US-20260126538-A1 - SYSTEM FOR VIEW DEPENDENT SONAR SURVEY DATA PROCESSING, AND METHOD FOR SAME

Abstract

The Sonar Multiview Engine is a system for sonar data processing to enhance analysis and display of the sonar data. The Sonar Multiview Engine may include a use of sonar data from multiple sensors and three subsystems: a multiview processing and storage system, a Multiview Analysis Subsystem, and a multiview display system. The Sonar Multiview Engine uses data processed by sonar instruments and navigation instruments as input. The Sonar Multiview Engine may be used to produce geophysical and hydrographic seafloor maps, seafloor acoustic reflectance models, seafloor terrain models, and other representations and analyses for interpretation or understanding of the seafloor. The Sonar Multiview Engine may be applied to either new sonar data or existing sonar data that may be stored or streamed directly to the engine.

Inventors

• Andrew Resnick
• Kris RYDBERG
• Josef Wolfel
• Qasim Iqbal

Assignees

• Terradepth, Inc.

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20230926

Claims (16)

1. 1 . A multiview sonar processing system as substantially shown and described herein.
2. 2 . A system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising: a multiview sonar analysis subsystem as substantially shown and described herein.
3. 3 . A system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising: a multiview sonar display subsystem as substantially shown and described herein.
4. 4 . A system as claimed in claim 1 . further comprising: a multiview processing system with a method of storing sonar data for efficient retrieval as substantially shown and described herein.
5. 5 . A system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising: a multiview sonar processing system in combination with a multiview sonar analysis subsystem as substantially shown and described herein.
6. 6 . A system as claimed in claim 1 . further comprising: a multiview sonar processing system in combination with a multiview sonar display subsystem as substantially shown and described herein.
7. 7 . A system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising: a multiview sonar display subsystem in combination with a multiview sonar analysis subsystem as substantially shown and described herein.
8. 8 . A method of generating multiview data from sonar data as substantially shown and described herein.
9. 9 . A method as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising: a method of generating multiview classifications, tensors, or both from multiview data as substantially shown and described herein.
10. 10 . A method as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising: a method of using a multiview display subsystem to display multiview data as substantially shown and described herein.
11. 11 . A system as claimed in claim 14 , further comprising: a computer readable storage device to store computer executable instructions to control a processor to generate multiview data from sonar data as substantially shown and described herein.
12. 12 . A system as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising: a computer readable storage device to store computer executable instructions to control a processor to generate multiview classifications, tensors, or both from multiview data as substantially shown and described herein.
13. 13 . A system as claimed in claim 16 , further comprising: a computer readable storage device to store computer executable instructions to control a processor to apply a multiview display subsystem to display multiview data as substantially shown and described herein.
14. 14 . A system, comprising: a memory device to store a set of instructions; and a processor to execute the set of instructions to: generate multiview data from sonar data as substantially shown and described herein.
15. 15 . A system as claimed in claim 14 , further comprising: a memory device to store a set of instructions; and a processor to execute the set of instructions to: generate multiview classifications, tensors, or both from multiview data as substantially shown and described herein.
16. 16 . A system as claimed in claim 14 , further comprising: a memory device to store a set of instructions; and a processor to execute the set of instructions to: apply a multiview display subsystem to display multiview data as substantially shown and described herein.

Description

INTRODUCTION This disclosure relates to sonar data processing of: geophysical and hydrographic seafloor surveys, seafloor acoustic reflectance models, and seafloor terrain models (collectively “seafloor data”) of bodies of water such as the oceans and freshwater bodies such as lakes and rivers (collectively, hereinafter “ocean”). More particularly, the disclosure relates to systems and methods for performing view dependent analysis of seafloor data, such as making 3D representations of the seafloor. Data for analysis of the seafloor may be collected by many kinds of platforms and many kinds of sonars. Examples of platforms include ships, towed bodies, remotely operated vehicles (ROV), and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV). Examples of sonars include side scan sonar (SSS), multi beam echo sounders (MBES), synthetic aperture sonars (SAS), interferometric sonars, single beam echo sounders (SBES), forward looking sonars (FLS), scanning sonars, and imaging sonars. Sonar data is commonly collected by platforms following planned tracks above the seafloor so that the sonars take data from each area of the seafloor multiple times, from different positions. As the platform follows a track the sonar periodically pings and measures the amplitude of the sonar's backscatter. The backscatter data may be processed to correct the data for physical distortions caused by the environment and survey equipment, for example time varying gain correcting for reflected amplitude decreasing due to angle of incidence on the seafloor, correction for propagation distance through the water, correction for the properties of the transducers, and georeferencing. The corrections are currently done starting with each survey track individually. The backscatter data collected from sonars on platforms is commonly filtered to reduce data storage requirements. Filtering may be done every ping and/or combining multiple pings to organize the data into a grid using processes such as: averaging a number of measurements to a single value, only passing high signal to noise measurements, passing every n-th measurement, or other processes. Inputs to seafloor data include navigation data of the platform and sonar including: position, attitude, velocity, and rotation rates. Navigation data may be measured by instruments onboard the platform or offboard the platform. Navigation instruments may include singly or in combination: compass, inertial motion unit (IMU), global positioning systems (GPS), underwater acoustic navigation system, doppler velocity logger (DVL), synthetic aperture sonar (SAS), integrated navigation system (INS), fiber optic gyros (FOG), long baseline acoustic navigation (LBL), ultra-short baseline acoustic navigation (USBL) and other instruments. Additional corrections to navigation may be made when mosaicing multiple tracks by adjusting the tracks images or platform path to match features seen in multiple tracks. The slope of the seafloor is one of the causes of variation in sonar reflection amplitude. Interpretation of existing seafloor mosaics and models is confusing as for the same spot on the seafloor a sonar amplitude from the east may be strong, white, and from the west weak, black. Sonar data processing may be performed to make geophysical and hydrographic maps, profiles, three dimensional representations, material listings, and other surveys, maps and geophysical products. For a single view/track data set, two dimensional images or three-dimensional representations may be created directly from the sonar data. Mosaics and other representations of larger areas of seafloor that require combining the sonar backscatter from multiple tracks are created without regard to the angles or vectors from the spot on the seafloor to the sensor. FIG. 1 shows an area of seafloor with a grid 100 for mosaicing sonar data shown. In a single grid box 101 there are four sonar measurements from sonar platforms 110, 120, 130, and 140 each at an independent position following independent track lines. Existing sonar data processing methods only place each Backscatter Measurement Point in a grid box, but do not compute nor use directional information based on platform position for each sonar measurement. Existing sonar data processing combines sonar backscatter from multiple tracks by arbitrary selection of the track to display, or organizing the data into a grid using an processes to combine multiple pings in a grid box such as: averaging the measurements to a single value or using the strongest amplitude, or for depth using the average depth or the deepest. The images made with existing sonar processing to make mosaics and other representations of multiple tracks mix the measurements from any direction together and process them without distinction for the sonar's angle or vector. The existing seafloor data processing systems and methods are of limited utility due to the loss of information when producing with only one track at a time, or when combinin