WO2022198265A1 - Unmanned surface vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

An unmanned surface vessel for a marine environment, the vessel comprising: an elongated hull having an upper opening providing access to the interior space; a removeable hatch securable over the upper opening that, when secured in position, prohibits water ingress into the interior space; a propulsion system located externally at the tail section of the hull; a control system located in the interior space; and a parachute system located externally at the tail section, the parachute system is also attached externally to the body section of the hull by at least one lug; wherein the parachute system comprises a parachute and a quick release mechanism, the parachute configured to expand when the vessel has been deployed from an aircraft, and the quick release mechanism configured to detach the parachute when the vessel contacts the marine environment.

Description

Unmanned Surface Vehicle

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to search and rescue aircraft. In particular, the present disclosure relates to the release and control of a Search and Rescue (SAR) Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) capability of being released and both high and low speeds.

Background of Invention

[0002] Search and Rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. SAR activities operate in highly stressful, problematic, and dangerous environments.

[0003] Aircraft are typically utilized to help facilitate the SAR operations to provide additional eyes in the sky, and/or cover large areas quickly. However, this often presents additional challenges, such as down drafts from rotor wash, winching issues, deployment issues regarding SAR equipment and reliability and flying time limitations including that of fuel and weather conditions prevent aircraft for staying out longer to conduct searches or continuing to deploy SAR equipment should the first attempts not be successful. Such efforts can be extremely dangerous in adverse weather conditions, timely and costly.

[0004] In maritime SAR, Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) have been developed to complement these existing SAR operations. However, existing USV products have limited functionality in support of SAR activities. The USV products are predominately focused on environmental, survey, and research and development activities and thus require low functionality, or are bulky, heavy and require specific support & test equipment to support their operation. Furthermore, these devices typically can only be deployed in extremely specific operational situations.

[0005] Two known USVs are the Dolphin 1 and Hydronalix USV.

[0006] The Dolphin 1 product is a "smart lifebuoy", meaning that it is essentially a floatation device with engines. It is surface deployable with a limited radio range of approximately 500 meters, so typically in shoreline / water front operations. The Dolphin 1 is operated remotely through a simple handheld remote controller.

[0007] The Hydronalix USV has similarly been designed to be controlled manually via remote control and has a limited range of approximately 800 meters. It has additional operating capabilities, including SAR, policing operations, as well as providing an R&D platform for monitoring the environment. It is deployable primarily from the surface but has the capability to be deployed from helicopters at low altitudes and low speeds.

Object of the Invention

[0008] It is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome or at least ameliorate one or more of the above disadvantages, or to provide a useful alterative.

Summary of Invention

[0009] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an unmanned surface vessel for a marine environment, the vessel comprising: an elongated hull defining an interior space, the hull comprising a forward nose section, a main body section positioned aft of the nose section, and an aft tail section positioned aft of the body section, the body section having an upper opening providing access to the interior space; a removeable hatch securable over the upper opening that, when secured in position, prohibits water ingress into the interior space; a propulsion system located externally at the tail section of the hull; a control system located in the interior space; and a parachute system located externally at the tail section, the parachute system is also attached externally to the body section of the hull by at least one lug; wherein the parachute system comprises a parachute and a quick release mechanism, the parachute configured to expand when the vessel has been deployed from an aircraft, and the quick release mechanism configured to detach the parachute when the vessel contacts the marine environment.

[0010] Preferably, the parachute system comprises a quick release device and a hold timer the prohibits the parachute from releasing from the vessel for a predetermined time.

[0011] Preferably, the quick release device is activated when a load of greater than 4lbs is pulled. [0012] Preferably, the quick release device is released when the load upon landing on the surface of the marine environment is removed.

[0013] Preferably, the quick release device has a pin that retracts when the load is removed, allowing the pin to release and detach the parachute.

[0014] Preferably, the propulsion system is an electrical propulsion system.

[0015] Preferably, the electrical propulsion system comprises a battery and at least one engine. [0016] Preferably, the at least one engine has a motor and a fan, the motor driving the fan to propel the vessel through the marine environment.

[0017] Preferably, the electrical propulsion system comprises two engines.

[0018] Preferably, the two engines are fixed in place relative to the hull, and are capable of providing differential thrust to allow the vessel to perform manoeuvres.

[0019] Preferably, the nose section is capable of withstanding forces associated with direct impact of the vessel descending into the marine environment.

[0020] Preferably, the nose section is connectable to the body section.

[0021] Preferably, the control system comprises an antenna, a battery, a navigation computer including an onboard processor, a GPS receiver and a radio.

[0022] Preferably, the control system has a manual or autonomous control mode of operation. [0023] Preferably, the manual mode of operation of the control system is operated by a remote control.

[0024] Preferably, the autonomous mode of operation of the control system is activated / deactivated by a remote-control system.

[0025] Preferably, the remote control system is operated by the navigation computer on the vessel without need for further remote control system input.

[0026] Preferably, the body section has at least one shelf extending across the interior space. [0027] Preferably, the at least one shelf is configured to removably receive and secure a payload within the interior space.

[0028] Preferably, the payload may be one or more of an inflatable life raft, communication systems, food and/or water supply, a first aid kit, and one or more life jackets [0029] The vessel preferably further comprises a seal located against the removable hatch, the seal configured to abut against the perimeter of the upper opening to prevent water ingress when the hatch is secured to the body section.

[0030] Preferably, the aft tail section has a keel design.

Brief Description of the Drawings.

[0031] Features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments thereof, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows an isometric view of the vessel displaying the hull, hatch, propulsion system and parachute system; Figure 2 shows a top view of the vessel and parachute system;

Figure 3 shows a side view of the vessel;

Figure 4 shows an exploded view of the components of the vessel.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

[0032] The skilled addressee will understand that the invention comprises the embodiments and features described herein, as well as all combinations and/or permutations of the disclosed embodiments and features.

Vessel

[0033] An Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) 100 is disclosed herein. In a preferred embodiment, as depicted in the drawings, the vessel 100 is designed to be used in a marine environment, namely the ocean, but is also suitable for lakes, rivers, and any other suitable bodies of water. The vessel 100 is designed to be deployed from an aircraft travelling above the body of water and performing search and rescue operations. The aircraft could be a helicopter or a fixed wing aircraft, depending on the operational requirements and other environmental conditions. It is envisaged that the vessel 100 could be used in other water environments and in other capacities, such as an R&D platform, other marine rescue operations, remote sensing operations, environmental, survey, secretive payload deployment operations and the like.

[0034] The vessel 100 is envisaged to be manufactured from 100% composite materials, with some external metallic components. The vessel 100 is a single mono-hull with a small keel for stability. In the embodiment shown in the figures, the vessel 100 is manufactured fusing aerospace grade composite fabric and resin, and has been paid up using a wet pay-up and vacuum bag process at room temperature. The vessel 100 has been manufactured in three separate components (i.e. nose section 20, body section 21 and tail section 22) and assembled at the completion of the cure. In an alternative embodiment, the nose section 20, main body section 21 and tail section 22 are all separate parts and are bonded together using a marine grade sealant to prevent any leakage or water ingress. This also provides adequate shear strength. Hatch 4 is also a separate embodiment, and connects via a basic hinge system and/or a plastic latch component that is easily openable. [0035] The vessel 100 has an exterior hull 3 and an interior compartment or interior space 3a accessible via aperture or opening 5a, the exterior hull 3 is configured to endure the harshness of the marine environment, including salt water, waves, and the hard impact from altitude and speed of aircraft deployment. The hull 3 is sealed once fully assembled with hatch 4 to inhibit water ingress into the interior compartment 3a of the vessel 100. Preferably a seal is located against the removable hatch, the seal configured to abut against the perimeter of the upper opening to prevent water ingress when the hatch is secured to the body section. Within the interior compartment 3a is the primary location for a control system comprising at least the avionics equipment 8. Details of the avionics equipment is covered in detail below.

