Methods and apparatus for taking spectroscopic measurements of sediment layers beneath a body of water
First Claim
1. A spectrometer system comprising a processing center, an underwater remote sensor and a communications link coupled therebetween, the sensor at least partially penetrating a sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, the sensor comprising:
- a window defining a sediment window plane through which a profile of the sediment layer is observable; and
a CCD camera, an image plane of which is a conjugate of the window, the camera sensing light from objects in the sediment window plane as received at the camera to generate imagewise data for transmission over the communications link, the CCD camera being controllable by the processing center to generate the imagewise data so as to be formed with a selectable one of a plurality of resolutions.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A spectrometer system includes a processing center, an underwater remote sensor and a communication link coupled therebetween. The sensor is deployed to at least partially penetrate a sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water. The sensor includes a window defining a sediment window plane through which a profile of the sediment layer is observable and a camera, an image plane of which is a conjugate of the window, the camera imaging light from objects in the sediment window plane to generate imagewise data, the imagewise data being transmitted over the communications link to the processing center. The sensor also includes at least one removable cell disposed in the sediment window plane, each removable cell being comprised of a transparent solid material having a void therein, the void in each removable cell for holding a standard material corresponding to the respective removable cell. The sensor further includes a camera filter device having at least one camera filter. Each camera filter is characterized as passing radiant energy within a corresponding emission band of camera wavelengths, the camera filter device being controllable to select a current camera filter. The sensor further includes an illumination source to produce radiant energy and an illumination filter device having at least one illumination filter. Each illumination filter is characterized as passing radiant energy within a corresponding illumination band of wavelengths. The sensor further includes a blocking filter device having at least one blocking filter, each blocking filter being synchronously coordinated with a corresponding illumination filter to block light in the illumination band from reaching the camera.
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Citations
68 Claims
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1. A spectrometer system comprising a processing center, an underwater remote sensor and a communications link coupled therebetween, the sensor at least partially penetrating a sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, the sensor comprising:
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a window defining a sediment window plane through which a profile of the sediment layer is observable; and a CCD camera, an image plane of which is a conjugate of the window, the camera sensing light from objects in the sediment window plane as received at the camera to generate imagewise data for transmission over the communications link, the CCD camera being controllable by the processing center to generate the imagewise data so as to be formed with a selectable one of a plurality of resolutions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A spectrometer system comprising a processing center, an underwater remote sensor and a communications link coupled therebetween, the sensor at least partially penetrating a sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, the sensor comprising:
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a window defining a sediment window plane through which a profile of the sediment layer is observable; and a camera, an image plane of which is a conjugate of the window, the camera sensing light from objects in the sediment window plane as received at the camera to generate imagewise data for transmission over the communications link, wherein the sensor further comprises at least one removable cell disposed in the sediment window plane, each removable cell being comprised of a transparent solid material having a void therein, the void in each removable cell for holding a standard material corresponding to the respective removable cell. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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9. A spectrometer system comprising a processing center, an underwater remote sensor and a communications link coupled therebetween, the sensor at least partially penetrating a sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, the sensor comprising:
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a window defining a sediment window plane through which a profile of the sediment layer is observable; and a camera, an image plane of which is a conjugate of the window, the camera sensing light from objects in the sediment window plane as received at the camera to generate imagewise data for transmission over the communications link, wherein the sensor further includes a camera filter device, the camera filter device including a plurality of camera filters, each camera filter being characterized as passing radiant energy within a corresponding camera band of wavelengths, the plurality of camera filters including a current camera filter, the camera filter device being controllable by the processing center to position the current camera filter between the sediment window plane and the camera so that light from the sediment window plane passes through the current camera filter before reaching the camera.
