Dayu Electronics: Ring-Scan Sonar Accelerates Underwater Point Cloud Image Construction

When unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) conduct underwater detection, shoreline inspection and underwater terrain mapping are two core tasks. Traditional mechanical scanning sonar, due to its slow sweep speed, often struggles to produce clear, continuous point cloud images in choppy sea conditions caused by wave-induced hull motion. Recently, our company received feedback from a research client: the sensor they purchased had insufficient response speed, and during offshore operations, two-dimensional images were severely affected by hull motion, highlighting an urgent need for a more efficient sonar solution. To address this pain point, we recommended two technical approaches—phased array sonar and ring-scan sonar—and, considering the client's budget and application scenarios, emphasized the notable advantages of ring-scan sonar in cost-effectiveness and sweep speed.

Ring-scan sonar (also known as circular scanning sonar) achieves rapid 360° or sector coverage of the underwater environment through mechanical rotation of the transmitting transducer or electronic multi-beam methods. Compared to traditional single-beam mechanical scanning, ring-scan sonar significantly improves sweep speed, allowing a complete scan to be completed in a shorter time, thereby effectively suppressing motion artifacts caused by hull motion. Combined with point cloud imaging algorithms, it can output high-density underwater point cloud data in real time, providing intuitive references for shoreline obstacle avoidance, underwater structure inspection, and terrain modeling.

In actual testing, the client reported that our ring-scan sonar's sweep speed was "acceptable" and met their basic imaging requirements. Additionally, the client clearly stated that phased array sonar, despite its excellent performance, was too expensive, while ring-scan sonar was more budget-friendly. In addition to providing product technical specifications, we also shared with the client real lake test videos and detailed manuals of the ring-scan sonar, and explained future upgrade directions—including further improving refresh rates, optimizing point cloud noise filtering algorithms, and enhancing near-field imaging quality in shallow water—to adapt to more demanding USV operating conditions.

Currently, the client is in final discussions with their advisor regarding budget and project requirements. Regardless of whether the client ultimately chooses phased array or ring-scan sonar, Dayu Electronics will provide professional technical support teams to assist with the entire process, from sensor integration and watertight connection to host computer software parsing. We understand that underwater mapping requires not only "seeing" but also "seeing quickly and stably." Ring-scan sonar is a cost-effective solution designed to meet these needs.

Dayu Electronics continues to invest in the iterative upgrade of its sonar product line, dedicated to providing faster and more stable underwater imaging products for platforms such as unmanned surface vehicles and underwater robots. We welcome researchers and engineers to communicate and test with us, jointly advancing underwater perception technology.