US-12623762-B2 - Bathy-drone: an autonomous unmanned drone-tethered sonar system

Abstract

Various examples are provided related to autonomous unmanned drone-tethered sonar systems. In one embodiment, a bathy-drone system includes an unmanned payload vessel and an unmanned drone tethered to the payload vessel through the tether attachment point. The unmanned payload vessel can include a sensor or sensor suite coupled to a bottom of the payload vessel and a tether attachment point through which propulsive force can be applied to the payload vessel. The drone can autonomously transport the payload vessel to and from a survey location and autonomously propel the payload vessel along a survey path at the survey location.

Inventors

• Peter G. Ifju
• Andrew Everette Ortega
• Henry Tingle
• Antonio Diaz

Assignees

• UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20231024

Claims (16)

1. 1 . A Bathy-drone system, comprising: an unmanned payload vessel comprising a sensor or sensor suite coupled to a bottom of the payload vessel and a tether attachment point through which propulsive force is applied to the payload vessel, the payload vessel comprising a trim plate extending from a stern of the payload vessel; and an unmanned drone tethered to the payload vessel through the tether attachment point, the unmanned drone capable of autonomously transporting the payload vessel to and from a survey location and autonomously propelling the payload vessel along a survey path at the survey location, where the trim plate is angled downward aft of the stern thereby providing a speed-dependent pitching moment that maintains the payload vessel level as it is propelled by the unmanned drone.
2. 2 . The Bathy-drone system of claim 1 , wherein a force exerted on the payload vessel by the unmanned drone through the tether attachment point passes through a center of gravity of the payload vessel.
3. 3 . The Bathy-drone system of claim 1 , wherein the payload vessel is unmanned aircraft system (UAS) agnostic allowing any unmanned drone to tow the payload vessel without prior modification.
4. 4 . The Bathy-drone system of claim 1 , wherein the payload vessel has a weight, and the unmanned drone can carry the weight of the payload vessel.
5. 5 . The Bathy-drone system of claim 1 , wherein the trim plate is configured to maintain the payload vessel level in a speed range from zero to about 24 km/h.
6. 6 . The Bathy-drone system of claim 5 , wherein the trim plate is weighted to maintain the payload vessel level at standstill.
7. 7 . The Bathy-drone system of claim 1 , wherein the trim plate comprises fins extending below the trim plate.
8. 8 . The Bathy-drone system of claim 7 , wherein the payload vessel pivots about the fins.
9. 9 . The Bathy-drone system of claim 1 , wherein the trim plate acts as an electrical ground for the sensor or sensor suite.
10. 10 . The Bathy-drone system of claim 1 , wherein the payload vessel comprises a skiff-like hull design.
11. 11 . The Bathy-drone system of claim 10 , comprising an autopilot configured to independently steer the payload vessel by a rudder.
12. 12 . The Bathy-drone system of claim 1 , wherein the payload vessel is configured to transmit data collected by the sensor or sensor suite via an on-board telemetry link.
13. 13 . The Bathy-drone of claim 12 , wherein the collected data comprises one or more of water temperature, turbidity, salinity, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen, depth, position, heading, or imagery.
14. 14 . The Bathy-drone system of claim 12 , wherein the payload vessel is configured to communicatively couple to the unmanned drone, and the collected data is transmitted to a base station via the telemetry link.
15. 15 . The Bathy-drone system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor or sensor suite is affixed to the bottom of the payload vessel.
16. 16 . The Bathy-drone system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor or sensor suite comprises a sonar transducer.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. provisional application entitled “Bathy-Drone: An Autonomous Unmanned Drone-Tethered Sonar System” having Ser. No. 63/418,748, filed Oct. 24, 2022, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND There is a wide variety of methods employed to perform bathymetry for an innumerable variety of scales and applications. Satellites can provide large scale surveys of large bodies of water, such as lakes, bays, gulfs, and oceans, while drones and small unmanned watercraft are increasingly used for smaller waterbodies such as rivers, inlets, retention ponds, boat basins, shipping channels, and nearshore applications. The benefit of increased field operator safety, reduced fatigue and environmental exposure, and more accurate raster patterns are primary motivations behind unmanned systems. SUMMARY Aspects of the present disclosure are related to autonomous unmanned drone-tethered sonar systems and methods thereof. In one aspect, among others, a bathy-drone system comprises an unmanned payload vessel comprising a sensor or sensor suite coupled to a bottom of the payload vessel and a tether attachment point through which propulsive force is applied to the payload vessel; and an unmanned drone tethered to the payload vessel through the tether attachment point, the drone capable of autonomously transporting the payload vessel to and from a survey location and autonomously propelling the payload vessel along a survey path at the survey location. In one or more aspects, a force exerted on the payload vessel by the drone through the tether attachment point can pass through a center of gravity of the payload vessel. The payload vessel can be unmanned aircraft system (UAS) agnostic allowing any unmanned drone to tow the payload vessel without prior modification. In various aspects, the payload vessel can have a weight, and the unmanned drone can carry the weight of the payload vessel. The payload vessel cab comprise a trim plate extending from a stern of the payload vessel. The trim plate can be angled downward aft of the stern thereby providing a speed-dependent pitching moment that maintains the payload vessel level as it is propelled by the drone. The trim plate can be configured to maintain the payload vessel level in a speed range from zero to about 24 km/h. The trim plate can be weighted to maintain the payload vessel level at standstill. The trim plate can comprise fins extending below the trim plate. The payload vessel can pivot about the fins. The trim plate can act as an electrical ground for the sensor or sensor suite. The payload vessel can comprise a skiff-like hull design. In some aspects, the payload vessel can be configured to transmit data collected by the sensor or sensor suite via on board telemetry link. The collected data can comprise one or more of water temperature, turbidity, salinity, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen, depth, position, heading, or imagery. The payload vessel can be configured to communicatively couple to the drone, and the collected data can be transmitted to the base station via the telemetry link. The Bathy-drone system can comprise an autopilot configured to independently steer the payload vessel by a rudder. The sensor or sensor suite can be affixed to the bottom of the payload vessel. The sensor or sensor suite can comprise a sonar transducer. Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present disclosure, and be protected by the accompanying claims. In addition, all optional and preferred features and modifications of the described embodiments are usable in all aspects of the disclosure taught herein. Furthermore, the individual features of the dependent claims, as well as all optional and preferred features and modifications of the described embodiments are combinable and interchangeable with one another. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate an example of a bathy-drone system, in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate forces exerted on the hull of a payload vessel of the bathy-drone system, in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIGS. 3A-3C are images of the payload vessel of the bathy-drone syste