Patent Publication Number: US-7905527-B1

Title: Harness assembly for use in underwater recovery operations

Description:
ORIGIN OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention described herein was made in the performance of official duties by an employee of the Department of the Navy and may be manufactured, used, licensed by or for the Government for any governmental purpose without payment of any royalties thereon. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates generally to recovery of objects deployed underwater, and more particularly to a harness assembly that is attached to an object that is to be deployed underwater and then retrieved from the water by means of a tether line coupled thereto by, for example, a trained marine mammal. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The Navy uses various objects or devices in exercise and training scenarios that must be deployed underwater. Since these devices are often expensive and can be used to collect data that must be analyzed, the devices may need to be recovered when the exercise/training sessions are complete. Currently, these devices are recovered by divers or shipboard-mounted auto-recovery systems. However, auto-recovery systems can be limited to operations at depths thought to be relevant when the auto-recovery system was designed. Re-configuring these auto-recovery systems for operation at greater depths can be cost prohibitive. The use of divers to recover submerged devices is also limited in that the normal human-diver depth limit is about 140 feet. 
     The Navy is exploring other recovery options that are both cost-effective and safe for Navy personnel. One option is the use of trained marine mammals (e.g., sea lions) that can carry and couple a recovering tether to a device deployed underwater. The trained marine mammals can easily swim to depths of greater than 140 feet with a tether. However, the device to be recovered must be equipped with some type assembly to which the marine mammal can easily attach a tether. The same assembly must then be able to support the device as the tether and device are pulled up to the water&#39;s surface. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an assembly that can be used in the recovery of an object/device deployed underwater. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide an assembly that (i) can be attached to an object/device prior to its deployment in water, (ii) will not interfere with the normal operation of the object/device so-deployed, (iii) presents an attachment point for a tether transported thereto by a marine mammal when the object/device is underwater, and (iv) can serve as a lifting harness for the object/device when the attached tether is pulled up to the water&#39;s surface. 
     Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious hereinafter in the specification and drawings. 
     In accordance with the present invention, a harness assembly for use in the recovery of an object deployed underwater has at least three legs with each leg having a first end and a second end. Each first end is adapted to be attached to an object prior to an underwater deployment thereof. A sling is coupled to the second ends of the legs. At least three supports are also provided with (i) a first support being coupled to the sling and a rigid ring, and (ii) a second support and a third support coupled to the ring in a breakaway fashion and adapted to be coupled to the object. The supports work in combination to hold the ring in a stand off position with respect to the object and in a substantially vertical orientation during the underwater deployment of the object. The harness assembly&#39;s ring can be readily accessed by a trained marine mammal that transports a recovery tether thereto. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reference to the following description of the preferred embodiments and to the drawings, wherein corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an isolated view of a harness assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention for use in underwater recovery operations; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the harness assembly mounted on an object prior to recovery operations; and 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the harness assembly mounted on the object during a recovery operation. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to  FIG. 1 , a harness assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown and is referenced generally by numeral  10 . Harness assembly  10  can be coupled to many objects or devices (e.g., training or exercise mines, sensor suites, markers, etc.) that are to be deployed in an underwater environment and then retrieved therefrom by means of a tether (not shown) that will be coupled to harness assembly  10 . The coupling of the tether to harness assembly  10  could be accomplished by, for example, a trained marine mammal (e.g., a sea lion). 
     Harness assembly  10  includes a plurality of leg assemblies  12  (e.g., at least three are required with four being shown in  FIG. 1 ), a lifting sling  14 , a lifting support assembly  16 , a rigid coupling and lifting ring  18 , and positioning supports  20  and  22 . In general, each leg assembly  12  can be identically configured as shown with a main portion  120  terminated at one end  122  that is configured for attachment to an object or device (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) and terminated at an opposing end  124  that is configured for attachment to lifting sling  14 . For example, end  122  can have a ring  122 A permanently attached to main portion  120 , and a shackle  122 B (or other attached clip) attachable to ring  122 A and an object as will be explained further below. End  124  can be a ring (as shown) permanently attached to main portion  120  and attachable to lifting sling  14 . To provide for flexibility in positioning ends  122  in a balanced or even distribution about an object, rings  124  should be permitted to slide on lifting sling  14 . Each main portion  120  can be rigid or flexible, although a flexible main portion  120  (e.g., a strap) is generally preferred to facilitate attachment of harness assembly  10  on a variety of different-shaped objects. If main portion  120  is a fabric (e.g., NYLON) strap, rings  122 A and  124  could be fabric loops constructed integrally with main portion  120  in ways well understood in the art. 
