JP2008241308A - Scanning sonar - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable high speed processing by shortening the operation time without using the difference in frequency characteristic in suppressing reverberation. <P>SOLUTION: The level of the signal received by a receiving beam is detected for each range, and the average value B of the signal level is calculated in a range except the level projecting by a certain distance from a detected signal level. The conversion maximum level L2 as the upper limit value of the signal level to be level-converted is determined based on the average value B, and the signal level not higher than the conversion maximum level L2, of the detected signal level 1, is converted into a signal level lower than this. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a scanning sonar that detects underwater using an ultrasonic beam, and more particularly to a technique for suppressing reverberation.

  The scanning sonar transmits an ultrasonic beam from a transducer to a detection region in a predetermined direction, receives an echo with a reception beam formed by scanning the transducer in the circumferential direction, and responds to the signal level of the echo. It is an underwater detection device that displays an echo image in color. When underwater detection is performed with scanning sonar, a wide detection area can be obtained, so a wide range of underwater information can be acquired.

  By the way, in the scanning sonar, not only the echo reflected by the underwater fish school but also the reverberation generated by the scattering on the sea floor and the sea surface is received by the transmitter / receiver, so that an image of the reverberation appears on the screen. If such reverberation increases, fish echoes are buried in the reverberation, making it difficult to identify them on the screen, and judgment may be wrong. FIG. 12 shows an example of an echo image displayed on the scanning sonar display screen. When a large number of reverberation images 32 appear as shown in the figure, it becomes difficult to distinguish the echo images 31 of the fish school.

  Thus, various techniques for suppressing such reverberation have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a technique for suppressing reverberation by utilizing the difference in characteristics that the level of reverberation varies greatly depending on the frequency, but the level of fish echo is small depending on frequency. . According to this technology, the received wideband signal is separated into a plurality of narrowband signals, and the time series waveform of each band is averaged over the entire band, so that the reverberation level with a large level change due to frequency cancels out and decreases. Since the fish echo level with a small level change is emphasized throughout the entire band, the fish echo can be easily detected.

Japanese Patent No. 3050200

  However, the technique of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 has a problem in that it takes time for calculation and high-speed processing is difficult because the received signal is frequency-separated and converted into time-series waveform data and then averaged.

  The present invention proposes a technique for suppressing reverberation by means different from that of Patent Document 1, and obtains a scanning sonar that does not use the difference in frequency characteristics, shortens the calculation time, and enables high-speed processing. With the goal.

  The scanning sonar according to the present invention transmits an ultrasonic beam from a transducer to a detection region in a predetermined direction, receives an echo with a reception beam formed by scanning the transducer in the circumferential direction, and images of the echo A scanning sonar that displays a detection means for detecting the level of the signal received by the reception beam for each range, and for each range, exceeds a certain level with respect to the signal level detected by the detection means. The calculation means for calculating the average value of the signal level in a range excluding the level, and the conversion that becomes the upper limit value of the signal level to be level-converted based on the average value calculated by the calculation means for each range A level conversion unit that determines a maximum level and converts a signal level that is equal to or lower than the maximum conversion level among the signal levels detected by the detection means to a signal level lower than the signal level Provided with a door.

  In this way, it is possible to suppress only the reverberation with a signal level lower than that of the fish echo, while keeping the fish echo whose signal level is greatly protruded, so that the reverberation image is reduced on the screen and the fish can be easily identified. It becomes. In the present invention, it is only necessary to perform calculation using the signal level after detection, and since the difference in frequency characteristics is not used as in Patent Document 1, the received signal is frequency-separated by time-separation for suppressing reverberation. It is not necessary to perform the averaging process after converting to the waveform data. Therefore, the calculation time can be shortened and high-speed processing can be performed.

  In the present invention, instead of performing arithmetic processing for each range as described above, arithmetic processing may be performed for each direction. In this case, scanning is performed by transmitting an ultrasonic beam from a transducer to a detection region in a predetermined direction, receiving an echo with a reception beam formed by scanning the transducer in the circumferential direction, and displaying an image of the echo. In the sonar, a detection means for detecting the level of the signal received by the reception beam for each direction, and a range excluding a level that exceeds a certain level with respect to the signal level detected by the detection means for each direction Then, a calculation means for calculating the average value of the signal level, and for each azimuth, based on the average value calculated by the calculation means, a conversion maximum level that is an upper limit value of the signal level to be level-converted is determined, Level conversion means for converting a signal level below the maximum conversion level among the signal levels detected by the detection means to a lower signal level is provided. In this way, it is possible to suppress propeller noise that occurs radially behind and to the side of the ship and noise caused by grating lobes.

  In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the calculation means is obtained by first average value calculation means for calculating the average value A of the signal level detected by the detection means, and scanning of the average value A and the reception beam. A first standard deviation calculating means for calculating a standard deviation X based on each signal level; and an average value B for a signal level within a range of AX and A + X based on the average value A and the standard deviation X. And a second average value calculating means for calculating.

  In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the calculation means further includes a second standard deviation calculation means for calculating the standard deviation Y based on the average value B and each signal level acquired by scanning the reception beam. Prepare. Then, the level conversion means, for each range or each azimuth, based on the average value B calculated by the second average value calculation means and the standard deviation Y calculated by the second standard deviation calculation means, Determine the maximum conversion level. By doing so, the deviation of the range (or azimuth) where the school of fish is located becomes high, and the part where the school of fish is located can be left as it is. Note that Y is a deviation with respect to the average value B and not with respect to the average value A. Strictly speaking, it is different from the normal “standard deviation”. Therefore, in the present invention, Y is referred to as “standard deviation” for convenience.

  In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the level conversion means sets the suppression reference level within a range equal to or lower than the maximum conversion level, and if the average value B is larger than the suppression reference level, the level conversion means is equal to or lower than the maximum conversion level and Level conversion is performed by a conversion curve according to a predetermined function within a range above the level. On the other hand, when the average value B is equal to or lower than the suppression reference level, level conversion is performed using a conversion curve according to a predetermined function within a range equal to or lower than the maximum conversion level and equal to or higher than the average value B.

  In the present invention, instead of the standard deviation described above, an average value of absolute values of differences between signal levels and average values can be used.

  According to the present invention, since it is only necessary to perform processing using signal level data without using the difference in frequency characteristics in suppressing reverberation, frequency separation is unnecessary, and calculation time is shortened and high-speed processing is performed. be able to.

  FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a scanning sonar that detects underwater and displays an echo image, 2 is a navigation device composed of GPS, a gyro, and the like, 3 is a depth-measuring device that measures the depth in water, and 4 is a flow velocity and direction of tidal current. It is a tide meter.

  FIG. 2 shows the principle of detecting underwater using scanning sonar. In the figure, 1 is the above-described scanning sonar, which is mounted on the ship 5. Reference numeral 6 denotes a transmitter / receiver provided in the scanning sonar 1, reference numeral 7 denotes an ultrasonic transmission beam transmitted from the transmitter / receiver 6 to the water, and reference numeral 8 denotes a reception beam for receiving an echo reflected by a fish group in the water. is there. 9 represents the water surface. The transmission beam 7 is transmitted simultaneously from the transmitter / receiver 6 in all directions in the water at a certain depression angle (tilt angle) to form an omnidirectional umbrella beam. The reception beam 8 is a beam having directivity formed by scanning the transducer 6 in the circumferential direction, and rotates 360 ° in a spiral at a high speed. By receiving echoes with the reception beam 8 and analyzing the received signal, underwater information such as the distribution status and movement of fish over a wide area can be obtained. Note that the navigation device 2, the sounding device 3, and the tide meter 4 shown in FIG. 1 are also mounted on the ship 5.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the scanning sonar 1. Reference numeral 10 denotes an element (ultrasonic transducer) that constitutes the above-described transducer 6, and one transmission / reception channel Ch (Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3...) Is provided for each element 10. Since the configuration of each transmission / reception channel is the same, the transmission / reception channel Ch1 will be described below. In the transmission / reception channel Ch1, 11 is a transmission / reception switching circuit that switches between transmission and reception operations, 12 is a transmission circuit that applies a pulse-width modulated transmission signal to the element 10, and 14 is amplification and noise removal for the signal received by the element 10 15 is an A / D converter that converts a received signal output from the receiving circuit 14 into a digital signal, and 16 and 17 are interfaces for transmitting and receiving signals to and from subsequent circuits. It is.

