Patent ID: 8875645

Claim:
A variable buoyancy profiling float, comprising: a spherical glass housing comprising a first hemisphere and a second hemisphere, wherein the first and second hemispheres are coupled by a partial vacuum within the spherical glass housing; a buoyancy engine located at least partially within the spherical glass housing, the buoyancy engine configured to provide variable buoyancy control to the variable buoyancy profiling float; and a sensor bundle configured to measure at least one environmental parameter; wherein the buoyancy engine comprises a hydraulic buoyancy system, wherein the hydraulic buoyancy system comprises: an oil reservoir located within the spherical glass housing; at least one oil bladder, wherein the at least one oil bladder comprises a tube coupled to the outer surface of the spherical glass housing, wherein the oil reservoir and the oil bladder are coupled through one or more feed-through connections, wherein the feed-through connections pass through one or more access ports defined by the spherical glass housing; and a pump configured to pump oil from the oil reservoir into the at least one oil bladder; a rolling diaphragm located within the oil reservoir, wherein the rolling diaphragm is configured to enable precise measurement of the oil volume within the oil reservoir; and a spring coupled to the rolling diaphragm, the spring configured to maintain a positive pressure to an inlet of the pump.