Brief History of Digital Sonar Development

Abstract

Sonar is a technique / equipment based on sound propagation (usually in sea water) that is used to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels [1]–[16], and the research work focuses on transducers, acoustic signal processing, acoustical oceanography, bioacoustics, micro-computers, and human / machine engineering [17]–[24]. The oretical basis of sonar design is closely related to other fields, such as acoustics, informatics, cybernetics and ocean engineering. In the 1960s, sonar designers began to use digital techniques to implement their designs. With the rapid development of digital signal processing theory and the microprocessor, digitization procedures for sonar systems developed quickly. The DSP (digital signal processor) chip is extensively used in sonar systems and considerably increases the processing capability and performance. Also, the design philosophy of digital sonar and its applications advances research in underwater acoustics and digital signal processing. This research has produced many new ideas and created many new opportunities, such as digital underwater acoustic communication, NCW (network centric warfare), underwater GPS (global position system) and digital DDS (diver detection sonar) [25]–[39]. This chapter will shortly introduce the history of sonar, will give an outline of digital sonar architecture, and will discuss the prospects for the theory and its application to digital sonar development [40]–[46].