Patent ID: 8180595

Claim:
An apparatus for performing underwater sensing and for acquiring acoustic data based on said sensing, the apparatus comprising a data acquisition device, at least one sensor, a pressure vessel, and an elastomeric body, said pressure vessel being an incompressible, completely sealed, and pressure-resistant container, said pressure vessel being resistant to pressures associated with deep water depths and having no pressure penetrations in deep water depths, said elastomeric body being constituted by an incompressible and acoustically transparent material, said elastomeric body having a hydrodynamic and substantially continuous exterior surface approximately defining a planoconvex three-dimensional geometric shape, said exterior surface including a smooth convexly curved surface portion and an approximately planar surface portion that are generally oppositely facing and that meet to form a junctional edge along the respective perimeters of said convexly curved surface portion and said approximately planar surface portion, said elastomeric body being characterized by a thickness between said convexly curved surface portion and said approximately planar surface portion, said elastomeric body tapering in said thickness toward said junctional edge, said pressure vessel containing said data acquisition device and protecting said data acquisition device during underwater operation of the apparatus including in deep water depths, said elastomeric body representing a matrix having embedded therein said pressure vessel and said at least one sensor, said data acquisition device including a processor for receiving signals from said at least one sensor; wherein said data acquisition device further includes: a dc power supply; a dc-dc converter for adapting voltage received from said dc power supply to said processor; a magnetic induction charger for recharging said dc power supply from a location outside said data acquisition device via magnetic induction and in the absence of direct electrical connection; a memory for storing data associated with said processor; a wireless network card for wireless digital communication between said processor and a location outside said data acquisition device, said wireless digital communication including at least one of control and data transfer; a wired network card for wired digital communication between said processor and a location outside said data acquisition device, said wired communication including at least one of control and data transfer; at least one digital input for receiving wireless digital data from said at least one sensor; at least one analog input for receiving wired analog data from said at least one sensor.