Overview of a hybrid underwater camera system

Philip Church; Weilin Hou; Georges Fournier; Fraser Dalgleish; Derek Butler; Sergio Pari; Michael Jamieson; David Pike

doi:10.1117/12.2053365

23 May 2014 Overview of a hybrid underwater camera system

Philip Church, Weilin Hou, Georges Fournier, Fraser Dalgleish, Derek Butler, Sergio Pari, Michael Jamieson, David Pike

Proceedings Volume 9111, Ocean Sensing and Monitoring VI; 91110O (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2053365
Event: SPIE Sensing Technology + Applications, 2014, Baltimore, MD, United States

Abstract

The paper provides an overview of a Hybrid Underwater Camera (HUC) system combining sonar with a range-gated laser camera system. The sonar is the BlueView P900-45, operating at 900kHz with a field of view of 45 degrees and ranging capability of 60m. The range-gated laser camera system is based on the third generation LUCIE (Laser Underwater Camera Image Enhancer) sensor originally developed by the Defence Research and Development Canada. LUCIE uses an eye-safe laser generating 1ns pulses at a wavelength of 532nm and at the rate of 25kHz. An intensified CCD camera operates with a gating mechanism synchronized with the laser pulse. The gate opens to let the camera capture photons from a given range of interest and can be set from a minimum delay of 5ns with increments of 200ps. The output of the sensor is a 30Hz video signal. Automatic ranging is achieved using a sonar altimeter. The BlueView sonar and LUCIE sensors are integrated with an underwater computer that controls the sensors parameters and displays the real-time data for the sonar and the laser camera. As an initial step for data integration, graphics overlays representing the laser camera field-of-view along with the gate position and width are overlaid on the sonar display. The HUC system can be manually handled by a diver and can also be controlled from a surface vessel through an umbilical cord. Recent test data obtained from the HUC system operated in a controlled underwater environment will be presented along with measured performance characteristics.

Citation Download Citation

Philip Church, Weilin Hou, Georges Fournier, Fraser Dalgleish, Derek Butler, Sergio Pari, Michael Jamieson, and David Pike "Overview of a hybrid underwater camera system", Proc. SPIE 9111, Ocean Sensing and Monitoring VI, 91110O (23 May 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2053365

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available