O

OTC 2300
06
S
SS MTS: Subsea Monitorin
M
ng High
h Resolution 3D La
aser Imag
ging for
Inspectio
on, Mainte
enance, Repair,
R
an
nd Opera
ations
C
C. Embry, M. Hardy, and B.
B Nickerson, 3D at Depth;
N
N. Manning, CDL;
C
D
D. Goodyear, UTEC Surve
ey; and
D
D. Richardson
n and J. Papp
pas, RPSEA

C
Copyright 2012, Offshore Technology Confere
ence
T
This paper was prepare
ed for presentation at the Offshore Technolog
gy Conference held in Houston, Texas, USA , 30 April3 May 2012 .
T
This paper was selected for presentation by an
a OTC program comm
mittee following review
w of information containned in an abstract subm
mitted by the author(s)). Contents of the pape
er have not been
re
eviewed by the Offshore Technology Confere
ence and are subject to
o correction by the autthor(s). The material dooes not necessarily re
eflect any position of the Offshore Technologyy Conference, its
officers, or members. Electronic
E
reproduction
n, distribution, or stora
age of any part of this paper without the wriitten consent of the O
Offshore Technology C
Conference is prohibite
ed. Permission to
re
eproduce in print is res
stricted to an abstract of
o not more than 300 words;
w
illustrations mayy not be copied. The abbstract must contain co
onspicuous acknowled
dgment of OTC copyrig
ght.

A
Abstract
IIn January 2011, 3D at Depth
h was awarded a RPSEA conttract to bring hhigh-resolution three-dimensional (3D) laserr imaging
technology from
m the lab into an
a underwater environment for
f the oil and ggas industry. D
During the projject, CDL Inc. provided
eexpert engineerring support an
nd materials to marinize the system. The prroject includedd two underwatter trials whichh
ddemonstrated th
he feasibility of
o utilizing high
h resolution lasser detection annd ranging (LA
ADAR) in a suubsea environm
ment.
33D laser imagin
ng is a powerfu
ul data collection system thatt provides 3-D information foor a specific areea of interest. It is the
ppredominate tecchnology for teerrestrial surveey, construction
n, as-built anallysis, and largee-scale retro-fitts. The 3D laseer imaging
m
market is a matture multi-billio
on dollar indusstry with an eco-system of sooftware, expertiise, and best prractices. Deveeloping the
technology to provide
p
high-deefinition subsea laser imaging
g enables the ddeep water induustry to use thee current state oof the art
inn 3D metrolog
gy and related best
b practices developed
d
for the
t terrestrial m
market.
T
This paper disccusses some off the theory beh
hind subsea laser imaging andd compares this theory to the first set of undderwater
tests in a pool. Terrestrial lasser scanners com
mmonly produ
uce centimeter spatial and rannge accuracy att several hundrred meter
rrange. Due to the
t absorption of water, realizzable deepwateer systems are limited to tenss of meters range depending oon the
taarget and wateer conditions. To
T our knowledge, this is thee first time sub--centimeter acccuracy at greatter than 6m rannge is
ddemonstrated for
fo an underwatter laser system
m.
T
This technology
y is essential for
f better manaagement of deeep water assetss. The lack off timely and acccurate survey--quality 3D
m
measurements poses
p
an integrrity managemeent challenge for
f such assets.. A lack of acccurate data ressults in either hhigher risks
oor higher costss to build and maintain envirronmentally saafe production and product ttransportation systems. The speed and
pprecision of thee technology developed
d
by this
t
project red
duces operatinng costs for unnderwater inspeection, maintenance, and
rrepair; reducess environmentaal risk throug
gh more accurrate inspectionn; significantlyy improves coonstruction praactices and
qquality / reliab
bility; reduces risks to high value assets; and
a provides rrapid access too sharable surrvey-quality ass-built data
bbefore, during and
a after consttruction.

OTC 23006

Introduction
A critical area for effective construction and asset management operations is quality. Quality in manufacturing leads to more
consistency, less down time and lower repair costs. This is significant when the assets are generating millions of dollars per
day. One of the cornerstones of quality in construction and asset management is measurement and survey. Accurate
surveying leads to more precise construction, and more accurate inspection reduces costly down time by finding issues before
they arise. A lack of accurate data results in higher risks or costs to build and maintain environmentally safe production and
product transportation systems. Better measurements equates to better management.
Subsea construction, inspection and maintenance processes and their associated technologies have not kept pace with their
land based counterparts. On land, the survey and measurement industry was transformed by the introduction of 3D laser
scanning technologies. The laser scanning market is a mature multi-billion dollar industry with an eco-system of hardware,
software, expertise and best practices. 3D laser scanners quickly produce precise, high resolution 3D models of as-built
facilities and are used throughout the construction and maintenance process.
Conversely, the technologies for undersea surveying and measurement are relatively coarse and include two main
technologies: video and SONAR. Video provides a method for visually inspecting assets but does not provide quantitative
information only 2D information. Attempts have been made to acquire 3D data underwater with camera using methods
such as photogrammetry and stereo imaging.1,2,3 Major limitation with these approaches are reconstructions in areas of low
textural information, poor image contrast due to water conditions, and shadowing due to directional lighting. 4
SONAR systems have been the main tools for measurement and survey for many years and have become very sophisticated.
Many companies have developed high resolution multi-beam sonar systems which can produce angular resolutions as small
as 0.2. However the resolution of these systems are fundamentally limited due to the underlying physics the wavelength
of light is over 108 times smaller than ultrasonic wavelengths and can achieve angular resolutions of less than 100rad
(0.006). Therefore light based sensors inherently have higher spatial resolutions than sonar systems.
Multiple underwater systems have been developed in the past to take advantage of the high resolutions achievable with
lasers. A literature search reveals that both triangulation and range gated (or Time of Flight) underwater systems have been
investigated over the last several decades.
Laboratory versions of triangulation based laser imagers in clear water and short range (0.2 0.4m) were developed and
demonstrated since the mid-1990s.5,6, 7,8 Even at that time, triangulation systems were noted for providing high resolution at
close range (less than 3m), while range-gated systems could provide better resolution at longer ranges.
A triangulation based system was developed by K. Moore at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in 2000 for bathymetry.9
This system was designed to provide approximately 3 mm accuracy depth information at 2m range that degraded
exponentially with range. Depth resolution errors would approach 10 centimeters at 10 meter range.
More recently, another triangulation system was developed for seafloor roughness measurements. This system operated
approximately 75centimeters above the seabed and produced approximately 0.3mm(x) x 0.5mm(y) x 0.3mm (depth)
resolutions while deployed off the New Jersey coast.10 Note that the range is generally less than 3m for these triangulation
systems. This is a fundamental limitation of the triangulation method for calculating range, and thus limits its usefulness as a
general underwater survey tool.
Many of the terrestrial laser imagers available on the market today are based on Time of Flight (ToF) technology. This
includes products such as the Leica ScanStation C10, the Trimble CX Scanner, and the Optech ILRIS-3D. These ToF
sensors use a laser to emit a pulse of light. An accurate timer is used to time how long it takes for the pulse of light to travel
to and from a target. This time is then used to calculate the range to the target based upon the speed of light. There is no
fundamental limitation on the range of a ToF sensor besides the ability to detect the return photons reflected off the target
(ToF ladars are used to measure the distance to satellites). Therefore highly reflective objects can be detected at longer
ranges than low reflectivity targets.
A literature search will reveal that scanning, pulsed, 3D laser imagers have been investigated and deployed underwater over
the last couple of decades for military purposes11,12,13,14. Some of these are underwater based and others are aircraft based to
detect underwater mines. In either case, these systems did not attempt to achieve the range and spatial accuracies provided
by current terrestrial laser scanners (sub-inch).
The underwater 3D laser sensor presented here has the fundamental advantage of providing sub-centimeter precision at
greater than 7m range, a capability that to the authors knowledge has not been previously demonstrated.
The remainder of this paper discusses the development of the underwater laser scanning system over the last year by 3D at
Depth and CDL under the RPSEA program. The first section discusses some of the theoretical background of ToF
underwater laser sensing and shows results from 3D at Depths simulators. Following are descriptions of the prototype
sensor along with the experimental configuration for the underwater demonstrations performed in September 2011. Results