  A transmission beam forming unit 18 calculates a delay amount, a weight value, and an azimuth angle of each channel for each transmission cycle, and forms a transmission beam for each channel. Reference numeral 19 denotes an operation unit which operates a key, a dial or the like provided on the operation unit 19 to set a range, input a tilt angle or direction, select a display menu, and the like. Reference numeral 20 denotes a host CPU as a control unit that controls the entire operation of the scanning sonar 1. A reception beam forming unit 21 calculates the phase and weight of the reception signal output from each element 10 and combines the signals to obtain a combined reception signal. A data processing unit 22 performs level conversion processing (described later) for suppressing dereverberation based on signal level data obtained by detecting and sampling the reception signal output from the reception beam forming unit 21. At the same time, echo image data is generated.

  Reference numeral 23 denotes a display unit composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display, and displays the underwater information in the detection area based on the image data generated by the data processing unit 22. Reference numeral 24 denotes a memory constituting a storage unit, which stores an image display program, control parameters, and the like.

  In the above, the data processing unit 22 constitutes an embodiment of the detection means, calculation means, and level conversion means in the present invention.

  Although not shown in FIG. 3, the navigation device 2, the sounding device 3, and the tide meter 4 shown in FIG. 1 are connected to the scanning sonar 1. In addition, a fluctuation sensor for detecting the fluctuation of the ship and controlling the transmission / reception beam to always face a predetermined direction is also connected. A known device can be used for each of these devices. Further, the scanning sonar 1 may have a target lock function for automatically tracking a school of fish.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of level conversion processing in the scanning sonar 1 described above. The details of the process of suppressing the reverberation by converting the signal level of the received signal will be described below according to this flowchart.

  First, in step S1, the average value A of the signal level I of the detected received signal is calculated for each range. Each range refers to each of R1, R2, R3,... Rn shown in FIG. 5, and these represent distances in the beam radiation direction. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the reception beam 8 is turning in the direction of the arrow Q in an arbitrary range Ri. θ is the azimuth angle of the reception beam 8. While this reception beam 8 makes one round (0 ° ≦ θ ≦ 360 °), scanning for the range Ri is performed, and an echo is received. Therefore, the signal level I is data for one round at the same distance. At this time, reverberation scattered on the sea floor and the sea surface is also received. The scan is performed for all ranges R1 to Rn. FIG. 6 shows an example of the signal level I obtained as a result of scanning in a certain range. This waveform of the signal level I is a waveform after the received signal is subjected to envelope detection. In step S1, such an average value A (indicated by a broken line in FIG. 6) of the signal level I is calculated for all ranges.

ここで、Ｉ（ｊ）は、各方位ごとに取得された信号レベルのデータ値、Ｎはデータの総数である。例えば、θ＝５°の間隔でスキャンをした場合、Ｎ＝７２個の離散的なデータが得られる。ステップＳ２では、上記（１）式による演算を、全てのレンジＲ１〜Ｒｎについて行う。 Next, in step S2, the standard deviation X is calculated for each range using the average value A calculated in step S1. The standard deviation X is given by the following equation.

Here, I (j) is a data value of the signal level acquired for each direction, and N is the total number of data. For example, when scanning is performed at intervals of θ = 5 °, N = 72 discrete data are obtained. In step S2, the calculation according to the above equation (1) is performed for all ranges R1 to Rn.

  Subsequently, in step S3, for each range, using the average value A in step S1 and the standard deviation X in step S2, a range from A−X to A + X is set as shown in FIG. The average value B (indicated by the alternate long and short dash line) is calculated only for the data within. As a result, an average value excluding an extremely protruding portion of the signal level as shown by the oblique lines in FIG. 6 is obtained. The shaded area is due to the original echoes from the school of fish and the seabed. In step S2, this average value B is calculated for all ranges R1 to Rn.

ここで、Ｉ（ｊ）は、各方位ごとに取得された信号レベルのデータ値、Ｎはデータの総数である。ステップＳ４では、上記（２）式による演算を、全てのレンジＲ１〜Ｒｎについて行う。 Next, in step S4, the standard deviation Y is calculated for each range using the average value B in step S3. The standard deviation Y is given by the following equation.

Here, I (j) is a data value of the signal level acquired for each direction, and N is the total number of data. In step S4, the calculation according to the above equation (2) is performed for all ranges R1 to Rn.

