US 12,313,739 B2
Multi-perspective ensonification system and method
Jens Steenstrup, B'Kara (MT); Christopher Tiemann, Austin, TX (US); Peter Bilodeau, Austin, TX (US); Mark Chun, Austin, TX (US); and Kirk Hobart, Austin, TX (US)
Assigned to R3VOX LTD, (MT)
Filed by R3Vox LTD, B'Kara (MT)
Filed on Jul. 27, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/874,895.
Application 17/874,895 is a continuation of application No. 16/516,084, filed on Jul. 18, 2019, granted, now 11,428,810.
Application 16/516,084 is a continuation of application No. 16/016,632, filed on Jun. 24, 2018, granted, now 10,429,505, issued on Oct. 1, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/528,354, filed on Jul. 3, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2022/0404492 A1, Dec. 22, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01S 15/89 (2006.01); G01S 7/53 (2006.01); G01S 7/54 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 15/89 (2013.01) [G01S 7/53 (2013.01); G01S 7/54 (2013.01)] 23 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of obtaining multi-perspective sonar data comprising the steps of:
installing a multibeam echo sounder system (“MBES”) on a water going vehicle for use on a waterbody such that plural transducers are in a single MBES projector array and plural transducers are in a single MBES hydrophone array;
traversing a vehicle route while operating the MBES where multiple receive beams intersect a transmit beam such that along the vehicle route i) plural primary areas are ensonified, ii) plural secondary areas are ensonified, iii) each primary area is overlapped by a respective secondary area, and iv) for each overlap a first acoustic transmission from a first MBES location follows a first path to a first reflector and a reciprocal echo path back to the first MBES location to obtain a first travel time from a first perspective, and a second acoustic transmission from a second MBES location different from the first follows a second path to a second reflector and a reciprocal echo path back to the second MBES location to obtain a second travel time from a second perspective;
with aid of the first and second travel times, determining if the first and second reflectors are colocated;
where the reflectors are colocated and with aid of the first and second travel times, determining a depth of the first reflector and a depth of the second reflector; and,
finding a sound speed that tends to minimize a mathematical function dependent upon at least the depth of the first reflector and the depth of the second reflector.