The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 25, 2002
Filed:
May. 11, 2001
John E. Sirmalis, Barrington, RI (US);
Bernard J. Myers, Bristol, RI (US);
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
A system is provided in which a torpedo is launched from a submarine and pays out an optical fiber as it moves away from the submarine towards a target. The optical fiber is attached to the submarine and provides an optical communications link between the submarine and the torpedo. In addition to carrying communications between the submarine and torpedo, the optical fiber includes optical acoustic sensors. The optical fiber serves as a forward deployed acoustic array to gather target bearing and range data that is processed at the submarine. With the array deployed directly within the engagement arena, the submarine can more accurately analyze the acoustic environment to better guide the torpedo through countermeasure avoidance and to target acquisition. The optical fiber pays out behind the torpedo at the same rate that the torpedo moves away from the submarine. Thus, the optical fiber does not move in relation to the surrounding medium and flow noises experienced in conventional towed arrays are virtually eliminated from the array of optical acoustic sensors.