pressure hull is located in the lower 1/3 of the pressure hull volume. The submarine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the surface hull is a skid hull. The submarine of claim 1 wherein said surface hull is a drain hull. The submarine of claim 1, wherein the water engine room is compensated for ambient pressure. 15. The submarine of claim 14, wherein the water engine room accommodates a peripheral core reader. 16. The use-changeable submarine of claim 15, wherein the peripheral core reader includes piping and at least one float trigger. The use-changeable submarine of claim 16, wherein the tubing is about 0.45 m (18 inches) in length. 17. The use-changeable submarine of claim 16, wherein the at least one float trigger is spaced at least 0.076 m (3 inches) from the other float triggers and the holes in the tubing. The submarine of claim 1, wherein the at least one engine is connected to an external drive. The use-changeable submarine of claim 1, further comprising at least one variable displacement fuel cell. 21. The use-changeable submarine of claim 20, wherein the at least one variable displacement fuel cell is disposed within at least one ballast chamber. 21. The use-changeable submarine of claim 20, wherein the variable displacement fuel cell comprises a flexible material. 23. The submarine of claim 22, wherein the flexible material is a flexible polymer material. The use-changeable submarine of claim 1, further comprising an upper body part. 25. The submarine of claim 24, wherein the body member comprises at least one semi-controllable ballast region. 25. The submarine of claim 24, wherein the upper body part comprises at least one stabilization tank. 25. The submarine of claim 24, wherein the upper body part comprises two side decks and one rear deck. 25. The submarine of claim 24, wherein the upper body part comprises at least one manipulator arm. 25. The submarine of claim 24, wherein the upper body component comprises at least one arm mounting portion. 25. The submarine of claim 24, wherein the upper body part comprises at least one well-shaped space. The use-changeable submarine of claim 1, further comprising at least one submersible pod. The use-changeable submarine of claim 1, further comprising at least one submerged pod receiving at least one battery. The use-changeable submarine of claim 1, further comprising at least one air grid. 34. The use-changeable submarine of claim 33, comprising a high pressure air storage grid, an emergency air grid, a ambient pressure air compensation grid, and an oxygen grid. 35. The use-changeable submarine of claim 34, wherein the high pressure air storage grid comprises at least one SCBA compressor, at least one storage tank, at least one hose, and at least one valve. 37. The use-changeable submarine of claim 35, wherein the at least one SCBA compressor has a pressure rating of about 5,400 psi (5,000 psi). 37. The use-changeable submarine of claim 35, wherein the high pressure air storage grid further comprises at least one withdrawal valve. 37. The use-changeable submarine of claim 35, wherein the emergency air grid comprises at least one air storage tank capable of storing air at about 5,400 psi (5,000 psi). 35. The use-changeable submarine of claim 34, further comprising a low pressure primary air grid operating at a pressure of about 1,655 N / cm2 (240 psi). 35. The submarine of claim 34, wherein the peripheral compressed air compensation grid is connected to a peripheral core manifold. 41. The submarine of claim 40, wherein the water engine room is the peripheral core manifold. 35. The use-changeable submarine of claim 34, wherein the oxygen grid comprises at least one oxygen tank and at least one connection connected to the passenger compartment. The use-changeable submarine of claim 1, further comprising a carbon dioxide scrubber material. 44. The method of claim 43,
Further comprising at least one oxygen tank,
Wherein said at least one oxygen tank and said carbon dioxide scrubber material are sufficient to provide life support for five adults for at least 40 hours. The use-changeable submarine of claim 1, further comprising at least two side tanks. 46. The submarine of claim 45, wherein the total combined volume of the side tanks is about 5.5 m3 (195 cubic feet). 46. The submarine of claim 45, wherein the total combined volume of the side tanks is at least 5.7 m3 (200 cubic feet). 46. The submarine of claim 45, wherein each of said side tanks is divided into at least three compartments internally. 7. The use-changeable submarine of claim 6 comprising at least one inner ballast chamber received within the surface hull and at least one outer ballast chamber received within at least one side tank. 50. The submarine of claim 49, wherein said at least one internal ballast chamber is connected to an external ballast chamber via a pit trap connection. 50. The submarine of claim 49, wherein said at least one inner ballast chamber is closed with a ballast liner. 50. The submarine of claim 49, wherein said at least one inner ballast chamber is open to the environment at its bottom. 50. The submarine of claim 49, wherein said at least one outer ballast chamber is compensated for by ambient pressure. The submarine of claim 1, wherein the submarine is less than 15.2 meters (50 feet) in length. 55. The submarine of claim 54, wherein the submarine is less than 10.7 meters (35 feet) in length. 57. The submarine of claim 55, wherein the submarine is less than 20 feet in length. 57. The submarine of claim 56, wherein the submarine is less than 3 meters (10 feet) in length. The submarine of claim 1, wherein the submarine is less than 20 feet (6.1 meters) in width. 59. The submarine of claim 58, wherein the submarine is less than 3 meters (10 feet) wide. The submarine of claim 1, wherein the submarine is less than 3 meters (10 feet) in height. 61. The submarine of claim 60, wherein the submarine is less than six feet in height. The submarine of claim 1, wherein the submarine has a total dry weight between about 2,500 pounds and about 60,000 pounds. 63. The submarine of claim 62, wherein the submarine has a total dry weight between about 2,500 pounds and about 30,000 pounds. 63. The submarine of claim 63, wherein the submarine has a total dry weight between about 2,500 pounds and about 15,000 pounds. The submarine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the pressure hull has a maximum working depth of at least 15.2 meters (50 feet). 66. The submarine of claim 65, wherein the pressure hull has a maximum active depth of at least 61 meters (200 feet). 67. The submarine of claim 66, wherein the pressure hull has a maximum active depth of at least 182 meters (600 feet). 69. The submarine of claim 67, wherein the pressure hull has a maximum working depth of at least 366 meters (1200 feet). 69. The submarine of claim 68, wherein the pressure hull has a maximum active depth of at least 457 meters (1500 feet). The submarine of claim 1, wherein the passenger compartment includes an air conditioner. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the passenger compartment includes a cylindrical body having a hemispherical end,
