Underwater mapping apparatus and method

Claim 2

In an apparatus for producing a plan view display of a seabed from a side scan sonar signal system in which the sonar generating and receiving means move with respect to the seabed, said apparatus comprising at least one transmitting transducer assembly for repeatedly generating side scan sonar signals in response to a trigger signal, said trigger signals each defining the beginning of a measurement cycle, at least one receiving transducer assembly for providing a received electrical signal output, said output having an amplitude corresponding to the intensity of received returning sonar signals, means responsive to the receiving transducer assembly output for providing a compressed electrical signal output having a dynamic range less than the dynamic range of said received sonar signals, and a display device, the improvement wherein said display is linear at least along an axis corresponding to a direction normal to the direction of movement of said generating and receiving means, and comprising sampling means for periodically sampling said compressed electrical signal within each measurement cycle to generate a sequence of sampled signal values, height determining means for repeatedly determining the height of said sonar generating and receiving means above the seabed, means responsive to said height determination and said sampled signals for generating a sequence of linear data values corresponding to a mapping of said sampled signals onto a sequence of equi-distant locations along a horizontal seabed-representing axis, said display device having means for receiving and displaying said linear data, and a display control means for actuating said display device to produce said plan view map of said seabed.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said improvement further comprises a velocity sensing means for generating a velocity determining output signal representing the velocity of the generating and receiving means relative to the seabed, said sequence generating means being further responsive to the velocity output signal for generating a line count for each line of linear data values, and said display control means being responsive to each said line count, for printing said associated sequence of linear data a number of times corresponding to said line count.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said improvement further comprises an angle correction means responsive to said height determination for repeatedly generating a time varying angle correction factor for said sampled signal for compensating said sonar return signal for the grazing angle of said signal relative to the seabed and for the transmitting transducer non-uniformities in the vertical plane, and means for modifying said sampled data according to said angle correction factor.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said improvement further comprises said compression means having, for each receiving transducer, a time varying gain amplifier responsive to a sonar triggering signal for multiplying said received electrical signal by a time varying gain dependent upon an elapsed time measured from the time of occurrence of said last triggering signal, and a logarithmic amplifier, responsive to said time varying gain amplifier, for providing an output signal corresponding to the logarithm of the time varying gain amplifier output signal.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said improvement further comprises said compression means having for each receiving transducer, a time varying gain amplifier responsive to a sonar triggering signal for multiplying said received electrical signal by a time varying gain dependent upon an elapsed time measured from the time of occurrence of said last triggering signal, and where said time varying gain amplifier has a gain corresponding substantially to the square of said elapsed time.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein there are port transmitting and receiving transducers and starboard transmitting and receiving transducers for providing port and starboard electrical signal outputs and wherein said improvement further comprises said height determination means comprising a threshold element responsive to both said port and starboard sampled electrical signals for generating during each measurement cycle first signal outputs, if the value of either the port or the starboard sampled signals is less than a predetermined threshold value, and second signal outputs if the values of both said port and starboard sampled signals are greater than said predetermined threshold value, and a bottom evaluation means responsive to the threshold element output signals for providing a height determination depending upon detecting a predetermined sequence of said second output signals.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said height determining means further comprises means for repeatedly determining said height from said sampled signals.

Claim 9

In an apparatus for producing a plan view display of a seabed from a side scan sonar signal system in which the sonar generating and receiving means move with respect to the seabed, said apparatus comprising at least one transmitting transducer assembly for repeatedly generating side scan sonar signals in response to a trigger signal, said trigger signals each defining the beginning of a measurement cycle, at least one receiving transducer assembly for providing a received electrical signal output, said output having an amplitude corresponding to the intensity of received returning sonar signals, means responsive to the receiving transducer assembly output for providing a compressed electrical signal output having a dynamic range less than the dynamic range of said received sonar signals, and a display device, the improvement wherein said display in linear at least along an axis corresponding to a direction normal to the direction of movement of said generating and receiving means, and comprising sampling means for periodically sampling said compressed electrical signal within each measurement cycle to generate a sequence of sampled signal values, height determining means for repeatedly determining the height of said sonar generating and receiving means above the seabed, and further wherein said sampled signals within each measurement cycle are denoted by S(n), n=0, 1, 2, . . . , N; said determined height is h; and the range from the generating and receiving means to a position in the seabed corresponding to the sampled signal S(n) is R n ; and further comprising means for forming an error function e', substantially of the form ##EQU9## where n=1, 2, . . . , N, ##EQU10## and x=0, 1, 2, . . . , and for generating a sequence of linear data S 1 (x), x=0, 1, 2, . . . , according to the rule S 1 (x)=S(n) where e' n ,x <0≦e' n-1 ,x, said sequence of linear data values corresponding to a mapping of said sampled signals onto a sequence of equidistant locations along a horizontal seabed-representing axis, said display device having means for receiving and displaying said linear data, and a display control means for actuating said display device to produce said plan view map of said seabed.

