EdgeTech, the leader in high resolution sonar imaging systems and underwater technology, recently released a new AUV-based sonar system that provides three side scan sonar frequencies as well as sub-bottom profiling capabilities in one compact and integrated system. The company also announced that a number of the systems have already been built and shipped.
The EdgeTech 2205 AUV / ROV-based sonar system was introduced to the market last year as a continuation to the successful 2200 series product group. EdgeTech sonars are deployed on hundreds of AUVs and ROVs around the world. Since its introduction, EdgeTech’s 2205, a smaller and more versatile sonar system for hosted platforms, has been delivered to customers in a number of different configurations based on requests to address applications in the underwater oil and gas, research and military markets. System choices include side scan sonar functionality, sub-bottom profiler choices and multiphase bathymetry offerings.
One of the recently delivered EdgeTech 2205 tri-frequency systems was configured to operate at 230 kHz, 540 kHz and 1600 kHz. This configuration provides much more flexibility for the AUV operator and allows them to collect different sets of data for different missions without cumbersome reconfiguration. The lower frequency provides a 450 meter swath while the higher frequency is ideal for high resolution operations. The 1600 kHz frequency can provide across track resolution of less than one centimeter. In the middle, the third frequency can be used for the ideal combination of range and resolution. All this is available to the user without swapping systems, arrays or different components. The software switchable system allows complete flexibility to the operators.
Rounding out the versatile sonar package on the AUV, the EdgeTech 2205 system is also configured to support sub-bottom profiling at the frequency ranges of 2-16kHz, 1-8kHz or 4-24kHz depending on the sub-bottom transducer selection by the operator.