Very Shallow Water Mine Countermeasures Diver Sonar-Lidar Sensor

Currently an effective diver mine imaging sensor for use in VSW mine reconnaissance does not exist. The SBIR topic requests a capability to locate and image mine targets within a 45 deg wide x 10 deg high field-of-view and to image targets with a resolution of at least 3" at a range of 20 yards. An acoustic lens sonar is a preferred technical approach. Both an acoustic lens sonar and a more compact, lower cost diver imaging system will be investigated. This alternative imaging system employs a low resolution, mine detection sonar coupled with a very high resolution lidar to image and identify targets at ranges out to 20 yards. Phase I will consists of: (1) mine detection and imaging system trade studies, (2) design of a high resolution imaging sensor system, and (3) the conduct of a series of critical component demonstrations of breadboard subsystem components in order to reduce the risk of prototyping an imaging system during Phase II. The detection sonar proposed for this system has detected a -20 dB sonar target at a range of 88 yards, on a sand bottom in 20 feet of seawater. Lidar imaging performance is predicted at 5 attenuation lengths in 4 meter attenuation length water.