A survey system including a multibeam echo sounder having a single projector array and a single hydrophone array constructs a multi-component message for ensonifying multiple fans and deconstructs a corresponding message echo for use in analyzing the returns from each fan.

Ultrasonic ranging systems and methods that emit coded bursts and correlate transduced acoustical echoes of the bursts with a receive template characterizing a burst code to determine time-of-flight information use receive templates of time-variable length to improve short-range object detection. The template length is based on a time index measured from the start of the burst emission. The detection can account for a dead zone of transducer ringing following a burst. A time-variable gain that is also based on the time index can be applied to the correlated signal. The length and gain can be adjusted with reduced temporal frequency to reduce computation cost.

A hybrid pulse compression RF system is provided herein in which an enhanced noise waveform and a hybrid waveform are generated to detect a target. For example, the system includes a signal generator that generates an LFM waveform and an enhanced waveform in sequence such that a transmitter of the system transmits the waveforms in the generated sequence in a direction of a possible target. The enhanced waveform may be a partially randomized version of the LFM waveform. If a target is present, the waveforms reflect off the target and are captured by the system in the sequence in which the originally generated waveforms are transmitted. Once captured, the reflected waveforms are processed by the system to generate a hybrid waveform for display such that the range and Doppler resolution and detection capabilities are significantly superior to the state of the art LFM or noise waveform RF systems.

An ultrasonic transmitter system includes a digital controller, bandpass pulse-width modulator (BP-PWM) unit, a digital to analog converter (DAC), and an ultrasound transducer. The controller generates pulse width and phase reference signals. The BP-PWM configured receives these signals generates a pulse width modulation (PWM) output characterized by a pulse width and a phase based on the pulse width and phase reference signals. The DAC) receives the PWM output from the BP-PWM unit and generates an output characterized by the pulse width and phase. The ultrasonic transducer receives the output from the DAC and generates an output sound pressure in response to the output from the DAC. An amplitude of the RMS sound pressure depends on the pulse width of the output from the DAC.

An underwater information display device, which transmits an ultrasonic wave, receives an echo reflected by an underwater target, and displays the echo, includes: a transmission signal generation part that forms a transmission signal sequence in which at least two temporally adjacent transmission signals are converted so as to be identifiable at the time of reception and have different intervals; a transmission part that emits a transmission signal as an ultrasonic wave into water; a reception part that receives an echo and outputs a reception signal; a storage part that stores multiple reception signals corresponding to temporally continuous transmission signals; an interpolation part to which reception signals stored in the storage part are supplied and which replaces a ghost component included in the reception signals with an echo of another temporally nearby transmission signal; and a display part that draws reception signals including a signal interpolated by the interpolation part.

A method is accordingly provided for operating an ultrasonic sensor, a plurality of measuring cycles being successively carried out. In each measuring cycle—an electroacoustic transducer of the ultrasonic sensor is excited using an excitation pulse, causing it to mechanically oscillate, as a result of which a measuring signal is transmitted by the transducer, an echo signal is received by the transducer, and a piece of object information is ascertained from the echo signal. The frequency curve of the excitation pulse is differentiated into two measuring cycles successively carried out at least at the end of the frequency curve. The ascertained pieces of object information from at least two measuring cycles are compared with one another and an interference is identified as a function of the result of the comparison.

Ranging systems operate based on the transmission and receipt of pseudorandom sequences. Pseudorandom sequences may be generated and assigned to specific transmitters, which may operate simultaneously to transmit signals including the pseudorandom sequences. A receiver may be programmed to recognize the specific pseudorandom sequences within data captured by the receiver, and to associate the pseudorandom sequences with the transmitters that transmitted them. Upon identifying the pseudorandom sequences, the receiver or one or more associated components may calculate times of flight of signals transmitted by the respective transmitters. Such times of flight may be used to calculate distances to one or more objects from which the signals were reflected.

A survey system including a multibeam echo sounder and a beam selector for selecting beams with the largest amplitudes.

In an ultrasonic detection system that uses frequency-modulation or phase-modulation coding to distinguish emitted bursts from multiple transducers, a receiver associated with a transducer uses peak search, peak buffer, and peak rank stages in one or more receiver signal processing paths to identify valid received ultrasonic signal envelope peaks in correlator outputs. The peak rank stage can support different modes respectively designed to handle one code, two or more codes, or two or more codes with support for Doppler frequency shift detection. Valid peak information (e.g., amplitude and time) can be reported to a central controller and/or stored locally in a fusion stage to generate more intelligent information for targets or obstacles using peaks from multiple bursts.

Provided is an electronic apparatus for detecting information about a target object by using an ultrasound wave. The electronic apparatus includes: a transmitter configured to emit an ultrasound wave modulated based on a predetermined code signal; a receiver configured to receive a reflected signal corresponding to the emitted ultrasound wave reflected from a target object; and a controller configured to acquire a reception signal from the received reflected signal and detect information about the target object based on a difference between correlation values corresponding to a plurality of predetermined periods of the reception signal and the predetermined code signal.