Sonar systems
US5321667A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 27, 1993 |
| Grant date | Jun 14, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 27, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S7/539
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A sonar system is provided for mapping the bottom of a body of water to identify a submerged foreign object. A sequence of the sonar pulses is transmitted and directed toward the bottom. The mapping is formed from a sequence of echo returns. Each one of the echo returns is produced as a range scan in a range direction response to a corresponding one of the transmitted sonar pulses. The sonar system stores signals representative of the intensity of the echo returns in a two dimensional array of pixels. Each one of the pixels represents the intensity of the echo return at a predetermined range position from the system in the range direction and a predetermined cross-range position from a reference position of the system in the cross-range direction. The system quantizes the intensity of each one of the pixels into one of a plurality of levels, and compares the distribution of the levels of pixels over a range scan at a cross-range position with the distribution of levels of pixels over a range scan having a different cross-range position to identify the existence of an underwater object.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.