US 12,263,920 B2
Retrofitting a buoy to provide dynamic control of a freeboard of the buoy
Bret R. Thomson, San Diego, CA (US); Jason S. Bench, El Cajon, CA (US); Kevin A. Merhoff, San Diego, CA (US); Brandon J. Wiedemeier, San Diego, CA (US); Nathan Todd Miller, San Diego, CA (US); Minh Vuong, San Diego, CA (US); and Bryan B. Bui-Tuong, San Diego, CA (US)
Assigned to United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, Washington, DC (US)
Filed by The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, San Diego, CA (US)
Filed on Jun. 8, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/835,782.
Prior Publication US 2023/0399079 A1, Dec. 14, 2023
Int. Cl. B63B 22/20 (2006.01)
CPC B63B 22/20 (2013.01) [B63B 2207/02 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A retrofit kit for retrofitting a buoy to provide dynamic control of a freeboard of the buoy, the retrofit kit comprising:
a plurality of buoyancy chambers for surrounding a vertical axis of the buoy with a center of mass of the buoy disposed on the vertical axis below the buoyancy chambers, the buoyancy chambers for providing a variable buoyancy ranging from a minimum buoyancy to a maximum buoyancy;
an air reservoir for an inflation of the buoyancy chambers; and
a valve arrangement for dynamically setting the freeboard of the buoy upon the inflation and a deflation of the buoyancy chambers for varying the variable buoyancy between the minimum buoyancy and the maximum buoyancy, wherein
the buoyancy chambers are lift bags and
the air reservoir is at least one self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) tank.