Weight, volume, and power consumption reductions in side look sonar systems for autonomous underwater vehicles

The author describes research to increase the capability of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for search applications. Reducing the hotel load contribution of the side-looking sonar (SLS) system increases the endurance of the AUV. A detailed analysis of a state-of-the-art SLS system was performed to obtain a baseline for the study. The relative contributions of transducer, electronics, and interconnections toward the weight, volume, and power consumption were determined. This provides valuable direction in selecting areas where improvements are most promising. Research and analysis was performed to determine and tradeoff technologies, materials, processes, and designs which produce the greatest improvements. Applications of these technologies are developed into design concepts. An improved SLS system design is formulated in anticipation of fabricating a working prototype