Time of Flight Cameras for Situational Awareness in Underwater Degraded Visual Environments
Abstract
ABSTRACT: Underwater optical sensors can provide underwater US Navy (USN) assets with valuable situational awareness needed to make autonomous decisions about navigation and action. Laser rangefinders are one class of optical sensors, which are capable of making high resolution brightness and distance measurements at a single spot. State-of-the-art underwater laser rangefinder prototypes can make this single-point measurement at a considerable standoff distance from the asset, even in degraded visual environments(DVEs). A desirable complementary sensing capability would be the formation of a wider angle, many-point grid of brightness and distance measurements, re-generated at high speed. While this surveillance grid might often operate at more modest standoff distancesthan would a laser rangefinder, it would have the advantage of providing ~peripheral vision~ to the underwater asset, and of showing the contours and edges of nearby and approaching objects. Time-of-flight (ToF) video cameras capable of forming such surveillance grids have recently been introduced for above-water three-dimensional (3D) imaging. These small, low-cost cameras are used by robots and vehicles to sense their environment with high cross-range and down-range resolution, and may be of interest for extending the situational awareness of the Navy~s unmanned underwater platforms.The purpose of the proposed joint Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) /Clarkson University project is to investigate whether ToF cameras can be adapted for use in underwater DVEs, by applying insights and strategies developed by our teams during recent Office of Naval Research (ONR)-sponsored work on underwater laser rangefinders. This project is proposed as a Naval Undersea Research Program (NURP) project, with the dual goals of 1) conducting exploratory basic research and 2) supporting and mentoring aUS-citizen graduate student as a potential long-term addition to the Navy~s research knowledge base. The technical aim of the proposed effort is to contribute to the Undersea Weaponry Core Technology Areas of ~Warheads/Fuses~ and ~Guidance and Control/Sensors~.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 10, 2018
- Source ID
- N000141812291
Entities
People
- William Jemison
Organizations
- Clarkson University
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy