A MAGNETIC SELF-RANGING SYSTEM FOR USE IN THE DEGAUSSING OF SHIPS

Abstract: A simple, portable self-ranging system is used to measure the magnetic signature of a ship so that compensatory adjustments can be made to its degaussing system. One or more magnetometer assemblies (12, 13) are placed on the seabed and as the ship (11) follows a known straight course over the area, data from the magnetometers is transmitted to computer means on board the ship (11) where the data is processed using a magnetic model capable of predicting the magnetic field over an area greater than that covered by the self-ranging system. This predicted field is then used to determine the optimum setting for the degaussing system to compensate for the ship's magnetic signature.

Description: A MAGNETIC SELF-RANGING SYSTEM FOR USE IN THE DEGAUSSING OF SHIPS This invention relates to a self-ranging system for measuring the magnetic signature of a ship enabling compensatory adjustments to be made to a degaussing system. By this means the risk to the ship in traversing a minefield can be reduced. Most naval vessels are fitted with degaussing syte s which afford a degree of protection against sea mines with magnetic sensors. These degaussing systems initially have to be calibrated and then periodically checked and adjusted. The calibration and checking measurements are conventionally carried out at degaussing ranges. The degaussing system may be carried onboard as a permanent arrangement or there maybe coils and magnets for temporary off-board use as disclosed in UK patent application No 8318111. There are a number of different types of de¬ gaussing ranges, the most common being the open degaussing range. This comprises a number of magnetometer units (usually about 18) on a frame- work on the sea bed which are connected by cable to shore-based instru¬ mentation. A vessel is required to sail over one or two of these under¬ water arrays on reciprocal headings. From the information gained, the amount of adjustment required can be caluclated so as to give minimum residual fields and enable a forecast of the system settings in other latitudes to be made. This forecast makes two assumptions, both associated with the permanent magnetism content of the vessel. The amount of permanent vertical magnetism present cannot be determined from measurements in one latitude - a substantial variation in the vertical component of the Earth'smagnetic intensity is required, leading to a need for degaussing ranges at widely different latitudes. The available maximum variation of magnetic intensity in the UK, between Scotland and the South Coast, is insufficient for an assessment of the permanent vertical magnetism of a ship. Therefore, an empirical ratio of permanent to total vertical magnetization of the vessel, based upon modelwork, is assumed. If the vessel sails to another latitude and stays there for some time, say six months or more, the permanent vertical magnetism will change towards the equilibrium value for the new area. The permanent horizontal magnetization comprises athwartships and longitudinal components. On a long voyage which is basically on one heading there will be variation in both of these components, but pri¬ marily in the longitudinal component. This is due to the continuous vibration of the ship's hull in the Earth's magnetic field. This effect cause the degaussing compensation applied at the degaussing range at the home port to become incorrect. Thus, there is a need, for a degaussing range to be available at the end of a voyage to another latitude. This second range measurement will check the compensation of the vertical and horizontal magnetization and allow the compensation to be adjusted accordingly. As permanent magnetic measurement facilities are not available worldwide, a mobile degaussing facility is required. In the past, transportable degaussing ranges have been used for some of these pur¬ poses. The transportable ranges have been similar to the fixed open degaussing ranges. The sensor framework, of about 18 sensors, is placed on the seabed by divers and is connected to a land-based, moveable instrumentation unit. Thus these ranges have major disadvantages in the support and time required for deployment and recovery. UK Patent Application No 8426240 proposed a portable magnetic self- ranging system enabling a ship to readily determine its own degaussing compensation in areas where open degaussing ranges are not available. A requirement common to the known arrangements, both static and portable is a ship's tracking system to provide ships positional in¬ formation relative to the magnetic sensors used in the magnetic ranging systems. Suitable algorithms are then used to find a best fit to the observed measurements. The object of the present invention is to provide a simplified magnetic self-ranging system. The invention provides a magnetic self-ranging system comprising: At least one magnetometer assembly for placement on the sea-bed; a pair of buoys to define the extent of the magnetometer assembly; a telemetry link to transfer magnetic data from the magnetometer assembly to a surface receiver; a surface receiver for collection of the magnetic data; and computer means to process the data. Preferably the magnetometer assembly comprises at least two- magnetometer packages with each package containing at least one 3-axis magnetic sensor. Each sensor should be sensitive