Standard OEM System #
A Bathyswath OEM system includes:
TEM (Transducer Electronics Module) #
A set of electronics boards: we call this the “Transducer Electronics Module”, or TEM.
A Bathyswath-3 Transducer Electronics Module (TEM) consists of two circuit boards, which are stacked one above the other, and connected together using a connector on the top of one board and the bottom of the other.
Each TEM provides the interface to two sonar transducers, or one transducer with two sides, port and starboard.
FPGA (Field Programable Gate Array) Board,amplifies the returned sonar signals, and digitises and digitally filters them. Communicates the results to the computer through an Ethernet interface.
Power Amplifier (PA) board. Interfaces to the transducers, and generates the transmit pulses.
TCB (Transducer Connection Board) #
Transducer connection boards (TCB) / Transducer Interface Board (TIB), which connect the transducers to the TEM. There are different type of TCBs depending on the frequency used.
Low frequency Transducer Connection Board (TCB) to be used with 250, 900, 1000 kHz multi/single frequency transducer (see below).
High frequency Transducer Connection Board (TCB) to be used with 450, 900, 1600 kHz multi/single frequency transducer (see below).
Transducers #
Transducer designs are subject to change; please contact ITER Systems for confirmation before designing your mechanical interface.
These are multifrequency transducers operating at 250, 500 & 1000 kHz. The port and starboard sides of the system are included in the separate transducer block.
Bathyswath-3 Sigma transducer. This operates at 450, 900, and 1800 kHz. The port and starboard sides of the system are included in the one transducer block.
This is a similar construction to the Bathyswath-3 Sigma transducer, but provides one sonar frequency on each side, at 450 kHz. It works with both Bathyswath-3 and Bathyswath-2 electronics systems. It is developed to provide a low-cost, light-weight sonar system.
The higher-frequency transducers are smaller, give better image resolution, but reduced range to the bottom.
The transducers above all use fixings that double as fixing bolts and cable penetrators. They are fitted with O-rings, to provide a watertight connection to a bulkhead into a housing that contains the electronics.
Bathyswath-3 electronics can also be used with the Bathyswath-2 single-frequency transducers. See the Bathyswath-2 OEM integration manual for details of those transducers.
Items to be supplied by the Client #
Clients who integrate a Bathyswath OEM system will need to provide the following additional items:
- A housing to contain the Bathyswath electronics boards (TEM), to protect them from mechanical damage and keep them dry,
- A source of electrical power,
- A computer to run the Bathyswath software or other software,
- A motion sensor, to measure the roll, pitch and heave of the platform,
- A position sensor, to measure the position of the platform,
- A heading sensor, to measure the pointing direction of the platform,
- A sound velocity sensor, to measure the speed of sound in water, or some other way of measuring or estimating this,
- A mechanical mount for the sonar transducer(s),
- Electrical connections between all parts of the system, including from the sonar transducer(s) to the TEM.