Wherein the passenger compartment has an outer diameter of about 1.2 meters (4 feet) and the passenger compartment has a length of about 4.6 meters (15 feet). 21. The use-changeable submarine of claim 20, wherein the variable displacement fuel cell comprises a baffle. 21. The sub-tank of claim 20, wherein the combined volume of the at least one variable displacement fuel cell is at least 50 gallons. 74. The submarine of claim 73, wherein the combined volume of the at least one variable displacement fuel cell is at least 100 gallons. 76. The sub-tank of claim 74, wherein the combined volume of the at least one variable displacement fuel cell is at least 200 gallons. 77. The sub-tank of claim 75, wherein the combined volume of the at least one variable displacement fuel cell is at least 500 gallons. The use-changeable submarine of claim 1, wherein the passenger compartment includes at least one acrylic viewing window. 79. The use-changeable submarine of claim 77, wherein the surface hull comprises at least one acrylic viewing window. 21. The use-changeable submarine of claim 20, further comprising a fuel grid. 79. The use-changeable submarine of claim 79, wherein the fuel grid comprises at least one pump used to pump fuel out of the at least one variable displacement fuel cell. The use-changeable submarine of claim 1, wherein the ballast system comprises at least one pump. The submarine of claim 1, wherein the submarine is capable of aquatic activities at a speed of at least 16 km (10 miles) per hour. 83. The submarine of claim 82, wherein the submarine is capable of aquatic activity at a speed of at least 32 km (20 miles). 83. The submarine of claim 83, wherein the submarine is capable of aquatic activity at a speed of at least 48 km (30 miles). 84. The submarine of claim 84, wherein the submarine is capable of aquaplaning at a speed of at least 40 miles per hour. 87. The submarine of claim 85, wherein the submarine is capable of aquatic activity at a speed of at least 96 km (60 miles). The submarine of claim 1, wherein the submarine is at least 1 horsepower per 50 pounds of power-to-weight ratio during aquatic activity. 89. The use-changeable submarine of claim 87, wherein the power-to-weight ratio during the aquatic activity is at least 1 horsepower per 35 kg. 90. The use-changeable submarine of claim 88, wherein the power-to-weight ratio during the aquatic activity is at least 1 horsepower per 25 pounds. 90. The use-changeable submarine of claim 89, wherein the power-to-weight ratio during the aquatic activity is at least 1 horsepower per 4.5 kilograms (10 pounds). The submarine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the submarine is capable of safely operating for at least 40 hours in a state in which a passenger is boarded. The use-changeable submarine of claim 1, wherein the surface hull, the water engine room, and the passenger room are integrally formed in one chassis. The submarine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the surface hull, the water engine room, and the passenger compartment each include a reinforcing member. 93. The submarine of claim 93, wherein the reinforcement member comprises steel. 93. The submarine of claim 93, wherein the reinforcement member comprises a composite material. 96. The submarine of claim 93, wherein the reinforcing member comprises aluminum. 93. The submarine of claim 93, wherein said surface hull, said water engine room and said passenger compartment each comprise a mounting bracket. 93. The use-changeable submarine of claim 93, wherein said surface hull, said water engine room and said passenger compartment each comprise a pre-drilled mounting hole. 6. The submarine of claim 5, wherein the central frame comprises a steel. 6. The submarine of claim 5, wherein the central frame comprises a composite material. 6. The sub-tank as claimed in claim 5, wherein the central frame comprises aluminum. A slide hull,
Means of propulsion,
A pressure hull passenger compartment,
A submarine where the majority of the pressure hull passenger compartment is above the waterline when the submarine navigates on sea level. 103. A method as claimed in claim 102, wherein said skid hull has a fore end and a back end, said sub-hull having a front-to-back orientation when the sub- To the submarine. 103. The submarine of claim 102, further comprising a central frame, wherein the sliding hull, the propulsion unit, and the pressure hull passenger compartment are each attached to the central frame. 103. The system of claim 102, further comprising a ballast system having at least one fully-controllable ballast chamber, wherein the combined volume of the at least one fully-controllable ballast chamber is between about 125% of the total volume of the passenger compartment A submarine that is approximately 315%. 106. The submarine of claim 105, wherein the combined volume of the at least one fully-controllable ballast chamber is about 200% of the total volume of the passenger compartment. 104. The submarine of claim 102, further comprising a ballast system having at least one fully-controllable ballast chamber, wherein the combined volume of the at least one fully-controllable ballast chamber is approximately 75% To about 125%. 107. The submarine of claim 107, wherein the combined volume of the at least one fully-controllable ballast chamber is about 100% of the total volume of water withdrawn from the submarine. 103. The submarine of claim 102, wherein the propulsion means includes an aquamarine room that accommodates at least one engine. 108. The submarine of claim 109, wherein the water engine room is under ambient pressure compensation. 112. The submarine of claim 110, wherein the water engine room accommodates a peripheral core reader. 112. The submarine of claim 111, wherein the peripheral core reader comprises a piping and at least one float trigger. 112. The submarine of claim 112, wherein the tubing is about 0.45 m (18 inches) in length. 112. The submarine of claim 112, wherein the at least one float trigger is spaced apart by at least 0.076 m (3 inches) from other float triggers and through both holes of the tubing. 103. The submarine of claim 102, wherein the hull penetration in the pressure hull is located within the lower 1/3 of the pressure hull volume. 103. The submarine of claim 102, further comprising at least one variable displacement fuel cell. 116. The method of claim 116,
