US-12617497-B2 - Ship comprising a system for adapting a removable module and adapted removable module

US12617497B2US 12617497 B2US12617497 B2US 12617497B2US-12617497-B2

Abstract

Disclosed is a base ship that can receive, in a removable and interchangeable manner, a particular module among various modules, the module being adapted to a functional specialization of the ship. The base ship is similar to a catamaran in its rear portion because it includes two parallel rear lateral volumes that are substantially symmetric with respect to a vertical longitudinal sagittal plane of the base ship, and the removable module is inserted and secured between the two rear lateral volumes of the base ship in order to form a functionalized ship.

Inventors

Sébastien GRALL

Assignees

IXBLUE

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20210225
Priority Date: 20200226

Claims (12)

1 . A functionalized ship extending longitudinally between a bow on the front and a stern on the rear, the functionalized ship comprising: a removable module; a base ship comprising an adaption system configured to adapt the removable module, the removable module installed into said adaption system to adapt the base ship to form the functionalized ship; at least one deck; one shell being symmetrical with respect to a longitudinal vertical sagittal plane, a lower face of the shell configured to be submerged, the lower face defining a front hull portion towards the front of the functionalized ship and defining a rear hull portion toward the rear of the functionalized ship, the rear hull portion comprising two parts assembled together in the base ship, the rear hull portion including a sagittal hull part of the base ship, and a U-shaped hull part, having a U-shape in vertical view, the U-shaped hull part being in continuity with the front hull portion, the two legs of the U defining two rear lateral shell parts, the two rear lateral shell parts being closed on the rear by two lateral tables, the sagittal hull part of the base ship being disposed between the two legs of the U of the U-shaped hull part; a propeller; and two rear lateral deck parts in the rear part of the base ship towards a top of the base ship, the two rear lateral deck parts topping the two rear lateral shell parts, the two rear lateral deck parts, the two rear lateral shell parts, and the two lateral tables delimiting two rear lateral volumes of the base ship, wherein the removable module is configured to be inserted and secured between the two rear lateral volumes of the base ship to form the functionalized ship, the removable module having a lower face forming a sagittal hull part of the functionalized ship, the removable module is removable and configured to be replaced by another module, at least one of the modules allowing launching to water and recovery on the functionalized ship, for storage thereof out of water, of a marine or underwater drone configured to dock in said removable module, and wherein the removable module is U-shaped in vertical view, said removable module being open towards the rear, the top and at least in part towards the bottom to delimit, when said removable module is inserted the base ship, a longitudinal sagittal maneuvering area towards the rear of the functionalized ship and that is open to the rear of the functionalized ship and configured to be submerged at least in part, such that the marine or underwater drone is able to enter into said removable module to dock in the longitudinal sagittal maneuvering area or exit therefrom, the marine or underwater drone docking and exiting through the rear of the functionalized ship such that the marine or underwater drone is able to be launched to water and recovered on the marine or underwater ship by passing through the longitudinal sagittal maneuvering area, wherein the removable module is selected from one of: (i) a first removable module comprising, in the longitudinal sagittal maneuvering area, a plane that is inclined from the rear and the bottom to the top and the front, the inclined plane of said removable module inserted in the base ship having its rear end submerged and its front end out of water when the removable module is in the water, (ii) a second removable module comprising, in the longitudinal sagittal maneuvering area, a lift platform configured to move between a submerged lower position of reception or launching of the marine or underwater drone and an upper position, out of water, substantially flush with at least one of the two rear lateral deck parts of the base ship when the removable module is in the water, and (iii) a third removable module comprising, in the longitudinal sagittal maneuvering area, a tilting launch ramp configured to tilt between an inclined position where the rear of the ramp is submerged and the front is out of water and a horizontal position where the ramp is totally out of water when the removable module is in the water.
2 . The ship according to claim 1 , wherein, in a case in which the removable module is the first removable module, the inclined plane of the removable module comprises a device configured to receive a rolling trolley, the marine or underwater drone being stored on the rolling trolley on the functionalized ship and configured to be installed on the inclined plane with the rolling trolley, said rolling trolley remaining on the inclined plane when the marine or underwater drone is launched to water and the marine or underwater drone being recovered on said rolling trolley on the inclined plane.
3 . The ship according to claim 1 , wherein the removable module comprises, on the bottom and towards the rear of the longitudinal sagittal maneuvering area, an elongated sagittal opening whose width allows passage of a keel end bulb of the marine or underwater drone comprising a keel whose lower end comprises a bulb of width higher than the keel width.
4 . The ship according to claim 1 , wherein the deck in the rear part of the base ship comprises a winch device configured to winch the marine or underwater drone, said winch device enabling the marine or underwater drone to be brought on one or the two rear lateral deck parts to be stored, from the maneuvering area of the removable module and to position the marine or underwater drone in the maneuvering area of the removable module.
5 . The ship according to claim 1 , wherein the removable module is further selected from one of: a fourth removable module configured to totally fill the space between the two rear lateral volumes of the base ship and to bring in continuity and in profile the two lateral tables, the two rear lateral deck parts and the two rear lateral parts of the shell in order to totally close the space between the two rear lateral volumes of the base ship.
6 . The ship according to claim 1 , wherein the removable module allows the launching to water and the recovery on the functionalized ship, for storage thereof out of water, of the marine or underwater drone, the marine or underwater diving drone being configured to dock in the longitudinal sagittal maneuvering area of said module, the longitudinal sagittal maneuvering area being movable between a lower position in which the marine or underwater drone is configured to dock and at least one upper position in which the lower face of said removable module is within the extent of the two rear lateral volumes of the base ship.