[0036] The exterior hull 3 is designed to have an aerodynamic shape to allow for smooth flight upon deployment from the aircraft and during operation on the ocean's surface. In the embodiment depicted in the drawings, the hull 3 and hatch 4 are made from fiber reinforced composite material, whereby each of the components of the vessel have been designed to withstand the forces that result from the deployment of the parachute 11 of the vessel 100 at a speed of 400 km/hr. the hull 3 is comprised of nose section 20 and a body section 21 and a tail section 22.

[0037] The hatch 4 is removably securable to the hull 3 to cover an aperture 5a and is provided to allow access to the interior compartment 3a of the hull body section 3 to install and gain access to the payload 2 and to service and maintain the avionics equipment 8. The payload 2 rests on the payload bay shelf 5 and is securable thereto using any suitable securing mechanism, such as fasteners, screws or rivets.

[0038] The hull 3 is configured to land safely on the ocean with the nose section 20 landing first. [0039] Advantageously the hull 3 has been designed such for stiffness and water tightness. This will ensure that all avionics equipment 8 installed within the interior space 3a are protected from the forces and shock experienced during landing and contact with the marine environment.

[0040] While the aircraft is not shown, the vessel 100 is deployable from the aircraft at an altitude that would normally render any marine vessel destroyed on impact. There would be considerable G- forces from the impact given the altitude and/or speed at which the aircraft is travelling, which is a major disadvantage to existing products. The vessel 100 is deployable from a fixed wing aircraft or helicopter (not shown). The aircraft or helicopter can be travelling up to a speed of 400 km/h, and at an altitude of less than 10,000 ft. The design of vessel 100 is such that it is aerodynamically stable to ensure a steady state fall and correct opening of the parachute.

[0041] The interior compartment 3a of the hull 3 is also able to securely store a payload 2. The payload 2 will be discussed in more detail below. The payload can change depending on the operation requirements, also as discussed below.

[0042] As can be seen in the figures, the vessel 100 is aerodynamically designed to allow smooth flight when deployed from the aircraft, with the center of pressure located behind the center of gravity, providing positive stability to the vessel when flying, and also for operation of the surface of the marine environment (ie the ocean). This is a unique characteristic and one of the many advantages of the vessel 100. In particular, most water operating vessels would not consider the aerodynamic design nor centre of pressure location relative to the centre of gravity location. When deployed from the aircraft, the vessel 100 will glide for a period of time that is dependent on the altitude and location from the target point before the parachute 11 deploys, slowing the travel and descent of the vessel 100 to a smooth less than 10 m/s, before allowing for a smooth impact with the ocean water, and permitting the quick release mechanism 9 to detach the parachute 11 from the vessel 100. The timing can be altered accordingly by the operator releasing the vessel 100. During the parachute 11 deployment the drag force created by the opening of the parachute 11 which will pull on the quick release mechanism 9 and engaging the mechanism. This will be maintained until the vessel 100 lands on the ocean's surface. During that the quick release mechanism 9 will sense the reduction in tension load and disconnect the parachute 11. This will enable the parachute 11 to release and not become tangled in the vessel 100 or slow the movement of the vessel 100 on the marine surface.

[0043] Previous surface vessels are not capable of being deployed at high speeds or high altitudes from aircraft, given the high g-forces involved with impact with the ocean surface. Having a parachute 11 overcomes this deficiency in the previous surface vessels but would still not solve the problem of have a surface vessel capable of control to a destination target on the surface of the water. Existing products have aircraft deployed buoys that are not moveable once deployed from the aircraft. The quick release mechanism 9 for the parachute 11 is advantageous and allows for the vessel 100 to be deployed from the aircraft and to then be controlled by the control system in the avionics 8 along the surface towards a target destination.

[0044] Advantageously, the vessel 100 is lightweight and can be carried by one person. The total weight of the vessel 100 is approximately up to 20 kg but may be higher or lower depending on operational requirements.

Propulsion system

[0045] The vessel 100 comprises a propulsion system 1. Referring to the figures, propulsion system 1 is comprised of two separate engines 1. Engines 1 are connected to the tail section 22 on the rear underside of the hull 3. Engines 1 are fixed and not detachable from the hull 3. The engines 1 are separately operable however, to provide differential thrust for steering purposes. The differential thrust is controlled through input via the control system located in the avionics 8 that can control each engine 1 independently. The on-board navigation computer including the processor in the avionics 8 runs software that provides outputs to drive the engines 1 as required. The operator can control the speed and direction of the vessel 100 through a change in thrust at each engine 1 independently. The engines 1 can have an operating time capacity up to 2 hours depending on the speed and the conditions of the environment in which they operate. The engines 1 are capable of reaching speeds up to a 25 km/hr depending on the payload weight of the payload 2.

[0046] In a preferred embodiment, the battery within avionics 8 is located in the interior space 5 of the hull 3, distant from the engines 1. In an alternative embodiment, the battery and engine 1 is a self contained unit.

Control system

[0047] The control system comprises on-board avionics equipment 8 including a navigation computer including a processor (not shown), GPS receiver (not shown) and antenna 10, altimeter (not shown), magnetometer (not shown), attitude and accelerometer sensors (not shown), a battery (not shown). The avionics equipment 8 enables control of the vessel 100.

[0048] The onboard avionic equipment 8 sits on the avionics bay shelf 7 and is located within the main hull 3 and will remain installed therein at all times. The avionics equipment 8 is fixed to shelf 7 within the main hull 3 and are not removed during operation. Shelf 7 extends across the interior space 3a of the main hull 3 and provides the anchoring point to securely connect the avionics equipment 8. In the embodiments shown, onboard avionics equipment 8 is attached to the shelf 7 via a secure means. A person skilled in the art will employ any suitable securing means.

[0049] In one embodiment, the avionics equipment 8 is capable of controlling the vessel 100 via remote control (not shown) from an operator onboard the aircraft inputting continuous throttle and heading commands. In an alternative embodiment, the vessel 100 can be controlled in autonomous mode which is autonomously executing a loaded navigation route. The navigation route is planned from a remote-control station on board the aircraft (not shown) and transferred via the radio system (not shown) to the avionics equipment. The remote-control station on board the aircraft (not shown) can activate the planned navigation route and execute the route without remote control system input.

[0050] The on-board avionics equipment 8 can communicate with an overhead aircraft via the antenna 10 for the purpose of control and monitoring of the avionics equipment. The onboard avionics equipment 8 is capable of achieving a range of up to 10 km, far beyond the 800 meters of existing products. [0051] The on-board avionics 8 has multiple interfaces available for radio data exchange. Data can be exchanged with a remote-control station (not shown) that interfaces with another radio operating at the same frequency. Manual control inputs are possible via the remote-control station (not shown). When these are received at the local on-board avionics electrical output information is provided to the engines 1. These engines 1 can be controlled independently as required to support the vessel's 100 navigation, as discussed above.

[0052] The remote-control station (not shown) runs open-source software that communicates with vessel 100 on-board computer also running open-source software configured for the vessel 100. [0053] The software on the remote-control station allows planning of a mission utilising a number of different methods, principally waypoints associated with GPS position and associated speed, acceleration and turn parameters. The mission plan can be developed, saved and uploaded via the data link to the vessel 100 and once initiated, will be performed by the software running on the vessel 100.

