Embodiments of the present invention provide a navigation system which, on the one hand, is arranged on sides of the underwater vehicle/AUV and, on the other hand, includes a surface transmitter as a counterpart. The two units communicate with each other such that the surface transmitter emits its signal directed to the position of the underwater vehicle and/or that the surface transmitter follows the underwater vehicle to improve the position determination capability.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a navigation system which, on the one hand, is arranged on sides of the underwater vehicle/AUV and, on the other hand, includes a surface transmitter as a counterpart. The two units communicate with each other such that the surface transmitter emits its signal directed to the position of the underwater vehicle and/or that the surface transmitter follows the underwater vehicle to improve the position determination capability.

Object detection may include transmitting, by a first device, a first pulse into an environment using a wide field configuration of an ultrasonic sensor array, detecting a presence of an object in the environment based on a detected echo based on the first pulse. In response to detecting the presence of the object, a targeted configuration of the ultrasonic sensor array is determined, and a second pulse is transmitted into the environment based on the second pulse, wherein a characteristic of the object is determined based on a detected echo from the second pulse.

An acoustic detection system for detecting at least partly submerged targets in a sensitive area defined with respect to an infrastructure, wherein the system includes at least one multistatic detection group, each multistatic detection group defining a detection area, and comprising: a submerged transmitter transmitting at low frequencies; a plurality of submerged receivers comprising at least two receivers, each receiver of a given group forming, with the transmitter of the group, a bistatic pair, each bistatic pair generating an elementary detection area surrounding a blind zone, the detection area of the group being formed by all of the elementary detection areas of the receivers of the group, the blind zone of each receiver in a given detection group being at least partly covered by the elementary detection areas of the neighbouring receivers of the detection system.

An ultrasound imaging device includes a plurality of ultrasound transducers arranged in an array of rows and columns. Each of the transducers has a first electrode and a second electrode. The first electrodes of the transducers of a same row are interconnected and the second electrodes of the transducers of a same column are interconnected.

Methods and apparatus to measure and analyze vibration signatures are disclosed. In some examples, a meter is provided comprising a waveform generator to generate a waveform based on first distance measurements of an object. In some examples, the meter includes a waveform generator to determine a first vibration characteristic of the object based on the waveform. In some examples, the meter includes a comparator to compare the first vibration characteristic to a signature vibration characteristic of the object, the signature vibration characteristic of the object indicative of normal characteristics of the object. In some examples, the meter includes a reporter to, in response to determining the first vibration characteristic does not match the signature vibration characteristic, generate an alert.

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed towards a system and methods for generating three dimensional (3D) images with increased composite vertical field of view and composite resolution for a spinning three-dimensional sensor, based on actuating the sensor to generate a plurality of sensor axis orientations as a function of rotation of the actuator. The output data from the sensor, such as a spinning LIDAR, is transformable as a function of the actuator angle to generate three dimensional imagery.

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed towards a system and methods for generating three dimensional (3D) images with increased composite vertical field of view and composite resolution for a spinning three-dimensional sensor, based on actuating the sensor to generate a plurality of sensor axis orientations as a function of rotation of the actuator. The output data from the sensor, such as a spinning LIDAR, is transformable as a function of the actuator angle to generate three dimensional imagery.

A method of determining at least part of the structure of an object, the method comprising the steps of providing at least one wideband acoustic signal transmission and reception device, the at least one wideband acoustic signal transmission and reception device being capable of transmitting and receiving one or more wideband acoustic signals, using the at least one wideband acoustic signal transmission and reception device to transmit at least one wideband acoustic signal towards at least a portion of the object, using the at least one wideband acoustic signal transmission and reception device to receive at least one wideband acoustic signal from the object, using the received at least one wideband acoustic signal from the object to create at least one acoustic data set, and analysing the at least one acoustic data set to determine the at least part of the structure of the object.

Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to provide accurate and reliable compact sonar systems for mobile structures. A sonar system includes multiple sensor channels, each comprising a sonar transmitter and a sonar receiver, and a logic device configured to provide control signals and receive sensor signals from the sensor channels. The logic device is configured to provide transmission signals to sonar transducer assemblies, where signal patterns of the transmission signals are differentiated based at least in part on frequency content. Acoustic returns are processed using the signal patterns to reduce inter-channel pickup between the sensor channels. Resulting sonar data and/or imagery may be displayed to a user and/or used to adjust a steering actuator, a propulsion system thrust, and/or other operational systems of the mobile structure.