Patent ID: 8082870
Filing Date: 2011-12-27
Classification: B60K,B63B,B63G,B63H

Abstract:
1. An underwater vehicle, comprising: a multiplex-thruster (MT) system for delivering thrusting flow comprising: the second end or vice versa; a pair of vertical bi-directional channels configured to provide up-down movement for the vehicle, and a pair of starboard bi-directional channels and a pair of port bi-directional channels configured to provide forward and backward movement for the vehicle when fluid flows through said pair of starboard channels and said pair of port channels in the same direction and to provide spinning movement for the vehicle when fluid flows through said pair of starboard channels and said pair of port channels in the opposite directions; wherein one of said pair of vertical, starboard, or port channels is connected to one or more connectors in the first connector assembly and the other of said pair of vertical, starboard, or port channels is connected to one or more connectors in the second connector assembly, wherein said pairs of vertical, starboard and port channels are connected to different connectors; and a thruster controller to control the thruster to control the fluid flow direction of the thruster and opening and closing of the connectors at the first and second connector assemblies to move the underwater vehicle up, down, forward, backward, spin-left, and spin-right by controlling the MT system to selectively control thrust fluid flow from the one or more connectors in the first connector assembly connected to said pair of vertical, starboard, or port channels to the one or more connectors in the second connector assembly connected to said pair of vertical, starboard, or port channels, or vice versa.