Sonar Steering Assembly for Automatic Underwater Target Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sonar systems for watercraft face challenges in maintaining accurate sonar coverage due to movement of the watercraft and environmental factors, making it difficult for users, especially anglers, to keep targets within the sonar image, leading to frustration and wasted time.
Innovation Solution
The development of steering assemblies that can automatically adjust the directional coverage volume of sonar systems, allowing hands-free operation and maintaining targets within the sonar display, even as the watercraft moves relative to the target, by controlling the orientation and position of sonar transducer elements and motor assemblies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the watercraft moves through water under its own power, then the watercraft achieves mobility and productivity, but the sonar coverage deviates from the intended position making it difficult to maintain target acquisition
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors the position of targets within the sonar coverage volume and provides feedback signals to the steering assembly. This feedback loop enables real-time adjustments to the sonar transducer orientation, compensating for watercraft movement and maintaining accurate target acquisition despite the watercraft's mobility through the water.
Solution Approach 2:
The steering assembly dynamically adjusts the orientation and position of the sonar transducer elements in real-time based on watercraft movement and target position. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain measurement precision while the watercraft remains mobile, resolving the contradiction between mobility and target acquisition accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If the user manually adjusts the sonar orientation to maintain target view, then the sonar coverage can be maintained on target, but the user cannot simultaneously operate the watercraft and other tasks
Solution Approach 1:
The steering assembly performs self-service by automatically adjusting the sonar transducer orientation and position without requiring user intervention. The system independently monitors target position and makes necessary adjustments, freeing the user to operate the watercraft and perform other tasks while maintaining precise sonar target coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The automatic feedback control system continuously monitors target position within the sonar coverage volume and autonomously adjusts the transducer orientation. This eliminates the need for manual user adjustment while maintaining measurement precision, thereby improving ease of operation and enabling user multitasking.
3Device complexity
If the sonar transducer orientation is fixed relative to the watercraft, then the system structure is simple, but the sonar coverage volume cannot be adjusted to track moving targets
Solution Approach 1:
The steering assembly introduces dynamic adjustment capability to the sonar transducer orientation, allowing the system to adapt to moving targets. The controlled movement of the transducer elements enables the sonar coverage volume to track targets while maintaining a relatively simple overall system structure through automated control mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables users to focus on other tasks while maintaining a stable sonar image of targets, improving the efficiency and ease of use by automatically adjusting the sonar coverage to track moving targets, such as schools of fish, and maintaining the target within the coverage volume.
Implementation Method 1
one or more sonar transducer elements configured to transmit one or more sonar beams into an underwater environment
Implementation Method 2
a steering assembly configured to cause rotation of the sonar assembly
Data Source
AI summary
A sonar system is provided including a sonar assembly configured to attach to a motor assembly of a watercraft or a watercraft. The sonar assembly includes sonar transducer element(s) that transmit sonar beam(s). The sonar system includes a display, processor(s), and a steering assembly configured to cause rotation of the sonar assembly or the motor assembly. The sonar system includes a memory including computer program code that causes the processor(s) to cause the sonar transducer element(s) to emit sonar beam(s), receive sonar return data from a coverage volume of the sonar transducer element(s), generate a sonar image of the coverage volume based on the sonar return data, receive an input from a user, determine a target in the underwater environment based on the input, and cause the steering assembly to adjust the coverage volume to maintain the target within the coverage volume as the watercraft moves relative to the target.