Sonar system of JiaoLong human-occupied vehicle

The sonar system of Jiaolong human-occupied vehicle has nine types of sonar devices(16 devices in total) for communication, navigation, positioning, and detection. One of the four technical features of Jiaolong is the vehicle's advanced underwater acoustic digital communication and underwater micro-topography measurement capabilities. The underwater acoustic transmission of images, human voice, data and text from a depth of 7000 m to the ocean surface was accomplished for the first time by the acoustic communication system of Jiaolong. The micro-topography was measured at a depth of 7000 m with high-resolution bathymetric side-scanning sonar, and a small area was mapped three-dimensionally in high resolution in the Mariana Trench. In the periods from August to October 2009, May to July 2010, July to August 2011, and June to July 2012, tests were completed at depths of 1000, 3000, 5000, and 7000 m respectively, and the maximum dive depth reached was 7062 m. A voyage was then undertaken over 113 days from June to September 2013 to test applications. The sea trials show that the advanced technology of the sonar system is reliable and realizes the designed performance.