Omniscan is a low-cost, high-resolution, long-range imaging sonar ideally suited for use on small ROVs and surface vessels. Omniscan has a narrow and tall fan beam (<1 deg width) which is scanned by rotating the platform. As the ROV or surface vessel moves, SonarView “paints” the image of the scanned area of the sea floor giving excellent situational awareness in the murkiest conditions.
Omniscan 450
Omniscan 450 is tightly integrated with Cerulean SonarView application using the vehicle's position and heading to display each ping in its correct absolute orientation and position. Typical side-scan products usually just display a sequence of pings in a linear array, and require post-processing with high end software tools to achieve correct image rendering. With Omniscan and SonarView, you see the geometrically correct image live in real time.
For a surface vessel with GPS and compass this is relatively easy to accomplish, but to achieve the same result underwater on an ROV additional expensive underwater positioning systems have been required. But with Omniscan's Doppler Motion Tracking a pair of Omniscan 450 devices mounted at right angles you get forward and side scanning, plus motion tracking and position hold!
Omniscan Product Selector
The Omniscan 450 FS is ideally suited for forward looking ROV applications. The transducer and electronics are housed in a single enclosure with Ethernet + power interface. Two enclosure options are available for 100m and 300m depth rating respectively.
As the ROV or surface vessel moves, SonarView “paints” the image of the scanned area of the sea floor giving excellent situational awareness in the murkiest conditions.
The Omniscan 450 SS is tailored for sidescan applications. It has a longer transducer which gives 50% better angular resolution and 150m maximum range. The transducer is rated to 300m operating depth. The electronics module is separate and must by mounted in the vehicle's water tight enclosure. Two units of the Omniscan 450 SS can be combined in SonarView for the conventional sidescan application in which both sides are scanned simultaneously.
Note: Although the model designations specify Forward Scanning and Side Scanning, in reality either one can be used for either application. The real difference is in the transducer and the packaging.