Synthetic Aperture Sonar
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Hydroid, Inc., a subsidiary of Kongsberg Maritime and a manufacturer of marine robotics, has announced that it has successfully delivered the first modular bathymetry payload with the new HISAS 2040, a high resolution interferometric synthetic aperture sonar (HISAS). The system, engineered and manufactured at Kongsberg Maritime in Horten, Norway, was delivered to the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO).
Designed with state-of-the-art technology and capabilities, the 2040 bathymetry payload was installed on a Hydroid REMUS 600 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The system was delivered fully integrated with navigation, and is calibrated to provide full swath, gap-filled imagery and bathymetry in a small form factor, modular AUV package. The HISAS 2040 sonar provides resolution 10 times higher than conventional sonars and offers high-performance real-time processing and sonar quality assessment. NAVOCEANO Project Manager, Doug Cronin, said that the HISAS 2040 sonar performance is “…impressive. Some of the best imagery I’ve ever seen.”
The HISAS 2040 is able to build up a series of synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) images that represent different observation angles. Through this multi-aspect imaging, an AUV operator is able to obtain an extra dimension in the data set since many complex objects have a high aspect-dependent echo and shadow structure.
“The HISAS 2040 sonar brings an entirely new dimension to the synthetic aperture sonar market,” said Duane Fotheringham, president of Hydroid. “Compared to traditional sonars, the HISAS 2040 sonar reduces survey time and provides superior data quality, which is particularly useful in oceanographic surveying and mine countermeasure operations. We are excited to be offering this new Kongsberg technology on our REMUS vehicles.”
The HISAS 2040 frequency range is 220-280 kHz, with a typical operational-performance range of 130m on each side of the vehicle at 2 m/s. It has a practical resolution of 5cm x 5cm at all ranges.
