The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 20, 2001
Filed:
Jan. 28, 1999
Hiroshi Iino, Kobe, JP;
Itsuo Fukuoka, Kobe, JP;
Tatsuo Hayashi, Takarazuka, JP;
Yasuo Ito, Nishinomiya, JP;
Furuno Electric Company Limited, Nishinoniya, JP;
Abstract
A transducer is constructed of a plurality of transducer elements which are arranged in multiple layers and columns forming as a whole a generally cylindrical shape. A scanning sonar employing the transducer thus constructed can be switched between horizontal scan mode in which a vertically focused beam having a narrow horizontal beam angle (high horizontal directivity) is steered around the transducer using all the transducer elements and vertical scan mode in which a horizontally focused beam having a narrow vertical beam angle (high vertical directivity) is steered in a vertical plane directed in a specified scan azimuth to find out the angle of incidence of a received signal. The horizontally focused beam is formed by using the transducer elements of specific columns centered on the specified scan azimuth. A vertical scan signal obtained in the vertical scan mode is multiplied by a chirp signal. A correlator provided in a succeeding stage converts the amount of Doppler shift into time data and determines the angle of incidence of the received signal.