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10. A spectrometer system comprising a processing center, an underwater remote sensor and a communications link coupled therebetween, the sensor at least partially penetrating a sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, the sensor comprising:
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a window defining a sediment window plane through which a profile of the sediment layer is observable; and a camera, an image plane of which is a conjugate of the window, the camera sensing light from objects in the sediment window plane as received at the camera to generate imagewise data for transmission over the communications link, wherein the sensor further comprises; a camera filter device, the camera filter device including at least one camera filter, each camera filter being characterized as passing radiant energy within a corresponding camera band of wavelengths, the at least one camera filter including a current camera filter the camera filter device being controllable to position the current camera filter between the sediment window plane and the camera so that light from the sediment window plane passes through the current camera filter before reaching the camera; an illumination source; and at least one removable cell disposed in the sediment window plane, each removable cell being comprised of a transparent solid material having a void therein, the void in each removable cell for holding a standard material corresponding to the respective removable cell, a first removable cell including a sediment sample substantially free of contaminants held in the void of the first removable cell, the sediment layer and the sediment sample being illuminated by light from the illumination source, light from the sediment window plane including illuminated sediment layer light from the illuminated sediment layer and illuminated sediment sample light from the illuminated sediment sample, the imagewise data generated from light received at the camera after having been filtered by the current camera filter including sediment sample data corresponding to the sediment sample light. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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14. A spectrometer system comprising a processing center, an underwater remote sensor and a communications link coupled therebetween, the sensor at least partially penetrating a sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, the sensor comprising:
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a window defining a sediment window plane through which a profile of the sediment layer is observable; and a camera, an image plane of which is a conjugate of the window, the camera sensing light from objects in the sediment window plane as received at the camera to generate imagewise data for transmission over the communications link, wherein the sensor further includes; an illumination source to produce radiant energy; and an illumination filter device, the illumination filter device including at least one illumination filter, each illumination filter being characterized as passing radiant energy within a corresponding illumination band of wavelengths, the at least one illumination filter including a current illumination filter, the illumination filter device being controllable to position the current illumination filter in an optical path between the sediment window plane and the illumination source so that the sediment window plane is illuminated by the radiant energy from the illumination source after having been filtered by the current illumination filter. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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17. A spectrometer system comprising a processing center, an underwater remote sensor and a communications link coupled therebetween, the sensor at least partially penetrating a sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, the sensor comprising:
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a window defining a sediment window plane through which a profile of the sediment layer is observable; and a camera, an image plane of which is a conjugate of the window, the camera sensing light from objects in the sediment window plane as received at the camera to generate imagewise data for transmission over the communications link, wherein the sensor further includes; an illumination source to produce radiant energy; an illumination filter device, the illumination filter device including at least one illumination filter, each illumination filter being characterized as passing radiant energy within a corresponding illumination band of wavelengths, the at least one illumination filter including a current illumination filter, the illumination filter device being controllable to position the current illumination filter in an optical path between the sediment window plane and the illumination source so that the sediment window plane is illuminated by the radiant energy from the illumination source after having been filtered by the current illumination filter; and a blocking filter device, the blocking filter device including at least one blocking filter, each blocking filter being characterized as blocking radiant energy within a corresponding blocking band of wavelengths, the at least one blocking filter including a current blocking filter, the blocking filter device being controllable to position the current blocking filter in an optical path between the sediment window plane and the camera so that light from the sediment window plane passes through the current blocking filter before reaching the camera, the blocking filter device being controlled to select the current blocking filter synchronously with the current illumination filter so that the radiant energy which passes through the current illumination filter is blocked from reaching the camera by the current blocking filter.
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18. A spectrometer system comprising a processing center, an underwater remote sensor and a communications link coupled therebetween, the sensor at least partially penetrating a sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, the sensor comprising;
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a window defining a sediment window plane through which a profile of the sediment layer is observable; and a camera, an image plane of which is a conjugate of the window, the camera sensing light from objects in the sediment window plane as received at the camera to generate imagewise data for transmission over the communications link, wherein the sensor further comprises a plurality of removable cells disposed in the sediment window plane, each removable cell being comprised of a transparent solid material having a void therein, the void in each removable cell for holding a standard material corresponding to the respective removable cell, the plurality of removable cells including a first removable cell and a second removable cell, the first removable cell holding a first standard sediment sample held in the void of the first removable cell, the second removable cell holding a second standard sediment sample held in the void of the second removable cell, the first standard sediment sample comprising a first known quantity of a known contaminant, the second standard sediment sample comprising a second known quantity of the known contaminant, the second quantity being greater than the first quantity. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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22. A spectrometer system comprising a processing center, an underwater remote sensor and a communications link coupled therebetween, the sensor at least partially penetrating a sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, the sensor comprising:
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a window defining a sediment window plane through which a profile of the sediment layer is observable; and a camera, an image plane of which is a conjugate of the window, the camera sensing light from objects in the sediment window plane as received at the camera to generate imagewise data for transmission over the communications link, wherein the sensor further comprises at least one removable cell disposed in the sediment window plane, each removable cell being comprised of a transparent solid material having a void therein, the void in each removable cell for holding a standard material corresponding to the respective removable cell, a first removable cell holding a sediment sample substantially free of contaminants in the void of the first removable cell. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A spectrometer system comprising a processing center, an underwater remote sensor and a communications link coupled therebetween, the sensor at least partially penetrating a sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, the sensor comprising:
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a window defining a sediment window plane through which a profile of the sediment layer is observable; and a camera, an image plane of which is a conjugate of the window, the camera sensing light from objects in the sediment window plane as received at the camera to generate imagewise data for transmission over the communications link, wherein; the sediment layer defines at least one stratigraphic feature, the at least one stratigraphic feature including a first stratigraphic feature, the first stratigraphic feature subtending a stratigraphic feature area; and the sediment window plane is characterized by an imageable area, the imageable area being larger than the stratigraphic feature area and being at least 300 square centimeters. - View Dependent Claims (29)
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- 30. A spectrometer system comprising a processing center, an underwater remote sensor and a communications link coupled therebetween, the sensor at least partially penetrating a sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, the processing center controlling the sensor to collect color image data and processing the collected color image data to determine an apparent reduction/oxidation potential of a part of the sediment layer.