[0054] The vessel's 100 onboard avionics 8 includes a navigation system that includes a GPS receiver and antenna 10, altimeter (not shown), magnetometer (not shown), attitude and accelerometer sensors (not shown). This information is used by the onward control system to automatically provide both electrical motor commands and output monitoring information via the remote datalink. Autonomous control once commenced does not require the datalink to be operational to complete the mission. Real time remote monitoring is available which allows the remote operator to assess the mission and manually update if required.

[0055] The battery is a high capacity lithium-ion battery made from 18650 lithium-ion cells. The battery weighs approximately 1.5 kgs and is 200 mm long by 100 mm diameter. However, it will be appreciated that nay suitably sized and performing battery could be used.

[0056] An embodiment of the control system is discussed in detail. The engines 1 are controlled by an onboard navigation computer that can control each engine 1 independently. The on-board navigation computer runs software that provides outputs to drive the engines as required. The on board navigation computer has multiple interfaces available for radio data exchange. Data can be exchanged with a remote-control station that interfaces with another radio operating at the same frequency. Manual control inputs are possible via the remote-control station. When these are received at the local on-board computer electrical output information is provided to the engine. Manual control at the remote-control station is possible via a USB or Bluetooth enable joystick device. The on-board computer also has the capability to interface to a separate input device that provides a PPM or SBUS output via a separate on-board radio which can be optionally fitted. The remote-control station runs open source software that communicates with vessel's 100 on-board navigation computer also running open source software configured for vessel 100. This software provides monitoring information via the MAVLINK protocol as well as a manual and autonomous control capability via the same protocol.

[0057] The software on the remote-control station allows planning of a mission utilising a number of different methods, principally waypoints associated with GPS position and associated speed, acceleration and turn parameters. The mission plan can be developed, saved and uploaded via the data link to the vessel 100 and once initiated, will be performed by the software running on the vessel 100. The vessel 100 onboard navigation computer includes a navigation system that includes a GPS receiver and antenna, altimeter, magnetometer, attitude and accelerometer sensors. This information is used by the onward control system to automatically provide both engines 1 commands and output monitoring information via the remote datalink discussed above.

Autonomous control once commenced does not require the datalink to be operational to complete the mission. Real time remote monitoring is available which allows the remote operator to assess the mission and manually update if required.

[0058] In the embodiment shown, the vessel 100 has an antenna known as the PUCK. This is an off the shelf component that provides the necessary data link / connection between both the aircraft and the vessel 100 to enable both manual operation and autonomous operation. The antenna has an ultra-wideband 410MHz to 470MHz, 690MHz to 2700MHz and 3200MHz to 3800MHz band capability, and has Superior MIMO performance in both Wi-Fi (dual band) and cellular bands. The antenna has been designed to be low profile and is corrosion, water and dust resistance (IP68), suitable for marine conditions.

[0059]

Parachute system

[0060] The vessel 100 also comprises a parachute system comprising a parachute 11 and a harness 9a and a quick release mechanism 9. The parachute 11 consists of a drogue chute and a main chute (shown in a stowed configuration). The quick release mechanism 9 consistent of a harness 9a and quick release mechanism 9. The parachute 11 is configured to deploy when the vessel 100 is deployed from the aircraft, and the quick release mechanism 9 is configured to detach when the vessel 100 contacts the marine environment.

[0061] The parachute 11 sits on top of the vessel 100 and can be deployment statically or it can be timed released accordingly depending on the height of the aircraft and its intended location. [0062] The vessel 100 can be deployed from a moving aircraft at speed. To initiate deployment, an operator within the aircraft initiates the deployment. Once the vessel 100 is in the air, the parachute 11 is engaged and deploys both the drogue and main chute. The drogue chute is approximately 500 mm in diameter with nylon lines (not shown deployed). Parachute 11 is attached to the vessel 100 via the 4-point harness comprising a plurality of lugs 6 and quick release mechanism 9. In the embodiment shown, there are 4 lugs 6, however it will be appreciated that fewer or greater lugs can be used so long as the structural limits are observed with determining the number of lugs 6 to employ. The parachute 11 and quick release mechanism 9 will engage after the vessel 100 has been released from an aircraft. The drogue chute is deployed first. The intention of this drogue is to slow down the vessel 100 in the first instances, provide stability and act as the primary mechanism for pulling out the main chute. The main purpose of the main chute is to slow the vessel 100 down to controlled decent rate ready and safely land the vessel 100 onto the water's surface. The main chute is pulled form the chute bag by the activation of the drogue chute. The main chute is approximately 2500 mm in diameter and has nylon lines.

[0063] The parachute 11 has a quick release mechanism 9 that connects the main chute to vessel 100 via the four-point harness and the chute lugs 6. The quick release mechanism 9 is activated when the main chute is opened. The load shock from the opening of the parachute 11 engages the quick release mechanism 9 into a lock position under tension. This can be timed, or it can occur after release of the vessel 100 from the aircraft. The parachute 11 will be removed and discarded from the main body 3 upon reaching the surface of the ocean. This will ensure there are not complications with the parachute 11 hitting the engines 1 and ensuring the vessel 100 is capable of carrying out its desired mission.

Payload

In various embodiments, the payload 2 may comprise of an an inflatable life raft boat, communication systems, food and/or water supply and possibly at least one life jacket and other lifesaving survival equipment such as a first aid kit. The payload is not limited to these items and can be any suitable payload item that a person skilled in the art would envisage could be suitable for this purpose. The payload can weigh up to a 5kgs. A person skilled in the art will envisage multiple payload configurations based on the specific operational requirements of vessel 100 deployment. [0064] The payload 2 is mission specific and is configurable to suit any operational requirement.

The payload 2 sits on the payload bay shelf 5 This will be delivered by the vessel 100 on the ocean's surface. [0065] Advantageously, the vessel 100 is modular in design and manufacture and can support quick modification and changes to payload options to suit the changing needs of customers.

[0066] In the embodiment shown in the figures, the payload is designed to carry a 2.4kg object, sized 360 mm x 180 mm x 180 mm. However, as will be appreciated, the full weight of the payload could be up to 5 kgs, as mentioned above, given the specific size and weight of the object in the payload.

Operation

[0067] The operation of the vessel 100 is as follows.

1) An aircraft is deployed on search and rescue operations.

2) It requires the vessel 100 to be deployed from the aircraft.

3) The vessel 100 is deployed and upon exit from the aircraft a parachute 11 deploys. The parachute 11 is either timed to release at a certain time after deployment, or at deployment.

4) The vessel 100 descends to the ocean smoothly.

5) The quick release mechanism 9 detaches the parachute 11 from the vessel 100.

6) The on-board avionics 8 is capable of being controlled via remote control (not shown) from an operator on-board the aircraft (not shown) inputting continuous throttle and heading commands. In an alternative embodiment, the vessel 100 can be controlled in autonomous mode which is autonomously executing a loaded navigation route. Both of which can be used to direct the vessel 100 to the desired location.

7) The vessel 100 can be monitored visually or it can be monitored via the remote control on board, monitor its progress to destination being acquired manually or autonomously and override as required via manual mode.

8) Either the payload 2 is delivered or the person in distress can use the vessel 100 as a flotation device until additional help arrives.

[0068] The vessel 100 can be deployed from a helicopter and/or aircraft at any height and land on the ocean's surface and operate both manually and autonomously at a range up to 10 km.

