Unmanned vehicle assistance for submerged host vehicles
Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture for unmanned vehicle assistance for submerged host vehicles are disclosed. An example apparatus includes at least one memory, machine readable instructions, and processor circuitry to at least one of instantiate or execute the machine readable instructions to determine an occurrence of a reduced operational capability of a vehicle, the vehicle at least partially submerged in a body of water, cause an unmanned vehicle (UV) to separate from the vehicle in response to the occurrence of the reduced operational capability, and determine positional information corresponding to the UV based on the UV reaching or departing a surface of the body of the water.
1. An apparatus comprising:
at least one memory;
machine readable instructions; and
processor circuitry to at least one of instantiate or execute the machine readable instructions to:
determine an occurrence of a reduced operational capability of a vehicle, the vehicle at least partially submerged in a body of water;
cause an unmanned vehicle (UV) to separate from the vehicle in response to the occurrence of the reduced operational capability;
determine that the UV has departed from a surface of the body of water;
monitor a position of the UV in response to the determination that the UV departed the surface;
determine a distance between the UV and the vehicle based on the position of the UV;
compare the distance to a threshold distance; and
when the distance meets or exceeds the threshold distance transmit, via a transmitter of the UV, communications including information associated with the vehicle.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the UV is releasably couplable to an outer body of the vehicle.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the reduced operational capability is at least one of a power loss, a scuttle operation or a collision of the vehicle.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is to execute the instructions to release the UV from the vehicle via an umbilical cord, the umbilical cord to provide a data interface with the UV.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry causes the UV to maneuver autonomously to a predetermined location in response to separation from the vehicle, the predetermined location different than the threshold distance.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is to execute the instructions to release the UV from the vehicle based on sensor data, the UV to track the sensor data.
7. An unmanned vehicle (UV) comprising:
a battery;
at least one sensor; and
processor circuitry to execute instructions to:
in response to an occurrence of a reduced operational capability associated with a host vehicle, cause the UV to release from the host vehicle, the host vehicle at least partially submerged in a body of water;
determine that the UV has departed from a surface of the body of water;
monitor a position of the UV in response to the determination that the UV has departed the surface of the body of the water;
determine a distance between the UV and the vehicle based on the position of the UV;
compare the distance to a threshold distance; and
when the distance meets or exceeds the threshold distance transmit, via a transmitter of the UV, communications including information associated with the vehicle.
8. The UV of claim 7 , wherein the processor circuitry is to execute the instructions to cause the UV to maneuver to a surface of the body of water via a propeller and fins thereof.
9. The UV of claim 7 , wherein the UV is to float to a surface of the body of water upon separation from the host vehicle.
10. The UV of claim 7 , wherein the processor circuitry is to execute the instructions to cause a transceiver of the UV to
receive signals from the host vehicle as the UV moves between the host vehicle and the threshold distance.
11. The UV of claim 7 , wherein the processor circuitry is to execute the instructions to cause separation of the UV from the host vehicle based on information from the at least one sensor.
12. The UV of claim 7 , wherein the processor circuitry is to execute the instructions to track, via the at least one sensor, the position of the host vehicle subsequent to separation of the UV from the host vehicle.
13. The UV of claim 7 , wherein the UV further includes a data bus interface, the UV to release from the host vehicle via an umbilical cord, the umbilical cord coupled to the data bus interface.
14. A method comprising:
separating, by executing instructions with at least one processor, an unmanned vehicle (UV) from a host vehicle that is at least partially submerged in a body of water based on a determination of an occurrence of a reduced operational capability of the host vehicle;
determining, by executing instructions with the at least one processer, that the UV has departed from a surface of the body of water;
monitoring a position of the UV in response to the determination that the UV has departed the surface;
determining a distance between the UV and the vehicle based on the position of the UV;
comparing the distance to a threshold distance; and
when the distance meets or exceeds the threshold distance transmitting, via a transmitter of the UV, communications including information associated with the vehicle.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein separating the UV includes enabling the UV to float or propel itself to the surface.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the occurrence is determined based on information from a sensor of the UV, and wherein the separation of the UV from the host vehicle occurs based on the information.
17. The method of claim 14 , further including transmitting, by executing instructions with the at least one processor, signals from the host vehicle to the UV when the UV is positioned between the host vehicle and the threshold distance, the signals corresponding to the occurrence of the reduced operational capability.
18. The method of claim 14 , further including transmitting, via an umbilical cord, signals from the host vehicle to the UV when the UV is coupled to the host vehicle.
19. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is to execute the instructions to determine that the UV has departed from the surface based on an activation of an air propulsion system associated with the UV.
20. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is to execute the instructions to determine that the UV has departed from the surface based on the distance between the UV and the vehicle.
21. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is to execute the instructions to cause the UV to utilize positional information signals that are received by a receiver of the UV in response to the determination that the UV has departed from the surface.
22. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the processor circuitry causes the UV to maneuver to the predetermined location subsequent to transmitting the communications.
23. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the processor circuitry causes the UV to maneuver to the predetermined location while transmitting the communications.