sonar focus

[HVACctrl]

Is there any way to focus a sonar signal so that the "cone" is more elliptical or oval shaped (basically flatened on two sides) rather than circular?

Just starting research on this subject and need to be pointed in the right direction.

Thanks,

Ed

 

[IRstuff]

Look for literature or books discussing "beamforming"

Although, if you are talking sonar as applyed to submarines, you are severely limited by aperture size, which sets the diffraction limited beam diameter.

TTFN

 

[HVACctrl]

ISstuff,
Thanks for the reply.
This is for underwater use. Are you saying that you don't think the beam can be flattened? I am hoping this "focus" will help to concentrate the beam and therefore not reflect off of objects outside of the scope of the survey.

Thanks again,

Eddie

 

[IRstuff]

If you run across the concept of "towed array", you'll be in the correct neighborhood, where the US and other navies use a towed array of transducers to beamform their sonar signals. I'm not that familiar with the physical configuration of the array, but it always sounds (no pun) like a fairly large structure...

I'm thinking that an ultrasound with an aperture of about 3 inches for MHz operation would translate into something with and aperture of about 300 inches for something in the tens of kHz range.

TTFN