Johnson Outdoors Inc.

William Mark Gibson

Jesus Carmona-Valdes

Per Pelin

Gavin William Slay

David A Betts

Sean M DeHart

Zachary Thomas Jordan

Brian Lee Chase

Multiplexed phased array sonar systems and methods for consumer fishfinders are described herein. A transducer unit for such a system includes a transmit (TX) element that generates a sonar ping, a receive (RX) array configured to receive sonar echoes resulting from the sonar ping contacting targets, a digital signal processor (DSP) that processes the sonar echoes into sonar display information, and multiplexers (MUXs) coupled between the RX array and the DSP. The MUXs are configured to couple a portion of the RX array to the DSP during a first time and a second portion of the RX array during a second time such that the MUXs couple an entirety of the RX array to the DSP during each transmit-receive cycle. A method of preventing distortions in the sonar display information selects the elements of the RX array to be sampled in accordance with a predetermined multiplexing pattern.

Multiplexed phased array multibeam sonar

Multiplexed phased array sonar systems and methods for consumer fishfinders are described herein. In one embodiment a single curved transmit transducer and an array of receive transducers are provided, and in an embodiment the signals from the receive transducers are multiplexed, which greatly reduces the data load, allowing for the achievement of the near real time, high resolution imagery in a size and price point that enables this technology to be employed in a consumer fish finder.

A sonar imaging system, that includes a control head with a user interface and a display unit for displaying a sonar-generated image, is provided. A sonar transducer assembly is coupled to the control head and configured to transmit sonar data to the control head. The sonar data is used to generate the sonar-generated image. The sonar transducer assembly includes a first side scan acoustic sonar element that transmits a sonar beam. The sonar transducer assembly further includes a plurality of sonar beam receiving elements. Each receiving element is arranged to receive a portion of the return beam from the first side scan acoustic sonar element. Each of the plurality of sonar beam receiving elements is configured to identify both a depth and a lateral distance of an underwater object relative to the position of the sonar transducer assembly.

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Eufaula, AL, United States of America

William Mark Gibson