[0069] The vessel 100 has been designed to specifically meet the needs of the domestic and international maritime Search and Rescue industry. [0070] This vessel 100 is light weight structure up to 20kg, is portable and cost-effective given it is capable of being deployed via helicopter and/or aircraft at various heights and speeds and land safely in the ocean and be controlled remotely or autonomously by a circling aircraft or helicopter at significant range. Currently existing devices that can be dropped from a helicopter can only do so from extremely low heights and have a very limited radio range capability and payload carrying capacity.

[0071] The vessel 100 provides an advantage of being able to be deployed at various heights and be controlled remotely either manually or autonomously with the added benefit of having a payload 2 carrying capability. The vessel 100 can be monitored by loitering aircraft after a successful landing on the ocean's surface to support operations. Its long-range radio link capacity via avionics 8 enables the operators to modify the vessel's 100 movements. This range can be up to 10 km from a loitering aircraft.

[0072] The radio link range and battery capacity and engines 1 enable the vessel 100 to travel up to and including the limit of the radio range of 10 km when operated from the aircraft. This distance can be increased if the radio is upgraded. The battery pack is capable of travelling up to 20 km on one single charge.

[0073] The distance at which the radio continues to operate is depending on the aircraft's systems on board and the radio on vessel 100. The vessel 100 can be handled by one crew member whilst on the ground, in the ocean and in the aircraft due to its lightweight composite construction. It has been designed to be released from an aircraft or helicopter at varying speeds up to 200 knots and at heights of less than 5000 ft but greater than 200 ft and land safely on the surface of the ocean.

[0074] The vessel 100 can be deployed in three different methods. Manually by hand, helicopter and/or aircraft. The design of the vessel 100 enables the product to be deployed at both stationary or dynamic positions. The vessel's 100 aerodynamic shape and design enables the vessel 100 to be deployed be flight stable.

[0075] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the foregoing specific exemplary processes and/or devices and/or machines and/or technologies are representative of more general processes and/or devices and/or machines and/or technologies taught elsewhere herein, such as in the claims filed herewith and/or elsewhere in the present application.

[0076] The claims, description, and drawings of this application may describe one or more of the instant technologies in operational/functional language, for example as a set of operations to be performed by a computer. Such operational/functional description in most instances would be understood by one skilled the art as specifically-configured hardware (e.g., because a general purpose computer in effect becomes a special purpose computer once it is programmed to perform particular functions pursuant to instructions from program software).

[0077] Importantly, although the operational/functional descriptions described herein are understandable by the human mind, they are not abstract ideas of the operations/functions divorced from computational implementation of those operations/functions. Rather, the operations/functions represent a specification for massively complex computational machines or other means. As discussed in detail below, the operational/functional language must be read in its proper technological context, i.e., as concrete specifications for physical implementations.

[0078] The logical operations/functions described herein are a distillation of machine specifications or other physical mechanisms specified by the operations/functions such that the otherwise inscrutable machine specifications may be comprehensible to a human reader. The distillation also allows one of skill in the art to adapt the operational/functional description of the technology across many different specific vendors' hardware configurations or platforms, without being limited to specific vendors' hardware configurations or platforms.

[0079] Some of the present technical description (e.g., detailed description, drawings, claims, etc.) may be set forth in terms of logical operations/functions. As described in more detail herein, these logical operations/functions are not representations of abstract ideas, but rather are representative of static or sequenced specifications of various hardware elements. Differently stated, unless context dictates otherwise, the logical operations/functions will be understood by those of skill in the art to be representative of static or sequenced specifications of various hardware elements. This is true because tools available to one of skill in the art to implement technical disclosures set forth in operational/functional formats— tools in the form of a high-level programming language (e.g., C, java, visual basic), etc.), or tools in the form of Very high speed Hardware Description Language ("VHDL," which is a language that uses text to describe logic circuits)— are generators of static or sequenced specifications of various hardware configurations. This fact is sometimes obscured by the broad term "software," but, as shown by the following explanation, those skilled in the art understand that what is termed "software" is a shorthand for a massively complex interchaining/specification of ordered-matter elements. The term "ordered-matter elements" may refer to physical components of computation, such as assemblies of electronic logic gates, molecular computing logic constituents, quantum computing mechanisms, etc.

[0080] For example, a high-level programming language is a programming language with strong abstraction, e.g., multiple levels of abstraction, from the details of the sequential organizations, states, inputs, outputs, etc., of the machines that a high-level programming language actually specifies. See, e.g., Wikipedia, High-level programming language, http://en [dot] Wikipedia [dot] org/wiki/High-level— programming language (as of Jun. 5, 2012, 21:00 GMT). In order to facilitate human comprehension, in many instances, high-level programming languages resemble or even share symbols with natural languages. See, e.g., Wikipedia, Natural language, http://en [dot] Wikipedia [dot] org/wiki/Natural language (as of Jun. 5, 2012, 21:00 GMT).

[0081] It has been argued that because high-level programming languages use strong abstraction (e.g., that they may resemble or share symbols with natural languages), they are therefore a "purely mental construct" (e.g., that "software"— a computer program or computer programming— is somehow an ineffable mental construct, because at a high level of abstraction, it can be conceived and understood by a human reader). This argument has been used to characterize technical description in the form of functions/operations as somehow "abstract ideas." In fact, in technological arts (e.g., the information and communication technologies) this is not true.

[0082] The fact that high-level programming languages use strong abstraction to facilitate human understanding should not be taken as an indication that what is expressed is an abstract idea. In fact, those skilled in the art understand that just the opposite is true. If a high-level programming language is the tool used to implement a technical disclosure in the form of functions/operations, those skilled in the art will recognize that, far from being abstract, imprecise, "fuzzy," or "mental" in any significant semantic sense, such a tool is instead a near incomprehensibly precise sequential specification of specific computational machines— the parts of which are built up by activating/selecting such parts from typically more general computational machines over time (e.g., clocked time). This fact is sometimes obscured by the superficial similarities between high-level programming languages and natural languages. These superficial similarities also may cause a glossing over of the fact that high-level programming language implementations ultimately perform valuable work by creating/controlling many different computational machines.

[0083] The many different computational machines that a high-level programming language specifies are almost unimaginably complex. At base, the hardware used in the computational machines typically consists of some type of ordered matter (e.g., traditional electronic devices (e.g., transistors), deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), quantum devices, mechanical switches, optics, fluidics, pneumatics, optical devices (e.g., optical interference devices), molecules, etc.) that are arranged to form logic gates. Logic gates are typically physical devices that may be electrically, mechanically, chemically, or otherwise driven to change physical state in order to create a physical reality of logic, such as Boolean logic.

[0084] Logic gates may be arranged to form logic circuits, which are typically physical devices that may be electrically, mechanically, chemically, or otherwise driven to create a physical reality of certain logical functions. Types of logic circuits include such devices as multiplexers, registers, arithmetic logic units (ALUs), computer memory, etc., each type of which may be combined to form yet other types of physical devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU)— the best known of which is the microprocessor. A modern microprocessor will often contain more than one hundred million logic gates in its many logic circuits (and often more than a billion transistors). See, e.g., Wikipedia, Logic gates, http://en [dot] Wikipedia [dot] org/wiki/Logic_gates (as of Jun. 5, 2012, 21:03 GMT). [0085] The logic circuits forming the microprocessor are arranged to provide a microarchitecture that will carry out the instructions defined by that microprocessor's defined Instruction Set Architecture. The Instruction Set Architecture is the part of the microprocessor architecture related to programming, including the native data types, instructions, registers, addressing modes, memory architecture, interrupt and exception handling, and external Input/Output. See, e.g., Wikipedia, Computer architecture, http://en [dot] Wikipedia [dot] org/wiki/Computer_architecture (as of Jun.

