Patent ID: 6100700
Filing Date: 2000-08-08
Classification: G01V,H04B

Abstract:
Apparatus for monitoring scouring of a bed of sediment beneath a body of water, comprising:(a) pulse generator means submerged in the sediment for generating a plurality of electromagnetic pulses, said pulse generator including an interval timer for triggering the generation of said electromagnetic pulses at a predetermined repetition rate;(b) sensor means electrically connected with said pulse generating means and arranged within the sedimentary bed for receiving and reflecting said electromagnetic pulses, the reflected pulses being a time-domain function of the properties of the surrounding media through which said sensor means passes;(c) timer means connected with said pulse generator means for measuring a propagation time for each of said reflected pulses, said propagation time being an elapsed time between corresponding generated and reflected pulses;(d) transmitter means connected with said timer means for transmitting radio signals corresponding to said propagation times;(e) receiver means arranged at a location remote from said transmitter means for receiving said transmitted signals; and(f) signal analyzer means connected with said receiver means for processing said transmitted signals, whereby changes between the generated and reflected pulses and in the elapsed propagation times thereof can be determined as a measure of the scour resulting from shifting of sediment and other material in the floor of the body of water.