UNDERWATER MEASUREMENT SYSTEM
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
There is provided an underwater measurement system (20, 30, 40) for monitoring an underwater region (10). The system (20, 30, 40) includes a sensor assembly operable to sense at least one physical variable in the region (10) for generating at least one corresponding sensor signal, and a data processing arrangement (170, 510, 520) for processing the at least one sensor signal to generate processed data for presentation and/or logging. The sensor assembly (20) includes one or more voltage sensors (190) configured to sense electric fields present in the underwater region (10) and provide information in the at least one signal indicative of the electric fields. Moreover, the sensor assembly (20) includes one or more hydrophones (200) operable to receive sonic energy generated in the underwater region (10) and to include corresponding information in the at least one sensor signal for communicating to the data processing arrangement (170, 510, 520).
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Citations
61 Claims
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1-37. -37. (canceled)
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38. An underwater measurement system (20, 30, 40) for monitoring an underwater region (10), said system (20, 30, 40) including a sensor assembly operable to sense at least one physical variable in the region (10) for generating at least one corresponding sensor signal, and a data processing arrangement (170, 510, 520) for processing the at least one sensor signal to generate processed data for presentation and/or logging,
characterized in that said sensor assembly (20) includes one or more voltage sensors (190) configured to sense electric fields present in the underwater region (10) and provide information in said at least one signal indicative of said electric fields; -
said sensor assembly (20) includes one or more hydrophones (200) operable to receive sonic energy generated in said underwater region (10) and to include corresponding information in said at least one sensor signal for communicating to said data processing arrangement (170, 510, 520); said one or more hydrophones (200) are configured as an array of hydrophones (200) whose sonic sensing characteristic in operation has one or more preferred directions of sensitivity for enabling a direction of a source of sonic energy to be determined; and said one or more hydrophones (200) constitute in operation a phased array of hydrophones (200) whose polar sensitivity characteristics are electronically steerable from said data processing arrangement (170, 520, 520). - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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50. A method of monitoring an underwater region (10) using an underwater measurement system (20, 30, 40), said system (20, 30, 40) including a sensor assembly (20) coupled in communication with a data processing arrangement (170, 510, 520),
characterized in that said method includes: -
(a) using one or more voltage sensors (190) of said sensor assembly to sense electric fields present in the underwater region (10) to generate at least one sensor signal including information indicative of said electric fields; (b) using one or more hydrophones (200) of said sensor assembly to receive sonic energy generated in said underwater region (10) and to include corresponding information in said at least one sensor signal for communicating to said data processing arrangement (170, 510, 520); (c) processing said at least one sensor signal in said data processing arrangement (170, 510, 520) to enable monitoring of said underwater region (10), wherein said method further includes; (d) configuring said one or more hydrophones (200) as an array of hydrophones (200) whose sonic sensing characteristic in operation has one or more preferred directions of sensitivity for enabling a direction of a source of sonic energy to be determined; (e) using said one or more hydrophones (200) as a phased array of hydrophones (200); and (f) electronically steering polar sensitivity characteristics of said phased array from said data processing arrangement (170, 520, 520). - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61)
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Specification