Acoustics – With vessel
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-03
2002-02-26
Nappi, Robert E. (Department: 2837)
Acoustics
With vessel
C181S139000, C367S103000, C367S119000, C367S141000, C367S149000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06349791
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to target detection and tracking apparatus and is directed more particularly to a submarine bow dome acoustic sensor assembly for detecting and tracking noise-producing and/or noise-reflecting objects in an ocean environment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In current submarines there is typically provided an outer hull and an inner pressure hull. The region therebetween is a “free flood” area, that is, it is flooded with sea water. In the bow area, the outer hull, or “bow dome” forms the forward-most portion of the boat. An acoustic panel is disposed between the bow dome and the forward-most inner hull which extends athwartships at the base of the bow dome. This acoustic panel is acoustically isolated from the bow dome and pressure hull. The bow dome is acoustically transparent and allows sound waves to travel therethrough and into the free flood zone and to the acoustic panel.
The acoustic panel typically is a generally spherically-shaped array of acoustic transducers known as a spherical array. This spherical array is quite heavy and expensive. There is a need for an acoustic sensor assembly which provides suitable detection and tracking capabilities, but which is lighter in weight and less expensive to manufacture than the current spherical acoustic panel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a submarine bow dome acoustic sensor assembly which is of lighter weight than the current spherical arrays, which is reliable in detection and tracking of contacts, and which costs less to manufacture than the current spherical arrays.
With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, a feature of the present invention is the provision of a submarine bow dome acoustic sensor assembly comprising an outer hull bow portion, an inner pressure hull wall extending athwartships, and in conjunction with the outer hull bow portion defining a free-flood compartment, and an acoustic bow panel disposed in the compartment and connected to the pressure hull wall by acoustically isolating supports. A laser scanner is disposed in the compartment and is oriented so as to project a laser beam onto a surface of the acoustic bow panel, and a sensor is disposed in the compartment and oriented so as to receive reflections of the laser beam off the acoustic panel and to transmit data from which a position of a sound generating source can be determined.
The above and other features of the invention, including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts, will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims. It will be understood that the particular device embodying the invention is shown by way of illustration only and not as a limitation of the invention. The principles and features of this invention may be employed in various and numerous embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3831137 (1974-08-01), Cuomo
patent: 4446543 (1984-05-01), McLandrich et al.
patent: 5155707 (1992-10-01), Fisher
patent: 5262884 (1993-11-01), Buchholz
patent: 5621806 (1997-04-01), Page et al.
patent: 6055080 (2000-04-01), Furstenau et al.
patent: 6081481 (2000-06-01), Sabatier et al.
patent: 6188644 (2001-02-01), Walsh et al.
Glenning Daniel M.
Sandman Bruce E.
Kaischke James M.
Lall Prithvi C.
Martin Edgardo San
McGowan Michael J.
Nappi Robert E.
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