Advances in Steerable Towed Sensor Platforms

摘要

For a number of years, towed bodies and vehicles have been used in the ocean industry forrncarrying sensors in order to measure various parameters on and below the sea bottom and in thernwater column. Traditionally, these towed bodies have been torpedo shaped with passive controlrndevices and the operational depth has been determined by a combination of surface vessel speedrnand length of tow cable paid out. The torpedo shaped tow fish type is still being used for differentrnapplications like side scan sonar and will remain on the market. But, as the development of morernsophisticated sensors like multibeam sonars, synthetic aperture sonars and laser line scan devicesrnare being more and more utilised for inspection and survey work tasks, the need for stable remoterncontrolled towed vehicles has arisen. Already in the seventies, controlled towed vehicles wererndeveloped, mainly for video observation purposes and, in the late eighties, more complex systemsrnwere available for carrying various sensors simultaneously.