Deep-Water Pressure Tolerant Side Scan Sonar

The desire to convert non-pressure tolerant designs to pressure tolerant ones evolves from the demand for smaller, lighter, more energy efficient, and higher reliability deep ocean components whose design incorporation results in higher performance sensors and systems due to the elimination of heavy, costly one-atmosphere electronics bottles and electrical connectors. The implementation and commercialization of pressure tolerant electronics (PTE) to produce marine sensors will create new opportunities for deep-ocean operations. As PTE developments significantly reduce the size, weight and costs of UUV components, then by using PTE systems more sensors can be fit into an existing UUV payload compartment. Phoenix, with decades of experience designing, building, maintaining, and operating deep-sea vehicles, proposes the development of a pressure tolerant subsea side scan sonar data acquisition and processing computer system (SSS-CS).  Although COTS SSS-CS are already commercially available in one atmospheric housing or in open frame, the Phoenix pressure tolerant version will be packed in a low-cost, small footprint customized shape enclosure which can be easily integrated with ease to small, medium and big size UUVs alike.