Portable Acoustic Tracking Systems (PATS)

A portable acoustic tracking system has been developed for the Navy to track underwater construction teams in water depths to 300 ft. The tracking system can be deployed and operated by the divers and is intended for use in remote areas and for nearshore survey, maintenance, and construction work. A self-calibrating system provides a geographically justified track for up to eight divers. Diver position coordinates are computed from acoustic measurements at periodic intervals and displayed for control purposes. The positions are also recorded for future reference.