US 11,914,066 B1
Multiplexed phased array multibeam sonar
Jesus Carmona-Valdes, Eufaula, AL (US); Gavin William Slay, Eufaula, AL (US); William Mark Gibson, Eufaula, AL (US); and Per Oskar Pelin, Torslanda (SE)
Assigned to Johnson Outdoors Inc., Racine, WI (US)
Filed by Jesus Carmona-Valdes, Eufaula, AL (US); Gavin William Slay, Eufaula, AL (US); William Mark Gibson, Eufaula, AL (US); and Per Oskar Pelin, Torslanda (SE)
Filed on Feb. 23, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/182,672.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/985,609, filed on Mar. 5, 2020.
Int. Cl. G01S 7/00 (2006.01); G01S 7/536 (2006.01); G01S 7/521 (2006.01); G01S 7/534 (2006.01); G01S 15/96 (2006.01); G01S 7/62 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 7/003 (2013.01) [G01S 7/521 (2013.01); G01S 7/534 (2013.01); G01S 7/536 (2013.01); G01S 7/6218 (2013.01); G01S 15/96 (2013.01)] 36 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A multiplexed phased array multibeam sonar system, comprising:
a control head having a user display;
a transducer unit coupled via a high speed data link to the control head, the transducer unit including a transmit (TX) element configured to generate a sonar ping to ensonify an ensonification cone of water in which the transducer unit is deployed, a receive (RX) array configured to receive sonar echoes resulting from the sonar ping contacting targets in the ensonification cone, wherein generation of the sonar ping by the TX element and receipt by the RX array of the sonar echoes resulting from the sonar ping defines one transmit-receive cycle, a digital signal processor (DSP) configured to process the sonar echoes from a single one transmit-receive cycle into sonar display information, and a multiplexer (MUX) coupled between the RX array and the DSP and configured to selectively couple at least a first portion of the RX array to the DSP during a first time of the single one transmit-receive cycle and a second portion of the RX array during a second time of the single one transmit-receive cycle;
wherein the transducer unit communicates the sonar display information generated by the DSP from the single one transmit-receive cycle via the high speed data link to the control head; and
wherein the control head plots the sonar display information generated by the DSP from the single one transmit-receive cycle received from the transducer unit on the user display.