Further comprising a ballast system including at least one ballast chamber,
Wherein the at least one variable displacement fuel cell is disposed in at least one ballast chamber. 109. The submarine of claim 109, wherein the at least one engine is connected to an external drive. 116. The submarine of claim 116, wherein the variable displacement fuel cell comprises a flexible material. 120. The submarine of claim 119, wherein the flexible material is a flexible polymer material. 103. The submarine of claim 102, further comprising an upper body part. 123. The submarine of claim 121, wherein the body member comprises at least one semi-controllable ballast region. 126. The submarine of claim 121, wherein the upper body component comprises at least one stabilization tank. The submarine of claim 121, wherein the upper body part comprises two side decks and one rear deck. 123. The submarine of claim 121, wherein the upper body component comprises at least one manipulator arm. 126. The submarine of claim 121, wherein the body member comprises at least one well-shaped space. 103. The submarine of claim 102, further comprising at least one submersible pod. 103. The submarine of claim 102, further comprising at least one dive pod receiving at least one battery. 103. The submarine of claim 102, further comprising at least one air grid. 129. The submarine of claim 129, comprising a high pressure air storage grid, an emergency air grid, a peripheral pressure air compensation grid, and an oxygen grid. 121. The submarine of claim 130, wherein the high pressure air storage grid comprises at least one SCBA compressor, at least one storage tank, at least one hose, and at least one valve. 133. The submarine of claim 131, wherein the at least one SCBA compressor has a pressure rating of about 5,400 psi (5,000 psi). 133. The submarine of claim 131, wherein the high pressure air storage grid further comprises at least one withdrawal valve. 126. The submarine of claim 130, wherein the emergency air grid comprises at least one air storage tank capable of storing air at about 5,400 psi (5,000 psi). 124. The submarine of claim 130, further comprising a low pressure primary air grid operating at a pressure of about 1,655 N / cm2 (240 psi). 121. The submarine of claim 130, wherein the ambient pressure air compensation grid is connected to a peripheral core manifold. 136. The submarine of claim 136, wherein the peripheral core manifold also functions as an aeration engine chamber. 132. The submarine of claim 130, wherein the oxygen grid comprises at least one oxygen tank and at least one connection connected to the passenger compartment. 103. The submarine of claim 102, further comprising a carbon dioxide scrubber material. 144. The method of claim 139,
Further comprising at least one oxygen tank,
Said at least one oxygen tank and said carbon dioxide scrubber material being sufficient to provide life support for five adults for at least 40 hours. 103. The submarine of claim 102, further comprising at least two side tanks. 143. The submarine of claim 141, wherein the total combined volume of the side tanks is about 5.5 m3 (195 cubic feet). 143. The submarine of claim 141, wherein the total combined volume of the side tanks is at least 5.7 m3 (200 cubic feet). 143. The submarine of claim 141, wherein each of the side tanks is divided into at least three compartments internally. 103. The method of claim 102,
A ballast system, comprising: at least one inner ballast chamber received within the slide hull; and at least one outer ballast chamber received within at least one side tank. 145. The submarine of claim 145, wherein the at least one internal ballast chamber is connected to an external ballast chamber via a pit-trap connection. 145. The submarine of claim 145, wherein the at least one inner ballast chamber is closed with a ballast liner. 145. The submarine of claim 145, wherein the at least one inner ballast chamber is open to the environment with respect to the bottom. 145. The submarine of claim 145, wherein the at least one outer ballast chamber is compensated for by ambient pressure. 103. The submarine of claim 102, wherein the submarine is less than 15.2 meters (50 feet) in length. 150. The submarine of claim 150, wherein the submarine is less than 10.7 meters (35 feet) in length. 153. The submarine of claim 151, wherein the submarine is less than 20 feet in length. 152. The submarine of claim 152, wherein the submarine is less than 3 meters (10 feet) in length. 103. The submarine of claim 102, wherein the submarine is less than 20 feet in width. 154. The submarine of claim 154, wherein the submarine is less than 3 meters (10 feet) wide. 103. The submarine of claim 102, wherein the submarine is less than 3 meters (10 feet) in height. 156. The submarine of claim 156, wherein the submarine is less than six feet in height. 103. The submarine of claim 102, wherein the submarine has a total dry weight between about 2,500 pounds and about 60,000 pounds. 157. The submarine of claim 158, wherein the submarine has a total dry weight of between about 1.1 ton (2,500 pounds) and about 13.6 ton (30,000 pounds). 159. The submarine of claim 159, wherein the submarine has a total dry weight between about 2,500 pounds and about 15,000 pounds. 103. The submarine of claim 102, wherein the pressure hull has a maximum working depth of at least 15.2 meters (50 feet). 154. The submarine of claim 161, wherein the pressure hull has a maximum working depth of at least 61 meters (200 feet). 162. The submarine of claim 162, wherein the pressure hull has a maximum working depth of at least 182 meters (600 feet). 163. The submarine of claim 163, wherein the pressure hull has a maximum working depth of at least 366 meters (1200 feet). 174. The submarine of claim 164, wherein the pressure hull has a maximum working depth of at least 457 meters (1500 feet). 103. The submarine of claim 102, wherein the passenger compartment includes an air conditioner. 103. The method of claim 102,
