Navigational Aid for Diver

• US 20080046139A1
• Filed: 09/18/2007
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rita A. Basilico
• Original Assignee: Estate Of Albert R. Basilico
• Inventors: Basilico, Albert
• Granted Patent: US 7,650,208 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/21
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 11/00 Equipment for dwelling or working underwater; Means for searching for underwater objects composition of chemical substances for use in breathing apparatus A62D9/00; swimming aids or equipment A63B31/00 - A63B35/00; submarines B63G8/00
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 11/02 Divers' equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 2011/021 Diving computers, i.e. portable computers specially adapted for divers, e.g. wrist worn, watertight electronic devices for detecting or calculating scuba diving parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/00 Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00 measuring distance traversed on the ground by a vehicle G01C22/00; control of position, course, altitude or attitude of vehicles G05D1/00; traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968

Abstract

A diver unit computes the direction and distance to a specified target. When the target is obstructed, the diver unit receives navigation assistance data from another diver unit. The navigation assistance data includes direction information that is referenced to a common reference line extending between the two diver units.

Claims

1. An underwater navigation aid comprising:

a sonar transceiver for transmitting and receiving signals underwater;

a processing circuit coupled to said sonar transceiver and operative to;

determine a direction to target from a current location based on received signals from the target;

establish a reference line extending through both the current location and a second remote location associated with a remote underwater device, said reference line forming the base of a reference triangle whose vertices correspond respectively to the current location, the remote location and the target location;

compute a first included angle of said reference triangle between the reference line and a line extending through the current location and the target location;

determine a first distance between the current location and the target location;

determine a second distance between the current location and the remote location;

compute a third distance from the remote location to the target location based on the first included angle and the first and second distances; and

controlling the sonar transceiver to transmit the third distance to the remote underwater device to assist the remote underwater device in locating the target.

2. The navigation aid of claim 1 wherein the processing circuit computes the direction from the second underwater device to the target, and controls the transmitter to send the direction to the second underwater device.

3. The navigation aid of claim 2 wherein the direction from the second underwater device to the target is computed relative to the reference line between the first and second underwater devices.

4. The navigation aid of claim 2 wherein the direction from the second underwater device to the target is computed relative to an angular reference to said first underwater device by said second underwater device.

5. The navigation aid of claim 1 wherein the processing circuit is further operative to:

compute a second included angle in the reference triangle between the reference line and a line extending from the first underwater device to the target, and

control the transducer to transmit the second included angle to the remote underwater device.

6. The navigation aid of claim 1 wherein the processing circuit further controls the sonar transceiver to transmit the first included angle to the remote underwater device.

7. The navigation aid of claim 1 wherein the processing circuit computes the first included angle based on the direction to target and the direction to the remote underwater device.

8. The navigation aid of claim 1 wherein the processing circuit determines distance by:

receiving a signal; and

computing the distance based on the time of arrival of the signal.

9. The navigation aid of claim 1 wherein the processing circuit determines the distance by:

transmitting a signal;

receiving a reply signal; and

computing the distance based on the time of arrival of the reply signal.

10. The navigation aid of claim 1 wherein the processing circuit determines distance by:

receiving a dual tone signal; and

computing the distance based on a difference in signal strength between first and second tones in the dual tone signal.

11. An underwater navigation aid comprising:

a sonar transceiver for transmitting and receiving signals underwater;

a processing circuit coupled to said sonar transceiver and operative to;

determine a direction to from a current location to a target relative to a first angular reference known to the first underwater device;

establish a reference line extending through both the current location a second remote location associated with a remote underwater device, said reference line forming the base of a reference triangle whose vertices correspond respectively to the current location, the remote location and the target location;

compute a first included angle of said reference triangle between the reference line and a line extending from the current location to the target location based and the direction to target from the first underwater device;

determine a first distance from the current location to the target location; and

control the sonar transducer to transmit the first included angle and the first distance to the remote underwater device to assist the remote underwater device in locating the target.

12. The navigation aid of claim 11 wherein the processing circuit determines the distance to the target by:

receiving a signal from the target; and

computing the distance based on the time of arrival of the signal.

13. The navigation aid of claim 11 wherein the processing circuit determines the distance to the target by:

transmitting a signal to the target;

receiving a reply signal from the target; and

computing the distance based on the time of arrival of the reply signal.

14. The navigation aid of claim 11 wherein the processing circuit determines the distance to the target by:

receiving a dual tone signal the target; and

computing the distance based on a difference in signal strength between first and second tones in the dual tone signal.

15. A navigation aid comprising:

a sonar transceiver for receiving a first distance and first direction from a first underwater device to a target, said direction being relative to a reference line extending from a first location associated with the first underwater device to a current location;

a processing circuit coupled to said sonar transceiver and operative to;

determine a second distance from said current location to said first location;

compute a third distance from said current location to said target based on said first distance, second distance and said first direction; and

compute a second direction from the current location to the target based on said first direction, the first distance and the third distance.