1-3 Piezocomposite transducers for AUV applications

Abstract

Sonar systems on board AUVs present interesting challenges to the transducer designer because of their small size, low weight requirements, and limited available power. 1-3 piezocomposite transducers offer many performance characteristics which make them ideal for deployment in AUVs. Piezocomposite transducers are light weight, have broad bandwidth, have high efficiency, and can be conformed to fit the curvature of the vehicle. The broad bandwidths and low sidelobes made possible by piezocomposites result in sharper images with less distortion. The piezocomposite material is mechanically robust and can survive the rigors of normal operations as well as AUV deployment and retrieval. In addition, the conformal configuration substantially reduces hydrodynamic drag. As a conformal array, there is nothing to get knocked off during deployment and retrieval operations, or entangled with natural or man-made objects suspended in the water column. This contributes directly to improving the operational endurance of the AUV system, thereby enhancing overall system utility. MSI has produced and tested a variety of piezocomposite transducers for use in obstacle avoidance, mine hunting, and acoustic communications. An overview of piezocomposites and recent results of piezocomposite transducers will be presented.