     Lifting sling  14  is any band or loop of strong (e.g., rigid) material configured to permit ends  124  to slide thereon so that leg assemblies  12  can be positioned on an object, and so that the attached end of lifting support assembly  16  can slide thereon. In the illustrated embodiment, lifting support assembly  16  has a main portion  160  terminated at one end  162  that is configured for attachment to lifting sling  14  and terminated at an opposing end  164  that is configured for attachment to coupling and lifting ring  18 . Main portion  160  includes a flexible strap  160 A loosely fitted in an open-ended rigid tube  160 B. End  162  includes, for example, a ring  162 A permanently attached to strap  160 A, and a shackle  162 B (or other attachable clip) attachable to ring  162 A and lifting sling  14 . End  164  can be a ring permanently attached to strap  160 A and attached or attachable to ring  18 . If flexible strap  160 A is a fabric (e.g., NYLON) strap, rings  162 A and  164  could be fabric loops constructed integrally with strap  160 A in ways well understood in the art. 
     Coupling and lifting ring  18  serves as the point of attachment for a tether that will be carried to harness assembly  10  when it is underwater. To make ring  18  more visible, it can be colored/painted in two or more contrasting colors as referenced by numerals  180  and  182 . For example, ring  18  could be striped as shown, i.e., colors  180  and  182  alternate on ring  18 . 
     Positioning supports  20  and  22  are any rigid support legs that will be used in combination with lifting support assembly  16  to position lifting ring  18  in an optimum position for attachment of a tether. However, positioning supports  20  and  22  provide none of the lifting support for harness assembly  10 . Accordingly, supports  20  and  22  are attached to ring  18  in a fashion that does not hinder the lifting support function of harness assembly  10  that will be explained now with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 . 
     Referring first to  FIG. 2 , harness assembly  10  is shown attached to an object  100  that is to be deployed underwater. Specifically, shackles  122 B are attached to eyes  102  provided in a distributed fashion on object  100 . The flexible nature of main portions  120  allow lifting sling  14  to rest on top of object  100 . Positioning supports  20  and  22  are attached to object  100  (e.g., wire tied to eyes  102  using ties  20 A and  22 A). Positioning supports  20  and  22  are also attached to ring  18  such that they will break away from ring  18  ( FIG. 3 ) when object  100  is to be recovered. For example, positioning supports  20  and  22  could also be wire tied to ring  18  (e.g., using ties  20 B and  22 B) that will fail during a recovery. Flexible strap  160 A is sized or adjusted in size to be taut when harness assembly  10  is attached to object  100  prior to its underwater deployment. In this way, the combination of lifting support assembly  16  and positioning supports  20 / 22  form a three-point support that can stand off ring  18  with respect to object  100  while allowing ring  18  to be placed in a substantially vertical orientation when object  100  is deployed underwater. The standoff and vertical orientation of ring  18  combined with its contrasting-color visual appearance make ring  18  readily accessible for a trained marine mammal that is to couple a tether to ring  18 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , harness assembly  10  is shown after a tether  200  (terminated in a snap ring  202 ) has been coupled to ring  18  and tension in the direction of arrow  204  is applied to tether  200 . This tension causes the coupling of ring  18  to positioning supports  20 / 22  (e.g., wire ties  20 B and  22 B) to fail thereby allowing harness assembly  10  to assume its lifting position, i.e., ring  18 , lifting support assembly  16  and lifting sling  14  are aligned with the tension of tether  200 . In this position, lifting tension is distributed to leg assemblies  12  coupled to object  100 . 
     The advantages of the present invention are numerous. The harness assembly is an inexpensive yet effective solution to deep water object recovery operations that must use trained marine mammals for recovery tether delivery and attachment. Also, the assembly components, including the legs, sling, ring, and support may be comprised of non-magnetic materials to avoid interference with electronic sensors or detection equipment. 
     Although the invention has been described relative to a specific embodiment thereof, there are numerous variations and modifications that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described.