5, 2012, 21:03 GMT).

[0086] The Instruction Set Architecture includes a specification of the machine language that can be used by programmers to use/control the microprocessor. Since the machine language instructions are such that they may be executed directly by the microprocessor, typically they consist of strings of binary digits, or bits. For example, a typical machine language instruction might be many bits long (e.g., 32, 64, or 128 bit strings are currently common). A typical machine language instruction might take the form "11110000101011110000111100111111" (a 32 bit instruction).

[0087] It is significant here that, although the machine language instructions are written as sequences of binary digits, in actuality those binary digits specify physical reality. For example, if certain semiconductors are used to make the operations of Boolean logic a physical reality, the apparently mathematical bits "3." and "0" in a machine language instruction actually constitute a shorthand that specifies the application of specific voltages to specific wires. For example, in some semiconductor technologies, the binary number "1" (e.g., logical "1") in a machine language instruction specifies around +5 volts applied to a specific "wire" (e.g., metallic traces on a printed circuit board) and the binary number "0" (e.g., logical "0") in a machine language instruction specifies around -5 volts applied to a specific "wire." In addition to specifying voltages of the machines' configurations, such machine language instructions also select out and activate specific groupings of logic gates from the millions of logic gates of the more general machine. Thus, far from abstract mathematical expressions, machine language instruction programs, even though written as a string of zeros and ones, specify many, many constructed physical machines or physical machine states.

[0088] Machine language is typically incomprehensible by most humans (e.g., the above example was just ONE instruction, and some personal computers execute more than two billion instructions every second). See, e.g., Wikipedia, Instructions per second, http://en [dot] Wikipedia [dot] org/wiki/lnstructions per second (as of Jun. 5, 2012, 21:04 GMT). Thus, programs written in machine language— which may be tens of millions of machine language instructions long— are incomprehensible to most humans. In view of this, early assembly languages were developed that used mnemonic codes to refer to machine language instructions, rather than using the machine language instructions' numeric values directly (e.g., for performing a multiplication operation, programmers coded the abbreviation "mult," which represents the binary number "011000" in MIPS machine code). While assembly languages were initially a great aid to humans controlling the microprocessors to perform work, in time the complexity of the work that needed to be done by the humans outstripped the ability of humans to control the microprocessors using merely assembly languages.

[0089] At this point, it was noted that the same tasks needed to be done over and over, and the machine language necessary to do those repetitive tasks was the same. In view of this, compilers were created. A compiler is a device that takes a statement that is more comprehensible to a human than either machine or assembly language, such as "add 2+2 and output the result," and translates that human understandable statement into a complicated, tedious, and immense machine language code (e.g., millions of 32, 64, or 128 bit length strings). Compilers thus translate high-level programming language into machine language.

[0090] This compiled machine language, as described above, is then used as the technical specification which sequentially constructs and causes the interoperation of many different computational machines such that useful, tangible, and concrete work is done. For example, as indicated above, such machine language— the compiled version of the higher-level language- functions as a technical specification which selects out hardware logic gates, specifies voltage levels, voltage transition timings, etc., such that the useful work is accomplished by the hardware.

[0091] Thus, a functional/operational technical description, when viewed by one of skill in the art, is far from an abstract idea. Rather, such a functional/operational technical description, when understood through the tools available in the art such as those just described, is instead understood to be a humanly understandable representation of a hardware specification, the complexity and specificity of which far exceeds the comprehension of most any one human. With this in mind, those skilled in the art will understand that any such operational/functional technical descriptions— in view of the disclosures herein and the knowledge of those skilled in the art— may be understood as operations made into physical reality by (a) one or more interchained physical machines, (b) interchained logic gates configured to create one or more physical machine(s) representative of sequential/combinatorial logic(s), (c) interchained ordered matter making up logic gates (e.g., interchained electronic devices (e.g., transistors), DNA, quantum devices, mechanical switches, optics, fluidics, pneumatics, molecules, etc.) that create physical reality of logic(s), or (d) virtually any combination of the foregoing. Indeed, any physical object which has a stable, measurable, and changeable state may be used to construct a machine based on the above technical description. Charles Babbage, for example, constructed the first mechanized computational apparatus out of wood, with the apparatus powered by cranking a handle.

[0092] Thus, far from being understood as an abstract idea, those skilled in the art will recognize a functional/operational technical description as a humanly-understandable representation of one or more almost unimaginably complex and time sequenced hardware instantiations. The fact that functional/operational technical descriptions might lend themselves readily to high-level computing languages (or high-level block diagrams for that matter) that share some words, structures, phrases, etc. with natural language should not be taken as an indication that such functional/operational technical descriptions are abstract ideas, or mere expressions of abstract ideas. In fact, as outlined herein, in the technological arts this is simply not true. When viewed through the tools available to those of skill in the art, such functional/operational technical descriptions are seen as specifying hardware configurations of almost unimaginable complexity.

[0093] As outlined above, the reason for the use of functional/operational technical descriptions is at least twofold. First, the use of functional/operational technical descriptions allows near-infinitely complex machines and machine operations arising from interchained hardware elements to be described in a manner that the human mind can process (e.g., by mimicking natural language and logical narrative flow). Second, the use of functional/operational technical descriptions assists the person of skill in the art in understanding the described subject matter by providing a description that is more or less independent of any specific vendor's piece(s) of hardware.

[0094] The use of functional/operational technical descriptions assists the person of skill in the art in understanding the described subject matter since, as is evident from the above discussion, one could easily, although not quickly, transcribe the technical descriptions set forth in this document as trillions of ones and zeroes, billions of single lines of assembly-level machine code, millions of logic gates, thousands of gate arrays, or any number of intermediate levels of abstractions. However, if any such low-level technical descriptions were to replace the present technical description, a person of skill in the art could encounter undue difficulty in implementing the disclosure, because such a low-level technical description would likely add complexity without a corresponding benefit (e.g., by describing the subject matter utilizing the conventions of one or more vendor-specific pieces of hardware). Thus, the use of functional/operational technical descriptions assists those of skill in the art by separating the technical descriptions from the conventions of any vendor-specific piece of hardware.

[0095] In view of the foregoing, the logical operations/functions set forth in the present technical description are representative of static or sequenced specifications of various ordered-matter elements, in order that such specifications may be comprehensible to the human mind and adaptable to create many various hardware configurations. The logical operations/functions disclosed herein should be treated as such, and should not be disparagingly characterized as abstract ideas merely because the specifications they represent are presented in a manner that one of skill in the art can readily understand and apply in a manner independent of a specific vendor's hardware implementation.

[0096] Those having skill in the art will recognize that the state of the art has progressed to the point where there is little distinction left between hardware, software, and/or firmware implementations of aspects of systems; the use of hardware, software, and/or firmware is generally (but not always, in that in certain contexts the choice between hardware and software can become significant) a design choice representing cost vs. efficiency tradeoffs. Those having skill in the art will appreciate that there are various vehicles by which processes and/or systems and/or other technologies described herein can be effected (e.g., hardware, software, and/or firmware), and that the preferred vehicle will vary with the context in which the processes and/or systems and/or other technologies are deployed. For example, if an implementer determines that speed and accuracy are paramount, the implementer may opt for a mainly hardware and/or firmware vehicle; alternatively, if flexibility is paramount, the implementer may opt for a mainly software implementation; or, yet again alternatively, the implementer may opt for some combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware in one or more machines, compositions of matter, and articles of manufacture, limited to patentable subject matter under 35 USC 101. Hence, there are several possible vehicles by which the processes and/or devices and/or other technologies described herein may be effected, none of which is inherently superior to the other in that any vehicle to be utilized is a choice dependent upon the context in which the vehicle will be deployed and the specific concerns (e.g., speed, flexibility, or predictability) of the implementer, any of which may vary. Those skilled in the art will recognize that optical aspects of implementations will typically employ optically-oriented hardware, software, and or firmware.