Wherein the passenger compartment includes a cylindrical body having a hemispherical end, the passenger compartment having an outer diameter of about 1.2 meters (4 feet) and a length of about 4.6 meters (15 feet). 116. The submarine of claim 116, wherein the variable displacement fuel cell comprises a baffle. 116. The submarine of claim 116, wherein the combined volume of the at least one variable displacement fuel cell is at least 50 gallons. 169. The submarine of claim 169 wherein the combined volume of the at least one variable displacement fuel cell is at least 100 gallons. 172. The submarine of claim 170, wherein the combined volume of the at least one variable displacement fuel cell is at least 200 gallons. 173. The submarine of claim 171 wherein the combined volume of the at least one variable displacement fuel cell is at least 500 gallons. 103. The submarine of claim 102, wherein the passenger compartment includes at least one acrylic viewing window. 173. The submarine of claim 173, wherein the skyline includes at least one acrylic viewing window. 123. The submarine of claim 116, further comprising a fuel grid. 116. The submarine of claim 116, wherein the fuel grid includes at least one pump used to pump fuel out of the at least one variable displacement fuel cell. 103. The method of claim 102,
A ballast system, comprising: at least one pump; 102. The submarine of claim 102, wherein the submarine is capable of aquatic activities at a speed of at least 16 km (10 miles). 178. The submarine of claim 178, wherein the submarine is capable of aquatic activity at a speed of at least 32 km (20 miles). 179. The submarine of claim 179, wherein the submarine is capable of aquatic activity at a speed of at least 48 km (30 miles). 180. The submarine of claim 180, wherein the submarine is capable of aquatic activity at a speed of at least 64 km (40 miles). 181. The submarine of claim 181, wherein the submarine is capable of aquatic activities at a speed of at least 96 km (60 miles) per hour. 103. The submarine of claim 102, wherein the submarine is at least 1 horsepower per 50 pounds of power-to-weight ratio during aquatic activity. 183. The submarine of claim 183 wherein the power-to-weight ratio during the aquatic activity is at least 1 horsepower per 35 kg. 184. The submarine of claim 184 wherein the power-to-weight ratio during the aquatic activity is at least 1 horsepower per 25.3 lbs. 195. The submarine of claim 185, wherein the power-to-weight ratio during the aquatic activity is at least 1 horsepower per 4.5 kg (10 pounds). 103. The submarine of claim 102, wherein the submarine is capable of safely self-sustaining for at least forty consecutive hours with a passenger on board. 103. The submarine according to claim 102, wherein the submarine is changeable. 103. The submarine of claim 102, wherein the slide hull and the passenger compartment are integrally formed in one chassis. 103. The submarine of claim 102, wherein the skid hull and the passenger compartment each include a reinforcement member. 203. The submarine of claim 190, wherein the reinforcement member comprises a steel. 203. The submarine of claim 190, wherein the reinforcement member comprises a composite. 203. The submarine of claim 190, wherein the reinforcement member comprises aluminum. The submarine of claim 190, wherein the surface hull and the passenger compartment each include a mounting bracket. 203. The submarine of claim 190, wherein the surface hull and the passenger compartment each include a pre-drilled mounting hole. 105. The submarine of claim 104, wherein the central frame comprises a steel. 105. The submarine of claim 104, wherein the central frame comprises a composite. 105. The submarine of claim 104, wherein the central frame comprises aluminum. Passenger room,
A ballast system comprising at least one semi-controllable ballast region,
Said at least one semi-controllable ballast region is open to the environment and is substantially filled with seawater when the submarine is submerged when it sails from the water surface and the submarine floats, Wherein the seawater is drained from at least most of the semi-controllable ballast region by gravity action when the region rises to a point through the surface. 203. The submarine of claim 199, wherein the passenger compartment includes a pressure hull. 203. The submarine of claim 199, further comprising a central frame, wherein the passenger compartment is attached to the central frame. 203. The submarine of claim 199, wherein the ballast system includes at least one fully-controllable ballast chamber. 203. The submarine of claim 202, wherein the combined volume of the at least one fully-controllable ballast chamber is between about 125% and about 315% of the total volume of the passenger compartment. 203. The submarine of claim 203 wherein the combined volume of the at least one fully-controllable ballast chamber is about 200% of the total volume of the passenger compartment. 203. The submarine of claim 202, wherein the combined volume of the at least one fully-controllable ballast chamber is between about 75% and about 125% of the total volume of water displacement of the submarine. 206. The submarine of claim 205, wherein the combined volume of the at least one fully-controllable ballast chamber is about 100% of the total volume of water withdrawn from the submarine. 203. The method of claim 199,
The submarine rises to a point where it floats while allowing the at least one semi-controllable ballast region to pass through the water surface, and then the seawater is drained from at least 65% of the volume of the semi-controllable ballast region by gravity. 207. The method of claim 207,
The submarine rises to a point where it floats while allowing the at least one semi-controllable ballast region to pass through the water surface, and then the seawater is drained from at least 70% of the volume of the semi-controllable ballast region by gravity action. 203. The method of claim 208,
