Remote operated vehicle

• Main Authors: LAWRENCE SAMUEL TYSON, JEREMY DANIEL COOPER, MARK SANDERS, GRAHAM MICHAEL PULLIN, NIGEL MARK JAGGER, NICHOLAS IAN KEMP, JAN MATTEO PAOLI, MICHAEL WILLIAM DORMER, SHAUN DAVID HOUSEHAM, CHRISTOPHER DAVID SHELTON
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 15.08.2001
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: AIRCRAFT CARRIERS; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; BLASTING; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; CURRENT COLLECTORS; DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES; ELECTRIC SWITCHES; ELECTRICITY; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES; ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; FRAMES, CASINGS, OR BEDS OF ENGINES OR OTHER MACHINES ORAPPARATUS NOT SPECIFIC TO AN ENGINE, MACHINE, OR APPARATUSPROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVEFUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; GENERATION; HEATING; INDUCTANCES; LAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; LIGHTING; LINE CONNECTORS; MAGNETS; MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; MINE-LAYING; MINE-SWEEPING; OFFENSIVE OR DEFENSIVE ARRANGEMENTS ON VESSELS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSIONOF CHEMICAL INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY; RELATED EQUIPMENT; RELAYS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES; SELECTORS; SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; STANDS OR SUPPORTS; SUBMARINES; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL; TRANSFORMERS; TRANSPORTING; WEAPONS

An ROV comprises a topside 12, a fish 10 and an umbilical cable 14 for connecting the topside and fish, where the fish is adapted to be powered by an onboard power supply, the cable has an outer skin and a control-signal carrying core and is less than 2mm in diameter. The onboard power may be supplied by electrically insulated water-sealed batteries (52, Fig 11) where a non-contact inductance coupling means is used to extract power from the power supply. The fish may be fitted with two cameras, one colour camera (225, Fig 11) mounted at the front with a second monochrome camera being provided in a 'periscope' position (48, Fig 11). The pan and tilt of the cameras may be adjustable. The topside may comprise a wireless handset 16 and a computer unit 18.