[0097] In some implementations described herein, logic and similar implementations may include computer programs or other control structures. Electronic circuitry, for example, may have one or more paths of electrical current constructed and arranged to implement various functions as described herein. In some implementations, one or more media may be configured to bear a device- detectable implementation when such media hold or transmit device detectable instructions operable to perform as described herein. In some variants, for example, implementations may include an update or modification of existing software or firmware, or of gate arrays or programmable hardware, such as by performing a reception of or a transmission of one or more instructions in relation to one or more operations described herein. Alternatively or additionally, in some variants, an implementation may include special-purpose hardware, software, firmware components, and/or general-purpose components executing or otherwise invoking special-purpose components. Specifications or other implementations may be transmitted by one or more instances of tangible transmission media as described herein, optionally by packet transmission or otherwise by passing through distributed media at various times.

[0098] Alternatively or additionally, implementations may include executing a special-purpose instruction sequence or invoking circuitry for enabling, triggering, coordinating, requesting, or otherwise causing one or more occurrences of virtually any functional operation described herein. In some variants, operational or other logical descriptions herein may be expressed as source code and compiled or otherwise invoked as an executable instruction sequence. In some contexts, for example, implementations may be provided, in whole or in part, by source code, such as C++, or other code sequences. In other implementations, source or other code implementation, using commercially available and/or techniques in the art, may be compiled/implemented/translated/converted into a high-level descriptor language (e.g., initially implementing described technologies in C or C++ programming language and thereafter converting the programming language implementation into a logic-synthesizable language implementation, a hardware description language implementation, a hardware design simulation implementation, and/or other such similar mode(s) of expression). For example, some or all of a logical expression (e.g., computer programming language implementation) may be manifested as a Verilog-type hardware description (e.g., via Hardware Description Language (HDL) and/or Very High Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware Descriptor Language (VHDL)) or other circuitry model which may then be used to create a physical implementation having hardware (e.g., an Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Those skilled in the art will recognize how to obtain, configure, and optimize suitable transmission or computational elements, material supplies, actuators, or other structures in light of these teachings.

[0099] The foregoing detailed description has set forth various embodiments of the devices and/or processes via the use of block diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples. Insofar as such block diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples contain one or more functions and/or operations, it will be understood by those within the art that each function and/or operation within such block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples can be implemented, individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or virtually any combination thereof, limited to patentable subject matter under 35 U.S.C. 101. In an embodiment, several portions of the subject matter described herein may be implemented via Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), or other integrated formats. Flowever, those skilled in the art will recognize that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, in whole or in part, can be equivalently implemented in integrated circuits, as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors), as firmware, or as virtually any combination thereof, limited to patentable subject matter under 35 U.S.C. 101, and that designing the circuitry and/or writing the code for the software and or firmware would be well within the skill of one of skill in the art in light of this disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein are capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that an illustrative embodiment of the subject matter described herein applies regardless of the particular type of signal bearing medium used to actually carry out the distribution. Examples of a signal bearing medium include, but are not limited to, the following: a recordable type medium such as a floppy disk, a hard disk drive, a Compact Disc (CD), a Digital Video Disk (DVD), a digital tape, a computer memory, etc.; and a transmission type medium such as a digital and/or an analog communication medium (e.g., a fiber optic cable, a waveguide, a wired communications link, a wireless communication link (e.g., transmitter, receiver, transmission logic, reception logic, etc.), etc.).

[0100] The term module, as used in the foregoing/following disclosure, may refer to a collection of one or more components that are arranged in a particular manner, or a collection of one or more general-purpose components that may be configured to operate in a particular manner at one or more particular points in time, and/or also configured to operate in one or more further manners at one or more further times. For example, the same hardware, or same portions of hardware, may be configured/reconfigured in sequential/parallel time(s) as a first type of module (e.g., at a first time), as a second type of module (e.g., at a second time, which may in some instances coincide with, overlap, or follow a first time), and/or as a third type of module (e.g., at a third time which may, in some instances, coincide with, overlap, or follow a first time and/or a second time), etc. Reconfigurable and/or controllable components (e.g., general purpose processors, digital signal processors, field programmable gate arrays, etc.) are capable of being configured as a first module that has a first purpose, then a second module that has a second purpose and then, a third module that has a third purpose, and so on. The transition of a reconfigurable and/or controllable component may occur in as little as a few nanoseconds, or may occur over a period of minutes, hours, or days.

[0101] In some such examples, at the time the component is configured to carry out the second purpose, the component may no longer be capable of carrying out that first purpose until it is reconfigured. A component may switch between configurations as different modules in as little as a few nanoseconds. A component may reconfigure on-the-fly, e.g., the reconfiguration of a component from a first module into a second module may occur just as the second module is needed. A component may reconfigure in stages, e.g., portions of a first module that are no longer needed may reconfigure into the second module even before the first module has finished its operation. Such reconfigurations may occur automatically, or may occur through prompting by an external source, whether that source is another component, an instruction, a signal, a condition, an external stimulus, or similar.

[0102] For example, a central processing unit of a personal computer may, at various times, operate as a module for displaying graphics on a screen, a module for writing data to a storage medium, a module for receiving user input, and a module for multiplying two large prime numbers, by configuring its logical gates in accordance with its instructions. Such reconfiguration may be invisible to the naked eye, and in some embodiments may include activation, deactivation, and/or re-routing of various portions of the component, e.g., switches, logic gates, inputs, and/or outputs. Thus, in the examples found in the foregoing/following disclosure, if an example includes or recites multiple modules, the example includes the possibility that the same hardware may implement more than one of the recited modules, either contemporaneously or at discrete times or timings. The implementation of multiple modules, whether using more components, fewer components, or the same number of components as the number of modules, is merely an implementation choice and does not generally affect the operation of the modules themselves. Accordingly, it should be understood that any recitation of multiple discrete modules in this disclosure includes implementations of those modules as any number of underlying components, including, but not limited to, a single component that reconfigures itself over time to carry out the functions of multiple modules, and/or multiple components that similarly reconfigure, and/or special purpose reconfigurable components.

[0103] In a general sense, those skilled in the art will recognize that the various embodiments described herein can be implemented, individually and/or collectively, by various types of electro mechanical systems having a wide range of electrical components such as hardware, software, firmware, and/or virtually any combination thereof, limited to patentable subject matter under 35 U.S.C. 101; and a wide range of components that may impart mechanical force or motion such as rigid bodies, spring or torsional bodies, hydraulics, electro-magnetically actuated devices, and/or virtually any combination thereof. Consequently, as used herein "electro-mechanical system" includes, but is not limited to, electrical circuitry operably coupled with a transducer (e.g., an actuator, a motor, a piezoelectric crystal, a Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS), etc.), electrical circuitry having at least one discrete electrical circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one integrated circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one application specific integrated circuit, electrical circuitry forming a general purpose computing device configured by a computer program (e.g., a general purpose computer configured by a computer program which at least partially carries out processes and/or devices described herein, or a microprocessor configured by a computer program which at least partially carries out processes and/or devices described herein), electrical circuitry forming a memory device (e.g., forms of memory (e.g., random access, flash, read only, etc.)), electrical circuitry forming a communications device (e.g., a modem, communications switch, optical-electrical equipment, etc.), and/or any non-electrical analog thereto, such as optical or other analogs (e.g., graphene based circuitry). Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that examples of electro-mechanical systems include but are not limited to a variety of consumer electronics systems, medical devices, as well as other systems such as motorized transport systems, factory automation systems, security systems, and/or communication/computing systems. Those skilled in the art will recognize that electro-mechanical as used herein is not necessarily limited to a system that has both electrical and mechanical actuation except as context may dictate otherwise.

