Compact and Portable Acoustic Positioning System
Kongsberg Maritime, Norway, has expanded its acoustic positioning product portfolio, with the launch of μPAP, a compact and portable acoustic positioning system for operation from a surface vessel to track ROVs, tow fish, divers and any other subsea target at depths to 4,000m. μPAP operates in SSBL mode (LBL is also possible) where it measures the distance and direction to subsea transponders and computes a 3D position in local coordinates or in geographical coordinates.
It offers high accuracy but is smaller, more compact and easier to install on a vessel or other surface unit than larger acoustic positioning systems. The size, weight and ease of installation makes μPAP a more flexible solution ideal for a diverse range of applications including aquaculture, seabed survey, seabed cleaning, marine research, diving operations, underwater construction, rov operations, shallow water seismic, shallow water inspection, ocean renewable energy and salt to fresh water production.
μPAP introduces a series of advanced new transducers that feature more elements than any of its competitors in the portable and low cost market. It’s established that more elements provide better acoustic redundancy, mathematical redundancy and improvement of the Signal to Noise level, so μPAP’s transducers can provide more accurate and reliable position data down to 4,000m range. A built-in motion sensor in the μPAP transducer compensates for vessel roll and pitch movements. To meet various demands from the market, the μPAP transducer is available in several versions featuring different built-in motion sensors and physical size.
μPAP benefits from the Cymbal acoustic protocol providing wideband spread spectrum acoustic positioning and data communication, though other acoustic protocols can be utilised. The system can also be used as a two-way modem to transfer data between a surface user computer and one or many underwater units. The μPAP system Operator Station (OS) and user-interface runs on a standard laptop PC and features the Windows-based Acoustic Positioning Operating System (APOS). A built-in comprehensive and informative Online Help user guide is standard and describes a wide range of functions for acoustic positioning and data communication.
