USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Fred Nussbaum

Maurice J Griffin

Gerald T Stevens

Charles H Beauchamp

A sonar sensor array having a multi-layer tiling arrangement for the indiual elements that increases surface area available for each element while maintaining the inter-element spacing required to avoid spatial aliasing when the received signals are combined to form a sonar beam. The array comprises outer and inner arrays of transducer elements for converting an acoustic signal to an electrical response. The transducer elements of the outer array are positioned such than a grid of isolation spaces separates each of the transducer elements. The transducer elements of the inner array are also positioned such that a grid of isolation spaces separates each one of the transducer elements. The electrical response generated by the transducer elements of the inner and outer arrays are coupled to a beamformer which processes the responses to produce an output signal.

Multi-layer tiled array

A sonar array uses multiple acoustically transparent layers. One layer is a lanar array of acoustic sensors that is substantially acoustically transparent. Another layer is an acoustically transparent wiring assembly that provides electrical connection to each acoustic sensor. A third acoustically transparent layer is a planar array of signal processing circuits coupled to the wiring assembly for processing electrical signals generated by the acoustic sensors. Each signal processing circuit resides within an area that is in geometric correspondence with a respective one acoustic sensor. Each signal processing circuit can include a preamplifier, an analog-to-digital converter and a digital multiplexer.

Multi-layer acoustically transparent sonar array

An underwater vehicle sonar system has sonar sensors provided in arms to plement a nose mounted array. The arms are capable of use in an extended position to provide a large diameter sonar array offering improved image resolution in the forward direction. In the extended position the arms also are capable of acting as active hydrodynamic control surfaces. Additionally, the arms can be used in a stowed position to provide a linear array for side viewing.

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Middletown, RI, United States of America

Fred Nussbaum