Claim 10

In an apparatus for producing a plan view display of a seabed from a side scan sonar signal system in which the sonar generating and receiving means move with respect to the seabed, said apparatus comprising at least one transmitting transducer assembly for repeatedly generating side scan sonar signals in response to a trigger signal, said trigger signals each defining the beginning of a measurement cycle, at least one receiving transducer assembly for providing a received electrical signal output, said output having an amplitude corresponding to the intensity of received returning sonar signals, means responsive to the receiving transducer assembly output for providing a compressed electrical signal output having a dynamic range less than the dynamic range of said received sonar signals, and a display device, the improvement wherein said display in linear at least along an axis corresponding to a direction normal to the direction of movement of said generating and receiving means, and comprising sampling means for periodically sampling said compressed electrical signal within each measurement cycle to generate a sequence of sampled signal values, height determining means for repeatedly determining the height of said sonar generating and receiving means above the seabed, and further wherein said sampled signals within each measurement cycle are denoted by S(n), n=0, 1, 2, . . . , N; said determined height is h; and the range from the generating and receiving means to a position in the seabed corresponding to the sampled signal S(n) is R n ; and further comprising means for forming an error function e', substantially of the form ##EQU9## where n=1, 2, . . . , N, ##EQU10## and x=0, 1, 2, . . . , and for generating a sequence of linear data S 1 (x), x=0, 1, 2, . . . , according to the rule S 1 (x)=S(n) where e' n ,x <0≦e' n-1 ,x, said sequence of linear data values corresponding to a mapping of said sampled signals onto a sequence of equidistant locations along a horizontal seabed-representing axis, said display device having means for receiving and displaying said linear data, and a display control means for actuating said display device to produce said plan view map of said seabed.

Claim 11

In an apparatus for producing a plan view display of a seabed from a side scan sonar signal system in which the sonar generating and receiving means move with respect to the seabed, said apparatus comprising at least one transmitting transducer assembly for repeatedly generating side scan sonar signals in response to a trigger signal, said trigger signals each defining the beginning of a measurement cycle, at least one receiving transducer assembly for providing a received electrical signal output, said output having an amplitude corresponding to the intensity of received returning sonar signals, means responsive to the receiving transducer assembly output for providing a compressed electrical signal output having a dynamic range less than the dynamic range of said received sonar signals, and a display device, the improvement wherein said display is linear at least along an axis corresponding to a direction normal to the direction of movement of said generating and receiving means, and comprising sampling means for periodically sampling said compressed electrical signal within each measurement cycle to generate a sequence of sampled signal values, height determining means for repeatedly determining the height of said sonar generating and receiving means above the seabed, and further wherein said sampled signals within each measurement cycle are denoted by S(n), n=0, 1, 2, . . . , N; said determined height is h; and the range from the generating and receiving means to a position in the seabed corresponding to the sampled signal S(n) is R n ; and further comprising means for forming an error function e, substantially of the form ##EQU11## and n=1, 2, . . . , N, ##EQU12## and x=0, 1, 2, . . . , and for generating a sequence of linear data S 1 (x), x=0, 1, 2, . . . , according to the rule S 1 (x)=S(n) where e n ,x <0≦e n-1 ,x, said sequence of linear data values corresponding to a mapping of said sampled signals onto a sequence of equidistant locations along a horizontal seabed-representing axis, said display device having means for receiving and displaying said linear data, and a display control means for actuating said display device to produce said plan view map of said seabed.

