A Mechanism to Deploy a Negatively Buoyant Payload from a Neutrally Buoyant Platform

摘要

We demonstrate a mechanically simple, scalable mechanism to deploy a negatively buoyant payload from a small Autonomous Underwater Vehicle. The mechanism compensates for the negative buoyancy of the payload via a vacuum inside the payload chamber. During deployment, the vacuum is released, freeing the payload from the AUV while, at the same time, compensating for any change in buoyancy due to the release of a negatively buoyant payload.