2019_programme: SYNTHETIC APERTURE SONAR FOR A LOW-COST AGILE PLATFORM: PRELIMINARY RESULTS



  • Session: 16. Advances in acoustic measurement systems: Technologies and applications
    Organiser(s): Tesei Alessandra
  • Lecture: SYNTHETIC APERTURE SONAR FOR A LOW-COST AGILE PLATFORM: PRELIMINARY RESULTS
    Paper ID: 837
    Author(s): Sanford Ciaran, Hunter Alan, Willcox Allan
    Presenter: Sanford Ciaran
    Presentation type: oral
    Abstract: Synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) imaging systems are the cutting edge of underwater sensing, capable of producing extremely high-resolution images independent of range and frequency. As SAS is a coherent imaging technique, obtaining positional navigation data to within a fraction of the transmitted wavelength is critical. To aid this, conventional platforms carrying SAS hardware are typically large, slow, non-agile platforms. Furthermore, these systems are inherently high cost, owing to the need for highly specialised components. Lower-cost, agile platforms employing commercial off-the-shelf (OTS) equipment have not been widely considered to date.\nIn this paper, we present preliminary findings from two low-cost SAS platforms. The first platform is a rail mounted system, while the second platform is an OTS agile submersible remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The ROV is capable of lateral movement in all directions and acts as a surface vehicle for these experiments. Both platforms utilise an OTS, small form factor, forward looking sonar (FLS). The transmitter has a curved projection surface, allowing for wide-beam transmission without sacrificing transmitted energy.\nWe have performed experiments with the rail based platform at a swimming pool with a series of close range targets. These include small metal rings and an acrylic retroreflector. Synthetic aperture images of these targets are shown, as well as a comparison with conventional single-ping and side-scan images. In addition, preliminary data collected with the ROV is given, demonstrating high coherence between successive pings. Future work is discussed, involving generating focussed SAS images from ROV data.
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  • Corresponding author: Mr Sanford Ciaran
    Affiliation: University of Bath
    Country: United Kingdom
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