Diver locator system
First Claim
1. A locator module physically configured to be carried by a first underwater diver for displaying the location relative to said locator module of each of a plurality of transponders respectively carried by other divers, where each transponder transmits a unique time delay encoded response pulse in response to an interrogation pulse from said locator module, said locator module comprising:
- transmitter means for transmitting a substantially omnidirectional interrogation pulse;
a plurality of spaced receiver means for receiving said unique time delay encoded response pulses transmitted by said transponders;
processor means responsive to each response pulse received by said receiver means for identifying the transponder from which the response pulse was transmitted and for determining the range and bearing of the identified transponder relative to said locator module; and
display means for displaying the range and bearing determined for each identified transponder.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An underwater location system (16) is disclosed having a plurality of locator modules (18), each capable of finding the relative range and bearing of other modules. The modules may be diver mounted, placed on movable objects such as a boat (14) or on fixed positions such as the sea floor (12). Range and bearing to each module of the system is displayed, upon request, on a console (20) which may be hand held or mounted in a diver'"'"'s instrument console. Each module can interrogate other modules with an acoustic pulse which is answered, after a unique time delay stored in each module, by an acoustic response pulse. Response pulse sources are identified by their arrival in a time detection window set by their unique time delay. Range to each identified transponder source is calculated from a receipt time within each detection window. A set of spaced receive hydrophones (28) provides signals whose measured phase difference is combined with a stored phase-to-bearing lookup table to obtain bearing of the identified transponder source.
30 Citations
19 Claims
-
1. A locator module physically configured to be carried by a first underwater diver for displaying the location relative to said locator module of each of a plurality of transponders respectively carried by other divers, where each transponder transmits a unique time delay encoded response pulse in response to an interrogation pulse from said locator module, said locator module comprising:
-
transmitter means for transmitting a substantially omnidirectional interrogation pulse; a plurality of spaced receiver means for receiving said unique time delay encoded response pulses transmitted by said transponders; processor means responsive to each response pulse received by said receiver means for identifying the transponder from which the response pulse was transmitted and for determining the range and bearing of the identified transponder relative to said locator module; and display means for displaying the range and bearing determined for each identified transponder. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. A system including a plurality of substantially identical locator modules, each physically configured to be carried by a different underwater diver for enabling each diver to transmit an interrogate pulse to locate each other diver, each locator module comprising:
-
a transmitter transducer; a plurality of physically spaced receiver transducers; means for driving said transmitter transducer to transmit a substantially omnidirectional interrogate pulse; means coupled to said receiver transducer for detecting receipt of an interrogate pulse from a remote locator module; means responsive to receipt of an interrogate pulse for driving said transmitter transducer to transmit a unique time delay encoded response pulse; processor means responsive to each response pulse received by said receiver transducers for identifying the responding remote locator module transmitting that response pulse and for determining the range and bearing of that identified locator module relative to the locator module source of said interrogate pulse; and means for displaying the range and bearing of each identified responding locator module. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. A method of enabling a first underwater diver to locate each of a plurality of other divers comprising the steps of:
-
enabling said first diver to transmit a substantially omnidirectional interrogate pulse; causing each of said other divers to transmit a unique time delay encoded response pulse in response to said interrogate pulse; receiving at said first diver each of said unique time delay encoded response pulses; processing at said first diver each response to identify the source thereof and the range and bearing of each identified source relative to said first diver; and displaying at said first diver the identity of each identified pulse source and its range and bearing relative to said first diver. - View Dependent Claims (19)
-
Specification