Mechanical Infrastructure Overview
Nova is divided roughly into three mechanical systems: Pressure Vessels, Structure, and Actuators.
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The main purpose of the Rack is to provide a convenient mounting environment for the onboard electronics, including vision and cooling components.
More information on the hull rack
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The purpose of the Upper Hull Pressure Vessel (UHPV) is to keep the electronics housed in the hull dry while allowing power and serial to pass in and out. |
More information about the Upper Hull Pressure Vessel
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The vehicle structure consists of a frame and infrastructure that support the components of the submarine. This includes mounting for all pressure vessels, sensors and actuators in addition to trimming and crane attachment systems.
More information about the structure |
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Hot swappable battery pods provide Nova's electrical power. Each pod contains a lithium polymer battery pack and a custom printed circuit board to handle battery monitoring and safety. The pod has two underwater connectors, one for charging, the other for discharging. While in use on the vehicle, only the discharge connector is plugged in. The charge connector allows for the batteries to be charged without opening the pod. A pressure relief valve prevents any excess buildup of pressure during charging. More information on the battery pods.
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Actuators on the vehicle include 6 thrusters, 2 marker droppers, and 2 torpedo launchers. The 6 thrusters control the vehicle in five degress of freedom: heave, surge, sway, yaw, and pitch.
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Camera Enclosure
| The camera enclosure houses the downward camera. Signal reaches the camera via a firewire cable passed through the vehicle pressure vessel and the camera pressure vessel via custom designed "glands"
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