US 11,731,289 B2
Submersible remote operated vehicle tool interchange
Richard Brian Correll, Woodland, CA (US); William P. Klassen, Davis, CA (US); Clayton Paul Kleppinger, Woodland, CA (US); Philip David Langley, Granite Bay, CA (US); Justin Daniel Schmaljohann, Davis, CA (US); Ryan Mitchell Bosler, Sacramento, CA (US); William Dawson Kesling, Davis, CA (US); and Chris Alexander Ade, Davis, CA (US)
Assigned to FMC Technologies, Inc., Houston, TX (US)
Filed by FMC Technologies, Inc., Houston, TX (US)
Filed on Apr. 27, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/660,955.
Application 17/660,955 is a continuation of application No. 16/376,622, filed on Apr. 5, 2019, granted, now 11,318,624.
Prior Publication US 2022/0250256 A1, Aug. 11, 2022
Int. Cl. B25J 15/04 (2006.01); B63C 11/52 (2006.01); B63G 8/00 (2006.01)
CPC B25J 15/0408 (2013.01) [B25J 15/0433 (2013.01); B63C 11/52 (2013.01); B63G 8/001 (2013.01); B63G 2008/002 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A tool interchange for a submersible remote operated vehicle (ROV) arm, the tool interchange comprising:
a tool mount actuable between gripping an ROV tool and releasing the ROV tool, the tool mount including a perimeter wall that defines a tool receiving receptacle, and;
a power coupling part in the tool mount, the power coupling part adapted to communicate power with a corresponding power coupling part of the ROV tool when the ROV tool is docked in the tool mount, wherein the power coupling part is fixed so as not to rotatably move while the tool mount is rotatable about a rotation axis, and wherein the ROV tool is manipulable while the tool mount is gripping the ROV tool;
wherein the power coupling part includes an inductive power coupling part;
where the corresponding power coupling part of the ROV tool includes an ROV tool inductive power coupling part, and wherein the inductive power coupling part of the tool mount includes a resonant inductive power coupling part adapted to inductively communicate power with the ROV tool inductive power coupling part while the inductive power coupling part of the tool mount is spaced from the ROV tool inductive power coupling part.