O
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ffrom the underw

water demonsttration are then
n presented, alo
ong with result s of preliminarry reliability teesting performeed in
O
October 2011. These results are
a summarizeed and direction
ns for future w
work are presennted in the finall section.
T
Theoretical Background
B
and Simulatiions
IIn optical detecction sensors, liight (laser enerrgy) is transmittted through a scattering meddium to a hard target. If the ttarget is a
rrough surface (not a mirror), the
t energy is sccattered into a full hemispherre. Some of thhis back-reflectted energy is caaptured by
thhe receiver apeerture and conv
verted to an eleectrical signal. The received energy must hhave enough poower to create m
more
ssignal electronss than the noisee level of the reeceiver to obtaain detection.
A single equation predicts thee amount of op
ptical signal pow
wer collected bby the receiverr aperture from
m the target (Ps)). This is
ssometimes calleed the ladar (laaser radar) equaation. This equ
uation is comm
mon for both diirect and coherrent detection ssystems.

PS = PttrT 2 (

Ar
)
R2

(1)

T
The peak poweer transmitted by
b the laser (Pt) is first attenu
uated by the opttics of the rem
mote sensor (t )). This energy is then
aattenuated by th
he extinction (T
T) of the mediu
um of propagattion (sea waterr). The waveleength of the lasser must be choosen
ccarefully to maaximize transmittance through
h the medium. The Jerlov cuurves can be used to select an appropriate w
wavelength
ffor seawater.

Figure 1. Jerrlov curves sho

owing transmitta
ance percentag e per meter trav
veled vs. wavelength.

15

JJerlov defined water

w
types as:: I = extremely
y clear oceanic water; II = troppical/subtropiccal oceanic watter; III = oceannic water at
temperate latitu
ude. Curves 1--9 are coastal waters
w
with varrying degrees oof turbidity. Bllue light (approoximately 475nnm) has
thhe highest tran
nsmittance in cllear water, but even with mild turbidity the transmittance drops to 85 80 percent per meter
trraveled. Green
n light (approx
ximately 525nm
m) has only slig
ghtly higher lo ss in clear watter, but has mucch better perfoormance in
hhighly turbid water
w
(15 - 20 percent
p
per metter higher transsmittance). Foor this reason, aalong with the fact that 532nm lasers
aare common, 3D
D at Depth hass chosen green as its laser sou
urce.
B
Back to the ladar equation, a portion
p
of the remaining
r
enerrgy is then bacck-reflected tow
wards the receiive aperture byy scattering
ppoints on the haard target (stru
ucture of interesst). The targett reflectivity (sr-1) defines tthe power refleectivity of the hhard target
oon a steradian basis.
b
The refleected energy is again attenuatted by the extinnction (T) of thhe medium. Thhe reflected poower is
ffinally captured
d by the viewin
ng angle of the receiver, whicch is again defiined in steradiaans (Ar/R2), whhere Ar is the aarea of the
rreceive aperturee, and R is the range to the taarget. The receeived power alsso experiencess an optical loss (r) due to thhe laser
rremote sensor optical
o
compon
nents.
A
Another key paarameter for SN
NR is the targett surface reflecctivity () . M
Most rough surffaces are well ddescribed by a
L
Lambertian surrface, where the power of the back-reflected
d light decreasees with angle ffrom normal inncidence () byy cos.
D
Due to this cos dependence, Lambertian so
ources reflect in
nto steradianns for a hemispphere, as opposed to the norm
mal 2
ssteradians in a hemisphere.
h
Therefore
T
forr a Lambertian
n surface is defi
fined as the pow
wer reflectivityy (a number beetween 0
aand 1) divided by
b steradianss.
A common con
nservative value for used in
n ladar modelin
ng is 0.1/ , (orr approximatelly 3.2 percent). For our models we use
aan even more conservative
c
of 0.0354 / (or
( 1.1 percent)). This is the vvalue of black ppaint at 532nm
m published by the NASA
JJet Propulsion Laboratory
L
AS
STER Spectral Library.16
IIn direct detectiion sensors, the return photon
ns are measureed directly withh a photo-detecctor (usually a semiconductorr diode
thhat converts ph
hotons to electrrons). The fun
ndamental meaasure of system
m performance iis the signal-too-noise ratio (S
SNR)
w
which is a meassure of the num
mber of signal electrons versu
us the electron noise floor of the sensor, whhich includes m
multiple
nnoise sources. These noise sources includee shot-noise fro
om the signal, bbackground ligght, detector daark current, laseer and

OTC 23006

bbackground light scattering offf of particles, and electronics amplifier noiise. The fundaamental SNR equation is:

SNR =

< is > 2
varr[in ]

(2)

w
where is is the received
r
signall current and vaar[in] is the varriance of the tootal current noiise. For a direcct detection opttical sensor
inn a scattering medium:
m

SNR =

< Ps G > 2
q [ Ps + PSccat + PbgTar + PbgScat + id ]Fd G 2 + N a B
2qB

(3)

w
where Ps is the optical power from the targeet received by the
t sensor (equuation 1), iis the responsivvity of the deteector