Claim 12

In an apparatus for producing a plan view display of a seabed from a side scan sonar signal system in which the sonar generating and receiving means move with respect to the seabed, said apparatus comprising at least one transmitting transducer assembly for repeatedly generating side scan sonar signals in response to a trigger signal, said trigger signals each defining the beginning of a measurement cycle, at least one receiving transducer assembly for providing a received electrical signal output, said output having an amplitude corresponding to the intensity of received returning sonar signals, means responsive to the receiving transducer assembly output for providing a compressed electrical signal output having a dynamic range less than the dynamic range of said received sonar signals, and a display device, the improvement wherein said display is linear at least along an axis corresponding to a direction normal to the direction of movement of said generating and receiving means, and comprising sampling means for periodically sampling said compressed electrical signal within each measurement cycle to generate a sequence of sampled signal values, height determining means for repeatedly determining the height of said sonar generating and receiving means above the seabed, and further wherein said sampled signals within each measurement cycle are denoted by S(n), n=0, 1, 2, . . . , N; said determined height is h; and the range from the generating and receiving means to a position in the seabed corresponding to the sampled signal S(n) is R n ; and further comprising means for forming an error function e, substantially of the form ##EQU11## and n=1, 2, . . . , N, ##EQU12## and x=0, 1, 2, . . . , and for generating a sequence of linear data S 1 (x), x=0, 1, 2, . . . , according to the rule S 1 (x)=S(n) where e n ,x <0≦e n-1 ,x, said sequence of linear data values corresponding to a mapping of said sampled signals onto a sequence of equidistant locations along a horizontal seabed-representing axis, said display device having means for receiving and displaying said linear data, and a display control means for actuating said display device to produce said plan view map of said seabed.

Claim 13

In an apparatus for producing a plan view display of a seabed from a side scan sonar signal system in which the sonar generating and receiving means move with respect to the seabed, said apparatus comprising at least one transmitting transducer assembly for repeatedly generating side scan sonar signals in response to a trigger signal, said trigger signals each defining the beginning of a measurement cycle, at least one receiving transducer assembly for providing a received electrical signal output, said output having an amplitude corresponding to the intensity of received returning sonar signals, means responsive to the receiving transducer assembly output for providing a compressed electrical signal output having a dynamic range less than the dynamic range of said received sonar signals, and a display device, the improvement wherein said display is a linear plan view display, and comprising a time varying gain amplifier responsive to a sonar triggering signal for multiplying said received electrical signal by a time varying gain dependent upon an elapsed time measured from the time of occurrence of said last triggering signal, a logarithmic amplifier, responsive to said time varying gain amplifier, for providing a compressed output signal corresponding to the logarithm of the time varying gain amplifier output signal, sampling means for periodically sampling said compressed electrical signal within each measurement cycle to generate a sequence of sampled signal values, height determining means for repeatedly determining from said sampled signals, the height of said sonar generating and receiving means above the seabed, an angle correction means responsive to said height determination for repeatedly generating a time varying angle correction factor for said sampled signal for compensating said sonar return signal for the grazing angle of said signal relative to the seabed and for the transmitting transducer nonuniformities in the vertical plane, means for modifying said sampled data according to said angle correction factor, and further wherein said sampled signals within each measurement cycle are denoted by S(n), n=0, 1, 2, . . . , N; said determined height is h; and the range from the generating and receiving means to a position in the seabed corresponding to the sampled signal S(n) is R n ; and further comprising means for forming an error function e', substantially of the form ##EQU13## where n=1, 2, . . . , N, ##EQU14## and x=0, 1, 2, . . . , and and for generating a sequence of linear data S 1 (x), x=0, 1, 2, . . . , according to the rule S 1 (x)=S(n) where e' n ,x <0≦e' n-1 ,x, said sequence of linear data values corresponding to a mapping of said sampled signals onto a sequence of equidistant locations along a horizontal seabed-represented axis, a velocity sensing means for generating a velocity determining output signal representing the velocity of the generating and receiving means relative to the seabed, said forming and sequence generating means being responsive to the velocity output signal for generating a line count for each line of linear data values, a display control means responsive to each said line count, for printing said associated sequence of linear data a number of times corresponding to said line count, and said display device having means for receiving and displaying said linear data.

