Patent ID: 6894950

Claim:
An underwater vehicle acoustic detection system for locating an underwater target comprising: a thermal sensor system having an output indicating the current temperature of surrounding environmental water; a depth sensor having an output indicating the current depth of surrounding environmental water; a sonar system having an output providing acoustic information from surrounding environmental water; and a control system joined to said depth sensor output, said thermal sensor output, and said sonar system output, said control system being capable of maneuvering said underwater vehicle in response to said received temperature, depth, and acoustic information; wherein said thermal sensor system comprises: a fluid transport means having an intake and output for passage of a fluid; a thermal sensor disposed in said fluid transport means, said thermal sensor having an output providing a signal representative of an actual temperature of fluid within said fluid transport means; and sensor electronics joined to said thermal sensor output, said sensor electronics conditioning signals output by said thermal sensor; said thermal sensor selectively sampling fluid passing through said fluid transport means.