The submarine rises to a point where it floats while allowing the at least one semi-controllable ballast region to pass through the water surface, and then the seawater is drained from at least 75% of the volume of the semi-controllable ballast region by gravity. 203. The submarine of claim 199, further comprising a skid hull. 203. The submarine of claim 199, further comprising an aquamarine room that accommodates at least one engine. 203. The submarine of claim 199, further comprising at least one variable displacement fuel cell. 213. The submarine of claim 211, wherein a portion of the at least one semi-controllable ballast region surrounds the aquamarine engine room. The submarine of claim 211, wherein the water engine room is compensated for ambient pressure. 214. The submarine of claim 214, wherein the water engine room accommodates a peripheral core reader. 214. The submarine of claim 215, wherein the peripheral core reader includes piping and at least one float trigger. 216. The submarine of claim 216, wherein the tubing is about 0.45 m (18 inches) in length. 216. The submarine of claim 216, wherein the at least one float trigger is spaced apart by at least 0.076 m (3 inches) from other float triggers and through both holes of the tubing. 213. The submarine of claim 211, wherein the at least one engine is connected to an external drive. 215. The submarine of claim 212, wherein the ballast system includes at least one ballast chamber, wherein the at least one variable displacement fuel cell is disposed within at least one ballast chamber. 215. The submarine of claim 212, wherein the variable displacement fuel cell comprises a flexible material. 221. The submarine of claim 221, wherein the flexible material is a flexible polymeric material. 203. The submarine of claim 199, further comprising an upper body part. 223. The submarine of claim 223 wherein the body member comprises at least one semi-controllable ballast region. 223. The submarine of claim 223, wherein the body component comprises at least one stabilization tank. 223. The submarine of claim 223, wherein the upper body part comprises two side decks and one rear deck. 223. The submarine of claim 223, wherein the body member comprises at least one manipulator arm. 223. The submarine of claim 223, wherein the upper body part includes at least one inorganic mount. 230. The submarine of claim 223, wherein the body member comprises at least one well-shaped space. 203. The submarine of claim 199, further comprising at least one submersible pod. 203. The submarine of claim 199, further comprising at least one dive pod containing at least one battery. 203. The submarine of claim 199, further comprising at least one air grid. 232. The submarine of claim 232, comprising a high pressure air storage grid, an emergency air grid, a peripheral pressure air compensation grid, and an oxygen grid. 233. The submarine of claim 233 wherein the high pressure air storage grid comprises at least one SCBA compressor, at least one storage tank, at least one hose, and at least one valve. 234. The submarine of claim 234, wherein the at least one SCBA compressor has a pressure rating of about 5,400 psi (5,000 psi). 233. The submarine of claim 234 wherein the high pressure air storage grid further comprises at least one withdrawal valve. 233. The submarine of claim 233 wherein the emergency air grid comprises at least one air storage tank capable of storing air at about 5,400 psi (5,000 psi). 233. The submarine of claim 233, further comprising a low pressure primary air grid operating at a pressure of about 1,655 N / cm2 (240 psi). 233. The submarine of claim 233, wherein the ambient pressure air compensation grid is connected to a peripheral core manifold. 239. The submarine of claim 239, wherein the peripheral core manifold functions as an aeration engine room. 233. The submarine of claim 233 wherein the oxygen grid comprises at least one oxygen tank and at least one connection connected to the passenger compartment. 203. The submarine of claim 199, further comprising a carbon dioxide scrubber material. 241. The method of claim 242,
Wherein the at least one oxygen tank and the carbon scrubber material are sufficient to provide life support for five adults for at least 40 hours. 203. The submarine of claim 199, further comprising at least two side tanks. 244. The submarine of claim 244 wherein the total combined volume of the side tanks is about 5.5 m3 (195 cubic feet). 244. The submarine of claim 244, wherein the total combined volume of the side tanks is at least 5.7 m3 (200 cubic feet). 244. The submarine of claim 244, wherein each of the side tanks is divided into at least three compartments internally. 203. The submarine of claim 199 comprising at least one inner ballast chamber received within the surface hull and at least one outer ballast chamber received within at least one side tank. 248. The submarine of claim 248, wherein the at least one inner ballast chamber is connected to an outer ballast chamber via a pit-trap connection. 248. The submarine of claim 248, wherein the at least one inner ballast chamber is closed with a ballast liner. 248. The submarine of claim 248, wherein the at least one internal ballast chamber is open to the environment with respect to the floor. 248. The submarine of claim 248 wherein said at least one outer ballast chamber is compensated for by ambient pressure. 203. The submarine of claim 199, wherein the submarine is less than 15.2 meters (50 feet) in length. 253. The submarine of claim 253, wherein the submarine is less than 10.7 meters (35 feet) in length. 254. The submarine of claim 254, wherein the submarine is less than 20 feet (6.1 meters) in length. 255. The submarine of claim 255, wherein the submarine is less than 3 meters (10 feet) in length. 203. The submarine of claim 199, wherein the submarine is less than 20 feet (6.1 meters) in width. 263. The submarine of claim 257 wherein the submarine is less than 3 meters (10 feet) wide. 203. The submarine of claim 199, wherein the submarine is less than 3 meters (10 feet) in height. 263. The submarine of claim 259, wherein the submarine is less than six feet in height. 203. The submarine of claim 199, wherein the submarine has a total dry weight between about 2,500 pounds and about 60,000 pounds. 263. The submarine of claim 261, wherein the submarine has a total dry weight between about 2,500 pounds and about 30,000 pounds. 263. The submarine of claim 262 wherein the submarine has a total dry weight of between about 2,500 pounds and about 15,000 pounds. 203. The submarine of claim 200, wherein the pressure hull has a maximum working depth of at least 15.2 meters (50 feet). 264. The submarine of claim 264, wherein the pressure hull has a maximum active depth of at least 61 meters (200 feet). 268. The submarine of claim 265, wherein the pressure hull has a maximum working depth of at least 182 meters (600 feet). 266. The submarine of claim 266, wherein the pressure hull has a maximum working depth of at least 366 meters (1200 feet). 267. The submarine of claim 267, wherein the pressure hull has a maximum working depth of at least 457 meters (1500 feet). 203. The submarine of claim 199, wherein the passenger compartment includes an air conditioner. 214. The apparatus of claim 200,
Wherein the passenger compartment includes a cylindrical body having a hemispherical end,
