Data-driven control of sonar array transducers

The use of a curved array airborne ultrasound transducer for autonomous vehicle navigation is described. The physical array configuration enables beam steering, beamshaping and beamforming to be efficiently implemented, and this implementation is discussed. A procedure for dynamically evaluating the local environment to determine the most appropriate direction and beam shape is proposed. Simulation results are presented that compare this technique with conventional scanning procedures.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.