Launchable Tethered Remote Anchoring Module
A launchable land anchor having a tether, an anchor head housing a self-righting control module, a ground penetration device, a plurality of stability panels extending from a bottom portion having an interior surface and an exterior surface, and a plurality of sensors disposed on said exterior surface of said stability panels. Embodiments according to the present invention allow for self-righting functionality and continuous monitoring of stability to ensure security of the anchoring and removing the need of an on-site operator to setup and monitor the land anchor.
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This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 62/249,435 filed on 2 Nov. 2015.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to the field of anchors, in particular, a launchable tethered land anchoring system with distributed sensor technology to continuously assess reliability of the system.
BACKGROUND INFORMATIONAnchoring devices are designed to offset the weight of an object by connecting to it so that the object remains stationary. Anchors are well known in the art for securing a vessel to the seabed. Anchors may also be used on land to secure a large object. Kedge anchors, grapnels, and bridge supplemental sets are a few of the types of anchors known in the art for land anchoring.
In the past, anchoring systems used on land required the use of on-site personnel to build and maintain the systems. Prior land anchors such as a bridge supplemental set required the use of a hammer element to secure the anchor to the ground. This hammer element requires an on-site person to engage the hammer. One problem associated with this personnel requirement is that in hazardous areas hit with a natural disaster or where there are active military operations, it is preferred to have systems that are autonomous so that fewer lives are at risk.
A second problem is that, once built, the tethering module of such systems could break, risking destruction of the anchoring system and the object being anchored without any warning or notice. Other inventors have tried to create anchoring devices that ensure reliable anchoring without requiring personnel for launching the devices however those systems generally weigh a great deal and fail to give feedback on the reliability of the anchor. Accordingly, it would be an improvement in the art to provide a land anchor, which can be deployed autonomously and has an automated reliability feedback system ensuring the security of the anchor.
SUMMARYIn accordance with one aspect of the invention, a launchable land anchor allows for autonomous deployment and maintains continuous stability because self-righting and reliability functionalities communicate the status of the land anchor to a remote operator via a power over tether.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by reading the following Detailed Description, taken together with the Drawings wherein:
The embodiment shown in
In
In the embodiment of
As illustrated in
An embodiment comprises a ground penetration device disposed within said anchor body, wherein the ground penetration device comprises a drill; a drill translation gear; a drill chain set; and a drill bit 230. A drill translation gear and chain set maintain weight on the arrowhead drill bit 230. The drill translation gear is rotatably mounted within said anchor body. The drill chain set engages the drill translation gear. The drill translation gear engages the drill. While
In an embodiment of the invention, the device uses separate motors to drive the self-righting, drill translation, and anchoring processes. In an alternate embodiment of the invention, these processes are accomplished by a single motor and gearing/chain set.
During deployment, the land anchor is launched and autonomously self-rights normal to the terrain using sensors and the self-righting functionality. The land anchor uses its drilling functionality to penetrate the ground surface area. Sensors determine sufficient penetration into the ground surface area to secure a predetermined amount of holding force. Once the land anchor is secured, it sends a ready signal over the tether to an operator. The land anchor continues to monitor the security and reliability of the anchor.
As referenced herein, the term “land” is used in its common, yet broad sense to include not only ground surface materials such as soil, sand, clay, rocks, stone, and ice but also any stationary objects that are suited for receiving and securing anchors according to various aspects of the invention. The term “land” may also include subaqueous soil and submerged soils such as sediment, sea bed, lake bed, river bed, silted areas, marches, and the like.
While the principles of the invention have been described herein, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation as to the scope of the invention. Further embodiments are contemplated within the scope of the present invention in addition to the exemplary embodiments shown and described herein. Modifications and substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art are considered to be within the scope of the present invention, which is not to be limited except by the following claims.
Claims
1. A launchable land anchor, comprising:
- a tether;
- an anchor body;
- an anchor head housing a self-righting control module;
- a ground penetration device disposed in said anchor body;
- a plurality of stability panels having an interior surface and an exterior surface; and
- a plurality of sensors disposed on said exterior surface of said stability panels,
- wherein said plurality of stability panels extend from a bottom portion of said anchor body.
2. The launchable land anchor of claim 1, wherein said tether comprises a power over tether.
3. The launchable land anchor of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of extendable sharply pointed projections.
4. The launchable land anchor of claim 1, wherein said self-righting control module comprises:
- a self-righting motor;
- a drill translation motor; and
- a motor controller.
5. The launchable land anchor of claim 1, wherein said self-righting control module comprises:
- a stored energy device;
- a drill translation motor; and
- a motor controller.
6. The launchable land anchor of claim 1 further comprising:
- an inner structure having a top, a middle, and a bottom;
- a self-righting collar disposed around said middle having a plurality of short struts extending from said collar;
- a plurality of long struts connectively attached to said plurality of short struts; and
- a plurality of lead screws disposed in said inner structure threading said collar.
7. The launchable land anchor of claim 1 wherein said ground penetration device comprises:
- a drill;
- a drill translation gear rotatably mounted within said anchor body that engages said drill;
- a drill chain set that engages said drill translation gear; and
- a drill bit mounted to a telescoping anchor shaft that is rotatably mounted within and rotatably driven by said drill.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 1, 2016
Publication Date: May 4, 2017
Applicant: Tethers Unlimited Inc. (Bothell, WA)
Inventor: Robert Hoyt (Bothell, WA)
Application Number: 15/340,980