US 12,133,026 B2
Underwater camera with sonar fusion
Didier Caute, Lorient (FR); Bruno Marie, Ploemeur (FR); and Brice Godreul, Ploemeur (FR)
Assigned to AIRMAR TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION, Milford, NH (US)
Filed by Airmar Technology Corporation, Milford, NH (US)
Filed on Jun. 24, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/357,523.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/043,581, filed on Jun. 24, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0409652 A1, Dec. 30, 2021
Int. Cl. H04N 5/225 (2006.01); G01S 7/52 (2006.01); G01S 15/86 (2020.01); G01S 15/89 (2006.01); G01S 15/96 (2006.01); G06F 18/25 (2023.01); G06V 20/40 (2022.01); G06V 40/10 (2022.01); H04N 5/76 (2006.01); H04N 7/18 (2006.01); H04N 9/47 (2006.01); H04N 17/00 (2006.01); H04N 23/56 (2023.01); H04N 23/695 (2023.01); H04N 23/80 (2023.01); G01N 33/18 (2006.01)
CPC H04N 7/183 (2013.01) [G01S 7/52004 (2013.01); G01S 15/86 (2020.01); G01S 15/89 (2013.01); G01S 15/96 (2013.01); G06F 18/251 (2023.01); G06V 20/41 (2022.01); G06V 40/10 (2022.01); H04N 5/76 (2013.01); H04N 17/002 (2013.01); H04N 23/56 (2023.01); H04N 23/695 (2023.01); H04N 23/80 (2023.01); G01N 33/18 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for performing multiple functions comprising:
a camera including an image sensor and configured to provide a stream of video data representing a scene in a camera field of view of the camera, the scene sensed via the image sensor based on a rate of image capture of the camera;
the camera operatively coupled to a sonar device with a sonar field of view, the sonar field of view configured to overlap with the camera field of view, the sonar device configured to provide a stream of acoustic data representing echoes from an emitted sonar pulse or series of pulses, the emitted sonar pulse or series of pulses from the sonar device synchronized with the rate of image capture of the camera; and
a computer processor configured to combine the stream of video data with the stream of acoustic data to perform an analysis on the stream of video data representing the scene sensed via the image sensor and the stream of acoustic data representing the echoes to determine if one or more physical objects are present.