- 32. A spectrometer system comprising a processing center, an underwater remote sensor and a communications link coupled therebetween, the sensor at least partially penetrating a sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, the processing center controlling the sensor to collect data and processing the collected data to determine a spectrum of fluorescence of a compound contained in the sediment layer.
- 34. A spectrometer system comprising a processing center, an underwater remote sensor and a communications link coupled therebetween, the sensor at least partially penetrating a sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, the processing center controlling the sensor to collect data and processing the collected data to determine a concentration of a compound contained in the sediment layer.
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37. A spectrometer system comprising a processing center, an underwater remote sensor and a communications link coupled therebetween, the sensor at least partially penetrating a sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, the processing center controlling the sensor to collect data and processing the collected data to identify a species of a compound contained in the sediment layer.
- 38. A spectrometer system comprising a processing center on a vessel without station-keeping equipment, an underwater remote sensor and a communications link coupled therebetween, the sensor having been deployed to at least partially penetrate a sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, the processing center controlling the sensor to collect a plurality of sets of imagewise data within a data collection time period, a maximum available time period being defined as a time period beginning when data collection of a first set of imagewise data begins and ending when the sensor penetration into the sediment layer is disturbed due to drifting of the vessel, the data collection time period being less than the maximum available time period.
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44. The system of clam 43, wherein the plurality of sets of imagewise data collected during the data collection time period is processed by the processing center to determine characteristics of a compound contained in the sediment layer, the characteristics including at least one of a spectrum of fluorescence of the compound, an identity of a species of the compound and a concentration of the compound.
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45. In a spectrometer system comprising a processing center, an underwater remote sensor and a communications link coupled therebetween, the sensor at least partially penetrating a sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, the sensor including a window defining a sediment window plane through which a profile of the sediment layer is observable and a camera, an image plane of which is a conjugate of the window, the camera being capable of imaging light from objects in the sediment window plane, a method of analyzing the sediment layer comprising steps of:
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illuminating the sediment layer; generating imagewise data corresponding to light received at the camera from the sediment window plane; controlling the step of generating so that the imagewise data is formed with a selectable one of a plurality of resolutions; and processing and displaying the imagewise data on a display. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48)
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49. In a spectrometer system comprising a processing center, an underwater remote sensor and a communications link coupled therebetween, the sensor at least partially penetrating a sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, the sensor including a window defining a sediment window plane through which a profile of the sediment layer is observable and a camera, an image plane of which is a conjugate of the window, the camera being capable of imaging light from objects in the sediment window plane, a method of analyzing the sediment layer comprising steps of:
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illuminating the sediment layer; generating imagewise data corresponding to light received at the camera from the sediment window plane, the step of generating including a step of filtering light from the sediment window plane to provide light received at the camera the filtered light being characterized as radiant energy within at least one predetermined camera band of wavelengths; and displaying the imagewise data on a display, wherein; the step of filtering includes filtering light from the sediment window plane through a camera filter device to provide the light received at the camera, the camera filter device having at least one camera filter, each camera filter passing light to the camera characterized as radiant energy within a corresponding camera band of the at least one predetermined camera band; and the step of generating further includes a step of disposing at least one removable cell in the sediment window plane, each removable cell being comprised of a transparent solid material having a void therein for holding a respective standard material, a first removable cell including a sediment sample substantially free of contaminants held in the void of the first removable cell, the sediment layer and the sediment sample being illuminated by light from an illumination source, light from the sediment window plane including illuminated sediment layer light from the illuminated sediment layer and illuminated sediment sample light from the illuminated sediment sample, imagewise data generated from light passing through a current camera filter of the at least one camera filter including sediment sample data corresponding to the sediment sample light. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53)
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54. In a spectrometer system comprising a processing center, an underwater remote sensor and a communications link coupled therebetween, the sensor at least partially penetrating a sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, the sensor including a window defining a sediment window plane through which a profile of the sediment layer is observable and a camera, an image plane of which is a conjugate of the window, the camera being capable of imaging light from objects in the sediment window plane, a method of analyzing the sediment layer comprising steps of:
