
April
2018
Pathfinder DVL Guide
Page 46
EAR-Controlled Technology Subject to Restrictions Contained on the Cover Page.
Table 11:
Wavelength of sound in seawater (1500 m/s sound speed)
Frequency (kHz)
Wavelength (mm)
600
2.5
Fluid in the well
: The well should be filled with fresh water. Seawater can be used, but at the cost of in-
creased corrosion. Seawater should not be circulated through the well unless the well has been painted
with anti-fouling paint. The pressure within the well should be adjusted to keep the window from bow-
ing in and out, and thereafter, the volume should be kept constant.
Example of Window Installation
: A DVL user implements a 0.25-inch thick window. Two 30mm holes are
drilled in the window along the edges. The inside walls are painted with anti-fouling paint. This allows the
water to be full of antifoulant during the time the ship is docked, which is when the barnacle growth oc-
curs. The holes allow the water to exchange when the ship is in motion and allows for draining when the
ship is dry-docked (a 0.25” window will not support the weight of the water). This configuration is typical
of the successful implementation of a window to be used with the DVL for vessel mounted applications.
This particular case has never had a failure with the window, and has seen only a minimal loss in range
(approximately 5 meters).
SONAR Interference Considerations
Interference from other acoustic and electromagnetic devices can cause velocity and direction bias. In
extreme cases, interference may prevent the DVL from operating. It is possible to avoid interference
by using a suitable triggering scheme. This is particularly recommended if the other device is operating
within the bandwidth of our DVL receiver (in some cases up to 40% of the carrier frequency of the DVL)
or if the other device has a harmonic component that is within the DVL frequency receive bandwidth.
Initiating a well-conceived triggering scheme (triggering the interfering device, the DVL, or both) will
keep the interfering device from operating during the DVL’s transmit and receive period. It is im-
portant to note that the TRDI receivers have 90 to 110 dB of gain, which for the sake of clarity is
greater than 100,000 times of voltage amplification.
Coded Signal Theory Review
In the default bottom track Broadband mode, the DVL transmits two acoustic pulses composed of a series
of coded sequences. The acoustic signal transmitted into the water is composed of a series of elements,
where each element consists of 16 carrier cycles.
The frequency spectrum of this signal is a sin(x)/x func-
tion centered at the carrier frequency, with a -3dB bandwidth of 6.25% of the carrier frequency. As a re-
sult, any nearby sonar equipment which is sensitive to this frequency range will receive interference from
the DVL transmit pulses.
TRDI DVL transducers are manufactured with the ability to transmit and receive more than the required
6.25%. Any other sonar emissions in this frequency range will potentially be received by the DVL and in-
terfere with its operation. The following table summarizes the transmit and receive bandwidth for each
frequency available for the Pathfinder DVL systems:
Table 12:
Transmit and Receive for Pathfinder DVLs
System
Carrier Frequency
Transmit & Receive Bandwidth
600 kHz
614400 Hz
38.4 kHz (6.25%)
Interference Detection and Mitigation
TRDI has several tools to detect and mitigate interference. One of these is a FFT software program (see
that in function turns the DVL into a semi real time Fourier spectrum software analyzer.
Another technique for interference detection is the use of very long water profiles.