SONAR

(Sound
Navigation and
Ranging)
 Introduction

SONAR stands for

Sound Navigation and Ranging

Type of Aid preferred for nautical purposes

Uses the method of reflecting sound waves to

detect objects, measuring the depth, and
distance of debris
 History
We know that some animals are capable of
operating sound waves as their medium of
communication
 History
Us humans started to imitate this maneuver way back
from 1824. By:

10 miles apart
 History
However, the Titanic Disaster back in 1912 leads to the
Theofworlds
invention first patent for an
the SONAR
underwater echo ranging device
was filed by English Meteorologist
Lewis Richardson after the Titanic
Incident

Then German physicist Alexander

Behm obtained a patent for an
echo sounder a year later, 1913
 SONAR Basics
To start:
SONAR operates as sound waves are transmitted,
reflected and received.

The process of describing the depth, size, structure of

things underwater is by measuring the travel duration
of the sound waves.

Distance = Sound Speed x Time/2

 SONAR Types

Active Passive
 Active Sonar
Active SONARs make use of a transmitter and a receiver.
The Transmitter emits pulses of sound waves that
travel through the water, reflect off the target and then
to be sensed by the receiver.
Active Sonar

Types of Active
Sonar
Monostatic
Bistatic
Multistatic
 Active Sonar
Operation
Block Diagram of an Active Sonar
 Active Sonar
Components
Transmitter produces outgoing pulses
Transducer is a dual function component,
can serve as a speaker and a microphone

Transducer Array Beam

Active Sonar
Components
Beamforming Processor
Applies a set of unique
time delays/shifts that
provides the SONAR a
wide beam to cover a
larger area
 Active Sonar
Components
Synchronizer provides overall
coordination timing for the transducer.

Duplexer Switch allows switching

between transmitter and receiver.

Display: Ascan and PPI (Plan Position

Indicator)
 Active Sonar
Components
A Scan Display PPI
 Active Sonar

Performance Factor
SL 2TL +TS = RL + DT

Where: SL = Source Level

TL= Transmission Loss
TS = Target Strength
NL = Noise Level
RL = Reverberation Level
Active Sonar
Operation
 Passive Sonar

Passive Sonar is about detecting objects around

without transmitting. It has a variety of
techniques for identifying the source of the
 Passive Sonar
Operating a Passive Sonar involves a sound
database
 Passive Sonar
Operation
Passive SONAR Block Diagram
 Passive Sonar
Operation
Hydrophone, sensitive elements that detect
acoustic energy, effective underwater
Passive Sonar
Operation
Beamforming Processor
Applies a set of unique
time delays/shifts that
provides the SONAR a
wide beam to cover a
larger area
 Passive Sonar
Operation
Frequency Analyzer

Breaks the signal into separate frequencies. Each part

of the divided signal is sent to frequency bins.
 Passive Sonar

Performance Factor (Figure of Merit)

FOM = SL +DI (NL + DT)

Where: SL = Source Level

NL = Noise Level
DI = Directivity Index
DT= Detection Threshold
 Sample SONAR
Underwater Video catches SONAR pings
 Applications

Measurement of the depth of the sea

Locating or finding shipwrecks and
lost submarines
Ocean Surveillance Systems
Underwater Security / Detecting
Enemy Submarines
 Limitations

It has adverse effects on marine

animals such as whales and dolphins
who also use sonar/echolocation
Usage leads to disturbance of marine
life as it affects the hearing of the
fishes
Thats All Thank You