The outer diameter of the passenger compartment is about 1.2 meters (4 feet) and the length of the passenger compartment is about 4.6 meters (15 feet). 215. The submarine of claim 212, wherein the variable displacement fuel cell comprises a baffle. 215. The submarine of claim 212, wherein the combined volume of the at least one variable displacement fuel cell is at least 50 gallons. 274. The submarine of claim 272 wherein the combined volume of the at least one variable displacement fuel cell is at least 100 gallons. 273. The submarine of claim 273 wherein the combined volume of the at least one variable displacement fuel cell is at least 200 gallons. 274. The submarine of claim 274 wherein the combined volume of the at least one variable displacement fuel cell is at least 500 gallons. 203. The submarine of claim 199, wherein the passenger compartment includes at least one acrylic viewing window. 278. The submarine of claim 276, further comprising a surface hull, said surface hull comprising at least one acrylic viewing window. 214. The submarine of claim 212, further comprising a fuel grid. 278. The submarine of claim 278, wherein the fuel grid includes at least one pump used to pump fuel out of the at least one variable displacement fuel cell. 203. The submarine of claim 199, wherein the ballast system comprises at least one pump. 203. The submarine of claim 199, wherein the submarine is capable of aquatic activity at a speed of at least 16 km (10 miles). 284. The submarine of claim 284, wherein the submarine is capable of aquatic activity at a speed of at least 32 km (20 miles). 292. The submarine of claim 282, wherein the submarine is capable of aquatic activities at a speed of at least 48 km (30 miles). 288. The submarine of claim 283, wherein the submarine is capable of aquatic activity at a speed of at least 64 km (40 miles). 288. The submarine of claim 284, wherein the submarine is capable of aquatic activity at a speed of at least 96 km (60 miles) per hour. 203. The submarine of claim 199, wherein the submarine is at least one horsepower per 50 pounds of power-to-weight ratio during aquatic activity. 288. The submarine of claim 286 wherein the power-to-weight ratio during the aquatic activity is at least 1 horsepower per 35 kg. 288. The submarine of claim 287 wherein the power-to-weight ratio during the aquatic activity is at least 1 horsepower per 25.3 lbs. 288. The submarine of claim 288 wherein the power-to-weight ratio during the aquatic activity is at least 1 horsepower per 4.5 kg (10 pounds). 203. The submarine of claim 199, wherein the submarine is capable of safely self-sustaining for at least forty consecutive hours with a passenger on board. 203. The submarine of claim 199, further comprising a surface hull, wherein the surface hull and the passenger compartment are integrally formed in one chassis. 203. The submarine of claim 199, further comprising a surface hull, wherein the surface hull and the passenger compartment each comprise a reinforcement member. 293. The submarine of claim 292, wherein the reinforcing member comprises a steel. 293. The submarine of claim 292 wherein the reinforcing member comprises a composite. 293. The submarine of claim 292 wherein the reinforcing member comprises aluminum. 290. The submarine of claim 292, further comprising a surface hull, wherein the surface hull and the passenger compartment each include a mounting bracket. 290. The submarine of claim 292, further comprising a surface hull, wherein the surface hull and the passenger compartment each include a pre-drilled mounting hole. 203. The submarine of claim 201, wherein the central frame comprises a steel. 203. The submarine of claim 201, wherein the central frame comprises a composite. 203. The submarine of claim 201, wherein the central frame comprises aluminum. Passenger room,
A ballast system including at least one ballast chamber,
A peripheral core manifold,
A submarine that includes a peripheral core reader. 302. The submarine of claim 301, wherein the peripheral core manifold is an aeration engine chamber that accommodates at least one engine. 303. The submarine of claim 301, wherein the peripheral core reader includes a piping and at least one float trigger. 40. The submarine of claim 303, wherein the tubing is about 0.45 m (18 inches) in length. 50. The submarine of claim 303, wherein the at least one float trigger is spaced at least 0.076 m (3 inches) from the other float triggers and the holes in the tubing. 303. The submarine of claim 301, wherein the passenger compartment includes a pressure hull. 303. The submarine of claim 301, further comprising a central frame, wherein the passenger compartment is attached to the central frame. 303. The submarine of claim 301, wherein the ballast system comprises at least one fully-controllable ballast chamber. 308. The submarine of claim 308, wherein the combined volume of the at least one fully-controllable ballast chamber is between about 125% and about 315% of the total volume of the passenger compartment. 319. The submarine of claim 309, wherein the combined volume of the at least one fully-controllable ballast chamber is about 200% of the total volume of the passenger compartment. 308. The submarine of claim 308, wherein the combined volume of the at least one fully-controllable ballast chamber is between about 75% and about 125% of the total volume of water displacement of the submarine. 311. The submarine of claim 311, wherein the combined volume of the at least one fully-controllable ballast chamber is about 100% of the total volume of water withdrawn from the submarine. 303. The submarine of claim 301, further comprising a skid hull. 303. The submarine of claim 301, further comprising at least one variable displacement fuel cell. 303. The submarine of claim 301, wherein the at least one engine is connected to an external drive. 314. The submarine of claim 314, wherein the ballast system includes at least one ballast chamber, wherein the at least one variable displacement fuel cell is disposed within at least one ballast chamber. 314. The submarine of claim 314, wherein the variable displacement fuel cell comprises a flexible material. 317. The submarine of claim 317 wherein the flexible material is a flexible polymeric material. 303. The submarine of claim 301, further comprising an upper body part. 319. The submarine of claim 319 wherein the body member comprises at least one semi-controllable ballast region. 