7 . The ship according to claim 1 , wherein the removable module is guided and positioned between the two rear lateral volumes of the base ship by guiding devices selected among rails and slides, and by end stops.
8 . The ship according to claim 1 , wherein the removable module is removably secured to at least the two rear lateral volumes of the base ship by removable locking devices.
9 . The ship according to claim 1 , wherein the base ship is configured to navigate even in the absence of removable module, the removable module being watertight at least on the side of water on which the ship floats.
10 . The ship according to claim 1 , wherein the removable module is configured to float by itself when not installed in the base ship, the removable module being buoyantly stable.
11 . The ship according to claim 1 , wherein, in the case in which the removable module is the second removable module, the lift the platform of removable module comprises a device configured to receive a rolling trolley, the marine or underwater drone being stored on the rolling trolley on the functionalized ship and configured to be installed on the lift platform with the rolling trolley, said rolling trolley remaining on the lift platform when the marine or underwater drone is launched to water and the marine or underwater drone being recovered on said rolling trolley on the lift platform.
12 . The ship according to claim 1 , in the case in which the removable module is the third removable module, wherein the tilting launch ramp of the removable module comprises a device configured to receive a rolling trolley, the marine or underwater drone being stored on the rolling trolley on the functionalized ship and configured to be installed on the tilting launch ramp with the rolling trolley, said rolling trolley remaining on the tilting launch ramp when the marine or underwater drone is launched to water and the marine or underwater drone being recovered on said rolling trolley on the tilting launch ramp.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is the U.S. national phase of International Application No. PCT/EP2021/054686 filed Feb. 25, 2021, which designated the U.S. and claims priority to FR 2001894 filed Feb. 26, 2020, the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention generally relates to the field of shipbuilding. It more particularly relates to a ship comprising a system for adapting a removable module, as well as an adapted removable module. It allows the making of versatile ships. Description of the Related Art Ships adapted for the launching and recovery at sea of navigating drones are known. Document FR17 60492 can be mentioned, which describes a ship of this type. However, these ships are specialised and have a structure adapted to this specialisation, so that they are not capable of doing efficiently and in satisfying safety conditions other missions than those for which they have been initially designed. Now, the structures and functions of both the marine or underwater drones and the missions are liable to change over time, so that a specialised ship may become obsolete. If changes in the missions and/or drones turn out to be long-lasting, it may be chosen to build a new adapted ship or to reconfigure an old ship but, in any case, building or reconfiguration, this has a cost and takes time. Moreover, this does not solve in any way the problem of non-adaptation to future new changes. Also known are the documents FR 3 080 601 A1, WO 2010/115977 A1, WO 2012/069853 A2 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,454 A. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is proposed a system for rapid and simple adaptation of a ship to different specialised functions. This adaptation is obtained by implementation of a base ship able to receive in a removable and interchangeable manner a particular module among various modules, the module being adapted to the function and providing the specialisation. In its principle, the base ship is similar to a catamaran in its rear portion because it comprises two parallel rear lateral volumes that are substantially symmetric with respect to a vertical longitudinal sagittal plane of the base ship, and a removable module is inserted and secured between the two rear lateral volumes of the base ship in order to form a functionalised ship. The base ship that is able to navigate without the module can be generally of the type catamaran with two distinct parallel hulls (immersed part of the shell) or of a different type, with a single hull, but that is sagittally open on the rear. More precisely, it is proposed according to the invention, a functionalised ship consisted of a base ship and a removable module, the base ship comprising a system for adapting a removable module and a removable module being installed into said system for adapting the base ship to form the functionalised ship, the functionalised ship being extended longitudinally between a bow on the front and a stern on the rear and comprising at least one deck, one shell and propelling means, the shell being symmetrical with respect to a longitudinal vertical sagittal plane, the submerged lower face of the shell defining towards the front a front hull portion and defining towards the rear a rear hull portion, in which base ship the rear hull portion is consisted of two parts assembled together, a sagittal hull part of the base ship and a U-shaped hull part, having a U-shape in vertical view, the U-shaped hull part being in continuity with the front hull portion, the two legs of the U defining two rear lateral shell parts, the two rear lateral shell parts being closed on the rear by two lateral tables, the sagittal hull part of the base ship being arranged between the two legs of the U of the U-shaped hull part,in which base ship the rear part of the ship comprises, towards the top, two rear lateral deck parts topping the two rear lateral shell parts,in which base ship, the two rear lateral deck parts, the two rear lateral shell parts and the two lateral tables delimit two rear lateral volumes of the base ship, the module being inserted and secured between the two rear lateral volumes of the base ship to form the functionalised ship, the module having a lower face, the lower face of the module forming a sagittal hull part of the functionalised ship,in which functionalised ship, the module is removable and can be replaced by another module, at least one of the modules allowing the launching to water and the recovery on the ship, for the storage thereof out of water, of a marine or underwater drone, the floating or diving drone being able to dock in said module, andwherein, the module allowing the launching to water and the recovery on the ship of a drone is U-shaped in vertical view, said module being open towards the rear, the top and at least in part towards the bottom to delimit, when said module is inserted in the base ship, a longitudin