((which includess the quantum efficiency), an
nd G is the gain
n of the photo-ddetector. The units of this quuantity is ampss2 of the
ddesired optical signal (the num
merator). Thiss quantity mustt be higher thann the noise term
m, which is thee denominator of
eequation 3. Forr the denominaator, q = the ch
harge value of an
a electron, B = the bandwidtth of the receivver, PScat is the received
eenergy from thee laser pulse sccattering off off particles in the water, PbgTar is the backgroound light opticcal power receiived that is
rreflected from the
t target, PbgSScat is the backg
ground light op
ptical power recceived from sccattering off of particles in thee water, id
is the photodeteector dark currrent, Fd is the noise
n
factor con
ntributed by thee photodetectoor gain, and Na is the electronnics noise
vvariance. This entire term is the
t current noiise variance and also has unitts of amp2. SNR
R is an averagee (not instantanneous)
m
measure of the receiver capab
bility. This is a powerful equ
uation which al lows many sysstem tradeoffs.
33D at Depth haas a physics-bassed model in MATLAB
M
to model
m
these noi se sources andd the SNR to peerform trades oof the
ddesign. Figure 2 below showss the signal and
d noise sourcess for one configguration of thee prototype sensor assuming JJerlov
T
Type II oceanicc water with Tu
urbidity=1 on a black paint taarget. For thiss particular sim
mulation the background lightt was
ggenerated by modeling
m
an on--axis ROV heaadlamp a Kon
ngsberg OE11--150.

Figure
e 2. Theoretical range perform
mance for one ve
ersion of the prrototype system
m.

T
This performan
nce model clearrly shows that the limiting no
oise factor is thhe electronics nnoise (noiseAm
mp) which prevvents the
ssensor from operating at the shot
s
noise limitt. However, th
he sensor still hhas SNR of appproximately 200dB at 9m rangge, which
aallows for good
d signal detectiion. 3D at Dep
pth is implemen
nting more sennsitive receiverrs in the next R
RPSEA phase w
which will
aallow the system
m to operate att the shot noisee limit, howeveer we have provven in the lab tthat this is not necessary for ggreater
thhan 8m operation in clear waater conditions..
IIn addition to th
he basic range capability of th
he sensor, anotther software bbased simulatorr was built to m
model the com
mbined
laaser range com
mputation and scanning
s
field of
o view. This simulator is ussed to study annd understand tthe resultant im
mages
ppossible by scaanning at differrent rates with different
d
scan envelopes.
e

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A 3D CAD mo
odel is first gen
nerated consistiing of a typicall pipeline geom
metry and sea bbed, as shown iin Figure 3. Thhe
ssimulated laser sensor is posittioned above th
he target geom
metry per a conffigurable offsett distance and view angle. A
As the
ssimulation prog
gresses, the laser pulse is direected in a 2 dim
mensional scann pattern at a sim
mulated scan rrate. Each direectional
laaser pulse is seearched againstt the target geo
ometry for interrsection and a possible resulttant range calcuulation. This pproduces a
rresulting simulaated 3D point cloud.
c
The colllection of 3D intersections aare stitched together to form a 3D image deppicting the
ccapability of th
he sensor for the given target model
m
and scan
nning parametters. In additioon, the simulatoor has the capaability to
innclude a secon
nd laser at an an
ngle offset to study
s
how a seccond laser systtem provides ggreater visibilityy into the targeet
ggeometry.

Figure 3. Output of laser scanner simula

ator. (Left) CAD model and sim
mulated sensor. (Right) Simulated point cloud data.

T
This simulator can additionallly be used to aid in project management.
m
T
The simulator ccan determine iinitial ROV speeed and
ooffset from the target for diffeerent mission objectives
o
(sizee of feature to bbe detected) prrior to deploym
ment. Based onn target
ggeometry, the simulator
s
would also provide insight into sin
ngle or multiplle laser system
m usage to invesstigate intricatee target
ggeometries.
T
The Sensor
T
The above simu
ulators were ussed to perform multiple paperr designs of thee sensor based upon customeer requirementss, water
cconditions, variious sub-system
m components, and system co
onfigurations. This allowed for the sound ttechnical approoach of
ppredicting sensor performance to make tradees between diffferent sensor aarchitectures annd componentss prior to buildiing the
ffirst unit.
A block diagram
m of the sensor is shown in Figure
F
4 below. The optical hhead (Laser Im
maging Unit) coonsists of the trransmitter
ssub-system (lasser and accomp
panying optics)), the receiver subsystem
s
(dettector and accoompanying opttics) and the sccanner.
T
These sub-systeems can be opttimized for diffferent operational scenarios aand environmeental conditionss. For this prottotype
ssystem we used
d a diode pump
ped, passively Q-switched,
Q
Nd:YAG laser w
with an externaal non-linear crrystal to perform
m the
ffrequency doub
bling to 532nm
m laser light. The
T receiver iss a high-speed ssilicon photodiiode, and the scanning subsyystem is a
tw
wo-axis galvan
nometer scanneer to allow pro
ogrammable scaanning in two oorthogonal direections.

Figure 4. Block diagra

am of 3D laser s
scanning senso
or.

A
Along with the Laser Imaging
g Unit (LIU) arre multiple elecctronic controll systems. Theese include the Control Subsyystem for
ccontrolling the LIU and monitoring system health;
h
the CPU
U and BUS forr general system
m control and operation; the Data
S
Subsystem for data collection
n, transformatio
on and processing; the Data S
Storage System
m for housing ddata locally; thee Power
aand Environmeentally Monitorring System to convert the ho
ost vehicle pow
wer to the varioous voltages required by the ssensor; and
thhe I/O (Comm
munication) sub
bsystem. All off these systemss are housed w
within the subseea sensor.

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A
An Ethernet (TCP/IP) connecction is the only
y communicatiions connectionn to the outsidee world. Poweer is also suppllied
thhrough standarrd Burton 5500
0 Series subseaa connectors. In
I an operationnal scenario botth power and ccommunicationns are
cconnected direcctly to the ROV
V communicatiion and power system (26V D
DC). Control oof the sensor annd additional ddata
sstorage is then performed
p
on the
t topside boaat with a standaard laptop or ddesktop computter. Data processing and visuualization
ccan be perform
med in real timee at this topsidee terminal.
F
Figure 5 below
w shows the assembled prototy
ype sensor. Th
he prototype seensor is 8.2 incch diameter, 288 inches long, aand weighs
776.1 pounds in air. The alum
minum housing and Burton con
nnectors are alll designed for 3000m operatiion. A 2.5-incch diameter
w
window is locaated on one sidee of the sensor and is currentlly designed forr 300m operatiion. A 3000m window will bbe
ddesigned into th
he system durin
ng the next phaase of the RPS
SEA program. The sensor is ddesigned to alllow +- 15 scannning in
bboth azimuth an
nd elevation. This
T scan area (along with scan rate) is com
mpletely prograammable by thee user at the toopside
terminal. With
h an 8 meter raange of operatio
on this allows for a maximum
m 4.3 meter sw
wath per linear scan.

Figure 5. (Left)) Prototype sensor mounted on

n a tripod with standard
s
subse
ea camera moun
nted on top. (Rig
ght) Programma
able +- 15
can area in both
h azimuth and elevation provid es 4.3m swath a
at 8m range.
sc

E
Experimental Configuratiion
T
The 3D laser sccanning sensorr was tested und
derwater in earrly September,, 2011 at the CD
DL facility in H
Houston, TX. A 27-foot
x 12-foot x 4-fo
oot above-grou
und pool was used
u
for the testting. Various ttargets were pllaced at one ennd of the pool aand the
laaser sensor waas placed at thee opposite end. Typical rangee from sensor tto target was appproximately 5 - 7 meters.
T
The sensor wass placed on the tripod as show
wn in Figure 6 below. On thee cart to the lefft of the sensorr is a lab powerr supply
thhat provides th
he various voltaage sources req
quired by the sensor.
s
This lab
ab power supplyy was on the roolling cart nextt to the
ppool and conneected to the sen
nsor via standarrd subsea cablees and Burton 55500 Series coonnectors. For the ROV testss in early
C power to thee various requirred
22012, a custom
m power board was
w integrated into the sensorr to convert thee ROV 26V DC
vvoltages of the sensor. The im
mage on the rig
ght shows the sensor
s
in the poool on the tripood with the subbsea cables exiiting the
ppool to the lab power
p
supply.

Figure 6. (Left) 3D laser sens

sor on tripod co
onnected to lab power supply o
on rolling cart (R
Right) 3D laser s
sensor and trip
pod in pool
with
w subsea cab
bles connecting to the lab powe
er supply outsid
de the pool.

C
Communication
ns with the sen
nsor was establlished with an Ethernet
E
conneection through a standard Nettgear Ethernet switch. A
sstandard Dell laaptop was used
d to control thee sensor, processs, and visualizze the data. Figgure 7 shows thhe topside conttrol laptop
aand the sensor control
c
GUI on
n the smaller LCD
L
screen. Th
he larger LCD
D screen is connnected to a stanndard underwater video
ccamera (Bowteech Surveyor-S
SD with color and
a zoom) in orrder to view thhe underwater sscene. This ccontrol center was
pplaced next to the
t test pool, however the dessign allows forr operation onbboard a ship using the standarrd ROV Ethernnet

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cconnections to control the sen

nsor. Figure 7 also shows thee test pool withh the laser senssor illuminatingg targets on thee opposite
sside of the pooll.

Figure 7. (Left)) Topside contrrol with a standard laptop throu

ugh a standard Ethernet conne
ection. (Right) Laser sensor illluminating
targets on the opposite
o
side o
of the pool.

U
Underwater Test
T
Results and Discuss
sion
T
The first undeerwater test peerformed was range verificcation. To acccomplish thiss verification a base-line wire was
cconstructed witth a marker pllaced every 1 meter
m
as measu
ured with a staandard 5m meetric tape meassure. The senssor mirrors
w
were adjusted so
s the laser waas approximateely level acrosss the length off the pool. Thhe first markerr was then mannually held
aagainst the sensor window an
nd a tripod targ
get (Figure 8) was
w moved to the different rranges as deterrmined by the base-line
w
wire. The rang
ge and range precision
p
were measured at eaach location annd compared w
with the base-linne. Results arre shown in
T
Table 1.

Figure 8. Tripod target used

u
for range v
verification testting.

T
This data clearlly shows that th
he prototype seensor was ablee to accurately m
measure rangee at 5 meters too within 3mm w
with a
66.3mm precisio
on (1 standard deviation).
d
Table
T
1. Ran
nge Verificat ion Data.
Base Line Range (m)
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0

Measured Ran
nge (m)
1.995
2.996
3.992
5.003

Delta
a (mm)
--5
--4
--8
+
+3

Range
e Precision (mm
m)
6
6
7.5
6.3

W
With basic rang
ge accuracy esttablished, the next
n tests focussed on scanninng various objeccts at various rranges in the poool. One
ggoal of these measurements
m
was
w to test the sensor
s
on vario
ous materials, ssurfaces, objecct shapes, and rranges. Objectts scanned
innclude a rusted
d flange, yellow
w flange, stand
dard chain, yelllow pipe with a dent, blue craate, standard tiire, and survey targets.
F
Figure 9 (left) shows
s
these vaarious objects in
n the pool while performing a wide area scan. The laser iis seen illuminnating
m
multiple objects during a sing
gle camera integration time. The
T scan area w
was 29 in azim
muth x 13.5 inn elevation. Thhe farthest
oobject detected was the pool wall
w at 6.8m raange. This equ
uated to an apprroximately 3.552m x 1.61m sccan area.
T
The actual dataa collection tim
me for this scene was approxim
mately 5 seconnds. After the sscan is compleete, the scannedd data was
aautomatically trransferred acro
oss the Etherneet connection th
hrough the swiitch to the conttrol laptop. Thhe transfer tookk less than

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330 seconds. Th
he data was theen processed on
n the standard laptop to produuce the image shown in Figuure 9 (right). T
This data
pprocessing also
o took approxim
mately 30 secon
nds. The 3D point
p
cloud wass then viewed w
with range mappped to color aand could
bbe rotated. Thiis was all perfo
ormed with 3D at Depths pro
oprietary softw
ware.

Figure 9. Multiple objects sca

anned at once (L
Left) Image from
m HDTV underw
water camera wh
hile performing a large area sc
can (Right)
resulting
r
3D datta where color is
i mapped to ra
ange blue is sh
hort range.

nge with blue being

b
closest raange and red bbeing furthest rrange. The dataa set is
IIn the processed data, color iss mapped to ran
2200 data pointss x 200 data points. This wid
de area scans caaptures the entiire scene to givve the operatorr situational aw
wareness.
T
The operator caan now focus in
n on different targets
t
individu
ually.
S
Some of the advantages and capabilities
c
of a 3D laser scan
nner can be asccertained whenn looking at eacch target indiviidually.
F
First, a focused
d scan was perfformed on the first
f
flange, wh
hich was rustedd and angled ass shown in Figgure 10. The flaange was
113.5 inches in diameter
d
and th
he 8 bolt holes were 7/8-inch in diameter. T
This target wass interesting duue to the variouus textures
aand colors that should providee various reflecctivities for thee laser sensor. This flange w
was 3.1 meters ffrom the sensor.

Figu
ure 10. Rusted, angled flange target.
t
(Right) The
T attitude is n
not identifiable w
with a straight-o
on orientation.

T
The resulting 3D data is show
wn in Figure 11. The scan areea was 7.2 in aazimuth x 7.3 in elevation. At 3.1m rangee this
eequated to a scaan area of apprroximately 0.4m
m x 0.4m. Thee dataset was 2200 x 200 poinnts, which equaated to a spatiall
rresolution of ap
pproximately 2mm.
2
With this resolution thee 7/8 inch in diiameter bolt hooles were easilyy identified annd could be
m
measured.

Figure 11. 3D Data

D
of rusted fllange. (Left) Iso
ometric view sh
hows the flange and shadow on
n the back wall. (Right) Rotatin
ng the data
90 allows identificattion and measurement of featu
ures such as the
e flange attitude
e.

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N
Note the right image
i
in Figuree 10. This is th
he type of information one accquires with a 22D sensor (a sttandard cameraa). When
loooking straight-on to the flan
nge one cannott detect the attittude. Unlike ccamera data, thhe 3D data from
m a single orienntation can
bbe turned thus making
m
the attiitude easily reccognized and measurable
m
as sshown in Figurre 11.
A focused scan
n was next perfformed on the yellow
y
flange (a
( common collor for subsea aassets) as show
wn in Figure 122. The
fflange was 10.0
0 inches in diam
meter and the 6 bolt holes weere 0.5-inch in diameter. Thiis flange was 5.3 meters from
m the
ssensor and closse to the -15 siide of the scene. Attached to
o the flange andd hanging beloow it was a stanndard chain witth 1-inch x
22-inch x 0.3-incch metal links.

Figure
F
12. (Left)) 10 inch diametter yellow flang
ge (Right) standa
ard metal chain
n attached durin
ng the scan.

T
The resulting 3D data is show
wn in Figure 13
3. The image on
o the left show
ws the initial sccan. The scan area was 4.5 iin azimuth
x 5.5 in elevattion. At 5.3m range this equated to a scan area
a of approxximately 0.46m
m x 0.46m. Thee dataset was 2200 x 200
ppoints, which equated
e
to a spaatial resolution
n of approximattely 2.3mm. W
With this resoluution the 0.5 innch diameter boolt holes
w
were easily iden
ntified and cou
uld be measureed, however thee chain was noot readily identiifiable.

Figure 13. 3D data of yellow flange

f
(Left) Low
wer resolution scan
s
does not s
show chain deta
ail. (Right) High
her resolution s
scan does
show
w chain detail.

T
The image on the right showss a second scan
n. The scan areea was 3.0 in aazimuth x 7.0 in elevation. At 5.3m rangee this
eequated to a scaan area of apprroximately 0.14
4m x 0.65m. This
T time the ddataset was 4000 x 400 points, which equatedd to a
sspatial resolutio
on of approxim
mately 0.35mm
m in azimuth. With
W this resoluution the chainn was now easilly identifiable and could
bbe measured.
O
On-the-fly operrator control off scan area and
d scan resolutio
on is a key beneefit of this prottotype sensor. Operationallyy, the
ssensor can be optimized
o
for faast scans of larrge areas and th
hen when areass of interest aree identified, highly detailed sscans can
bbe performed at
a much higher resolutions (att the cost of scaanning speed).
A focused scan
n was next perfformed on a yelllow pipe (a co
ommon color fo
for subsea assetts) as shown inn Figure 14. Thhe pipe
w
was 8.0 inches in diameter an
nd the center off the dent had two
t holes onee approximatelly 3mm in diam
meter and one less than
11mm in diametter. The pipe was
w 5.9 meters from the senso
or. Behind the pipe was a bluue crate. The ccrate was used to
ssimulate protecctive metal grattings or cages that
t are sometiimes placed ovver subsea assets to protect thhem from fishinng
aanchors, etc. The
T plastic cratee would float, so it was wedg
ged between thhe pipe and the pool wall for sstability.

10

OTC 23006

Figure 14. Sca

an of 8 inch diam
meter pipe (Leftt) Blue crate to simulate protec
ctive gratings (M
Middle) Scan wiith blue crate be
ehind pipe
(Right).

T
The resulting 3D data is show
wn in Figure 15
5. The image on
o the left show
ws an isometricc view of the sccan. The scan aarea was
44.0 in azimuth
h x 6.2 in elevation. At 5.9m range this eq
quates to a scaan area of approoximately 0.411m x 0.64m. T
The dataset
w
was higher reso
olution at 800 x 800 points, which
w
equates to
t a spatial resoolution of apprroximately 0.8 mm.

Figure 15. 3D
D data of 8 inch pipe at 5.9m ran
nge. (Left) Isometric view show
ws the pipe, cratte, and pool wa
all all in one scan. (Right)
Same data rotated 90 reveals
s the 3mm and < 1mm holes in
n the pipe.

F
Figure 15 (left)) shows an isom
metric view of the scanned daata. This reveaals that in one ddata acquisitionn the system accquired
ddata from the pipe,
p
the crate, and
a the pool wall.
w
This demo
onstrated that iin a pipeline innspection scenaario the system
m could be
uused to inspect the pipe, a pro
otective grating
g, and the seabeed floor all in oone pass. The distance of thee pipe from thee seabed
ccould easily be measured and
d the pipe could
d be inspected at
a the same tim
me.
F
Figure 15 (righ
ht) shows the saame data rotateed 90. The spikes observed in the middle oof the image eqquate to opticaal returns
rreceived from inside
i
the pipe (longer range)). This clearly identifies
i
the 33mm and less thhan 1mm holes in the pipe. T
This
ddemonstrates th
he capability off the system to
o detect these siized features at approximatelly 6m range annd verifies the sspatial
rresolution of th
he system. In th
he future autom
matic feature reecognition algoorithms can bee developed to automatically ddetect
thhese types of features
f
during a pipeline surv
vey.
O
One goal of thee prototype 3D laser scanning
g system is to take advantage of the large seelection of stanndard software packages
thhat have developed around th
he terrestrial 3D
D laser scannin
ng industry. Thherefore an im
mportant featuree of our prototyype is the
aability to process the 3D poin
nt cloud using industry standaard software paackages. The 33D data from thhe pipe was poorted into
L
Leicas Cyclon
ne product where a 3D surfacee model was crreated. This iss shown in Figuure 16 (Top). T
The dent in thee pipe is
cclearly identifiaable but most end
e users want to know the measurable
m
exteent of the damaage. Again usiing Cyclone, a series of
ssection cuts weere created from
m the surface model
m
with onee cut at the apexx of the dentedd section. The 3D surface moodel and
ssection cuts weere output into a .dxf format, and
a then imporrted into AutoC
CAD. Once inn AutoCAD meeasurements off the pipe
aand dent were made
m
as shown
n in Figure 16 (Bottom).
(

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11

Figure 16. 3D point

p
cloud data
a can be proces
ssed in standard
d software (Top
p) 3D model is g
generated in Leiica Cylcone and
d a section
cut is made at
a the dent (Bottom) the model and
a
section cutt are output into
o .dxf format an d then imported
d into AutoCAD
D to make
measuremen
nts of the pipe a
and dent.