319. The submarine of claim 319, wherein the upper body component comprises at least one stabilization tank. 319. The submarine of claim 319, wherein the upper body part comprises two side decks and one rear deck. 319. The submarine of claim 319, wherein the upper body component comprises at least one manipulator arm. 319. The submarine of claim 319, wherein the upper body part includes at least one inorganic mount. 319. The submarine of claim 319, wherein the body member comprises at least one well-like space. 303. The submarine of claim 301 further comprising at least one submersible pod. 303. The submarine of claim 301, further comprising at least one dive pod containing at least one battery. 303. The submarine of claim 301, further comprising at least one air grid. 328. The submarine of claim 328, comprising a high pressure air storage grid, an emergency air grid, a peripheral pressure air compensation grid, and an oxygen grid. 329. The submarine of claim 329 wherein the high pressure air storage grid comprises at least one SCBA compressor, at least one storage tank, at least one hose, and at least one valve. 330. The submarine of claim 330, wherein the at least one SCBA compressor has a pressure rating of about 5,400 psi (5,000 psi). 330. The submarine of claim 330, wherein the high pressure air storage grid further comprises at least one withdrawal valve. 330. The submarine of claim 330, wherein the emergency air grid comprises at least one air storage tank capable of storing air at about 34,482 N / cm2 (5,000 psi). 32. The submarine of claim 329, further comprising a low pressure primary air grid operating at a pressure of about 1,655 N / cm < 2 > (240 psi). 329. The submarine of claim 329, wherein the peripheral compressed air compensation grid is connected to the peripheral core manifold. 329. The submarine of claim 329, wherein the oxygen grid comprises at least one oxygen tank and at least one connection connected to the passenger compartment. 303. The submarine of claim 301, further comprising a carbon dioxide scrubber material. 34. The method of claim 337,
Wherein the at least one oxygen tank and the carbon scrubber material are sufficient to provide life support for five adults for at least 40 hours. 303. The submarine of claim 301, further comprising at least two side tanks. 339. The submarine of claim 339, wherein the total combined volume of the side tanks is about 5.5 m3 (195 cubic feet). 339. The submarine of claim 339, wherein the total combined volume of the side tanks is at least 5.7 cubic meters (200 cubic feet). 339. The submarine of claim 339 wherein the side tanks are each separated into at least three compartments internally. 303. The submarine of claim 301 comprising at least one inner ballast chamber received within the surface hull and at least one outer ballast chamber received within at least one side tank. 343. The submarine of claim 341, wherein the at least one internal ballast chamber is connected to an external ballast chamber via a pit-trap connection. 343. The submarine of claim 341 wherein the at least one internal ballast chamber is closed with a ballast liner. 343. The submarine of claim 341, wherein the at least one inner ballast chamber is open to the environment with respect to the floor. 343. The submarine of claim 343 wherein the at least one outer ballast chamber is compensated for by ambient pressure. 301. The submarine of claim 301, wherein the submarine is less than fifty feet (fifteen feet) in length. 348. The submarine of claim 348, wherein the submarine is less than 35 feet in length. 349. The submarine of claim 349 wherein the submarine is less than 20 feet in length. 350. The submarine of claim 350, wherein the submarine is less than 3 meters (10 feet) in length. 302. The submarine of claim 301, wherein the submarine is less than 20 feet (6.1 meters) in width. 354. The submarine of claim 352 wherein the submarine is less than 3 meters (10 feet) wide. 303. The submarine of claim 301, wherein the submarine is less than 3 meters (10 feet) in height. 354. The submarine of claim 354 wherein the submarine is less than six feet in height. 301. The submarine of claim 301, wherein the submarine has a total dry weight between about 2,500 pounds and about 60,000 pounds. 356. The submarine of claim 356, wherein the submarine has a total dry weight between about 2,500 pounds and about 30,000 pounds. 357. The submarine of claim 357, wherein the submarine has a total dry weight between about 2,500 pounds and about 15,000 pounds. The submarine of claim 306, wherein the pressure hull has a maximum working depth of at least 15.2 meters (50 feet). 359. The submarine of claim 359, wherein the pressure hull has a maximum working depth of at least 61 meters (200 feet). 39. The submarine of claim 360, wherein the pressure hull has a maximum working depth of at least 182 meters (600 feet). 361. The submarine of claim 361, wherein the pressure hull has a maximum working depth of at least 366 meters (1200 feet). 362. The submarine of claim 362, wherein the pressure hull has a maximum working depth of at least 457 meters (1500 feet). 303. The submarine of claim 301, wherein the passenger compartment includes an air conditioner. 39. The method of claim 306,
Wherein the passenger compartment includes a cylindrical body having a hemispherical end,
The outer diameter of the passenger compartment is about 1.2 meters (4 feet) and the length of the passenger compartment is about 4.6 meters (15 feet). 314. The submarine of claim 314, wherein the variable displacement fuel cell comprises a baffle. 314. The submarine of claim 314 wherein the combined volume of the at least one variable displacement fuel cell is at least 50 gallons. 367. The submarine of claim 367 wherein the combined volume of the at least one variable displacement fuel cell is at least 100 gallons. 378. The submarine of claim 368 wherein the combined volume of the at least one variable displacement fuel cell is at least 200 gallons. 369. The submarine of claim 369 wherein the combined volume of the at least one variable displacement fuel cell is at least 500 gallons. 303. The submarine of claim 301, wherein the passenger compartment includes at least one acrylic viewing window. 371. The submarine of claim 371, further comprising a surface hull, said surface hull comprising at least one acrylic viewing window. 314. The submarine of claim 314, further comprising a fuel grid. 373. The submarine of claim 373, wherein the fuel grid includes at least one pump used to pump fuel out of the at least one variable displacement fuel cell. 302. The submarine of claim 301, wherein the ballast system comprises at least one pump. 301. The submarine of claim 301, wherein the submarine is capable of aquatic activities at a speed of at least 16 km / h (10 miles). 