PATENTS - ROBOTIC SURVEY SHIPS & DRONES

Autonomous Passenger, Cargo and Ocenographic Ships

Autonomous world navigation globe

 

 

PATENT APPLICATION NUMBER:  GB1301488.1
Filing date: 28 January, 2013. Publication date: 17 September 2014

 

 

British patent GB1301488 autonomous surface vessels

 

 

 

The above patent application, GB1301488 (published on the 17th of September 2014, under number GB2511731), identifies shortcomings in many of the patents cited below. The invention builds on existing technology, with innovation in several areas to provide a marine vessel (platform) that is capable of operating at respectable speeds autonomously, optionally using only energy from nature, the robot ship (or robot assisted ship) making (for example) route planning and course correction decisions intelligently and in most cases more accurately and superior to any human captain, to include radio and satellite communications, and other sensors for advanced interface with the environment.

 

The result is a significant improvement on the problems identified in the prior art cited below and other problems not cited in any prior art, but newly identified:-

 

 

 

CITATIONS

 

 

Cited Patent Filing date Issue date Original Assignee Title
US4102291 Sep 29, 1976 Jul 25, 1978 Electrical generator for a sailboat
US4159427 Dec 20, 1976 Jun 26, 1979 Messerschmitt-Boelkow-Blohm Gesellschaft mit beschraenkter Haftung Apparatus for utilizing natural energies
US4371347 Apr 3, 1980 Feb 1, 1983 Wave motor, especially for propulsion of boats
US5236378 Aug 4, 1992 Aug 17, 1993 Storage of photovoltaic arrays on a ship
US5291847 Oct 14, 1992 Mar 8, 1994 Autonomous propulsion within a volume of fluid
US5449307 Dec 6, 1993 Sep 12, 1995 Sea surveillance and control apparatus
US5687137 Jan 10, 1996 Nov 11, 1997 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Methods and apparatus for adaptive oceanographic sampling
US5713293 Sep 22, 1995 Feb 3, 1998 The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Unmanned sea surface vehicle having a personal watercraft hull form
US5863228 Apr 29, 1996 Jan 26, 1999 Solomon Technologies, Inc. Method and apparatus for propelling a marine vessel
US5894450 Apr 15, 1997 Apr 13, 1999 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Mobile underwater arrays
US5995882 Feb 12, 1997 Nov 30, 1999 Modular autonomous underwater vehicle system
US6273015 May 1, 2000 Aug 14, 2001 Maruta Electric Boatworks LLC Stabilized electric watercraft for high speed cruising, diving and sailing
US6536272 Aug 4, 2000 Mar 25, 2003 University of Miami
International Society of Ocean Monitoring and Research
Water monitoring, data collection, and transmission module
US6807921 Mar 7, 2002 Oct 26, 2004 Underwater vehicles
US6854406 Apr 10, 2003 Feb 15, 2005 Board of Regents, The University of Texas System Autonomous surface watercraft
US7290496 Oct 12, 2006 Nov 6, 2007 Unmanned autonomous submarine

 

 

 

An unmanned, autonomous, waterborne vehicle for marine use capable of operating on and below the surface of water, said vehicle including an enclosed hull having a payload bay, a hybrid propulsion system having energy collection means in the form of a wing sail covered with photovoltaic cells and energy storage means for utilizing at least solar energy and wind energy, a plurality of sensors for detecting predetermined environmental parameters and a communications system for transmitting data from said sensors to and for receiving command signals from one or more remote stations and/or cooperating vehicles.

 

 

REFERENCED BY

 

Citing Patent Filing date Issue date Original Assignee Title
US8123577 Jul 9, 2009 Feb 28, 2012 Argopower, LLC Autonomous vehicle with fuel cell and autonomous flushing system

 

 

CLAIMS

 

The claims of this present application are subject to the observations of the patent officer and subsequent revision after consideration of those observations.

 

 

Cited Patent Filing date Issue date Original Assignee Title
US4885217 Jul 6, 1987 Dec 5, 1989 Alupower, Inc. Air cathodes and materials therefor
US4906535 Dec 20, 1988 Mar 6, 1990 Alupower, Inc. Electrochemical cathode and materials therefor
US4950561 Jun 29, 1989 Aug 21, 1990 Eltech Systems Corporation Metal-air battery with easily removable anodes
US4950562 Apr 19, 1989 Aug 21, 1990 Toa Nenryo Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Solid electrolyte type fuel cells
US5032473 Apr 27, 1990 Jul 16, 1991 Alupower, Inc. Electrochemical cathode
US5053375 Jan 8, 1990 Oct 1, 1991 Alupower, Inc. Electrochemical cathode and materials therefor
US5292598 Apr 21, 1993 Mar 8, 1994 Method for renewing fuel cells using magnesium anodes
US6009823 Oct 27, 1998 Jan 4, 2000 Marine scoop strainer with cleaning access
US6250235 Aug 1, 2000 Jun 26, 2001 Global New Energy Technology Corporation Method and product for improved fossil fuel combustion
US6706432 Aug 1, 2001 Mar 16, 2004 Magpower Systems, Inc. Methods and products for improving performance of batteries/fuel cells
US6854406 Apr 10, 2003 Feb 15, 2005 Board of Regents, The University of Texas System Autonomous surface watercraft
US7789723 Jul 30, 2004 Sep 7, 2010 Solar Sailor Pty Ltd Unmanned ocean vehicle
US7938077 May 27, 1993 May 10, 2011 The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Hydrogen generation apparatus for an underwater vehicle
US20030054208 Aug 1, 2001 Method and products for improving performance of batteries/fuel cells
US20050016430 Aug 23, 2004 Autonomous surface watercraft

 

 

 

 

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  Patent specification for the Man-O-War military autonomous vessel   Model of the Man-O-War patent concept

 

Wing-sail system and Man-O-War model as developed from the Solar Sailor patent cited as prior art

 

      

 

SPECIFIC MARKET (CIVILIAN & MILITARY) APPLICATIONS

 

 

 

 

LINKS

 

 

L - Youtube

 

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Email:    or phone UK:

+ 44 (0) 1323 831727    +44 (0) 7842 607865

 

Max Energy Ltd and Bluebird Marine Systems Ltd

Solar House, BN27 1RF, United Kingdom

 

 

 

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PROJECT LINKS

 

Alloys

Paints - Coatings, antifouling

Autonomy - Computers - Software

Project Estimates

Batteries

Project Objectives

Composites

PR Events - 

Construction - Modular

Propeller

Diving - Hull survey & repair

Record Attempt - systems endurance evaluation

Electronics - Collision Avoidance COLREGS

Screens - 

Galley - 

Solar Arrays - tracking theory PIC PCB  MPPT PV trackers  Actuators & circuits

Hydraulics - Active hull - 

Stealth - Scorpion laser - Mine hunter

Hull Design - Capsize - SWASSH - Lubrication

Timber - 

Life Support - 

Tank Testing - 

Model Construction

Tooling - 

Motors - DC v AC synchronous

Transmission - gearing & prop shaft/seals

Navigation  - Oceanographic Hydrographic Surveying

Wind Turbines

 

 

   Scorpion, robotic autonomous patrol weapon and self defence system

 

 

 

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