Undersea aid module system and method

Abstract

An undersea aid delivery system for storing emergency supplies on a floor of a body of water is provided. The undersea aid delivery system can include a housing, a tethering system, a communication system, and buoyancy system. The housing can have an interior cavity for storing emergency supplies. The interior cavity can be accessible via an opening in the housing. The tethering system can be coupled to the housing. The tethering system can include an anchor for coupling the housing to the floor of the body of water and a release mechanism for selectively releasing the housing from the anchor. The communication system can be disposed adjacent the housing and can receive a signal to activate the release mechanism of the tethering system. The buoyancy system can be coupled to and disposed adjacent to the housing. The buoyancy system can control movement of the housing in the body of water.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An undersea aid delivery system for storing emergency supplies on a floor of a body of water, comprising:
 a housing having an interior cavity for storing emergency supplies, the interior cavity accessible via an opening;   a tethering system coupled to the housing, the tethering system including an anchor for coupling the housing to the floor of the body of water and a release mechanism for selectively releasing the housing from the anchor;   a communication system configured to receive a signal to activate the release mechanism of the tethering system; and   a buoyancy system coupled to the housing and configured to control movement of the housing in the body of water.   
     
     
         2 . The undersea aid delivery system of  claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a door for accessing the interior cavity from an exterior of the housing. 
     
     
         3 . The undersea aid delivery system of  claim 2 , wherein the door includes a water-tight seal to maintain integrity of the emergency supplies. 
     
     
         4 . The undersea aid delivery system of  claim 1 , wherein the housing includes an anti-fouling system having a cathodic protection system utilizing a sacrificial anode positioned on an exterior surface of the housing. 
     
     
         5 . The undersea aid delivery system of  claim 1 , wherein the housing includes an anti-trawl device having a curved fin positioned on an exterior of the housing. 
     
     
         6 . The undersea aid delivery system of  claim 1 , wherein the communication system includes a receiver for detecting and processing an incoming signal. 
     
     
         7 . The undersea aid delivery system of  claim 6 , wherein the receiver includes an acoustic receiver that operates underwater using sound waves for communication. 
     
     
         8 . The undersea aid delivery system of  claim 1 , wherein the communication system includes a transponder for transmitting a response signal. 
     
     
         9 . The undersea aid delivery system of  claim 8 , wherein the transponder includes an acoustic transponder for underwater communication. 
     
     
         10 . The undersea aid delivery system of  claim 1 , wherein the communication system includes a recovery beacon disposed on the housing. 
     
     
         11 . The undersea aid delivery system of  claim 10 , wherein the recovery beacon includes a light source for providing a visual signal upon surfacing and an audio source for providing an audible signal upon surfacing. 
     
     
         12 . The undersea aid delivery system of  claim 1 , further including a pressure sensor disposed on the housing that detects when the housing has ascended from deep water pressure to surface conditions. 
     
     
         13 . The undersea aid delivery system of  claim 1 , wherein the tethering system includes an anchor for securing the undersea aid delivery system to the floor of the body of water, and a tether for coupling the anchor to the release mechanism. 
     
     
         14 . The undersea aid delivery system of  claim 1 , wherein the tethering system includes an orbital tethering module having a rotating gimble. 
     
     
         15 . The undersea aid delivery system of  claim 1 , wherein the buoyancy system includes a ballast tank for adjusting depth of the housing. 
     
     
         16 . The undersea aid delivery system of  claim 1 , further comprising a power source to power the communication system and the buoyancy system. 
     
     
         17 . The undersea aid delivery system of  claim 1 , wherein undersea aid delivery system is positioned at a predetermined distance relative to a surface of the body of water, the predetermined distance being approximately 200 meters below sea level. 
     
     
         18 . An undersea aid delivery system for storing emergency supplies on a floor of a body of water, comprising:
 a housing having
 an interior cavity for storing emergency supplies, 
 an opening for accessing the interior cavity, 
 a water-tight door for sealing the opening, 
 an anti-fouling coating disposed on an exterior surface of the housing, and 
 an anti-trawl device disposed on the exterior surface of the housing; 
   a communication system and having
 an acoustic receiver configured to receive an acoustic signal, 
 an acoustic transponder for sending a system status, and 
 a recovery beacon including an audio source for providing an audio signal and a light source for providing a light signal; 
   a tethering system coupled to the housing and having
 an anchor for coupling the housing to the floor of the body of water, 
 a release mechanism for selectively releasing the housing from the anchor and disposed adjacent to the housing, the release mechanism including a guillotine device release the housing from the anchor upon activation by the acoustic receiver, and 
 a tether connecting the release mechanism to the anchor; 
   a buoyancy control system coupled to the housing and configured to control movement of the housing in the body of water;   a power source for powering the guillotine device, the acoustic receiver, the acoustic transponder, and the recovery beacon; and   a load carrying point disposed on the housing and configured to facilitate recovery of the housing.   
     
     
         19 . A method of providing emergency supplies to an isolated community, comprising:
 providing an undersea aid delivery system for storing emergency supplies on a floor of a body of water including
 a housing having an interior cavity for storing emergency supplies, the interior cavity accessible via an opening, 
 a tethering system coupled to the housing, the tethering system including an anchor for coupling the housing to the floor of the body of water and a release mechanism for selectively releasing the housing from the anchor, 
 a communication system configured to receive a signal to activate the release mechanism of the tethering system, and 
 a buoyancy system coupled to the housing and configured to control movement of the housing in the body of water; and 
   providing an acoustic activation signal at a receiver of the communication system, whereby the release mechanism separates the housing from the anchor, the housing ascends to a coastline using the buoyancy system, and the emergency supplies are provided to the isolated community.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further including a step of deploying the undersea aid delivery system at a predetermined distance relative to a surface of the body of water, the predetermined distance being approximately 200 meters below sea level.