Solstice Multi Aperture Side-Scan Sonar

Overview

Solstice is the number one side-scan sonar in the world for AUVs and towed bodies. The imagery produced is recognised to be of the highest quality possible from side-scan sonar enabling detection and classification of seafloor objects across the whole swath.

Multiple apertures improve the signal-to-noise ratio performance, capturing stunning imagery at longer ranges than other sonars at the same frequency. It is interferometric too, meaning you also get co-located 3D data. It’s the ideal choice for hydrographic, archaeological, search, salvage, unexploded ordnance, and mine countermeasure missions.

Each of Solstice’s 300 m-rated, 682 mm long, 2.11 kg arrays, has 32 reciever elements. This configuration ensures that your AUV or towed body is able to gather more data with higher image fidelity.

Unlike most conventional side-scan sonars which have a fixed focus, Solstice uses a unique back-projection beam-forming technique to focus at every single pixel in the image. Imagery from conventional side-scans is also often distorted due to non-linear platform motion and may have gaps in coverage due to platform roll, pitch and yaw.

Solstice on the other hand uses knowledge of the platform motion to eliminate its effects, producing undistorted imagery with 100% ground coverage.

Accurate imaging demands highly linear element alignment, which cannot easily be achieved mechanically.

Real-time array calibration is therefore used to dynamically re-calibrate each hydrophone element several times a second to compensate for any dynamical strains causing array non-linearity.

Solstice has been designed to produce high-contrast imagery, even in shallow, littoral waters, eliminating noise from multi-path reverberation, enhancing the contrast of the imagery. It employs a unique array technology which allows wide swath coverage normally associated with wide vertical beamwidth, whilst providing the shadow contrast associated with very narrow vertical beams.

The result is improved probability of detection and decreased probability of false alarms improving the efficiency of your mine counter-measures, archaeological, search and salvage missions.

Technical

Design