High-resolution adaptive spiking sonar

A new sonar system based on the conventional 6500 ranging module is presented that generates a sequence of spikes whose temporal density is related to the strength of the received echo. This system notably improves the resolution of a previous system by shortening the discharge cycle of the integrator included in the module. The operation is controlled by a PIC18F452 device, which can adapt the duration of the discharge to changing features of the echo, providing the system with a novel adaptive behavior. The performance of the new sensor is characterized and compared with that of the previous system by performing rotational scans of simple objects with different reflecting strengths. Some applications are suggested that exploit the high resolution and adaptability of this sensor.