William I Roderick

US Patent:

50401572, Aug 13, 1991

Filed:

Oct 15, 1990

Appl. No.:

7/601213

Inventors:

William I. Roderick - Stonington CT
William A. Von Winkle - New London CT

Assignee:

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy - Washington PA

International Classification:

G01S 380
H04B 159

US Classification:

367119

Abstract:

A method and apparatus of determining the range and depth of a far field underwater target is provided. A multi-sensor device is released into the water from a surface ship or other deploying platform and allowed to exhibit vertical free-fall in the water. Acoustic field, temperature and depth information are received from the multi-sensor device at depth points along the free-fall. The depth points from a virtual vertical aperture. The acoustic field, temperature and depth information at the depth points are inputs of a virtual vertical sensing array used to determine the range with depth of the target.