to about 10 nano- Tesla with a dynamic range of about +_ 200,000 nano-Tesla. The processing of the data collected from the ranging system according to the present invention depends upon the assumptions firstly that the ship follows a constant heading and a constant speed and secondly that the ship can be characterised by a magnetic model. Preferably the ship's magnetic field is described by a model which provides for a magnetic source to be characterised by both continuous and distributed discrete point sources along finite length, parallel straight lines, in the vicinity of, if not within, the physical source. Advantageously the distributed point sources are uniformly spaced and the density distribution function of the continuous sources is defined by a polynomial. Since magnetic fields are linear in the point source components and in the polynomial coefficients, these variables are readily determined using ..linear least squares regression analysis. Alternatively other distribution functions can be defined for the continuous source, such as a combination of harmonic or Bessel functions of increasing order. The functions are selected such that the fields are linear in the function order coefficients, making Lhe model easily usable. Experience has shown that a steel ship can be acceptably modelled using a dipole-order source defined by a 6th to 8th order polynomial, independent in each dipole axis, along a single rectilinearline with no point sources. Preferably there are at least two magnetometer packages and separation of the magnetometers is between one and two times the water depth and their relative position is known to within 1%. The orientation of the magnetomete should preferably be known to within 1 degree as should the bearing of each from the others. Advantageously the magnetometers may be rigidly attached to a common bar. In addition the marker buoys are preferably attached to physically separate sinkers. At the end of a ship's run over the deployed self-ranging system the computer means is arranged to determine an appropriate magnetic source model from which magnetic fields aver the seabed plane can be determined so that the ship's degaussing system can be adjusted. Ships would be required to traverse the facility passing midway between the two marker buoys, following a straight track at a constant speed at right angles to a line joining the two buoys. Since a ship's speed has no bearing on its' magnetic field, and the straightest track is likely to be the fastest, it is suggested that the ship sail as fast as safety allows, consistent with the above requirements. The magnetometer sampling interval should be adjustable to allow readings to be taken at least every 1 metre of the ship's track. The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying Drawing which shows a deployed magnetic self-ranging system. A ship 11 operating in the vicinity of minefields typically will carry between ten and thirty independent degaussing coils. In addition it carries a magnetic self-ranging system comprising magnetometer packages 12, 13 for sea-bed deployment to enable adjustments to be made to the degaussing coils so as to substantially cancel the ship's magnetic field. The self-ranging system comprises at least two magnetometer packages 12, 13 whose orientation is accurately known on the sea-bed at a separation S which is between one and two times the depth D. Each magnetometer package 12, 13 is attached to a respective marker buoy 14, 15 connected by cables 16, 17 to sinkers 18, 19. The sinkers and attached buoys are placed such that they define the outer extremities of the combined magnetometer package array . Each magnetometer in the array is connected to a receiver/transmitter located on the buoy 15. The receiver/transmitter is arranged to collect and transmit the magnetometer data continuously during passage of the ship over the self-ranging system. The data is transmitted via antennas 20 and antenna 21 respectively on the buoy 15 and the ship to a receiver which is part of a data collection and processing facility. Each magnetometer is a 3-axis magnetometer, thus providing 3 x Nn magnetic measurements where N is the number of magnetometers and n is the number of measurements received from each magnetometer channel. The processing of the magnetometer data is carried out assuming that the relative positions and orientations of the magnetometers are known and also that the relative position of the ship can be described with reference to a linear ship's path travelled at constant speed. By this means the magnetic observations must be sufficient to provide a solution for just four additional unknown parameters: that is the relative location of any given sensor with respect to the ship-based co-ordinate system, given in terms of 3-axial co-ordinate offsets, and the ship's effective "magnetic" length. The ship is required to travel a known straight course at right angles to and approximately bisecting the array axis defined by the two buoys 14, 15. Since ship's speed has no effect on its magnetic field and the fastest speed is likely to result in the straightest track, the ship should sail as fast as safety allows. The sampling rate of the magnetometers is / 5 adjusted such that readings are taken at least every metre of the ship's track. The ship's data procesaing facility utilises a magnetic model capable of predicting the magnetic field over