Inflatable underwater platform

Claim 1

A vertically stabilized buoy, comprising: a hollow cylindrical canister having positive buoyancy; an antenna rigidly connected to the top of said canister, parallel with the axis thereof; an elongated, cylindrical, water inflatable, soft walled, water impermeable element rigidly connected at one end thereof coaxially to said canister and compactly folded therein; means defining a fluid inlet in the other end of said element; a water pump coupled to said inlet defining means for directing ambient water into the interior of said element to cause said element to assume a semi-rigid structure of elongated cylindrical configuration; a condition sensor; tether means connected at one end to said pump and at the other end to said sensor for suspending said sensor from said pump; a transmitter mounted within said canister and connected to said antenna, said transmitter being electrically coupled to said sensor through said tether for telemetering the output of said sensor by way of said antenna to a remote location; and an impact removable closure member on said canister for retaining said element, pump, tether and sensor within said canister until impact with the surface of the water at which time said closure member opens and allows said element to be inflated in a vertical orientation to provide vertical stabilization for said antenna.