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illuminating the sediment layer, the step of illuminating including a first step of filtering light from an illumination source through an illumination filter device, the illumination filter device having at least one illumination filter to provide radiant energy within at least one corresponding illumination band of wavelengths, at least a portion of the sediment layer fluorescing to emit light from within the sediment Window plane in response to radiant energy within a first illumination band; generating imagewise data corresponding to light received at the camera from the sediment window plane, the step of generating including a second step of filtering light from the sediment window plane through a camera filter device having at least one camera filter to pass light to the camera, the light passed to the camera being characterized as radiant energy within at least one corresponding camera band of wavelengths, a first camera band being different than the first illumination band; and displaying the imagewise data on a display, wherein; the step of illuminating includes controlling the illumination filter device to select a first illumination filter to pass radiant energy in the first illumination band; the step of generating further includes a step of disposing a plurality of removable cells in the sediment window plane, each removable cell being comprised of a transparent solid material having a void therein for holding a respective standard material, a first removable cell including a first standard sediment sample held in the void of the first removable cell, the first standard sediment sample including a first known quantity of a known contaminant, a second removable cell including a second standard sediment sample held in the void of the second removable cell, the second standard sediment sample including a second known quantity of the known contaminant, the second quantity being greater than the first quantity, the first and second standard sediment samples being illuminated by the filtered light from the illumination source, light from the sediment window plane including first sediment sample light from the illuminated first standard sediment sample and second sediment sample light from the illuminated second standard sediment sample, the imagewise data including first and second sediment sample data corresponding to the first and second sediment sample light; and the method further comprising a step of normalizing the imagewise data based on a sediment sample substantially free of contaminants to produce normalized data. - View Dependent Claims (55)
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56. In a spectrometer system comprising a processing center, an underwater remote sensor and a communications link coupled therebetween, the sensor at least partially penetrating a sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, the sensor including a window defining a sediment window plane through which a profile of the sediment layer is observable and a camera, an image plane of which is a conjugate of the window, the camera being capable of imaging light from objects in the sediment window plane, a method of analyzing the sediment layer comprising steps of:
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illuminating the sediment layer, the step of illuminating including a first step of filtering light from an illumination source through an illumination filter device, the illumination filter device having at least one illumination filter to provide radiant energy within at least one corresponding illumination band of wavelengths, at least a portion of the sediment layer fluorescing to emit light from within the sediment window plane in response to radiant energy within a first illumination band; generating imagewise data corresponding to light received at the camera from the sediment window plane, the step of generating including a second step of filtering light from the sediment window plane through a camera filter device to pass light to the camera, the camera filter device having at least one camera filter, the light passed to the camera being characterized as radiant energy within a first camera band of wavelengths corresponding to a respective camera filter, the first camera band being different than the first illumination band; and displaying the imagewise data on a display, wherein; the step of illuminating further includes controlling the illumination filter device to select a first illumination filter to pass radiant energy in the first illumination band; the method further comprises a first step of repeating the step of generating so as to affect a first plurality of generating steps while the illumination filter device is controlled to select the first illumination filter, the at least one camera filter including a plurality of camera filters, each generating step of the first plurality of generating steps including a corresponding step of filtering, each corresponding step of filtering controlling the camera filter device to filter light from the sediment window plane through a respective camera filter of the plurality of camera filters; the imagewise data generated by each generating step of the first plurality of generating steps constitutes a data set, the first plurality of generating steps generating a corresponding first plurality of data sets; and the step of displaying includes normalizing each data set of the first plurality of data sets based on a sediment sample substantially free of contaminants to produce a first plurality of normalized data sets, each data set corresponding to light passed through a corresponding camera filter. - View Dependent Claims (57, 58, 59, 60, 61)
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62. In a spectrometer system comprising a processing center, an underwater remote sensor and a communications link coupled therebetween, the sensor at least partially penetrating a sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, the sensor including a window defining a sediment window plane through which a profile of the sediment layer is observable and a camera, an image plane of which is a conjugate of the window, the camera being capable of imaging light from objects in the sediment window plane, a method of analyzing the sediment layer comprising steps of:
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illuminating the sediment layer, the step of illuminating including a first step of filtering light from an illumination source through an illumination filter device, the illumination filter device having at least one illumination filter to provide radiant energy within at least one corresponding illumination band of wavelengths, at least a portion of the sediment layer fluorescing to emit light from within the sediment window plane in response to radiant energy within a first illumination band; excluding radiant energy within the first illumination band from the camera; generating imagewise data corresponding to light received at the camera from the sediment window plane, the step of generating including a second step of filtering light from the sediment window plane through a camera filter device, the camera filter device having at least one camera filter to pass light to the camera, the light passed to the camera being characterized as radiant energy within at least one corresponding camera band of wavelengths, a first camera band being different than the first illumination band; and displaying the imagewise data on a display.
