An underwater detection apparatus is provided which includes a transmission transducer, a reception transducer, and a motor. The transmission transducer transmits a transmission wave within a given fan-shaped transmission space, the fan-shaped transmission space having a first transmission width in a given first plane and a second transmission width in a second plane perpendicular to the first plane. The reception transducer receives, as a reception wave, a reflection wave of the transmission wave within a given fan-shaped reception space, the fan-shaped reception space having a first reception width in the first plane and a second reception width in the second plane, the second reception width being wider than the second transmission width, and in the second plane, the fan-shaped transmission space being within the fan-shaped reception space. The motor rotates the fan-shaped transmission space and the fan-shaped reception space.

A sonar system for transmitting and/or receiving sonar beams with a desired beam pattern or patterns. The system has a transducer having a linear array of transducer elements, which is driven by element driving signals to project a sonar beam and which generates element receive signals in response to a received sonar signal or sonic wave. A control unit controls the transducer and is configured to generate the element driving signals from a waveform signal based on a set of drive pattern weightings associated with a desired beam pattern to project from the transducer. The control unit is also configured to apply a set of receive pattern weightings to the element receive signals, the receive pattern weightings associated with a desired beam pattern to be detected or sensed received by the sonar system. The drive pattern weightings and receive pattern weightings comprise an amplitude component and polarity component.

Disclosed herein is an ultrasonic sensor control device that controls an ultrasonic sensor device configured to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic sensor control device includes a transmission control section configured to control transmission of a transmission ultrasonic wave at a first frequency through the ultrasonic sensor device, a reception section configured to receive a reception ultrasonic wave through the ultrasonic sensor device, and a device control section configured to control the ultrasonic sensor device to set given frequencies as a transmission frequency of the transmission ultrasonic wave and a reception frequency of the reception ultrasonic wave. The device control section changes the reception frequency in such a manner that the reception frequency is a frequency different from the first frequency during a first period including at least a transmission period during which the transmission ultrasonic wave is transmitted.

A marine sonar display device comprises a display, a memory element, and a processing element. The processing element is configured to transmit a transmit electronic signal to a frequency steered sonar element that transmits an array of sonar beams into a body of water in a first direction towards the front of the marine vessel forming a first sonar wedge and a second array of sonar beams into a body of water in a second direction directly below the marine vessel forming a second sonar wedge, receive a receive electronic signal from the frequency steered sonar element, generate an array of sonar image slices, identify a gap in an underwater area between the first sonar wedge and the second sonar wedge, and control the display to visually present the array of sonar image slices in near real time and a sonar image slice in the gap.

A marine sonar display device comprises a display, a memory element, and a processing element. The processing element is configured to transmit a transmit electronic signal to a frequency steered sonar element that transmits an array of sonar beams into a body of water in a first direction towards the front of the marine vessel forming a first sonar wedge and a second array of sonar beams into a body of water in a second direction directly below the marine vessel forming a second sonar wedge, receive a receive electronic signal from the frequency steered sonar element, generate an array of sonar image slices, identify a gap in an underwater area between the first sonar wedge and the second sonar wedge, and control the display to visually present the array of sonar image slices in near real time and a sonar image slice in the gap.

An object detection apparatus detects an object in a vicinity of a moving body in a state of being mounted to the moving body. The object detection apparatus measures a reverberation frequency that is a frequency of a reverberation signal that is generated in a transceiver that externally transmits a transmission wave that is an ultrasonic wave and receives a reception wave that includes a reflected wave of the transmission wave from the object. object detection apparatus detects the object based on the reception wave. The object detection apparatus sets at least one of a transmission characteristic and a reception characteristic in the transceiver. The object detection apparatus sets at least one of transmission characteristics of the transmission wave and/or sets circuit characteristics in the transceiver. The object detection apparatus reduces at least one of the transmission characteristic and the reception characteristic during measurement of the reverberation frequency.

An object detection apparatus detects an object in a vicinity of a moving body in a state of being mounted to the moving body. The object detection apparatus measures a reverberation frequency that is a frequency of a reverberation signal that is generated in a transceiver that externally transmits a transmission wave that is an ultrasonic wave and receives a reception wave that includes a reflected wave of the transmission wave from the object. object detection apparatus detects the object based on the reception wave. The object detection apparatus sets at least one of a transmission characteristic and a reception characteristic in the transceiver. The object detection apparatus sets at least one of transmission characteristics of the transmission wave and/or sets circuit characteristics in the transceiver. The object detection apparatus reduces at least one of the transmission characteristic and the reception characteristic during measurement of the reverberation frequency.

Circuitry for ultrasound devices is described. A multi-level pulser is described, which can support time-domain and spatial apodization. The multi-level pulser may be controlled through a software-defined waveform generator. In response to the execution of a computer code, the waveform generator may access master segments from a memory, and generate a stream of packets directed to pulsing circuits. The stream of packets may be serialized. A plurality of decoding circuits may modulate the streams of packets to obtain spatial apodization.

Circuitry for ultrasound devices is described. A multi-level pulser is described, which can support time-domain and spatial apodization. The multi-level pulser may be controlled through a software-defined waveform generator. In response to the execution of a computer code, the waveform generator may access master segments from a memory, and generate a stream of packets directed to pulsing circuits. The stream of packets may be serialized. A plurality of decoding circuits may modulate the streams of packets to obtain spatial apodization.

An object detection device includes: a transceiver having a predetermined resonance frequency; a driving signal generation unit generating a driving signal having a driving frequency different from the resonance frequency for driving the transceiver; a filter extracting and outputting at least one received signal from received signals of the transceiver; and a detection determination unit performing object detection determination based on the extracted at least one received signal. The received signals include a first and second received signals, the first received signal having a frequency that has been shifted from the driving frequency to the resonance frequency; and the filter has a characteristic that: when extracting the first received signal, outputs the extracted first received signal as a first output signal, and when extracting the second received signal, outputs the extracted second received signal as a second output signal, the first output signal being greater than the second output signal.