Underwater exploration vehicle

Abstract

The invention concerns an underwater exploration vehicle comprising a hull delimiting an immersion chamber, a plurality of orifices arranged on the hull, each orifice being in fluid communication with the environment external to the underwater exploration vehicle and being fluidically coupled with the immersion chamber, two propulsion assemblies located on either side of the immersion chamber, a single electric battery electrically coupled to an electric motor of each propulsion assembly, a control unit electrically connected to the electric battery and to each propulsion assembly, so as to drive said electric battery and the propulsion assemblies. According to the invention, the orifices are configured to prevent water flow into the immersion chamber when the underwater exploration vehicle is moving on the water surface or in the water

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . Assembly method of an underwater exploration vehicle, the assembly method comprising the following steps:
 a step of fixing at least one hull element forming an upper face of a hull of the underwater exploration vehicle to an upper support of said underwater exploration vehicle;   a step for connecting a lower support of the underwater exploration vehicle to the upper support;   a step for assembling several components of the underwater exploration vehicle on the lower support; and   a step of attaching at least one hull element forming a lower face of the hull of the underwater exploration vehicle.   
     
     
         2 . Assembly method according to  claim 1 , in which the fixing step comprises the assembly of several hull elements forming the upper face of the underwater exploration vehicle, the upper support comprising fixing lugs to which said hull elements are fixed integrally. 
     
     
         3 . Assembly method according to  claim 2 , wherein the hull elements comprise shoulder edges configured to allow adjustment of the hull elements between them and at least one fastening flange for connecting two adjacent hull elements along their respective shoulder edges, the fixing step comprising a step of fitting the hull elements together along their shoulder edges, and a step of anchoring the two adjacent hull elements by means of the at least one fixing flange. 
     
     
         4 . Underwater exploration vehicle assembled according to the assembly method of  claim 1 , the underwater exploration vehicle comprising:
 a hull delimiting an interior volume for the underwater exploration vehicle;   a plurality of orifices arranged on the hull, each orifice being in fluid communication with the environment outside the underwater exploration vehicle and being fluidically coupled with an immersion chamber housed in the hull;   at least one propulsion assembly comprising an electric motor configured to generate driving torque on a drive shaft and a propeller rotatably coupled to the drive shaft, the at least one propulsion assembly being housed in the interior volume, part of the drive shaft and the propeller being housed in a casing forming a flow channel which extends into the immersion chamber, the flow channel of the at least one propulsion assembly being in fluid communication with the environment outside the underwater exploration vehicle via an inlet opening and an outlet opening provided on the hull;   an electric battery electrically coupled to the electric motor of each at least one propulsion assembly, the electric battery being housed in the interior of the hull;   a control unit electrically connected to the electric battery and to each at least one propulsion assembly, so as to control said electric battery and said at least one propulsion assembly; and   a control screen electrically connected to the control unit and configured to display functional parameters of the underwater exploration vehicle, said control screen being housed at a concavity of a upper face of the hull, the at least one propulsion assembly, the electric battery, the control unit and the control screen forming components of the underwater exploration vehicle.   
     
     
         5 . Underwater exploration vehicle according to  claim 4 , in which all the orifices are located outside a front part and a rear part of the underwater exploration vehicle. 
     
     
         6 . Underwater exploration vehicle according to  claim 4 , wherein none of the orifices has an opening surface perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the underwater exploration vehicle corresponding to a direction of travel in the water. 
     
     
         7 . Underwater exploration vehicle according to  claim 4 , in which the orifices comprise first orifices located on a lower face of the hull of the underwater exploration vehicle, an axis perpendicular to the opening surface of the first orifices being oriented or substantially oriented along the vertical axis of the underwater exploration vehicle. 
     
     
         8 . Underwater exploration vehicle according to  claim 7 , in which the first orifices comprise a plurality of oblong slots which all extend along the longitudinal axis of the underwater exploration vehicle and parallel to one another, the oblong slots being located adjacent to one another relative to a transverse axis of said underwater exploration vehicle, the oblong slots extending along the longitudinal axis of the underwater exploration vehicle and parallel to one another, the oblong slots being located adjacent to one another relative to a transverse axis of said underwater exploration vehicle, the oblong slots extending aft of a front edge of the battery and forward of the propeller of the at least one propulsion assembly, relative to the longitudinal axis of the underwater exploration vehicle. 
     
     
         9 . Underwater exploration vehicle according to  claim 4 , in which the orifices comprise second orifices located on an upper face of the hull of the underwater exploration vehicle, an axis perpendicular to the opening surface of the second orifices being oriented or substantially oriented along the vertical axis of the underwater exploration vehicle. 
     
     
         10 . Underwater exploration vehicle according to  claim 9 , in which the second orifices comprise a plurality of slots which all extend along the transverse axis of the underwater exploration vehicle and parallel to one another, the slots being located adjacent to one another, relative to a longitudinal axis of said underwater exploration vehicle, the slots forming the second orifices extending plumb with the oblong slots forming the first orifices. 
     
     
         11 . Underwater exploration vehicle according to  claim 10 , in which the slots forming the second orifices extend at a region of the upper face of the hull located between the battery and the control unit, relative to the longitudinal axis of the underwater exploration vehicle. 
     
     
         12 . Underwater exploration vehicle according to  claim 4 , in which the orifices comprise third orifices located on lateral faces of the hull of the underwater exploration vehicle, an axis perpendicular to the opening surface of the third orifices being oriented or substantially oriented along the transverse axis of the underwater exploration vehicle. 
     
     
         13 . Underwater exploration vehicle according to  claim 12 , wherein the underwater exploration vehicle comprises:
 control handles located on either side of the lateral faces of the hull, the third orifices being located at said control handles relative to the longitudinal axis; and   at a portion of each lateral face facing the electric battery, a depression forming a concave surface, each control handle extending opposite and at a distance from the corresponding depression, the third orifices being formed on each concavity, at or behind the control handles, relative to the longitudinal axis of the underwater exploration vehicle.   
     
     
         14 . Underwater exploration vehicle according to  claim 13 , wherein the third orifices comprise a plurality of holes which all extend along the vertical axis of the underwater exploration vehicle and parallel to one another, the holes being located adjacent to one another, relative to a vertical axis of said underwater exploration vehicle, each lateral face of the hull on which the third orifices are arranged comprising deflectors which project from said lateral face, each deflector being associated with one of the holes forming the third orifices, the deflectors being configured to prevent a flow of water into the holes forming said third orifices and, a contrario, to generate a flow tangential to said holes.