Patent US3795213A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3795213A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Diver operated propulsion system for an underwater vehicle
Assignee: United States Department of the Navy
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Filing: 1971-10-01
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Granted: 1974-03-05
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Expires: 1991-10-01
Abstract
Abstract A diver operated propulsion system for an underwater vehicle including: two pair of reversible thrusters, one pair of thrusters being mounted on the vehicle starboard and port for forward and reverse horizontal thrust and the other pair of thrusters being mounted on the vehicle forward and aft for up and down vertical thrust; a pair of elongated handle bar type of handgrips which are mounted on the vehicle port and starboard with their longitudinal axes aligned athwart the vehicle for rotation about their longitudinal axes, and pivotal up and down movements in a vertical plane; and actuators interconnecting the handgrips and the thrusters for actuating the port and starboard thrusters forward and reverse when the grips are rotated in opposite directions respectively, and actuating the forward and aft thrusters up and down when the grips are pivoted up and down respectively. With such an arrangement, a diver can utilize instinctive hand movements to maneuver the underwater vehicle forward, backward, up, down, and about vertical and pitch axes by simply selectively operating the pair of handgrips.
Inventors
- 👤 A Strickland
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 08:37
CPC Classifications
B; B63; B63C; B63C11/00; B63C11/46
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
380 words
A diver operated propulsion system for an underwater vehicle comprising: two pair of reversible thrusters, one pair of thrusters being mounted on the vehicle starboard and port for forward and reverse horizontal thrust and the other pair of thrusters being mounted on the vehicle forward and aft for up and down vertical thrust; a pair of elongated handle bar type of handgrips; means mounting the pair of handgrips on the vehicle port and starboard with their longitudinal axes aligned athwart the vehicle, for rotation about their longitudinal axes, and pivotal up and down movements in a vertical plane; means interconnecting the hand grips and the thrusters for actuating the port and starboard thrusters forward and reverse when the grips are rotated in opposite directions respectively, and actuating the forward and aft thrusters up and down when the grips are pivoted up and down respectively; each of said thrusters having a no thrust mode of operation; the means interconnecting the handgrips and the thrusters further actuating the port and starboard thrusters to no thrust modes when the respective grips are rotated to middle rotated positions and actuating the forward and aft thrusters to no thrust modes when the respective grips are pivoted to middle pivoted positions; means biasing each of the handgrips to its middle rotated and pivoted positions so that upon release of the handgrips by the diver all thrusters go to their no thrust modes; each thruster having a lever which is movable to three positions to operate the thruster in its three modes of operation; and the interconnecting means for actuating the thrusters comprising: two pair of spring biased piston and rod hydraulic cylinder actuators mounted to the thrusters; the rod of each cylinder actuator being connected to a respective thruster control lever; a pressure reducing piston and plunger rod hydraulic cylinder valve hydraulically connected to each respective pistoncylinder actuator for applying to the cylinder high pressure, low-pressure, and no pressure corresponding to respective modes of operation of the respective thruster; each handgrip having a pair of cams, one of the cams moving upon rotation of the handgrip and the other cam moving upon pivoting of the handgrip; and each cam operating on a respective cylinder valve plunger rod for actuating the valve in its three pressure modes.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
380 words
A diver operated propulsion system for an underwater vehicle comprising: two pair of reversible thrusters, one pair of thrusters being mounted on the vehicle starboard and port for forward and reverse horizontal thrust and the other pair of thrusters being mounted on the vehicle forward and aft for up and down vertical thrust; a pair of elongated handle bar type of handgrips; means mounting the pair of handgrips on the vehicle port and starboard with their longitudinal axes aligned athwart the vehicle, for rotation about their longitudinal axes, and pivotal up and down movements in a vertical plane; means interconnecting the hand grips and the thrusters for actuating the port and starboard thrusters forward and reverse when the grips are rotated in opposite directions respectively, and actuating the forward and aft thrusters up and down when the grips are pivoted up and down respectively; each of said thrusters having a no thrust mode of operation; the means interconnecting the handgrips and the thrusters further actuating the port and starboard thrusters to no thrust modes when the respective grips are rotated to middle rotated positions and actuating the forward and aft thrusters to no thrust modes when the respective grips are pivoted to middle pivoted positions; means biasing each of the handgrips to its middle rotated and pivoted positions so that upon release of the handgrips by the diver all thrusters go to their no thrust modes; each thruster having a lever which is movable to three positions to operate the thruster in its three modes of operation; and the interconnecting means for actuating the thrusters comprising: two pair of spring biased piston and rod hydraulic cylinder actuators mounted to the thrusters; the rod of each cylinder actuator being connected to a respective thruster control lever; a pressure reducing piston and plunger rod hydraulic cylinder valve hydraulically connected to each respective pistoncylinder actuator for applying to the cylinder high pressure, low-pressure, and no pressure corresponding to respective modes of operation of the respective thruster; each handgrip having a pair of cams, one of the cams moving upon rotation of the handgrip and the other cam moving upon pivoting of the handgrip; and each cam operating on a respective cylinder valve plunger rod for actuating the valve in its three pressure modes.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
40 words
A propulsion system as claimed in claim 1 including: a hydraulic pump and reservoir; the thrusters, pressure reducing valves, and spring biased cylinder actuators being hydraulically connected in parallel by pressure and return lines to the pump and reservoir respectively.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
A propulsion system as claimed in claim 2 including: a pressure compensator operatively connected to the pump for selectively adjusting output pressure of the pump at a predetermined level above ambient.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
A propulsion system as claimed in claim 3 including: the pump being mounted within the reservoir.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
25 words
A propulsion system as claimed in claim 4 including: an electric motor for driving said pump; and said motor also being mounted in the reservoiR.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-03-04 | 1977-09-03 | 1978-03-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-03-04 | 1981-09-03 | 1982-03-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-03-04 | 1985-09-03 | 1986-03-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |