A portable sonar system is needed for reconnaissance in shallow and very shallow waters, which are often the most difficult for military personnel to traverse due to underwater mines and obstructions. Currently, the discovery of these objects is performed by touch in cold, murky water, often at night and under low-light conditions. A 3D sonar mounted on an AUV and possessing good imaging capabilities has dual-use applications in both military and commercial markets. Navy salvage, explosive ordinance disposal and Navy SEALS have missions in zero-visibility water where "seeing with sound" from unmanned vehicles would be significantly more efficient and safer. Commercial markets include aiding search and rescue dive teams. Currently, AUV sonar imaging systems are using 1D arrays of sensors with acoustic lenses to focus reflected sound returning from ranges of greater than three meters. Teratech possesses proprietary CCD/CMOS charge-domain processing (CDP)1 technology that allows electronic lenses to focus reflected energy following detection by a state-of-the-art 2D sparse array.2-4 An extended battery life span can be maintained by utilizing the low-power attributes of CDP technology. Replacing the acoustic lens with electronic beamformers, the sonar can be reduced with fewer mechanical parts and a lower susceptibility to failure. In addition, the electronic beamformer also provides imaging with no reflection artifacts.
A portable, electronic-focusing sonar system for AUVs
Sea Technology ; 44 , 8 ; 61-67
2003
7 Seiten, 8 Quellen
Article (Journal)
English
3D sonar based sensing for AUVs: Real-time experiments within the uncertainty grid framework
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