an area typically greater in extent than that expected to be provided by a transportable magnetic self-ranging system. This predicted field is then used to determine the 10 optimum setting for the degaussing system. The magnetic model used characterises the ship's magnetic field by continuous and distributed discrete point sources along finitelength parallel straight lines in the vicinity of the ship. Given a set of magnetic field measurments, there is a need to infer a set of appro- 15 priate source parameters and decay laws so that the magnetic field may subsequently be predicted, with a reasonable accuracy expectation, at points other than where it is measured. A source model has been devised which is a reasonable representation of reality, especially for a source which has a large length to breadth ratio. 20 The "conventional" method of modelling a magnetic source, from ' field measurements, is to assume that the source can be approximated by a series of point dipoles. In the near-field regime, where the source dimensions are comparable to or larger than the measurement distance, such a solution can produce significant errors in predicted magnetic fields in addition to the 25 "ringing" of dipole amplitudes unless specific steps are taken to prevent the latter. The model proposes that a source utilises higher order ultipoles and/or an extended source. In addition, there is a consistent method of determining the optimum location of such a source(s). Analysis shows that for a magnetic source comprising a set of (hypothetical) 30 monopoles the magnetic field is equivalent to that from an expansion of multipole moments. As an extension to this an arbitrary distribution of point multipoles can be expressed as an expansion of multipoles of higher orders. The magnetic fields from higher order terms may be determined through recurrence relations from lower order terms. The 35 magnetic field measurements can then be used to determine a model source distribution of higher order terms. A modification to the model can be made by supposing that the source is extended, where the mag¬ netic source (multipole) density distribution is defined along a finite length line parallel to the longitudinal axis of the ship. The magnetic field resulting from this extended source has been shown to be linear in the polynomial coefficients so that the coefficients can be readily deter¬ mined. The optimum location for the above multipole sources is best deter¬ mined by a non-linear iterative technique, where knowledge of at least the first derivative of the field, with respect to the appropriate para¬ meters, is advised. For the point multipole, this derivative is readily determined since it has the same spatial dependence as the appropriate field of the next order multipole. Further, for a set of uniformly spaced multipoles parallel to the ship's longitudinal axis the derivative of the field with respect to the multipole spacing is also readily determinable. In addition the same treatment can be applied to multipoles equally spaced in the mutually perpendicular directions to provide a source "mesh". The derivative of the field from a continuous multipole distribution with respect to spatial offsets and for a specified source length may also be readily determined. Sufficient equations have been identified to enable a non-linear iterative analysis to be performed on the spatial offsets and the source length. The continuous source model should provide a more realistic (physi¬ cally) approach to modelling a complex source, since an inherent feature is the resultant smoothness of the source distribution function as defined by a polynomial, circumventing the dipole 'ringing' feature mentioned earlier. Furthermore, by defining the problem in terms of arbitrary order multipoles, the model is likely to be effective at ranges considerably less than the length of a source with a large length-to-breadth ratio, for example a steel ship. Experience has shown that a steel ship can be acceptably modelled using a dipole-order source defined by a 6th to 8th order polynomial, independent in each dipole axis, along a single recti- linear line with no point sources. Further experience has shown that the solution so obtained was, to a great extent, independent of the estimated starting values assigned to the positional offsets and source length as required for the non-linear regression analysis. Thus ship's tracking information is not required since it is not used in obtaining the solutions. This was found to be especially true when data from more than one magnetometer was used. In addition, the magnetic source so deter¬ mined is capable of reproducing the observed field with increasing faithfulness as more magnetometers, and also more data in general, is used. The magnetic packages measuring the ship's field could contain single axis magnetometers, however this would provide only a third of the data from 3-axis magnetometers for defining the ship's magnetic model. The self-ranging system could be arranged such that the telemetry buoy 15 collects all the magnetic field data from a ship's run before transmission to the ship. After collecting the run data the ship's computer facility then determines the appropriate model: discrete source and/or extended source from which fields over a plane would be deter- mined. This is then used to reset the degaussing coils to minimise the field in that plane.