T
The pipe scan demonstrated
d
th
he capability of
o the sensor to detect 1mm hholes at a 5.9m range. It also demonstrated the ability
too integrate the resulting datassets into standaard software paackages such aas Leica Cyclonne and AutoCA
AD in order to perform
sstandard engineeering analysess.
A focused scan
n was next perfformed on the standard
s
car tirre (Firestone Fiirehawk) as shhown in Figure 17. The tire w
was 6.1
m
meters from thee sensor. The scan
s
area was 8.0 in azimuth
h x 6.0 in elevvation. At 6.11m range this eequated to a scan area of
aapproximately 0.85m x 0.64m
m. The dataset was 600 x 600
0 points, whichh equated to a sspatial resolution of approxim
mately
11.4mm in azimuth. With this resolution the writing on thee tire was clearrly identifiable,, along with thee valve stem.

Figure 17. 3D
3 data of Firesttone Firehawk T
Tire at 6.1 meterr range.

T
This was an intteresting scan to
t test a differeent material. Fo
or this scan (att 6.1m range) tthe sensor did nnot acquire goood returns
ffrom the black rubber, so it cllearly showed as
a a dark area. The black rubbber was not teested at closer rrange. The whhite writing
aand the rim pro
oduce good sign
nal returns and
d were clearly visible.
v
The vaalve stem show
wed in the 11 ooclock positionn of the
rrim.
A final scan waas performed of
o different exam
mple survey taargets to perforrm a preliminarry test of the seensor as a survvey tool.
D
Different exam
mple survey targ
gets were placeed on a single platform
p
that m
mates to a metrrology stab as sshown in Figurre 18. The
taargets included
d a 7.42 centim
meter diameter aluminum balll (painted with flat blue paintt to reduce refleectivity) and tw
wo
ccylindrical refleective precision
n tape targets mounted
m
on a vertical
v
metal rrod. The ball w
was chosen sinnce spheres are
ccommonly used
d reference surrvey points in terrestrial
t
3D laaser scanning aapplications. T
The single poinnt precision tarrgets were
cchosen simply as a first test fo
or this type of target.
t
T
The range to th
he survey targetts was approxim
mately 3.6 metters. The scann was 6.9 in azzimuth x 10.322 in elevation. At 3.6m
rrange this equaated to an appro
oximate 0.43m
m x 0.65m scan area. The resuulting data wass 300 x 300 datta points whichh equated
too approximately 2.2mm resolution in elevaation.

12

OTC 23006

Figure 18. Tes

sts on different survey targets. (Left) Photo off survey targets
s on docking pla
atform (Middle) 3D point cloud of survey
olid model of su
urvey targets.
tarrgets (Right) So

T
The survey targ
gets were desig
gned and assem
mbled by UTEC
C Survey (Figuure 18 Left). T
The target was tthen scanned inn the pool
aand a resulting 3D point cloud
d produced (Fiigure 18 Middlle). The point ccloud was moddeled and processed by UTEC
C Survey
((Figure 18 Righ
ht). The single point precision
n targets did no
ot produce adeequate results dduring this firstt test. The mouunted test
ssphere produceed a solid geom
metry with a cen
ntroid location RMS value off 1.4mm. For ssurvey applicaations a RMS vvalue
bbelow 3 millim
meter is desired..
T
This first test provided promising results forr the capability
y of the underw
water sensor as a survey tool w
with standard 33D laser
sscanning survey
y targets. Furtther design and
d testing is requ
uired to develoop a single preccision point tarrget. This test again
ddemonstrated th
he ability to traansfer the poin
nt cloud data intto industry stanndard softwaree packages devveloped for terrrestrial
laaser scanning.
R
Reliability Te
esting
IIn addition to performance
p
tessting, preliminary reliability testing
t
was perrformed on thee prototype sennsor to test survvivability
inn expected dep
ployment envirronments. Testts included Op
perating Tempeerature, Storagee Temperature Cycling, Vibrration tests,
aand Shock testss. As with any
y optical sensorr (especially lasser based sensoors) the primarry concern is thhe moving or sshifting of
ooptics in the op
ptical train due to vibrations or
o thermal chan
nges. With lasser based sensoors, very small movements off the optics
juust due to therm
mal expansion
n /contraction can cause opticaal mis-alignmeent and thus serrious performaance degradatioon if not
ddesigned propeerly. 3D at Dep
pth performed both thermal & mechanical M
Monte Carlo toolerance analyssis of the opticaal system
pprior to constru
uction in an atteempt to generaate a robust dessign. These relliability tests arre required to vverify the desiggn.
R
Reliability testiing was perform
med in Octobeer 2011. Prior to
t any tests, thee sensor was thhoroughly visuually inspectedd for any
pparticles, debriss, wire location
ns (pinch pointts), and rub poiints. In additioonal all fasteneers and cable coonnectors weree tightened
too their approprriate level. A functional testt was then perfo
formed with a ccalibrated targeet at 30-foot raange in air and the
rreceived signal was recorded at 1.7V.
T
Thermal Testiing.
F
Figure 19 below
w shows the seensor in a Cinciinnati Sub-Zerro environmenttal chamber moodel Z-32-2-2--H/WC. The chamber
hhas a window which
w
allows fo
or functional teesting of the seensor before, duuring, and afteer thermal flucttuations. The ssensor lab
ppower supply and
a control com
mputer are outsside the chamber as shown inn the image on the left. The ssubsea cables aare
cconnected to th
he sensor throug
gh a port in thee side of the ch
hamber.
T
The temperaturre inside the sensor was meassured at one off the critical com
mponents (the receiver electrronics). In ordder to make
thhis measuremeent the system had to be poweered, however the powered seensor would geenerate heat. T
Therefore the ssensor was
left off and allo
owed to soak att each temperaature for at least one hour prioor to sensor turrn-on and tempperature check to ensure
thhe inside of thee sensor was reeaching the chaamber temperaature.

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13

Figure 19. Win

ndow in thermall chamber allow
ws functional tes
sting of the sen
nsor during therrmal tests.

