This invention relates generally to a sensor system for remote detection and imaging of objects in a backscattering medium such as air or water. More particularly, this invention relates to a method and apparatus for detecting, locating and/or imaging underwater objects such as mines and submarines from an airborne platform using a novel imaging lidar (light detection and ranging) system having a large area search rate capability and which is compatible with a computerized automatic targeting system.
It is desirable in a number of military and civilian applications to search a volume within a backscattering medium for the presence of certain targets. For instance, moored or bottom mines deployed in ocean shipping lanes are a hazard to navigating ships used both for military and for commercial Purposes. For other civilian applications such as law enforcement on the ocean, it is desirable to detect the presence of submerged fishing nets or drug-carrying containers used in smuggling contraband. In or near harbors and beaches, it is also desirable to detect submerged obstructions, cables, pipelines, barrels, oil drums, etc. In strictly military applications, anti-submarine warfare demands an effective means of detecting and locating submarines.
Presently, cumbersome and time consuming wire line devices must be used for detecting underwater targets from remote airborne locations. These devices are lowered into the water and of course, are easily subject to damage and loss. Also, wire line devices make target searching relatively slow and can only detect targets without providing visual imaging. An improved and novel system for remote detection and imaging of objects underwater (or objects obscured by other backscattering media which is at least partially transmitting to light such as ice, snow, fog dust and smoke) from an airborne platform has been described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,257 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 256,778 filed Oct. 12, 1988, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,917, both of which are assigned to the assignee hereof and incorporated herein by reference. The imaging lidar system of U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,257 utilizes a laser to generate short pulses of light with pulse widths on the order of nanoseconds. The laser light is expanded by optics and projected down toward the surface of the water and to an object or target. U.S. application Ser. No. 256,778 relates to an imaging lidar system intended for night vision. Imaging lidar systems of the type described hereinabove are also disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 420,247 filed Oct. 12, 1989 (now U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,721), and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 364,860 filed Jun. 12, 1989 (now U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,270), both of which are incorporated herein by reference. U.S. Ser. No. 420,247 relates to an imaging lidar system which controls camera gating based on input from the aircraft onboard altimeter and uses a computer to thereby adjust total time delay so as to automatically track changing platform altitude. U.S. Ser. No. 364,860 relates to a lidar system employing a plurality of gated cameras which are individually triggered after preselected time delays to obtain multiple subimages laterally across a target image. These multiple subimages are then put together in a mosaic in a computer to provide a complete image of a target plane preferably using only a single light pulse. While the imaging lidar systems described above are well suited for their intended purposes, there continues to be a need for imaging lidar systems of this type which have improved operational accuracy and efficiency in the imaging of targets enveloped by a backscattering medium. It is also highly desirable to have an imaging lidar system which can display pictures of targets of interest to a human operator for classification and threat assessment. Finally, it is also desirable for the imaging sensor to have a large aerial search rate capability that one or a small number of sensors may be effectively used to detect submerged targets.