Patent ID: 7881156

Claim:
A method for detecting an angle of inclination of a towed array, the method comprising the steps of: deploying a towed array of hydrophones; providing a plurality of hot-film sensors, arranged in a plurality of groups spaced along a length of the towed array of hydrophones with each of the groups disposed in alignment with each other and with each group of the plurality of groups comprising at least two of the hot-film sensors with the distance between the hot-film sensors being less than three feet; providing a plurality of anemometer circuits; establishing communication with each anemometer circuit of the plurality of the anemometer circuits to one of the hot-film sensors of the plurality of hot-film sensors; activating designated anemometer circuits of the plurality of anemometer circuits for designated hot-film sensors of the plurality of hot-film sensors; adjusting a voltage of each of the designated hot-film sensors; determining, in response to said adjusting step, mean wall shear stress at points along the length of the towed array corresponding to locations of the designated hot-film sensors; and determining, with the wall shear stresses, the angle of inclination of the towed array at points corresponding to the locations of the designated hot-film sensor wherein the alignment of the groups of hot-film sensors facilitates said determining the angle of inclination.