[0104] In a general sense, those skilled in the art will recognize that the various aspects described herein which can be implemented, individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, and/or any combination thereof can be viewed as being composed of various types of "electrical circuitry." Consequently, as used herein "electrical circuitry" includes, but is not limited to, electrical circuitry having at least one discrete electrical circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one integrated circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one application specific integrated circuit, electrical circuitry forming a general purpose computing device configured by a computer program (e.g., a general purpose computer configured by a computer program which at least partially carries out processes and/or devices described herein, or a microprocessor configured by a computer program which at least partially carries out processes and/or devices described herein), electrical circuitry forming a memory device (e.g., forms of memory (e.g., random access, flash, read only, etc.)), and/or electrical circuitry forming a communications device (e.g., a modem, communications switch, optical-electrical equipment, etc.). Those having skill in the art will recognize that the subject matter described herein may be implemented in an analog or digital fashion or some combination thereof.

[0105] Those skilled in the art will recognize that at least a portion of the devices and/or processes described herein can be integrated into an image processing system. Those having skill in the art will recognize that a typical image processing system generally includes one or more of a system unit housing, a video display device, memory such as volatile or non-volatile memory, processors such as microprocessors or digital signal processors, computational entities such as operating systems, drivers, applications programs, one or more interaction devices (e.g., a touch pad, a touch screen, an antenna, etc.), control systems including feedback loops and control motors (e.g., feedback for sensing lens position and/or velocity; control motors for moving/distorting lenses to give desired focuses). An image processing system may be implemented utilizing suitable commercially available components, such as those typically found in digital still systems and/or digital motion systems. [0106] Those skilled in the art will recognize that at least a portion of the devices and/or processes described herein can be integrated into a data processing system. Those having skill in the art will recognize that a data processing system generally includes one or more of a system unit housing, a video display device, memory such as volatile or non-volatile memory, processors such as microprocessors or digital signal processors, computational entities such as operating systems, drivers, graphical user interfaces, and applications programs, one or more interaction devices (e.g., a touch pad, a touch screen, an antenna, etc.), and/or control systems including feedback loops and control motors (e.g., feedback for sensing position and/or velocity; control motors for moving and/or adjusting components and/or quantities). A data processing system may be implemented utilizing suitable commercially available components, such as those typically found in data computing/communication and/or network computing/communication systems.

[0107] Those skilled in the art will recognize that at least a portion of the devices and/or processes described herein can be integrated into a mote system. Those having skill in the art will recognize that a typical mote system generally includes one or more memories such as volatile or non-volatile memories, processors such as microprocessors or digital signal processors, computational entities such as operating systems, user interfaces, drivers, sensors, actuators, applications programs, one or more interaction devices (e.g., an antenna USB ports, acoustic ports, etc.), control systems including feedback loops and control motors (e.g., feedback for sensing or estimating position and/or velocity; control motors for moving and/or adjusting components and/or quantities). A mote system may be implemented utilizing suitable components, such as those found in mote computing/communication systems. Specific examples of such components entail such as Intel Corporation's and/or Crossbow Corporation's mote components and supporting hardware, software, and/or firmware. [0108] Those skilled in the art will recognize that it is common within the art to implement devices and/or processes and/or systems, and thereafter use engineering and/or other practices to integrate such implemented devices and/or processes and/or systems into more comprehensive devices and/or processes and/or systems. That is, at least a portion of the devices and/or processes and/or systems described herein can be integrated into other devices and/or processes and/or systems via a reasonable amount of experimentation. Those having skill in the art will recognize that examples of such other devices and/or processes and/or systems might include— as appropriate to context and application— all or part of devices and/or processes and/or systems of (a) an air conveyance (e.g., an airplane, rocket, helicopter, etc.), (b) a ground conveyance (e.g., a car, truck, locomotive, tank, armoured personnel carrier, etc.), (c) a building (e.g., a home, warehouse, office, etc.), (d) an appliance (e.g., a refrigerator, a washing machine, a dryer, etc.), (e) a communications system (e.g., a networked system, a telephone system, a Voice over IP system, etc.), (f) a business entity (e.g., an Internet Service Provider (ISP) entity such as Comcast Cable, Qwest, Southwestern Bell, Verizon, AT&T, etc.), or (g) a wired/wireless services entity (e.g., Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, etc.), etc.

[0109] In certain cases, use of a system or method may occur in a territory even if components are located outside the territory. For example, in a distributed computing context, use of a distributed computing system may occur in a territory even though parts of the system may be located outside of the territory (e.g., relay, server, processor, signal-bearing medium, transmitting computer, receiving computer, etc. located outside the territory).

[0110] A sale of a system or method may likewise occur in a territory even if components of the system or method are located and/or used outside the territory. Further, implementation of at least part of a system for performing a method in one territory does not preclude use of the system in another territory.

[0111] All of the above U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applications and non-patent publications referred to in this specification and/or listed in any Application Data Sheet, are incorporated herein by reference, to the extent not inconsistent herewith.

[0112] One skilled in the art will recognize that the herein described components (e.g., operations), devices, objects, and the discussion accompanying them are used as examples for the sake of conceptual clarity and that various configuration modifications are contemplated. Consequently, as used herein, the specific exemplars set forth and the accompanying discussion are intended to be representative of their more general classes. In general, use of any specific exemplar is intended to be representative of its class, and the non-inclusion of specific components (e.g., operations), devices, and objects should not be taken limiting. [0113] Although user is shown/described herein as a single illustrated figure, those skilled in the art will appreciate that user may be representative of a human user, a robotic user (e.g., computational entity), and/or substantially any combination thereof (e.g., a user may be assisted by one or more robotic agents) unless context dictates otherwise. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in general, the same may be said of "sender" and/or other entity-oriented terms as such terms are used herein unless context dictates otherwise.

[0114] With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations are not expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.

[0115] The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures may be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively "associated" such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as "associated with" each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being "operably connected", or "operably coupled," to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewed as being "operably couplable," to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but are not limited to physically mateable and/or physically interacting components, and/or wirelessly interactable, and/or wirelessly interacting components, and/or logically interacting, and/or logically interactable components.

[0116] In some instances, one or more components may be referred to herein as "configured to," "configured by," "configurable to," "operable/operative to," "adapted/adaptable," "able to," "conformable/conformed to," etc. Those skilled in the art will recognize that such terms (e.g. "configured to") generally encompass active-state components and/or inactive-state components and/or standby-state components, unless context requires otherwise.

