New Simrad sonar SX90

Low frequency sonar

 Simrad Omni Sonars

General advantages:
• Combination of horizontal and vertical beams
• Full roll and pitch stabilization as standard
• Multiple frequency selection
• Advanced Pulse Forms FM Hyperbolic, PSK...
• Dual mode presentation
• Easy to operate
• Menu in your own language
• Easy installation
SX90 System diagram
SX90 hull units
 SX90 Hull Units

•Rugged high speed construction

•Wide range of hull units:
Hull Unit Stroke length Max. speed Trunk type
SP90* 1,2 m 24 knots Simrad
SP91 1,6 m 20 knots Simrad
SP92 1,2 m 24 knots Furuno
SP93 1,6 m 20 knots Furuno
(C D 6 3 5 0 D )

* Standard

•Selectable middle position

•Simple service and maintenance
SX90 Transceiver Unit
SX90 heat exchanger door
 SX90 Specifications

The central frequency can vary from 20 to 30 kHz in 1 kHz step.

The beam-widths are:

Vertical normal: 11.4º at 20 kHz to 7.4º at 30 kHz

Vertical narrow: 10.9º at 20 kHz to 6.7º at 30 kHz

Horizontal receive: 13º at 20 kHz to 8.6º at 30 kHz

Source level in omni SL=218.7 dB re µPa at 1m at 26 kHz

Choice of vertical beamwidth, SP90 and SH80

• Selection of beamwidth to match conditions:

– For ranges where the main lobe does not touch the surface or
bottom, low sidelobes will be an advantage
– For ranges where the main lobe touches the surface or
bottom, most narrow main-lobe will be an advantage
Selection of vertical beamwidth

• The possibility for more narrow vertical

beamwidth gives:
– Less reverberation ”noise” from bottom and surface
– Higher Source Level , appr. + 2 dB
– Totally better range and more clean screen
– Beamwidth vertically SX90: 7.8º narrow and 8.8º
normal at 28 kHz
– Beamwidth vertically SH80: 7.6º narrow and 9.5º
normal at 115 kHz
SX90 and SP70 10 ton herring depth 200m sand

40

SP70
SP90
SP90

35

30

SP70 SX90 normal SX90 narrow beam

Signal excess in dB

25

20

15

10

5
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000
Range in meters
SX90 tippet 180 degrees view
Tippet view SX90
 The Doppler-effect’s influence on sonars

Radial component gives doppler

The vessel’s
Own doppler
is removed Tangential does not give doppler

We see that the target’s radial component is the problem.

With several doppler channels we can measure this as an information.

In general the pulse length gives the doppler sensitivity:

dv = c/(2*f*T)
 CW pulseform
CW means ”Continous Wave”,
It is a pulse of fixed frequency and a given length in time,
This is the normal pulse for all other sonars
For SX90 f=20-30 kHz og T=1-85 ms
Pros: Simple, good for large schools in deep water
Con: Low resolution and lots of reverberation in shallow waters,
sensitive to doppler
CW pulsform

1.000

0.800

0.600

0.400

0.200

0.000
1 29 57 85 113 141 169 197 225 253 281 309 337 365 393 421 449 477 505 533 561 589
-0.200

-0.400

-0.600

-0.800

-1.000
 FM Hyperbolic
FM means Frequency Modulation, which mean that the
Frequency will vary in a hyperbolic way with time

Pros: High resolution in range with high energy and insensitive

to target doppler
Cons: Complicated, needs processing ”Matched filter”
Correlator, more complicated than PSK
 Hyperbolic FM
frequency

Hyperbolic FM up

Hyperbolic FM down

time
Frequency versus time is hyperbolic
 SX90 Pulseforms
• CW 1ms to 85 ms, resolution 0.75m to 64m

• Hyperbolic FM BW 500Hz 1ms to 85 ms,

resolution 1.5 m for all pulse-lengths, higher
resolution implemented later

• Future PSK resolution down to 15 cm

Ambiguity function CW

CW 40 ms
The Doppler-effect’s influence on sonars

In CW this means target speed tolerance versus pulselength:

T=1 ms dv= +-30 knots

T=10 ms dv= +-3 knots
T=60 ms dv= +-0.5 knot

A hyperbolic FM with bandwidth 500 Hz

T=40 ms dv= +- 5 knots
First fish on SX90 Oslo fjord