Three Dimensional Sonar Mission Package for Mine Detection and Classification, IED Detection and Classification, and Port and Harbor Surveillance

William R. Woodward, Richard Webb, Rolf Kahrs Hansen, Blair Cunningham

Abstract:	UrsaNav and CodaOctopus have developed a preliminary design for a state-of-the-art, high-resolution 3-D sonar system for channel, port, and harbor security and surveillance operations. This system features a pair of retractable 3D sonar arrays, with each array employing three CodaOctopus Echoscope 3-D sonar modules. Capable of operating at six knots, this system can inspect an area of up to a square nautical mile in an hour. The 3-D imaging capability of the Echoscope system derives from the combination of its multi-beam, highresolution sonar imaging capability with the precise orientation and GPS-based location of the individual sonar module. The system firmware within each Echoscope translates the spherical coordinates of the elements in each sonar return to corresponding WGS-84 geographic coordinates. This information is then transmitted, using standard network protocols, to the portable operator’s console on deck. This console then performs real-time correlation mapping on the successive elements to produce what is, in effect, a solid-body virtual model of the entire search volume, at centimeter accuracy. The preliminary design has a trio of Echoscope modules mounted on each side of the search vessel. Two horizontal modules are arranged so as to provide overlapping coverage from across the bow to about 20° abaft each beam, with a third positioned to search below and to the respective side of the vessel. As the search proceeds forward, the effect is to create a 3-D, solid model of the contents of a 300-meter diameter half-cylinder along the ship’s track. This system is portable and designed to be transported to an area of interest in custom PelicanTM-style cases, where it may be assembled and mounted on a typical harbor patrol craft. The small size and modest power requirements are also amenable to installation on unmanned, remotely operated or autonomous vessels.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 2010 International Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 25 - 27, 2010 Catamaran Resort Hotel San Diego, CA
Pages:	484 - 489
Cite this article:	Woodward, William R., Webb, Richard, Hansen, Rolf Kahrs, Cunningham, Blair, "Three Dimensional Sonar Mission Package for Mine Detection and Classification, IED Detection and Classification, and Port and Harbor Surveillance," Proceedings of the 2010 International Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, San Diego, CA, January 2010, pp. 484-489.
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