FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to deployment and/or recovery of unmanned marine vehicles (UMVs) and related payloads.

BACKGROUND

Deployment and recovery of UMVs involves manual labor and subjects the UMVs to possible damage. For example, certain UMVs include a buoyant structure, such as a float, intended to ride along the surface of a body of water, and a glider that is submerged under the water surface and provides a motive force to move the float. The glider is typically coupled to the float by a tether. Conventional deployment of such a UMV typically requires the UMV to be transported to a desired location on a body of water, such as by a ship or other vehicle, and multiple personnel to manually transfer the glider and float into the water. Care must be taken to place the glider and the float into the water in a sequence that ensures proper positioning and operation of the glider, as well as avoiding tangling of the tether with either the glider or the float. Retrieval of UMVs is similarly manually intensive, requiring a separate vehicle to travel to the vicinity of the UMV and multiple personnel to manually secure and remove the UMV from the water without damaging the UMV components. UMV deployment and retrieval can be further complicated by additional payloads to be deployed from the float once in the water. Still further, some applications may require deployment of multiple UMVs, in which case the above-noted drawbacks are exacerbated.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, apparatus is provided for deploying an unmanned marine vehicle into water, in which the unmanned marine vehicle includes a float and a glider connected by a tether. The apparatus includes a buoyant frame having a first frame arm, and a second frame arm spaced from the first frame arm to define a receiving bay between the first frame arm and the second frame arm, wherein the receiving bay is sized to receive the float. A glider retainer assembly is coupled to the buoyant frame and configured to releasably retain the glider. The apparatus further includes a payload deployment assembly having an attachment plate coupled to and positioned below the buoyant frame, and a payload compartment releasably coupled to the attachment plate by a payload release, wherein the payload compartment defines a receptacle sized to receive a payload coupled to the glider, and the payload compartment has a density greater than water.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a payload deployment assembly is provided for use with apparatus for deploying an unmanned marine vehicle into water. The payload deployment assembly includes an attachment plate coupled to and positioned below a buoyant frame of the apparatus, and a payload compartment releasably coupled to the attachment plate by a payload release, wherein the payload compartment defines a receptacle sized to receive a payload coupled to the glider, and the payload compartment has a density greater than water.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present disclosure, a payload kit is provided for use with apparatus for deploying an unmanned marine vehicle into water, in which the apparatus includes a buoyant frame for receiving a float of the unmanned marine vehicle and a glider retainer assembly coupled to the buoyant frame and configured to releasably retain a glider of the unmanned marine vehicle. The payload kit includes a payload with a sensor coupled to a tow cable, wherein the tow cable is configured for attachment to the glider of the unmanned marine vehicle. The kit further includes a payload deployment assembly having an attachment plate coupled to and positioned below the buoyant frame of the apparatus, and a payload compartment releasably coupled to the attachment plate by a payload release, wherein the payload compartment defines a receptacle sized to receive the payload, and the payload compartment has a density greater than water.

The features, functions, and advantages that have been discussed can be achieved independently in various examples or may be combined in yet other examples further details of which can be seen with reference to the following description and drawings.

