Tethered buoy housing and deployment assembly

1. A tether buoy housing and deployment assembly comprising:

a housing capable of disposition in a vessel;

a tether for interconnecting a portion of said housing and a portion of a buoy;

a tether reel mounted in said housing and rotatable to unwind said tether;

means for maintaining a selected tension on said tether as said tether is unwound;

a lift platform disposed in said housing and adapted to rise in said housing as said tether is extended;

a buoy cradle for retaining the buoy; and

a linkage assembly mounted on said platform and adapted to move the buoy between a substantially vertical disposition for retention of the buoy and a tilted disposition for generally aligning the buoy with external water flow for release of the buoy into a water flow;

wherein said housing comprises a skeletal cage comprising rigid bars joined to form an elongated structure;

wherein plates are mounted on said rigid bars to form a substantially enclosed box-like structure.

2. The assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said tether reel is rotatably mounted in said box-like structure and adapted to support, unwind and rewind said tether thereon.

3. The assembly in accordance with claim 2 , wherein said tension means is capable of maintaining tension and spacing on said tether during winding of said tether.

4. The assembly in accordance with claim 3 , wherein said lift platform disposed is capable of movement toward said reel as said tether is retrieved.

5. The assembly in accordance with claim 2 , and further comprising a tether reel containment structure for rotatably mounting said reel, and a motor mounted on said reel for starting, stopping and reversing rotation of said reel, and for mounting a level wind and level wind motor.

6. A tether buoy housing and deployment assembly comprising:

a housing capable of disposition in a vessel;

a tether for interconnecting a portion of said housing and a portion of a buoy;

a tether reel mounted in said housing and rotatable to unwind said tether;

means for maintaining a selected tension on said tether as said tether is unwound;

a lift platform disposed in said housing and adapted to rise in said housing as said tether is extended;

a buoy cradle for retaining the buoy; and

a linkage assembly mounted on said platform and adapted to move the buoy between a substantially vertical disposition for retention of the buoy and a tilted disposition for generally aligning the buoy with external water flow for release of the buoy into a water flow;

wherein said means for maintaining a selected tension on said tether as said tether is being unwound comprises a low tension sensor including pulley mount proximate said tether reel and having a plurality of tether path pulley wheels mounted thereon, each of the pulley wheels being adapted to receive said tether therearound.

7. The assembly in accordance with claim 6 , wherein said pulley wheels comprise first, second, third, and fourth pulley wheels mounted on a support member, and adapted for acting upon said tether as said tether is withdrawn from said tether reel.

8. The assembly in accordance with claim 7 , wherein said first and fourth pulley wheels are rotatable about fixed points on said support member and said second and third pulley wheels are moveable laterally on said support member to maintain a selected tension on said tether.

9. The assembly in accordance with claim 7 , wherein said lift platform is movable on support rods extending upwardly proximate to said tether reel.

10. The assembly in accordance with claim 9 , and further comprising a linkage assembly mounted on said lift platform and pivotally connected to said buoy cradle.

11. The assembly in accordance with claim 10 , wherein said linkage assembly comprises a cylindrical sleeve upstanding from said lift platform, a lift cylinder slidably disposed in said sleeve and extending outwardly from a free end of said sleeve, a free end of said lift cylinder being pivotally connected to an end portion of said buoy cradle, and a linkage assembly fixed at a first end thereof to said sleeve and at a second end thereof to said buoy cradle, and having a pivot joint between the first and second ends, such that axial movement of said lift cylinder causes pivotal movement of said second end of said linkage assembly and thereby movement to said buoy cradle.

12. The assembly in accordance with claim 11 , wherein a motor is mounted on said lift platform and is operable to drive said linkage assembly between a first position in which said buoy is in substantial alignment with said lift cylinder and a second position in which said buoy is generally transverse to said alignment.

13. A tethered buoy housing and deployment assembly comprising a housing for disposition in a sail portion of a vessel, a tether for interconnecting a portion of said housing and a buoy, a reel mounted in said housing and rotatable to unwind said tether, means for maintaining tension on said tether as said tether is unwound, and a platform and linkage assembly adapted to support the buoy and move the buoy between a vertical disposition for storage in said housing and an angled disposition for release of the buoy into a fluid stream wherein said means for maintaining tension of said tether comprises a plurality of pulleys rotatably mounted on a sensor plate, each of said pulleys being rotatable about an axis thereof and adapted to receive said tether about a periphery thereof, at least one of said pulleys being movable laterally in response to engagement thereof by said tether, to maintain a selected tension on said tether.

14. The tethered buoy housing and deployment system in accordance with claim 13 , whereas said platform and linkage assembly comprises a base link sleeve upstanding from a lift platform, a linkage rod extending from a free end of said sleeve, an arm fixed to said sleeve and extending outwardly therefrom, said linkage rod being pivotally connected at an end thereof remote from said base link sleeve to a buoy cradle, and said arm comprises a portion of a linkage connected to the buoy cradle, such that the buoy is movable between storage and release dispositions.

15. The tethered buoy housing and deployment system in accordance with claim 14 , wherein a brake and tether path guide are disposed on said arm.