Sonar system
First Claim
1. A system for providing advance warning of underwater navigation hazards that threaten safe vessel passage, the system comprising:
- means for providing stored charted data generated slope profile information of the sea bottom;
means for providing vessel generated slope profile information of the sea bottom;
means for comparing the stored charted data generated slope profile information with the vessel generated slope profile information; and
means, responsive to the comparing means, for determining whether the slope profile in front of the vessel is consistent with the stored charted data generated slope profile information.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for providing advance warning of underwater navigation hazards that threaten safe ship passage is provided. The system includes a sonar transmitter/receiver adapted for mounting on the ship in a forward looking direction. A processor, in response to sonar returns produced by the sonar transmitter/receiver, produces a sonar produced slope profile of a region of the sea bottom in front of the path of the vessel. A memory stores a slope profile of the region of the sea bottom in front of the vessel, such profile being developed from charted depth data. The stored charted depth data developed slope profile is compared with the sonar return produced slope profile to determine whether the sonar produced slope profile and the charted depth data slope profile are consistent with each other. If the sonar return produced slope profile in a region of the sea bottom is greater that a predetermined threshold level (selected to identify a potential forward undersea hazard) and the charted depth data generated profile of such region does not indicate this potential hazard, an anomaly is identified and a signal indicating such anomaly is produced.
32 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A system for providing advance warning of underwater navigation hazards that threaten safe vessel passage, the system comprising:
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means for providing stored charted data generated slope profile information of the sea bottom; means for providing vessel generated slope profile information of the sea bottom; means for comparing the stored charted data generated slope profile information with the vessel generated slope profile information; and means, responsive to the comparing means, for determining whether the slope profile in front of the vessel is consistent with the stored charted data generated slope profile information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A method for providing advance warning of underwater navigation hazards comprising the steps of:
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producing a slope profile of a region of the sea bottom in front of the path of a vessel from return signals generated from the vessel; storing a slope profile developed from charted data; comparing the slope profile developed from charted data with the slope profile produced from return signals generated from a vessel to determine whether the slope profile in front of the vessel is consistent with the slope profile developed from charted data. - View Dependent Claims (6)
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7. A method for providing advance warning of underwater navigation hazards that threaten safe vessel passage, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing slope profile information of a region of sea bottom from stored charted data; providing slope profile information of the region of sea bottom from vessel generated data; and comparing the stored charted data slope profile information with the vessel generated data slope profile information. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification