Trends in USV research will continue on the path toward a fully autonomous USV capable of troop transport or enemy engagement. Imaging sonar will be an integral part of this development. However, due in part to sonar's inherent physical limitations, as well as its sensitivity to environmental factors, sonar technology represents a bottleneck to the development of situationally aware USVs capable of high-speed maneuvers. The work presented in this thesis is intended to provide a platform to bridge this gap, which is the design, analysis, and field testing of a mount for an imaging sonar intended as a retrofit for an existing vessel. The result of this work represents a step toward the ultimate goal of a fully autonomous USV, and will enable the advancement of research in the use of imaging sonar on surface vehicles. This thesis examines the problem of mounting a sonar on a surface vehicle from a fundamental perspective. It describes the development of a list of customer needs, presents a prototype design, and presents the important analyses for the prototype. The prototype mount was built, and field testing for proof of concept was carried out on the Virginia Tech USV, which is a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB), and the Navy Special Operations Craft - Riverine (SOC-R) on the Pearl River at Stennis Space Center. Testing showed the mount to be highly effective at limiting risk to personnel and equipment while operating in difficult environments like swamps. However, it also exposed some limitations associated with the mount's breakaway device, and the mounting location at the side in 2012, and at the stern in 2013. Based on experience gained from testing, a new mount design is presented for use at the bow. The bow location offers better impact protection to the sonar as long as the sonar can be positioned above the boat's draft. Field tests also exposed the need for an omnidirectional breakaway device which limits impact loads on the sonar during collisions. The Ball and Socket Breakaway (BSB) device was designed to satisfy this need. The BSB is acts as a "mechanical fuse," which holds the sonar rigidly under normal operating conditions, but will slip and rotate when the sonar strikes an object. It is designed to respond to impact loads on the sonar from the front, sides, or back, resulting in improved sonar protection during the varied maneuvers necessary for operation in shallow, narrow passageways. The expected moment holding capacity of the BSB as it is currently designed is 300 N-m (2650 lb-in), which should allow for speeds up to 3 m/s (6 kt) before drag-induced breakaway. / Master of Science

In the past, passive SONAR range tracking systems have used Extended Kalman filters to process nonlinear time-delay measurements. This approach has several flaws due to the inherent divergence problems of Extended Kalman filters. This paper discusses a new approach which uses a prefilter to linearize the measurements so that they can be processed by a standard Kalman filter. The approach is subsequently expanded for use with an adaptive Kalman filter which allows source maneuvers to be tracked. A new approach to passive Doppler velocity tracking is also proposed which uses a dedicated Kalman filter to track random fluctuations in the sources center frequency. This dedicated tracker simplifies the problem so that it can be handled by a basic adaptive Kalman filter. / Master of Science

Synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) is a wide-beam sonar technique commonly used for mapping the seafloor at high resolution. The Acoustics Research Group at the University of Canterbury operates a towed SAS system known as KiwiSAS-IV. This is currently being redesigned with the aim of reducing the weight, size and power requirements of the system. The long term goal is to make it capable of being mounted on an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) so that mapping of remote and/or dangerous waters can be accomplished without human interaction. This thesis presents the design of the front-end electronics used to drive the 36 transducers to produce the acoustic beam and receive the returning signals after they have reflected off a target. To achieve sufficient range, the transducers are driven with a 200 Vₚ₋ₚ signal with a maximum frequency of 110 kHz. This design uses class D switching amplifiers to generate these waveforms. The AD9271 integrated circuit, which can handle eight transducers simultaneously, is used to amplify the incoming signals and sample them at up to 50 MHz. This high sampling rate multiplied by all 36 transducers results in an amount of data which is too great for a conventional microprocessor-based system to handle. Instead, an FPGA is used to receive this data, decimate it using multiplier-free cascaded integrator-comb (CIC) filters, and then pass it to the back-end system for further processing and storage. A prototype circuit was created to test the theory developed in this thesis. This showed that the system is capable of generating the necessary waveforms and amplifying, capturing, and decimating the returning signals. However, further refinement is required before it is able to be used in the sonar system.

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / Landmines continue to be a threat to both military and civilian communities throughout the world. Current methods of detection, while better than nothing, could certainly be improved. Seismic SONAR is a promising new technology that may help save countless lives. The goal of this thesis was to advance Seismic SONAR development by introducing a mobile source which could be easily used in practical applications. A small tracked vehicle with dual inertial mass shakers mounted on top was used for a source. The source accurately transmitted the shaker signal into the ground, and its mobility made it a practical choice for field operations. It excited Rayleigh waves, as desired, but also generated undesirable P-waves and was not found to be directional. It proved incapable of finding a target. Improvements, such as a deploying an array of mobile sources and a stronger source, should vastly enhance the performance of such tracked vehicles in seismic SONAR mine detection and should be pursued. / Ensign, United States Navy

Approved for public release; distribution in unlimited. / Synthetic aperture sonar beamforming and signal processing relies on properly steering and focusing the aperture beam pattern in order to co-phase all the received signals. Due to the effects of motion in the synthetic aperture sonar problem, the propagation path between the transmitter, discrete point scatterer, and the receiver is time varying. Traditionally, simple approximations are used to determine these propagation ranges and angles of incidence and scatter. Methods to determine these ranges and angles exactly may significantly improve array gain and, therefore, target detection. This thesis investigates improvements to SAS signal processing algorithms using exact methods for the calculation of the time-varying ranges between transmitter and discrete point scatter, and between discrete point scatter and receiver, and the phase angle of the scattered acoustic signal incident upon the receiver. Using computer simulations, exact range and angle calculations were performed for different scenarios and compared to ranges and angles determined using standard approximations. The exact ranges were then used to determine incident phase, and were again compared to the approximate methods. Comparison of the exact and approximate methods was based on range estimation error and percentage error. Improvements in synthetic aperture array gain using exact phase weights based on exact, time-varying range solutions are proposed. / http://hdl.handle.net/10945/1142 / Lieutenant, United States Navy

[pt] Este trabalho aborda o problema da Localização e Mapeamento Simultâneos em ambientes estruturados, utilizando um robô móvel equipado com sonares, bússola eletrônica e encoders. Na modelagem sugerida há a construção do mapa do ambiente e a localização do robô de forma interativa. O método proposto, denominado de LMS-H (Localização e Mapeamento Simultâneos - Híbrido), faz uso de duas formas de representação do ambiente: Mapa de Ocupação em Grade e Representação Contínua. O Mapa de Ocupação em Grade divide o ambiente em pequenas partes iguais, classificando-as em ocupadas ou vazias. A Representação Contínua utiliza retas para representar os planos detectados no ambiente, formando um mapa em duas dimensões e cada reta do mapa é considerada um marco. Sempre que um plano é novamente detectado pelo robô a reta correspondente a ele é recalculada com os novos pontos obtidos e a posição do robô é atualizada via Filtro de Kalman Estendido. A eficácia do método foi comprovada através de seis estudos de caso: três em ambientes virtuais e três em ambientes reais. Os estudos de casos em ambientes reais foram realizados utilizando-se um protótipo feito sob a plataforma LEGO Mindstorms. Os resultados obtidos comprovaram a eficácia do método proposto. / [en] This work addresses the problem of Simultaneous Localization and Mapping in structured environments using a mobile robot equipped with sonar, electronic compass and encoders. In the proposed modeling there are the construction of the environment map and the robot localization interactively. The proposed method, called H-SLAM (Hybrid - Simultaneous Localization and Mapping), makes use kinds of environment representation: Occupancy Grid Map and Continuous Representation. The Occupancy Grid Map divides the environment into small equal parts, and classifies it as occupied or empty. The Continuous Representation uses lines to represent detected planes in the environment, forming a two-dimensional map. Each line of the map is considered a landmark. Every time a plan is redetected by the robot the corresponding line to it is rebuild with the new points obtained and the robot s position is updated through Extended Kalman Filter. The model effectiveness was proved with computer simulations in three virtual environments. Using a prototype developed with LEGO Mindstorms platform three other experiments were also performed in real environments. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / Os estuários são ambientes altamente dinâmicos e concentram a maior parte da população mundial em seu entorno. São ambientes complexos que necessitam de uma gama de estudos. Nesse contexto, este trabalho visa contribuir para o entendimento dos estuários lagunares, tendo como objetivo comparar duas ferramentas geofísicas acústicas no mapeamento de uma porção submersa do Mar de Cananéia que está inserido no Sistema Estuarino Lagunar de Cananéia-Iguape (SP). Os equipamentos utilizados nesta pesquisa são o Sonar de Varredura Lateral e o Sistema Acústico de Classificação de Fundo RoxAnn, através da parametrização de amostras de fundo. A comparação do padrão acústico do Sonar de Varredura Lateral com as amostras de fundo da região permitiu o reconhecimento de 6 tipos distintos de padrões acústicos e a relação positiva com o diâmetro médio do grão foi de 50%. A comparação da resposta acústica do Sistema Acústico de Classificação de Fundo RoxAnn com o diâmetro médio do grão foi igualmente de 50%. Isto deve-se ao fato de que os valores produzidos pelo eco 1 e pelo eco 2 deste equipamento mostram que, por ser um mono-feixe e por analisar valores de intensidade do retorno acústico, o equipamento em questão pode responder a outros fatores ambientais que não seja somente o diâmetro médio do grão. Ao comparar a resposta acústica do Sonar de Varredura Lateral com o Sistema Acústico de Classificação de fundo RoxAnn obteve-se um resultado positivo de 93%. Isto pode ser explicado pelo fato de o Sonar de Varredura Lateral gerar uma imagem acústica do fundo. Em locais onde tem-se amostra e os valores do eco 1 e do eco 2 do Sistema Acústico de Classificação de Fundo RoxAnn são altos, pode-se associar a esses locais a influência da compactação dos sedimentos finos através da análise das imagens do Sonar de Varredura Lateral. Por meio da comparação destes dois métodos foi possível estabelecer um intervalo de valores para o eco 1 que pode ser associado ao diâmetro médio do grão. Assim, valores entre 0.170 a 0.484 milivolts podem ser associados a sedimentos finos com granulometria até areia fina. Valores entre 0.364 a 0.733 podem ser associados a sedimentos de granulometria entre areia fina a média. Valores acima de 0.805 milivolts até 1.585 milivolts podem ser associados a sedimentos mais grossos como carbonatos biodetríticos ou areias grossas. E, por fim, valores acima de 2.790 milivolts podem ser associados a afloramentos rochosos. / Estuaries are highly dynamic environments which concentrate the largest part of the world`s population in it`s surroundings. They are complex environments which need a variety of studies. The objective of this work is to contribute to a better understanding of the estuarine system, having as a main objective the comparison between two geophysical acoustic methods in the mapping of a submersed portion of the Cananéia Sea, located in the Estuarine System of Cananéia Iguape (SP). The equipment used in this research were the Side Scan Sonar and the RoxAnn Acoustic Ground Discrimination System, through the correlation of the geological bottom samples. The comparison of the acoustic pattern between the Side Scan Sonar and the geological bottom samples enabled the recognition of 6 distinct acoustic patterns and the positive correlation between the medium diameters of the sediments was 50%. The correlation of the acoustic feedback of the RoxAnn Acoustic Ground Discrimination System and the medium diameter of the sediments was equally 50%. This is due to the fact that the data produced by the echo 1 and echo 2 of this system show that because it is a single beam and because it analyses acoustic intensity feedback data, the equipment may also respond to other environmental factors which are not only related to the medium diameter of sediments. When comparing the acoustic feedback taken from the Side Scan Sonar and the RoxAnn Acoustic Ground Discrimination System a positive result of 93% was obtained. This may be explained due to the fact that the Side Scan Sonar generates an acoustic ground image. In areas where one has high value samples from echo 1 and echo 2 and also from the RoxAnn Acoustic Ground Discrimination System, one may correlate to these places the influence of fine sediment compression through the analysis of the images taken from the Side Scan Sonar. By comparing these two methods it was possible to establish an interval of values for echo 1 which can be associated to the medium diameter of the sediments. In this way, values between 0,170 to 0.484 milivolts can be associated to fine sediments with granulometry variating up to very fine sediments. Values between 0.364 to 0.733 can be associated to fine sediments with granulometry variating from medium to fine sediments. Values above 0.805 milivolts to 1.585 milivolts can be associated to coarser sediments such as biodetritic carbonates or thick sediments. Finally, values above 2.790 milivolts can be associated to rocky emergences.

The application of underwater search and identification technology has been widely used in the underwater engineering. There are two major fields in this thesis: monitoring of underwater structures and analysis of upper-layer geological properties of seabed. The former focus on the cooperation of these three major equipments: sidescan sonar, sub-bottom profiler, and marine magnetometer to improve the ability of identification. The latter analyzes the image displayed by the sub-bottom profiler to set up the data base of different environments and equipments. Finally, it is illustrated that the difference between the actual position and the data position exists in equipment with a tow fish style to refine the search technology and predict the real position. This thesis will demonstrate the monitoring of underwater structures, analysis of upper-layer geological properties of seabed, and the position error of underwater targets to discuss and improve the capability of the underwater search and identification technology.

Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / Os estuários são ambientes altamente dinâmicos e concentram a maior parte da população mundial em seu entorno. São ambientes complexos que necessitam de uma gama de estudos. Nesse contexto, este trabalho visa contribuir para o entendimento dos estuários lagunares, tendo como objetivo comparar duas ferramentas geofísicas acústicas no mapeamento de uma porção submersa do Mar de Cananéia que está inserido no Sistema Estuarino Lagunar de Cananéia-Iguape (SP). Os equipamentos utilizados nesta pesquisa são o Sonar de Varredura Lateral e o Sistema Acústico de Classificação de Fundo RoxAnn, através da parametrização de amostras de fundo. A comparação do padrão acústico do Sonar de Varredura Lateral com as amostras de fundo da região permitiu o reconhecimento de 6 tipos distintos de padrões acústicos e a relação positiva com o diâmetro médio do grão foi de 50%. A comparação da resposta acústica do Sistema Acústico de Classificação de Fundo RoxAnn com o diâmetro médio do grão foi igualmente de 50%. Isto deve-se ao fato de que os valores produzidos pelo eco 1 e pelo eco 2 deste equipamento mostram que, por ser um mono-feixe e por analisar valores de intensidade do retorno acústico, o equipamento em questão pode responder a outros fatores ambientais que não seja somente o diâmetro médio do grão. Ao comparar a resposta acústica do Sonar de Varredura Lateral com o Sistema Acústico de Classificação de fundo RoxAnn obteve-se um resultado positivo de 93%. Isto pode ser explicado pelo fato de o Sonar de Varredura Lateral gerar uma imagem acústica do fundo. Em locais onde tem-se amostra e os valores do eco 1 e do eco 2 do Sistema Acústico de Classificação de Fundo RoxAnn são altos, pode-se associar a esses locais a influência da compactação dos sedimentos finos através da análise das imagens do Sonar de Varredura Lateral. Por meio da comparação destes dois métodos foi possível estabelecer um intervalo de valores para o eco 1 que pode ser associado ao diâmetro médio do grão. Assim, valores entre 0.170 a 0.484 milivolts podem ser associados a sedimentos finos com granulometria até areia fina. Valores entre 0.364 a 0.733 podem ser associados a sedimentos de granulometria entre areia fina a média. Valores acima de 0.805 milivolts até 1.585 milivolts podem ser associados a sedimentos mais grossos como carbonatos biodetríticos ou areias grossas. E, por fim, valores acima de 2.790 milivolts podem ser associados a afloramentos rochosos. / Estuaries are highly dynamic environments which concentrate the largest part of the world`s population in it`s surroundings. They are complex environments which need a variety of studies. The objective of this work is to contribute to a better understanding of the estuarine system, having as a main objective the comparison between two geophysical acoustic methods in the mapping of a submersed portion of the Cananéia Sea, located in the Estuarine System of Cananéia Iguape (SP). The equipment used in this research were the Side Scan Sonar and the RoxAnn Acoustic Ground Discrimination System, through the correlation of the geological bottom samples. The comparison of the acoustic pattern between the Side Scan Sonar and the geological bottom samples enabled the recognition of 6 distinct acoustic patterns and the positive correlation between the medium diameters of the sediments was 50%. The correlation of the acoustic feedback of the RoxAnn Acoustic Ground Discrimination System and the medium diameter of the sediments was equally 50%. This is due to the fact that the data produced by the echo 1 and echo 2 of this system show that because it is a single beam and because it analyses acoustic intensity feedback data, the equipment may also respond to other environmental factors which are not only related to the medium diameter of sediments. When comparing the acoustic feedback taken from the Side Scan Sonar and the RoxAnn Acoustic Ground Discrimination System a positive result of 93% was obtained. This may be explained due to the fact that the Side Scan Sonar generates an acoustic ground image. In areas where one has high value samples from echo 1 and echo 2 and also from the RoxAnn Acoustic Ground Discrimination System, one may correlate to these places the influence of fine sediment compression through the analysis of the images taken from the Side Scan Sonar. By comparing these two methods it was possible to establish an interval of values for echo 1 which can be associated to the medium diameter of the sediments. In this way, values between 0,170 to 0.484 milivolts can be associated to fine sediments with granulometry variating up to very fine sediments. Values between 0.364 to 0.733 can be associated to fine sediments with granulometry variating from medium to fine sediments. Values above 0.805 milivolts to 1.585 milivolts can be associated to coarser sediments such as biodetritic carbonates or thick sediments. Finally, values above 2.790 milivolts can be associated to rocky emergences.

Retrieval, treatment, and disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) is expected to cost between 100 and 300 billion dollars. The risk to workers, public health, and the environment are also a major area of concern for HLW. Visualization of the interface between settled solids and the optically opaque liquid is needed for retrieval of the waste from underground storage tanks. A Profiling sonar selected for this research generates 2-D image of the interface. Multiple experiments were performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of sonar in real-time monitoring the interface inside HLW tanks. First set of experiments demonstrated that objects shapes could be identified even when 30% of solids entrained in liquid, thereby mapping the interface. Simulation of sonar system validated these results. Second set of experiments confirmed the sonar’s ability in detecting the solids with density similar to the immersed liquid. Third set of experiments determined the affects of near by objects on image resolution. Final set of experiments proved the functional and chemical capabilities of sonar in caustic solution.