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SONAR stands for Sound Navigation and Ranging. It involves the use of propagation of sound for navigation, distant object detection, and interaction with other objects. Its application is in undersea areas too like submarine interaction and submarine route planning.
Leonardo da Vinci was the first person to use the concept of SONAR in 1490 by placing a tube into water to hear the noise of other vessels.
Working principle of SONAR
An ultrasonic sound beam transmitted by the transducer travels through seawater. It creates an echo whenever it comes in contact with an object. The sensor detects and records this echo and converts it into electric signals.
Types of SONAR
There are two types of SONAR:
1. Active SONAR: This involves sending out sound wave emission and waiting for the echo to return. This is done with the help of a transmitter that produces high-frequency sound waves and a receiver that receives the reproduced high-frequency sound waves. Some animals like whales and dolphins use this method to locate murderers and targets.
2. Passive SONAR: This involves listening to the sounds produced by underwater objects as it only has a receiver. The receiver points out the noise that comes from underwater and is useful for underwater research missions
Benefits of SONAR
- Best tool for detecting underwater objects.
- Helps find the depth of water for navigating purposes.
- It is precise.
- Not too expensive to afford.
Limitations Of SONAR
- SONAR waves damage aquatic life and endanger animal species.
- It creates a lot of sounds.