Claims: Claims 1. A ship's magnetic self-ranging system characterized in that it comprises: a) at least onemagnetometer assembly (12,13) forplacement onthe sea-bed; b) apair of buoys (14 15) todefinetheextentof themagnetometer assembly; c) a telemetry link to transfer magnetic data from the magnetometer assembly to a surface receiver (21); d) asurface receiver (21) forcollectionof themagneticdata; and e) computer means to process the data. 2. A ship's magnetic self-ranging system as claimed in claim 1 characterized in that the magnetometer assembly comprises at least two magnetometer packages (12/13) with each package containing at least one 3- axis magnetic sensor. 3. A ship's magnetic self-ranging system as claimed in claim 2 characterized in that each sensor is sensitive to about 10 nano-Teslawith a dynamic range of about ± 200/000 nano-Tesla. 4. A ship's magnetic self- anging system as claimed in claim 1 characterized inthatthere is stored inthecomputermeans amodel describing the ship'smagnetic fieldbymeans of amagnetic source characterizedbyboth continuous and distributed discrete point sources along finite length/ parallel straight lines/ in the vicinity of/ if not within/ the physical source. 5. A ship's magnetic self-ranging system as claimed in claim 4 characterized in that the distributedpoint sources are uniformly spaced and the density distribution function of the continuous sources is defined by a polynomial. 6. A ship's magnetic self-ranging system as claimed in claim 4 or 5 characterized in that the ship's computer means is arranged to determine an appropriatemagnetic sourcemodel f omwhichmagnetic fields over the seabed plane canbe determined so that the ship's degaussing systemcanbeadjusted. 7. A ship's magnetic self-ranging system as claimed in claim 5 or 6 characterized in that the ship 1 s magnetic field is modelled using a dipole- order source defined by a 6th to 8th order polynomial, independent in each dipole axis/ along a single rectilinear line with no point sources. 8. A method of degaussing a ship by means of a magnetic self-ranging system comprising the steps of: a) deploying at least one magnetic sensor assembly (12) on the seabed; b) providing a pair of buoys (14/15) to define the extent of the magnetic sensor assembly on the seabed; c) sailing the ship (11) at a constant speed andheading over the magnetic assembly using the buoys for guidance; d) transferring magnetic data fromthemagnetometer assembly to a surface receiver via a telemetry link on one of the buoys; ' e) computing an appropriate magnetic source model characterized by a combination of continuous and distributed discrete point sources along finite length/ straight lines parallel to the ship's longitudinal axis and in the vicinity of if not within the boundary defined by the ship; and ' » f) adjusting the currents in the ship's degaussing coils to minimise the ship's magnetic field. 9. Amethod of degaussing a ship as claimed in claim 8 characterized in that the magnetometer assembly comprises at least twomagnetometer packages (12/13)/ with each package containing.as least one 3-axis magnetic sensor. 10. Amethod of degaussing a ship as claimed in claim9 characterized in that themagnetometer packages are deployed such that the separationbetween the magnetic sensors is between one and two times the water depth and their relative position is known to within 1%. 11. Amethod of degaussing a shipas claimed in claim10 characterizedin that the orientation of the magnetometers is determined to within 1 degree. 12. - Amethod of degaussing a ship as claimed inclaim8 characterized in thatthereis includedthefurtherstepofcollectingthemagneticdataduring passage of the ship over the magnetic assembly before transferring to the surface receiver. 13. A method of degaussing a ship as claimed in claim 8 or 12 characterized in that there is included the step of sailing the ship at the fastest safe speed along a course at right angles to a line joining the two buoys and intersecting the line substantially midway between the buoys. 14. A method of degaussing a ship as claimed in claim 8 or 12 characterized in that there is included the step of sampling the magnetometers at a rate corresponding to the passage of eachmeter length of the ship over the magnetic assembly.

Inventors: THEOBALD ALAN GEORGE, THEOBALD, ALAN, GEORGE
Applicants: SECR DEFENCE BRIT, THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR DEFENCE IN HER BRITANNI
Application year: 1986
Main classification: B63G9
IPC codes: B63G9, G01R33