US 10,379,218 B1Granted

Self-locating system and methods for multistatic active coherent sonar

AssigneeScientific Innovations, Inc.

InventorJohn Louis Spiesberger

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Abstract

Multistatic active coherent sonar systems and methods include reception by floating receiver sonobuoys of acoustic signals emitted by floating source sonobuoys, by both direct propagation from the source sonobuoys and reflection or scattering from a target object. Subsequent calculations based at least in part on those signals can be employed to estimate relative or absolute positions or velocities of the target object and the source and receiver sonobuoys. The estimated relative velocities and positions can be calculated without relying on GPS or other extrinsic positioning signals acquired for each sonobuoy after its deployment. Acoustic signals emitted by a stationary source on the seabed, received by a stationary receiver on the seabed, or reflected/scattered from a bathymetric feature, can be employed to estimate absolute or relative positions or velocities of the target object and the source and receiver sonobuoys.

Claims28

Dependent claims

A method for calculating an estimated absolute or relative velocity or absolute or relative position of one or more receiver sonobuoys, in a multistatic active coherent sonar system including a set of multiple source sonobuoys floating in or on a body of water, a set of multiple receiver sonobuoys floating in or on a body of water, and a control unit having one or more programmed electronic processors, the method comprising:

(a) receiving at the control unit, from one or more of the multiple receiver sonobuoys, a set of receiver electromagnetic signals, wherein the set of receiver electromagnetic signals includes one or more signal portions representative of or derived from one or more corresponding acoustic signals emitted by one or more of the multiple source sonobuoys and received by one or more of the multiple receiver sonobuoys via corresponding acoustic pathways through the body of water, wherein the corresponding acoustic pathways include four or more distinct acoustic pathways through the body of water, at least three of which distinct acoustic pathways include reflection or scattering from one or more bathymetric features in the body of water;
and
(b) using the one or more electronic processors of the control unit to calculate, based at least in part on the representative or derived signal portions of the set of receiver electromagnetic signals received by the control unit, an estimated absolute or relative velocity or an estimated absolute or relative position for one or more of the multiple receiver sonobuoys.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/731,101Filed 18 Apr 2017 · us provisional application
Priority: 19 Apr 2016
Granted: 13 Aug 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G01S 15/003
Systems using the reflection or reradiation of acoustic waves, e.g. sonar systems: bistatic sonar systems; Multistatic sonar systems
G01S 13/862
Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder: combination of radar systems with sonar systems
G01S 15/06
Using reflection of acoustic waves: systems determining the position data of a target
G01S 15/58
Systems of measurement, based on relative movement of the target: velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination…