ABSTRACT

The transmitted pulse is of major importance in sonar systems used in remote exploration of sea bottoms. The resolution in the propagation direction (vertical resolution) is determined by the length of the radiated wave form. Feasible acoustic sources are band limited, so that only a limited resolution can be accomplished. However, the pulse waveform radiated by transducers can be shaped properly for some prescribed requirements. Techniques to shape waveforms include mechanical backing and matching, electrical matching, and signal processing. In this paper, deconvolution techniques are analyzed as a tool to increase the vertical resolution of sea bottom echograms. As a post-process, deconvolution helps to design inverse filters to compress the pulse length. As a pre-process, deconvolution affords the electrical voltage which should drive the transducer in order to transmit as shorter as possible pulses.