A marine sonar system comprises a sonar transducer, an attitude sensor, and a processing element. The sonar transducer is configured to transmit a sonar beam into a body of water according to a transmit electronic signal, receive reflections of the sonar beam, and output a receive electronic signal according to the reflections of the sonar beam. The attitude sensor is configured to determine an attitude angle of a marine vessel with which the marine sonar system is utilized and to output an attitude electronic signal whose value varies according to the attitude angle. The processing element configured to receive the attitude electronic signal receive and, based on the attitude electronic signal, control the output of the transmit electronic signal to the sonar transducer.

Aerial vehicles including one-dimensional arrays of transmitters and receivers aligned perpendicular to one another are configured for safe operation. The transmitters may be configured to transmit signals at designated times in order to generate synthetic waves having common fronts from selected angles. The receivers are configured to capture data regarding reflections of the synthetic waves from objects, and to interpret the data to determine bearings or angles to such objects. Locations of the objects may be determined based on angles at which the synthetic waves are transmitted and bearings or angles to the objects that reflected the synthetic waves, as well as times at which reflections of the synthetic waves are received. Maps or other representations of objects on a scene may be generated based on such locations.

The invention is based on speed changes of sound/ultrasound pulses and a fixed detecting depth between a transducer and sampling points to collect information of the detecting depth and/or a velocity of motionless and/or moving objects from the sampling points to construct two-dimension or three-dimension images of the sampling points. By taking advantages of a pulse ultrasound and a continuous ultrasound, a method of coded sound pulses can simultaneously collect the information of the detecting depth and the velocity from the sampling points, which improves imaging quality. Calculating a speed of the moving objects by simultaneously detecting time-of-flight (TOF) and TOF shift at same site from two separated piezoelectric (PZT) elements improves testing results with accuracy, simplification and reproducibility. An aliasing can be rectified based on the TOF and the TOF shift.

The invention is based on speed changes of sound/ultrasound pulses and a fixed detecting depth between a transducer and sampling points to collect information of the detecting depth and/or a velocity of motionless and/or moving objects from the sampling points to construct two-dimension or three-dimension images of the sampling points. By taking advantages of a pulse ultrasound and a continuous ultrasound, a method of coded sound pulses can simultaneously collect the information of the detecting depth and the velocity from the sampling points, which improves imaging quality. Calculating a speed of the moving objects by simultaneously detecting time-of-flight (TOF) and TOF shift at same site from two separated piezoelectric (PZT) elements improves testing results with accuracy, simplification and reproducibility. An aliasing can be rectified based on the TOF and the TOF shift.

A method for use in acoustic imaging, comprising: transmitting, from a transmitter, a first sound wave pulse at a first frequency determined by a maximum sampling rate of a receiver; transmitting at least one second sound wave pulse at a frequency substantially equal to the first frequency, the first and at least one second sound wave pulses being transmitted substantially within a fraction of a sample interval of the receiver; receiving and sampling, at the receiver, a reflection of at least two of the first and at least one second pulses to generate a set of receiver samples; and expanding the set of receiver samples, based on the first frequency and a total number of the first and at least one second pulses transmitted, to generate an expanded sample set with a larger number of samples than the set of receiver samples.

A method for use in acoustic imaging, comprising: transmitting, from a transmitter, a first sound wave pulse at a first frequency determined by a maximum sampling rate of a receiver; transmitting at least one second sound wave pulse at a frequency substantially equal to the first frequency, the first and at least one second sound wave pulses being transmitted substantially within a fraction of a sample interval of the receiver; receiving and sampling, at the receiver, a reflection of at least two of the first and at least one second pulses to generate a set of receiver samples; and expanding the set of receiver samples, based on the first frequency and a total number of the first and at least one second pulses transmitted, to generate an expanded sample set with a larger number of samples than the set of receiver samples.

An ultrasonic sensor includes: a first electrode that is provided in an ultrasonic microphone including a vibration element having a function of performing conversion between mechanical vibration and an electrical signal; a second electrode that is provided at a position different from the first electrode in an in-plane direction intersecting a directional axis of the ultrasonic microphone; and a detection section that is provided to detect the presence or absence of attached matter attached to the ultrasonic sensor on the basis of a change in capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode.

An ultrasonic sensor includes: a first electrode that is provided in an ultrasonic microphone including a vibration element having a function of performing conversion between mechanical vibration and an electrical signal; a second electrode that is provided at a position different from the first electrode in an in-plane direction intersecting a directional axis of the ultrasonic microphone; and a detection section that is provided to detect the presence or absence of attached matter attached to the ultrasonic sensor on the basis of a change in capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode.

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.

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.