Claim 14

In an apparatus for producing a plan view display of a seabed from a side scan sonar signal system in which the sonar generating and receiving means move with respect to the seabed, said apparatus comprising at least one transmitting transducer assembly for repeatedly generating side scan sonar signals in response to a trigger signal, said trigger signals each defining the beginning of a measurement cycle, at least one receiving transducer assembly for providing a received electrical signal output, said output having an amplitude corresponding to the intensity of received returning sonar signals, means responsive to the receiving transducer assembly output for providing a compressed electrical signal output having a dynamic range less than the dynamic range of said received sonar signals, and a display device, the improvement wherein said display is a linear plan view display, and comprising a time varying gain amplifier responsive to a sonar triggering signal for multiplying said received electrical signal by a time varying gain dependent upon an elapsed time measured from the time of occurrence of said last triggering signal, a logarithmic amplifier, responsive to said time varying gain amplifier, for providing a compressed output signal corresponding to the logarithm of the time varying gain amplifier output signal, sampling means for periodically sampling said compressed electrical signal within each measurement cycle to generate a sequence of sampled signal values, height determining means for repeatedly determining from said sampled signals, the height of said sonar generating and receiving means above the seabed, an angle correction means responsive to said height determination for repeatedly generating a time varying angle correction factor for said sampled signal for compensating said sonar return signal for the grazing angle of said signal relative to the seabed and for the transmitting transducer nonuniformities in the vertical plane, means for modifying said sampled data according to said angle correction factor, and further wherein said sampled signals within each measurement cycle are denoted by S(n), n=0, 1, 2, . . . , N; said determined height is h; and the range from the generating and receiving means to a position in the seabed corresponding to the sampled signal S(n) is R n ; and further comprising means for forming an error function e', substantially of the form ##EQU13## where n=1, 2, . . . , N, ##EQU14## and x=0, 1, 2, . . . , and and for generating a sequence of linear data S 1 (x), x=0, 1, 2, . . . , according to the rule S 1 (x)=S(n) where e' n ,x <0≦e' n-1 ,x, said sequence of linear data values corresponding to a mapping of said sampled signals onto a sequence of equidistant locations along a horizontal seabed-represented axis, a velocity sensing means for generating a velocity determining output signal representing the velocity of the generating and receiving means relative to the seabed, said forming and sequence generating means being responsive to the velocity output signal for generating a line count for each line of linear data values, a display control means responsive to each said line count, for printing said associated sequence of linear data a number of times corresponding to said line count, and said display device having means for receiving and displaying said linear data.

Claim 15

In a method for producing from a moving said scan sonar signal system a plan view display of the seabed topography, the method having the steps of repeatedly generating at least one side scan sonar pulse signal from at least one transmitting transducer, each pulse signal marking the beginning of a new measurement cycle, receiving returning sonar signals with at least one receiving transducer and converting said received sonar signal to a received electrical signal output having an amplitude corresponding to the intensity of the received returning sonar signals, and reducing the dynamic range of the received electrical signal thereby providing a compressed electrical signal output of reduced dynamic range, the improvement wherein said display is linear at least along an axis corresponding to a direction normal to the direction of movement of a sonar transmitting and receiving apparatus, and comprising the further steps of periodically sampling said compressed electrical signal within each measurement cycle for generating a sequence of sample signal values, determining the height of the transmitting and receiving means above the seabed, generating from said sampled signals a sequence of linear data values which correspond to a mapping of the sampled signals onto a sequence of equi-distant locations along a horizontal, seabed-representing axis, said generating step being responsive to the height of the transmitting and receiving means above the seabed, and displaying said linear data on a display apparatus for producing said plan view display of the seabed topography.

