SYSTEM AND METHOD OF DETERMINING LOCATION OF DIVER Russian patent published in 2016 - IPC G01S15/06 

FIELD: physics.

SUBSTANCE: method of determining the location of a diver includes equipment of two beacons and a vessel drifting in the water area for performing diving operations. The vessel and beacon equipment includes a satellite navigation system, hydroacoustic transceivers and radio link transceivers. The diver's equipment includes a hydroacoustic transceiver. The beacons transmit their coordinates to the vessel and the distance to each beacon is determined on the vessel. By emitting an interrogation signal from the vessel via a hydroacoustic channel and receiving a response signal from the beacons, using data on the distance from the vessel to the beacon, the current sound speed is determined on the vessel. Upon receiving the signal emitted from the vessel, the diver's equipment automatically omnidirectionally emits a signal which is received by the beacon and vessel equipment, wherein the beacon equipment redirects, via the hydroacoustic channel, the signal received from the diver along with the reception time of the said signal. Using the value of the current sound speed, data on the emission time of the interrogation signal and the reception time of response signals from the diver, the distance between the diver and the beacons and between the diver and the vessel is determined on the vessel. Coordinates of the diver are determined based on the said distance values and then displayed on a display, while connecting coordinates of the diver into a movement path of the diver. The invention can be used not only for professional divers, but for facilitating immersion of amateur divers without a full face mask with means for telephone communication with a support vessel. The system and method can also be used to monitor the location of a group of divers and for automated monitoring of the location of underwater vehicles operating in the coverage area of hydroacoustic beacon equipment.

EFFECT: enabling monitoring of the location of a diver with rendering of the said location, high accuracy of determining coordinates of a diver and simplification of the diver's equipment.

3 cl, 2 dwg