Subsea Navigation, Acoustic Positioning, Underwater Communications

Products > Underhull Inspection System

Overview
Features & Benefits
 
 
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- Coastal Transponders
Sonardyne Underhell Inspection System
Overview
The Sonardyne Underhull Inspection system has been developed to provide very high accuracy underwater positioning for divers and small ROVs conducting surveys under both curved and flat hulls. The system allows a precise and comprehensive survey to be carried out and the position of any damage or anomalies to be logged.

The system uses standard Long BaseLine (LBL) techniques to position both the ship and the diver. In order to meet high levels of accuracy, three sets of positional data have to be obtained; the diver relative to the seabed, the ship relative to the seabed and the diver relative to the ship.

This is achieved using a lightweight transceiver fitted to the diver, a seabed array of miniature transponders and three transceivers attached to the vessel hull at known locations; usually two on the keel and one on the side.

The seabed array forms the basis for positioning the ship and diver relative to each other and the seabed. In addition, this enables the position of the hull to be determined in three dimensions relative to the seabed array. The position of the diver is similarly determined and the co-ordinates transformed into co-ordinates in the vessel frame of reference. All the positional information is updated once a second.

A PC running the Underhull Inspection software application is used to monitor the progress of the survey. A central chart display shows the position of the ship and diver along with quality information so that the operator can see how well the system is working.
Features & Benefits
Allows hull inspections to be completed without drydocking
Provides full hull coverage including area around rudders and propellers
Operates under any type of vessel of any size
Positions divers to better than 150mm
Simple and quick to deploy
Based on proven acoustic principles

 

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