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63. In a spectrometer system comprising a processing center, an underwater remote sensor and a communications link coupled therebetween, the sensor at least partially penetrating a sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, the sensor including a window defining a sediment window plane through which a profile of the sediment layer is observable and a camera, an image plane of which is a conjugate of the window, the camera being capable of imaging light from objects in the sediment window plane, a method of analyzing the sediment layer comprising steps of:
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illuminating the sediment layer, the step of illuminating including filtering light from an illumination source to provide radiant energy within at least one predetermined illumination band of wavelengths; generating imagewise data corresponding to light received at the camera from the sediment window plane; and displaying the imagewise data on a display, wherein the step of generating includes filtering light from the sediment window plane to block radiant energy within a first illumination band and to pass other light to the camera, the filtered light being characterized as radiant energy within at least one predetermined camera band of wavelengths.
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64. In a spectrometer system comprising a processing center an underwater remote sensor and a communications link coupled therebetween, the sensor at least partially penetrating a sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, the sensor including a window defining a sediment window plane through which a profile of the sediment layer is observable and a camera, an image plane of which is a conjugate of the window the camera being capable of imaging light from objects in the sediment window plane, a method of analyzing the sediment layer comprising steps of;
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illuminating the sediment layer; generating imagewise data corresponding to light received at the camera from the sediment window plane; and displaying the imagewise data on a display, wherein the step of generating includes disposing at least one removable cell within the sediment window plane, each removable cell being comprised of a transparent solid material having a void therein for holding a respective standard material.
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65. In a spectrometer system having a processing center and a communications link, an underwater remote sensor comprising:
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a window defining a sediment window plane through which a profile of a sediment layer is observable; and a CCD camera, an image plane of which is a conjugate of the window, the camera sensing light from the sediment window plane as received at the camera to generate imagewise data for transmission over the communications link, the sensor having been deployed to at least partially penetrate the sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, the CCD camera being controllable by the processing center to generate the imagewise data so as to be formed with a selectable one of a plurality of resolutions.
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66. In a spectrometer system having a processing center and a communications link, an underwater remote sensor comprising:
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a window defining a sediment window plane through which a profile of a sediment layer is observable; and a camera, an image plane of which is a conjugate of the window, the camera sensing light from the sediment window plane as received at the camera to generate imagewise data for transmission over the communications link, the sensor having been deployed to at least partially penetrate the sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, wherein the sensor further comprises at least one removable cell disposed in the sediment window plane, each removable cell being comprised of a transparent solid material having a void therein, the void in each removable cell for holding a standard material corresponding to the respective removable cell.
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67. In a spectrometer system having a processing center and a communications link, an underwater remote sensor comprising:
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a window defining a sediment window plane through which a profile of a sediment layer is observable; and a camera, an image plane of which is a conjugate of the window, the camera sensing light from the sediment window plane as received at the camera to generate imagewise data for transmission over the communications link, the sensor having been. deployed to at least partially penetrate the sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, wherein the sensor further includes a camera filter device, the camera filter device including a plurality of camera filters, each camera filter being characterized as passing radiant energy within a corresponding camera band of wavelengths, the plurality of camera filters including a current camera filter, the camera filter device being controllable by the processing center to position the current camera filter between the sediment window plane and the camera so that light from the sediment window plane passes through the current camera filter before reaching the camera.
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68. In a spectrometer system having a processing center and a communications link, an underwater remote sensor comprising:
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a window defining a sediment window plane through which a profile of a sediment layer is observable; and a camera, an image plane of which is a conjugate of the window, the camera sensing light from the sediment window plane as received at the camera to generate imagewise data for transmission over the communications link, the sensor having been deployed to at least partially penetrate the sediment layer disposed beneath a body of water, wherein the sensor further includes; an illumination source to produce radiant energy; and an illumination filter device, the illumination filter device including at least one illumination filter, each illumination filter being characterized as passing radiant energy within a corresponding illumination band of wavelengths, the at least one illumination filter including a current illumination filter, the illumination filter device being controllable to position the current illumination filter in an optical path between the sediment window plane and the illumination source so that the sediment window plane is illuminated by the radiant energy from the illumination source after having been filtered by the current illumination filter.
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Specification