T
The primary fu
unctional tests performed
p
inclu
uded:
1) Basic functionality / communicatio
on established
ved signal pow
wer level
2) Receiv
3) Pointin
ng stability
T
To make these measurements a temporary taarget wall was installed approoximately 5.5m
m from the sennsor. For initial setup,
nnine points werre marked on th
he target as initial starting po
oints for beam llocation and reeturn signal am
mplitude. The nnine
loocations were set to test the maximum
m
scan
nner angle allow
wed as definedd by the 5.5m ddistance and seensor height in the
m -15 to +15.
cchamber. Maxiimum elevation
n angles were from
f
11 to -5, while maxim
mum azimuth anngles were from
Operating Temperature.
T
T
The primary go
oal of the operaating temperatu
ure tests was to
o verify system
m functionality and basic perfformance at exppected
ooperating temperatures. During the pool triaals in Houston, the standard w
water temperatture was approoximately 22 C
C, so the
uupper end of op
perational temp
peratures had already
a
been tested. Since thhe sensor is dessigned for 30000m operation, cold water
ooperation needeed to be verifieed. Tests were performed at 22
2 C, 5 C, annd -1 C chambber temperaturres. The sensorr was
aallowed to soak
k for 2 hours att the -1 C cham
mber temperatu
ure prior to perrforming functtional tests.
R
Results showed
d the system op
perated normallly at all temperatures and stroong signal leveels were recordded at all 9 locations. It
w
was also revealled that the testt setup was nott adequate for precise
p
evaluattion of the senssor. Upon insppection during the tests it
w
was observed th
hat the temporaary target wall moved based on air currentss in the room annd whenever a person walkedd by the
taarget. This created fluctuations in both the signal level retturn and the exxact location off the beam at each of the 9 anngles. In
thhe future this test
t must be performed in an environmentall chamber who se window hass clear line-of-ssite to the buildding wall.
H
However, this problem

show
wed the sensitiivity of the sen
nsor to detect m
millimeter scalee movements oof the target cauused by air
ccurrents.
D
Despite this tesst setup variatio
on, the maximu
um angular displacement wass found to be aapproximately 909rad (apprroximately
00.052) and thee maximum sig
gnal level variaation was found
d to be a twofoold increase in ssignal level duuring the -1 C test as
ccompared to initial conditionss.
Thermal Cyycling (Storagee Temperaturee).
T
The primary go
oal of the prelim
minary thermall cycle test wass to shock the ssensor with tem
mperature extreemes to test opptical
aalignment and solder
s
joint rob
bustness. In ad
ddition, this tesst assessed connditions the sennsor could expeerience while inn storage.
O
One sub-system
m component was
w not guarantteed below 0C
C prior to this ttest, so -1C w
was set as the lim
mit for this test in order
too not risk the ROV
R
tests in eaarly 2012. In the
t future, this component wiill be replaced and thermal cyycling will occcur from
660C to -20C.
T
The thermal tesst consisted of transitions from
m 60C to -1C
C, with a 2C/m
min transition aand a one-hourr soak at each
temperature exttreme. This eq
quated to five cycles
c
for a full 16 hours of teemperature tessting overnightt. The chamberr then
ssoaked at 10C
C for 2.5 hours prior
p
to perform
ming functionaal test.
R
Results again sh
howed the systtem operated normally
n
after a full night of ttemperature cyycling and stronng signal levels were
rrecorded at all nine
n locations, despite the tarrget induced vaariations. Thee maximum anngular displaceement was apprroximately
44.2mrad (appro
oximately 0.24) and the max
ximum signal leevel variation w
was an approxiimately 1.8 tim
mes increase in signal
level compared
d to the initial conditions.
c
No
ote this is after the temporary target wall waas setup for a fu
full night.
IIn summary, th
he system surviived and showeed no performaance issues durring operating aand storage tem
mperature testiing.
S
Shock and Vib
bration Testin
ng.
F
Following the temperature
t
tessts, the system was then subjeected to shock and vibration testing. Figuree 20 below shoows the

14

OTC 23006

ssensor mounted
d on a Dynamicc Solutions Vib
bration Shakerr Model DS-155400VH122-700. The prototyppe sensor was monitored
thhrough multiplle Dytran Sing
gle-Axis Piezoeelectric Accelerrometers (Moddel 32225F1) w
with at least onne mounted in eeach
oorthogonal axiss of motion, alo
ong with a con
ntrol accelerom
meter mounted oon the table.
T
The table vibraates in one lineaar direction so the sensor musst be rotated too test each axiss. In Figure 200 below the testt direction
is perpendiculaar to the opticall window. To test the verticaal axis the senssor base is left as shown in Fiigure 20, howeever the
ssensor is rotated 90 within th
he black clamp
ps.

Figu
ure 20. Sensor mounted on vib
bration table forr shock and vib
bration testing.

B
Both vibration and shock testiing were perfo
ormed in each axis
a prior to mooving the sensoor to the next ttest axis. All fa
fasteners
uused to attach the sensor to th
he vibration tab
ble were tighten
ned to a specifi
fied torque prioor to each test. Basic functionnal testing
w
was performed after each testt that included pointing
p
the beeam to three diifferent locatio ns on the buildding wall and rrecording
thhe location and
d return signal voltage.
Vibration Testing.
T
T
The primary goal
g
of the vib
bration testing was to not only
o
verify baasic survivabiliity, but also tto look for anny resonant
vvibrations that could becomee long term isssues. Vibrattion testing waas performed iin accordance with the Deppartment of
D
Defense Militaary Standard fo
or Mechanical Vibrations off Shipboard Eqquipment (MIL
L-STD-167-1A
A). For this ppreliminary
testing, the Exp
ploratory Vibraation Test (5.1..2.4.2) was perrformed to searrch for resonannces. The test was from 4 to 33Hz with
aapproximately 15 seconds at each
e
frequency
y.
F
Figure 21 below
w shows two example
e
accelerometer outputts while testingg the vertical aaxis. The graphh on the left shhows an inpplane accelerom
meter matches the input signaal with no reso
onance. The grraph on the righht shows an ouut-of-plane acccelerometer
is well below the demand and
d shows no ressonance structu
ure for inside tthe sensor. Thhis type of data was recordedd for every
aaccelerometer for
f each axis off testing.