Claim 16

In a method for producing from a moving said scan sonar signal system a plan view display of the seabed topography, the method having the steps of repeatedly generating at least one side scan sonar pulse signal from at least one transmitting transducer, each pulse signal marking the beginning of a new measurement cycle, receiving returning sonar signals with at least one receiving transducer and converting said received sonar signal to a received electrical signal output having an amplitude corresponding to the intensity of the received returning sonar signals, and reducing the dynamic range of the received electrical signal thereby providing a compressed electrical signal output of reduced dynamic range, the improvement wherein said display is linear at least along an axis corresponding to a direction normal to the direction of movement of a sonar transmitting and receiving apparatus, and comprising the further steps of periodically sampling said compressed electrical signal within each measurement cycle for generating a sequence of sample signal values, determining the height of the transmitting and receiving means above the seabed, generating from said sampled signals a sequence of linear data values which correspond to a mapping of the sampled signals onto a sequence of equi-distant locations along a horizontal, seabed-representing axis, said generating step being responsive to the height of the transmitting and receiving means above the seabed, and displaying said linear data on a display apparatus for producing said plan view display of the seabed topography.

Claim 17

The method of claim 11 wherein said improvement further comprises the steps of providing a time varying gain amplifier responsive to a trigger signal for multiplying said received electrical signal by a time-varying again which depends upon an elapsed time measured from the time of occurrence of said last trigger signal, and generating a compressed output signal which corresponds to the logarithm of the output of the time varying gain amplifier.

Claim 18

The method of claim 11 wherein said improvement further comprises the steps of providing a time varying gain amplifier responsive to a trigger signal for multiplying said received electrical signals by a time varying gain which depends upon an elapsed time measured from the time of occurrence of said last trigger signal, and wherein said time varying gain amplifier is provided with a gain corresponding substantially to the square of said elapsed time.

Claim 19

The method of claim 11 wherein said improvement comprises the steps of providing transmitting and receiving port and starboard transducers for providing port and starboard compressed electrical signal outputs, and wherein said height determination step further comprises the steps of generating, during each measurement cycle, a threshold signal having a first output state if the value of either the port or the starboard sampled signal is less than a predetermined threshold value, and a second output state if the value of both the port and starboard sampled signals are above said predetermined threshold value, and producing a height determination when a predetermined sequence of said second output signals are generated.

Claim 20

The method of claim 11 wherein said improvement further comprises the steps of repeatedly determining the velocity of the transmitting transducer relative to the seabed, generating a line count associated with each line of said linear data, and displaying each said line of linear data a number of times determined by said associated line count.

Claim 21

The method of claim 11 wherein said improvement further comprises the steps of generating an angle correction for said sampled signal and responsive to the height determination, said angle correction generating comprising generating a time varying angle correction factor for said sampled signals, and modifying said sampled data according to said angle correction factor, thereby compensating said sampled signals for the grazing angle of said signal relative to the seabed and for the transmitting transducer non-uniformity in the vertical plane.

Claim 22

The method of claim 11 wherein said sampled signals within each measurement cycle are denoted by S(n), n=0, 1, 2, . . . , N; said determined height is h; and the range from the generating and receiving means to a position in the seabed corresponding to the sampled signal S(n) is R n ; and wherein said improvement further comprises the steps of forming an error function e', substantially of the form ##EQU15## where n=1, 2, . . . , N, ##EQU16## and x=0, 1, 2, . . . , and generating said linear data S 1 (x), x=0, 1, 2, . . . , according to the rule S 1 (x)=S(n) where e' n ,x <0≦e' n-1 ,x.

Claim 23

The method of claim 11 wherein said sampled signals within each measurement cycle are denoted by S(n), n=0, 1, 2, . . . , N; said determined height is h; and the range from the generating and receiving means to a position in the seabed corresponding to the sampled signal S(n) is R n ; and wherein said improvement further comprises the steps of forming an error function e, substantially of the form ##EQU17## where n=1, 2, . . . , N, ##EQU18## and x=0, 1, 2, . . . , and generating said linear data S 1 (x), x=0, 1, 2, . . . , according to the rule S 1 (x)=S(n) where e n ,x <0≦e n-1 ,x.

Claim 24

The method of claim 11 wherein said height determining step includes the step of determining said height from said sample values.