376. The submarine of claim 376, wherein the submarine is capable of aquatic activities at a speed of at least 32 km (20 miles). 377. The submarine of claim 377, wherein the submarine is capable of aquatic activity at a speed of at least 48 km (30 miles). 378. The submarine of claim 378, wherein the submarine is capable of aquaplaning at a speed of at least 64 km (40 miles). 379. The submarine of claim 379, wherein the submarine is capable of aquatic activity at a speed of at least 96 km (60 miles) per hour. 302. The submarine of claim 301, wherein the submarine is at least one horsepower per 50 pounds of power-to-weight ratio during aquatic activity. 391. The submarine of claim 381 wherein the power-to-weight ratio during the aquatic activity is at least 1 horsepower per 35 kg. 392. The submarine of claim 382 wherein the power-to-weight ratio during the aquatic activity is at least 1 horsepower per 25.3 lbs. 393. The submarine of claim 383 wherein the power-to-weight ratio during the aquatic activity is at least 1 horsepower per 4.5 kg (10 pounds). 303. The submarine of claim 301, wherein the submarine is capable of safely self-sustaining for at least forty consecutive hours with a passenger on board. 303. The submarine of claim 301, further comprising a surface hull, wherein the surface hull and the passenger compartment are integrally formed in one chassis. 303. The submarine of claim 301, further comprising a surface hull, wherein the surface hull and the passenger compartment each include a reinforcement member. 398. The submarine of claim 387, wherein the reinforcement member comprises a steel. 398. The submarine of claim 387, wherein the reinforcement member comprises a composite material. 398. The submarine of claim 387, wherein the reinforcing member comprises aluminum. 388. The submarine of claim 387, further comprising a surface hull, wherein the surface hull and the passenger compartment each include a mounting bracket. 388. The submarine of claim 387, further comprising a surface hull, wherein the surface hull and the passenger compartment each include a pre-drilled mounting hole. 307. The submarine of claim 307, wherein the central frame comprises a steel. 307. The submarine of claim 307, wherein the central frame comprises a composite. 307. The submarine of claim 307, wherein the central frame comprises aluminum. A method of compensating an ambient pressure for compensating a peripheral component of a submarine,
Providing a peripheral core manifold;
Providing a peripheral core reader,
Providing a high pressure air source including air stored at a higher pressure than ambient pressure, the high pressure air source being connected to the peripheral core manifold to provide air to the peripheral core manifold in response to operation by the peripheral core reader;
Providing means for distributing air from the peripheral core manifold to at least one other component of the submarine. 39. The method of claim 396, wherein air is distributed from the peripheral core manifold to at least one component that is not designed for submarine, thereby compensating the ambient pressure of the at least one component that is not designed for submarine. 41. The method of claim 396,
And providing a downward regulator to lower the pressure of air supplied to the peripheral core manifold from the high pressure air source. 41. The method of claim 396, wherein the peripheral core manifold is a water engine chamber. 39. The method of claim 396, wherein the means for distributing air from the peripheral core manifold to at least one other component of the submarine is at least one air grid. 41. The method of claim 400, wherein the at least one air grid comprises at least one downward adjuster to lower the pressure of air distributed to at least one component located above the peripheral core manifold. 39. The method of claim 401, wherein the at least one component located above the peripheral core manifold comprises at least one valve. 398. The method of claim 396, wherein the peripheral core reader comprises a piping and at least one float trigger. 40. The method of claim 403, wherein the tubing is about 0.45 m (18 inches) in length. 408. The method of claim 403, wherein the at least one float trigger is spaced apart from another float trigger by at least 0.076 m (3 inches) from both holes of the tubing. In a ballast water removal method for discharging ballast water from a submerged submarine,
Providing air into the first fully-controllable ballast chamber until the submarine floats sufficiently to allow the semi-controllable ballast region to pass through the water surface;
The ballast water can be drained from the semi-controllable ballast region by gravity action until the semi-controllable ballast region receives less than half of its volume of seawater. 40. The method of claim 406, further comprising opening at least one valve of a pit trap connection connecting the first fully-controllable ballast chamber to a second fully-controllable ballast chamber. 407. The method of claim 407, wherein air is injected into the second fully-controllable ballast chamber such that seawater within the second fully-controllable ballast chamber is emptied into the first fully- , And then air enters the first fully-controllable ballast chamber through the pit trap connection. 408. The method of claim 405, comprising: allowing seawater to be drained in the semi-controllable ballast region by gravity until the semi-controllable ballast region receives less than 35% of its volume of seawater Ballast water removal method. 408. The method of claim 409, comprising allowing seawater to be drained in the semi-controllable ballast region by gravity until the semi-controllable ballast region receives less than 30% of its volume of seawater Ballast water removal method. 43. The method of claim 410 comprising allowing seawater to be drained in the semi-controllable ballast region by gravity until the semi-controllable ballast region receives less than 25% of its volume of seawater Ballast water removal method. 408. The method of claim 408 wherein the first fully-controllable ballast chamber is a primary internal ballast chamber and the second fully-controllable ballast chamber is a primary external ballast chamber. 46. The method of claim 412, wherein the first fully-controllable ballast chamber is housed within a surface hull, and wherein the second fully-controllable ballast chamber is contained within a side tank.

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