Underwater viewing system for remote piloted vehicle

• US 5,305,135 A
• Filed: 03/04/1992
• Issued: 04/19/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Chovan, Joseph L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Arnold, Bruce V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phan, James
• Application Number:
  US07/845,684
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: 359/201-203, 359/205, 359/212-220, 359/223, 359/226, 359/368, 359/369, 359/371, 359/372, 359/385, 359/386, 359/492, 359/494, 359/495, 359/900, 359/485, 250/225
• US Class Current: 359/202.1
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 11/48 Means for searching for underwater objects means for indicating the location of sunken objects B63C7/26; locating by use of the reflection or reradiation of radio or other waves G01S ; mountings of acoustic transducers in underwater equipment G10K11/006
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/12 using multifaceted mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 359/90 Methods

Abstract

An underwater viewing system includes a dry and wet end. Illumination energy is provided to the wet end where it is scanned and the resulting scanned illumination is directed to a scene of interest. Energy reflected from the scene is received by the wet end where it retraces the path of illumination to the dry end. The received energy is directed to a detector and ultimately to a video processor. The wet end may be disposed in a remote piloted vehicle with optical waveguide payed out from the dry end to supply the illumination and to conduct the received energy. Communication information may be transferred between the dry and wet end may be over the same path followed by the illumination energy but at a different frequency. The illumination and communication energy may be separated based on their frequency. A polarization device may be provided for maximizing the amount of received energy that is provided to the detector.

Claims

1. A viewing system for illuminating an object with illumination energy and for detecting energy reflected from the object, comprising:

first scanning means for scanning the illumination energy in a first predetermined direction to form first scanned illumination energy;

second scanning means for scanning the first scanned illumination energy in a second predetermined direction to form second scanned illumination energy, the second direction different from the first direction;

projection means for directing the second scanned illumination energy toward the object and for receiving energy reflected from the object;

detector means optically coupled to the projection means, the detector means for detecting the received energy; and

polarization control means disposed in optical flow communication between the projection means and the detector means, the polarization control means for controlling the polarization of the received energy for maximizing the amount of received energy provided to the detector means.

2. The viewing systems as in claim 1, further including video processor means electrically connected to the detector means, the video processor means for generating video in response to the detected received energy.

3. The viewing system as in claim 1, further including polarization servo means having an input coupled to an output of the detector means and an output connected to an input of the polarization control means, the polarization servo means for maximizing the amount of received energy that is provided to the detector means in response to the amount of energy detected by the detector means.

4. A viewing system for illuminating an object with illumination energy and for detecting energy reflected from the object, comprising:

first scanning means for scanning the illumination energy in a first predetermined direction to form first scanned illumination energy;

second scanning means for scanning the first scanned illumination energy in a second predetermined direction to form second scanned illumination energy, the second direction different from the first direction;

projection means for directing the second scanned illumination energy toward the object and for receiving energy reflected from the object;

detector means optically coupled to the projection means, the detector means for detecting the received energy;

first synch pulse generator means for generating a first synch signal in response to the second scanned illumination energy, the first synch signal indicative of the end of a scan in the first predetermined direction; and

second synch pulse generator means for generating a second synch signal in response to the second scanned illumination energy, the second synch signal indicative of the end of a scan in the second predetermined direction,

wherein the first and second synch signals are supplied to the detector means for delimiting the extent of scan in the first and second direction, respectively.

5. The viewing system as in claim 4, wherein the first and second synch signal include a respective portion of the second scanned illumination energy.

6. The illumination system as in claim 4, wherein the first and second energy scanning means include a respective first and second plurality of rotatable energy reflective elements, the first plurality of elements rotatable at a nominal first predetermined rate and the second plurality of elements rotatable at a nominal second predetermined rate, the first plurality of elements for receiving illumination energy and for reflecting the received illumination energy as the first scanned illumination, the second plurality of elements for receiving the first scanned illumination and for reflecting the received first scanned illumination as the second scanned illumination, when the first and second plurality of elements are rotating, wherein synchronization between the first and second rate is not necessary.

7. A viewing system for illuminating an object with illumination energy and for detecting energy reflected from the object, comprising:

first scanning means for scanning the illumination energy in a first predetermined direction to form first scanned illumination energy;

second scanning means for scanning the first scanned illumination energy in a second predetermined direction to form second scanned illumination energy, the second direction different from the first direction;

projection means for directing the second scanned illumination energy toward the object and for receiving energy reflected form the object;

detector means optically coupled to the projector means, the detector means for detecting the received energy;

first synch pulse generator means for generating a first synch signal in response to the second scanned illumination energy, the first synch signal indicative of the send of a scan in the first predetermined direction; and

second synch pulse generator means for generating a second synch signal in response to the second scanned illumination energy, the second synch signal indicative of the end of a scan in the second predetermined direction,

wherein the first and second synch signal include a respective portion of the second scanned illumination energy and further wherein the first synch pulse generator means include first reflecting means and the second synch pulse generator means include second reflecting means, the first and second reflecting means respectively for reflecting the respective portion of the second scanned illumination energy.

8. A method for illuminating an object and for detecting energy reflected from the object, comprising:

scanning an illumination energy in a first predetermined direction to form first scanned illumination energy;

scanning the first scanned illumination energy in a second predetermined direction to form second scanned illumination energy, wherein the second direction is different from the first direction;

directing the second scanned illumination toward the object;

receiving energy reflected from the object;

detecting the received energy, and

controlling the polarization of received energy before detecting for maximizing the amount of received energy available for detecting.

9. The method as in claim 8, further including the step of generating video in response to energy detected.

10. A method of illuminating an object and for detecting energy reflected from the object, comprising:

scanning an illumination energy in a first predetermined direction to form first scanned illumination energy;

scanning the first scanned illumination energy in a second predetermined direction to form second scanned illumination energy, wherein the second direction is different from the first direction;

directing the second scanned illumination toward the object;

receiving energy reflected from the object;

detecting the received energy;

generating a first synch signal in response to the second scanned illumination energy, the first synch signal indicative of the end of a scan in the first predetermined direction; and

generating a second synch signal in response to the second scanned illumination energy, the second synch signal indicative of the end of a scan in the second predetermined direction,

wherein the step of detecting includes detecting the first and second synch signals for delimiting the extent of scan in the first and second direction, respectively.

11. A method for illuminating an object and for detecting energy reflected from the object, comprising:

scanning the illumination energy in a first predetermined direction to form first scanned illumination energy;

scanning the first scanned illumination energy in a second predetermined direction to form second scanned illumination energy, wherein the second direction is different from the first direction;

directing the second scanned illumination toward the object;

receiving energy reflected from the object;

detecting the received energy;

generating a first synch signal in response to the second scanned illumination energy, the first synch signal indicative of the end of a scan in the first predetermined direction; and

generating a second synch signal in response to the second scanned illumination energy, the second synch signal indicative of the end of a scan in the second predetermined direction,

wherein the step of detecting includes detecting the first and second synch signals for delimiting the extent of scan in the first and second direction respectively and further wherein the steps of generating a first synch signal and a second synch signal respectively include reflecting a respective portion of the second scanned illumination.