Persistent Easy-to-Deploy Stationkeeping Sonar PowerBuoy

Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. (OPT) and its subcontractor ASSETT leverage their many years of experience with US Navy programs, energy harvesting buoys/vessels, and sonar systems to address the US Navy"s current and future needs for autonomous, anchorless, easy-to-deploy active sonar systems. OPT proposes an innovative"inertia-based"wave energy harvesting buoy system that is capable of operating in various energy harvesting, vessel propulsion, and sonar system operating modes, to provide persistent operation of the ASW sonar system. The proposed inertia-based wave energy harvesting concept was first developed by OPT for other US Navy SBIR programs and is being enhanced to significantly improve the energy density (energy/volume) and specific energy (energy/mass) for this mission. OPT will work with ASSETT, Inc. of Manassas, VA to develop a smart energy sonar management adjunct to maximize mission endurance by adjusting the sonar duty cycle - pulse length and pulse repetition time as necessary for the given environment. ASSETT will also use its experience with parametric sonar systems to investigate alternate designs for shallow water environments that support direct path operation. The proposed"multi-modal"sonar buoy system will use multiple energy harvesting, stationkeeping and sonar modes to provide a long-endurance mission capability.