F
Figure 21. Exam
mple accelerometer output duriing vibration tes
sting for the Z-a
axis. (Left) Acc
celerometer is in
n-plane with the
e Z-axis and
matches the in
nput acceleratio
ons without reso
onance. (Right) Acceleromete
er is out-of-plane
e with the Z-axis and shows no
o signs of
resonance.
r

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15

IIn addition to th
he accelerometter data, the same basic functtional tests werre performed aas for the therm
mal chamber tessts. These
test were perfo
ormed against a nearby build
ding wall. How
wever, after mooving the vibrration table does not return tto its exact
loocation, thus skewing the ang
gular tests of th
he sensor. Desspite this issuee, the maximum
m angular displlacement was ffound to be
aapproximately 360rad (approximately 0.02
21) and the maximum
m
signall level variatioon was found too be an approxximately 27
ppercent increase in signal leveel compared to
o the initial con
nditions.
Shock Testiing.
T
The primary go
oal of the shock
k tests was to not
n only verify
y basic survivabbility, but also to look for anyy resonant vibrrations that
ccould become issues. Shock
k test conditio
ons were three pulses per dirrection along eeach of six priinciple directioons, sine
sshock at 3g accceleration and 11ms
1
nominal duration.
F
Figure 22 below
w shows examp
ple acceleromeeter outputs wh
hile testing the vertical axis. The graph on the top is the ddrive input.
T
The bottom graaph shows the accelerometerr outputs for seeven different accelerometerrs. The in-planne accelerometers follow
thhe drive shock
k pulse very clo
osely, while the out-of-plane accelerometerrs remaining baasically flat. N
No resonance ffeatures are
oobserved. Thiss type of data was
w recorded fo
or each axis of testing.

Figure 22. Exam

mple accelerom
meter output durring shock testiing for the Z-axiis. (Top) Shock
k pulse is within
n the accepted ttolerances.
(R
Right) Outputs from
f
seven acc
celerometers sh
how no resonance features.

IIn addition to the

t acceleromeeter data, the same
s
basic fun
nctional tests w
were performedd as for the vibbration tests. These test
w
were performed against a neearby building
g wall. Howev
ver, after movving the vibrattion table doees not return to its exact
loocation, thus skewing
s
the an
ngular tests off the sensor. Despite this isssue, the maxiimum angular displacement was again
ffound to be ap
pproximately 360rad
3
(appro
oximately 0.02
21) and the m
maximum signnal level variattion was found to be an
aapproximately 33 percent incrrease in signal level compareed to the initial conditions.
IIn summary, th
he system surviived and showeed no resonancce or performannce issues duriing both vibratiion and shock testing.
F
Final Inspectio
on.
A
After all tests, the sensor was thoroughly visually
v
inspected for any paarticles, debris,, wire locationns (pinch points), and rub
ppoints. Inspection revealed that two wiress were subjected to very minnor pinching; all fasteners aand connectorss were still
tiight; and a few
w points of phy
ysical rubbing were observed
d inside the sennsor that causeed small chips oof the aluminuum housing
too be scraped off.
o
The physiical rubbing du
uring vibration
n and the minoor wire pinchinng are both beiing addressed in the next
ddesign.
IIn addition, thee same functio
onal test was again
a
performeed with a calibbrated target att 30-foot range in air and thhe received
ssignal was reco
orded at 1.7V (u
unchanged).
C
Conclusions
T
Three dimensio
onal laser scann
ning offers a neew capability to
t the industry for quickly caapturing surveyy quality data fo
for
cconstruction, reepair, and main
ntenance. Thiss ability to quicckly capture higgh resolution 33D models provides a key com
mponent
oof integrity man
nagement for a variety of pro
oduction assets.

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In this article we introduced hardware and software that has been developed for an underwater 3D laser scanning sensor that
provides resolutions similar to terrestrial systems at ranges up to nine meters. Theoretical models were presented that
predicted approximately 20dB SNR signal levels at 9 meter range in Jerlov Type II oceanic water. Underwater
demonstrations were performed in a pool with strong signal returns at 6.8 meter range from the pool wall. The experimental
ranges were therefore limited by the size of the pool. 3D at Depth is implementing more sensitive receivers in the next
RPSEA phase to further increase range and enable operation in more turbid conditions. The next phase will also entail more
detailed testing of the system in turbid waters.
The range precision of the sensor was characterized during the pool demonstrations and at 5 meter range produced a range
error compared to the baseline of 3 millimeters and a range precision of 6.3 millimeters. Multiple objects were scanned to
test different materials including rusty metal, shiny metal, yellow paint, blue plastic, black rubber and white rubber. All
materials produced strong returns except for the black rubber at 6.1 meter range. The black rubber was not tested at closer
ranges. Testing of all materials will continue with the more sensitive receiver during Phase 2. This will determine at what
range a black rubber target can be imaged.
Spatial resolution was verified through detection of a less than1mm hole in a dented pipe at 5.9 meter range. In the future
automatic feature recognition algorithms could be developed to automatically detect these types of features during a pipeline
survey. A single data acquisition was performed where the system acquired data from an 8-inch pipe, a crate, and a pool wall.
This demonstrated that in a pipeline inspection scenario the system could be used to inspect the pipe, a protective grating, and
the seabed floor all in one pass. The distance of the pipe from the seabed could easily be measured and the pipe could be
inspected at the same time.
One goal of the prototype 3D laser scanning system is to take advantage of the large selection of standard software packages
that have developed around the terrestrial 3D laser scanning industry. We demonstrated the ability to integrate the resulting
datasets into standard software packages such as Leica Cyclone and AutoCAD in order to perform standard engineering
analyses.
Along with detailed scans, a wide area scan with multiple targets at multiple ranges was demonstrated. The scan was 29 in
azimuth x 13.5 in elevation. The farthest object detected was the pool wall at 6.8m range. This equated to an approximately
3.52m x 1.61m scan area. Therefore on-the-fly operator control of scan area and scan resolution was successfully
demonstrated. Operationally, the sensor can be optimized for fast scans of large areas and then when areas of interest are
identified, highly detailed scans can be performed at much higher resolutions (at the cost of scanning speed).
Temperature testing verified the sensor can operate down to the freezing temperatures that could be experienced in ultra-deep
water environments. In addition, the thermal cycling tests from 60C to -1C showed no fundamental weakness in the sensor.
In the future thermal cycling tests will be conducted down to -20C. The shock and vibration tests performed revealed no
fundamental resonance conditions for the sensor. This demonstrates the sensor has a fundamentally solid design. A few
points of physical rubbing were observed inside the sensor that caused small chips of the aluminum housing to be scraped
off. The sensor has been modified to address this issue.
Future work in 2012 includes:
1) In-water trial while integrated with ROV in ROV test tank
2) Turbidity Testing
3) Open water trial
4) Enhanced receiver and smaller packaging
5) Design for AUV integration
6) Development for moving platform operation
Acknowledgements
This work was conducted under a Department of Energy contract administered by the Research Partnership to Secure Energy
for America (RPSEA) with direct oversight and inputs from RPSEA Project Manager Mr. Donald Richardson. Additional
funding support was provided by CDL of Houston, TX. Survey targets and processing of survey target data was performed
by UTEC Survey of Houston, TX.

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