Global acoustic positioning system and device

• US 20060178829A1
• Filed: 02/18/2004
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ixsea
• Original Assignee: Ixsea
• Inventors: Gaiffe, Thierry
• Application Number:
  US10/546,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20060178829A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/74 Systems using reradiation of acoustic waves, e.g. IFF, i.e. identification of friend or foe
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/8083 determining direction of source
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/28 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/30 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location

Abstract

A device for global acoustic positioning of submarine vessels (1) includes positioning elements for referencing geographically the device and a positioning acoustic signal transceiver (6). The acoustic signal transceiver (6) is an ultra short base line system (USBL) which generates n first position measurements, where n is the number of submarine vessels (1) measured simultaneously, n being greater than or equal to 1 and the device includes elements for restituting the movements of the device (10) delivering signals, real-time processing elements (11) receiving the set of measurements to determine the actual position of the submarine vessel(s) (1) and elements (12) for transmitting the actual position of the submarine vessel(s) (1) in and/or off water.

Claims

1. A device for global acoustic positioning of submarine vessels (1) comprising positioning means for referencing geographically said device and a positioning acoustic signal transceiver (6), characterised in that

said acoustic signal transceiver (6) is an ultra short base line system (USBL) which generates n first position measurements, where n is the number of submarine vessels (1) measured simultaneously, n being greater than or equal to 1,

said device includes:

means for restituting the movements of the device (10) delivering signals containing at least one attitude measurement of said device in an inertial reference system,

real-time processing means (11) receiving all the measurements to determine the actual position of the submarine vessel(s) (1),

means (12) for transmitting the actual position of the submarine vessel(s) (1) in and/or off water, and in that the respective positions of the means for restituting the movements of the device (10) and of the acoustic signal transceiver (6) relative to the mass centre of said device are such that the leverage between said means of restitution (10) and said transceiver (6) is zero.

2. A positioning device according to claim 1, characterised in that n is greater than or equal to 2.

3. A positioning device according to claim 2, characterised in that n is equal to 6.

4. A positioning device according to claim 1, characterised in that the means for restituting the movements of the device (10) include an attitude central unit.

5. A positioning device according to claim 1, characterised in that the means for restituting the movements of the device (10) include an inertial navigation central unit.

6. A positioning device according to claim 1, characterised in that the refresh frequency of the signals delivered by said means for restituting the movements of the device (10) is greater than or equal to 10 Hz.

7. A positioning device according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a buoy.

8. A positioning device according to claim 7, characterised in that the buoy is a drift buoy.

9. A positioning device according to claim 7, characterised in that the buoy comprises self-propelling means.

10. A positioning device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises docking means.

11. A positioning device according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a radioelectric signal transceiver.

12. A positioning device according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises wire-type signal transceiver.

13. A positioning device according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises stand-alone power supply means (13).

14. A positioning device according to claim 1, characterised in that the positioning means for referencing geographically said device comprise a GPS (4, 5).

15. A global acoustic positioning system for submarine vessels (1) characterised in that it comprises a set of acoustic positioning devices according to claim 1, each of said devices being placed at a point in a point grid defined by the repetition of a same elementary mesh cutting up a sea zone to be covered.