[0117] For the purposes of this application, "cloud" computing may be understood as described in the cloud computing literature. For example, cloud computing may be methods and/or systems for the delivery of computational capacity and/or storage capacity as a service. The "cloud" may refer to one or more hardware and/or software components that deliver or assist in the delivery of computational and/or storage capacity, including, but not limited to, one or more of a client, an application, a platform, an infrastructure, and/or a server. The cloud may refer to any of the hardware and/or software associated with a client, an application, a platform, an infrastructure, and/or a server. For example, cloud and cloud computing may refer to one or more of a computer, a processor, a storage medium, a router, a switch, a modem, a virtual machine (e.g., a virtual server), a data center, an operating system, a middleware, a firmware, a hardware back-end, a software back end, and/or a software application. A cloud may refer to a private cloud, a public cloud, a hybrid cloud, and/or a community cloud. A cloud may be a shared pool of configurable computing resources, which may be public, private, semi-private, distributable, scaleable, flexible, temporary, virtual, and/or physical. A cloud or cloud service may be delivered over one or more types of network, e.g., a mobile communication network, and the Internet.

[0118] As used in this application, a cloud or a cloud service may include one or more of infrastructure-as-a-service ("laaS"), platform-as-a-service ("PaaS"), software-as-a-service ("SaaS"), and/or desktop-as-a-service ("DaaS"). As a non-exclusive example, laaS may include, e.g., one or more virtual server instantiations that may start, stop, access, and/or configure virtual servers and/or storage centers (e.g., providing one or more processors, storage space, and/or network resources on-demand, e.g., EMC and Rackspace). PaaS may include, e.g., one or more software and/or development tools hosted on an infrastructure (e.g., a computing platform and/or a solution stack from which the client can create software interfaces and applications, e.g., Microsoft Azure). SaaS may include, e.g., software hosted by a service provider and accessible over a network (e.g., the software for the application and/or the data associated with that software application may be kept on the network, e.g., Google Apps, SalesForce). DaaS may include, e.g., providing desktop, applications, data, and/or services for the user over a network (e.g., providing a multi-application framework, the applications in the framework, the data associated with the applications, and/or services related to the applications and/or the data over the network, e.g., Citrix). The foregoing is intended to be exemplary of the types of systems and/or methods referred to in this application as "cloud" or "cloud computing" and should not be considered complete or exhaustive.

[0119] This application may make reference to one or more trademarks, e.g., a word, letter, symbol, or device adopted by one manufacturer or merchant and used to identify and/or distinguish his or her product from those of others. Trademark names used herein are set forth in such language that makes clear their identity, that distinguishes them from common descriptive nouns, that have fixed and definite meanings, or, in many if not all cases, are accompanied by other specific identification using terms not covered by trademark. In addition, trademark names used herein have meanings that are well-known and defined in the literature, or do not refer to products or compounds for which knowledge of one or more trade secrets is required in order to divine their meaning. All trademarks referenced in this application are the property of their respective owners, and the appearance of one or more trademarks in this application does not diminish or otherwise adversely affect the validity of the one or more trademarks. All trademarks, registered or unregistered, that appear in this application are assumed to include a proper trademark symbol, e.g., the circle R or bracketed capitalization (e.g., [trademark name]), even when such trademark symbol does not explicitly appear next to the trademark. To the extent a trademark is used in a descriptive manner to refer to a product or process, that trademark should be interpreted to represent the corresponding product or process as of the date of the filing of this patent application. [0120] While particular aspects of the present subject matter described herein have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from the subject matter described herein and its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but is not limited to," etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to claims containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and/or "an" should typically be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more"); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of "two recitations," without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone,

A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that typically a disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms unless context dictates otherwise. For example, the phrase "A or B" will be typically understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B".

[0121] With respect to the appended claims, those skilled in the art will appreciate that recited operations therein may generally be performed in any order. Also, although various operational flows are presented in a sequence(s), it should be understood that the various operations may be performed in other orders than those which are illustrated, or may be performed concurrently. Examples of such alternate orderings may include overlapping, interleaved, interrupted, reordered, incremental, preparatory, supplemental, simultaneous, reverse, or other variant orderings, unless context dictates otherwise. Furthermore, terms like "responsive to," "related to," or other past- tense adjectives are generally not intended to exclude such variants, unless context dictates otherwise.

[0122] While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

Reference numerals

100 - vessel

1 - electric motors

2 - payload 3 - hull

3a - interior space 4 - cover

5 - shelf a - opening - lug - avionics bay shelf - avionics - quick release mechanisma - harness 0 - antenna 1 - parachute 0 - nose section 1 - body section 2 - tail section

Claims

Claims

1. An unmanned surface vessel for a marine environment, the vessel comprising: an elongated hull defining an interior space, the hull comprising a forward nose section, a main body section positioned aft of the nose section, and an aft tail section positioned aft of the body section, the body section having an upper opening providing access to the interior space; a removeable hatch securable over the upper opening that, when secured in position, prohibits water ingress into the interior space; a propulsion system located externally at the tail section of the hull; a control system located in the interior space; and a parachute system located externally at the tail section, the parachute system is also attached externally to the body section of the hull by at least one lug; wherein the parachute system comprises a parachute and a quick release mechanism, the parachute configured to expand when the vessel has been deployed from an aircraft, and the quick release mechanism configured to detach the parachute when the vessel contacts the marine environment.

2. The vessel of claim 1, wherein the parachute system comprises a quick release device and a hold timer the prohibits the parachute from releasing from the vessel for a predetermined time.

3. The vessel of claim 1 or 2, wherein the quick release device is activated when a load of greater than 4lbs is pulled.

4. The vessel of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the quick release device is released when the load upon landing on the surface of the marine environment is removed.

5. The vessel of claim 4, wherein the quick release device has a pin that retracts when the load is removed, allowing the pin to release and detach the parachute.

6. The vessel of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the propulsion system is an electrical propulsion system.

7. The vessel of claim 6, wherein the electrical propulsion system comprises a battery and at least one engine.

8. The vessel of claim 7, wherein the at least one engine has a motor and a fan, the motor driving the fan to propel the vessel through the marine environment.

9. The vessel of either claim 7 or 8, wherein the electrical propulsion system comprises two engines.

10. The vessel of claim 9, wherein the two engines are fixed in place relative to the hull, and are capable of providing differential thrust to allow the vessel to perform manoeuvres.

11. The vessel of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the nose section is capable of withstanding forces associated with direct impact of the vessel descending into the marine environment.

12. The vessel of claim 11, wherein the nose section is connectable to the body section.

13. The vessel of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the control system comprises an antenna, a battery, a navigation computer including an onboard processor, a GPS receiver and a radio.

14. The vessel of claim 13, wherein the control system has a manual or autonomous control mode of operation.

15. The vessel of claim 14, wherein the manual mode of operation of the control system is operated by a remote control.

16. The vessel of claim 14, wherein the autonomous mode of operation of the control system is activated / deactivated by a remote-control system.

17. The vessel of claim 16, wherein the remote control system is operated by the navigation computer on the vessel without need for further remote control system input.

18. The vessel of any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the body section has at least one shelf extending across the interior space.

19. The vessel of claim 18, wherein the at least one shelf is configured to removably receive and secure a payload within the interior space.

20. The vessel of any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the payload may be one or more of an inflatable life raft, communication systems, food and/or water supply, a first aid kit, and one or more life jackets

21. The vessel of any one of claims 1 to 20, further comprising a seal located against the removable hatch, the seal configured to abut against the perimeter of the upper opening to prevent water ingress when the hatch is secured to the body section.

22. The vessel of claim 1, wherein the aft tail section has a keel design.

23. The vessel of claim 1, wherein the hull has a center of gravity and a center of pressure, wherein the center of gravity is forward of the center of pressure to provide positive stability to the vessel when airborne.