Underwater exterior ship hull imaging system employing a remote microprocessor controlled acoustic transducer array
US7072244B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 4, 2004 |
| Grant date | Jul 4, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 4, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S7/6245
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A multi-beam acoustic transducer array system for producing color enhanced, three dimensional, high resolution images of a ship's underwater hull, wherein the acoustic transducers can be mounted in orthogonal pairs, each pair being positioned opposite from another pair within a shipping channel. The array can be utilized either in a stationary configuration within a controlled shipping lane or suspended in the water column from a mobile support vessel, with at least one array being orthogonally mounted and suspended in the water column from the mobile support vessel, wherein the mobile configuration obviates the need for multiple orthogonal arrays, for purposes of performing acquisition and imaging of a ship's hull. Each orthogonal array consists of a first transducer transmitting sonar pulses along a horizontal plane and a second transducer transmitting sonar pulses along a vertical plane, such that the two beaming sonar pulses are orthogonal, thereby providing optimal coverage.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.