  Next, in step S5, a suppression reference level L1 is calculated. As this value, a value obtained every time the minimum value of the average value B or the like may be used, or a predetermined fixed value may be used. The suppression reference level L1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Next, in step S6, using the average value B in step S3 and the standard deviation Y in step S4, the value of Y / B is obtained for each range, and the maximum value Z is extracted. For example, in FIG. 7, the standard deviation Y1 with respect to the average value B1 and the standard deviation Y2 with respect to the average value B2 are set as equivalent standard deviations when the signal level varies between the ranges. It is for handling. That is, in the part where the overall level is high, even if the level is changed by one level, for example, it is not felt that the change is large. Therefore, normalization is performed by dividing Y by B, and the standard deviation is leveled.

Next, in step S7, for each range, the maximum conversion level L2 is calculated by the following equation using the average value B in step S3 and the maximum value Z in step S6.
L2 = B + Z × B = B (1 + Z) (3)
The maximum conversion level L2 represents the upper limit value of the signal level to be level-converted, as will be described with reference to FIG.

Finally, in step S8, processing for converting the signal level of the received signal for each range is performed based on the calculation results of steps S1 to S7. The contents of the level conversion process will be described below.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the principle of level conversion. The horizontal axis of the figure represents the detected signal level I, and the vertical axis represents the converted signal level U. A solid line J1 is a level conversion function, and a broken line J2 is a linear function representing the relationship between signal levels I and U when the level is not converted (ie, U = I). MAX is the maximum value of the signal level, L1 is the above-mentioned suppression reference level, L2 is the above-mentioned maximum conversion level, and B is the above-mentioned average value. The level conversion function J1 is set for each range based on values such as L1, L2, and B obtained in each range. Therefore, FIG. 8 shows the level conversion function J1 and the level value in a certain range.

  In FIG. 8, the level conversion function J1 includes a straight line portion and a curve portion. The straight line portions P1 to P2 are in a range where the detected signal level I is larger than the maximum conversion level L2, and coincide with a part of the linear function J2. Therefore, level conversion is not performed in this range, and the signal level of the fish echo is maintained as it is.

  The curve portion of P2 to P3 of the level conversion function J1 is a conversion curve according to an exponential function when the detected signal level I is in a region where B ≦ I ≦ L2. This region is a range in which reverberation is included, but the level of reverberation is converted to a low level by an exponential function. That is, when the reverberation of the signal level Ix on the horizontal axis in FIG. 8 is detected, if the level conversion is not performed, the value of Ix is adopted as it is (U1 = Ix), but if the level conversion is performed using an exponential function , Ix is converted to U2 (<U1), and the level is lower than the original value. The level conversion by the exponential function is performed in the range of the conversion maximum level L2 or less and the suppression reference level L1 or more. Here, an exponential function is used for the curved portion of the level conversion function J1, but other functions may be used.

  The straight line portion of P3 to P4 of the level conversion function J1 is a linear function in the range where the detected signal level I is smaller than the average value B, but is lower than the linear function J2 when the level conversion is not performed. Since the shift is in the direction, the level conversion of the detection signal is also performed in this region. The reason why the straight line portion is shifted downward by B-L1 is to prevent the level conversion function J1 from becoming discontinuous at P3. The converted level value is smaller than the suppression reference level L1. Further, since the P4 to P5 portions of the level conversion function J1 are negative values when shifted downward by B−L1, all the converted levels are set to zero.

  In FIG. 8, the average value B is larger than the suppression reference level L1, but the average value B and the suppression reference level L1 may be the same. When the average value B is smaller than the suppression reference level L1, a level conversion function J1 as shown in FIG. 9 is used. This level conversion function J1 performs level conversion similar to that shown in FIG. 8 using a conversion curve according to an exponential function only in a range that is equal to or lower than the maximum conversion level L2 and equal to or higher than the average value B. Also in this case, the conversion curve may be a function other than the exponential function. FIG. 9 shows a case where the suppression reference level L1 is a fixed value. For example, when the minimum value of the average value B is obtained every time and is set as the suppression reference level L1, B <L1 as shown in FIG. Case does not occur.

  The color of the image displayed on the screen of the display unit 23 is determined based on the converted signal level U. FIG. 10 is an example of a color table in which the color of an image is represented in association with a level classification. Although eight colors are used here, this is an example, and the number of colors such as 16 colors can be arbitrarily selected. There are level divisions corresponding to colors ranging from level 1 to level 8. Level 1 has the smallest signal level and level 8 has the largest signal level. A range of signal levels is set for each level division, and the signal level is assigned to one of level 1 to level 8 according to the value of the signal level U after conversion by the level conversion function J1.

  Therefore, with regard to the reverberation of Ix in FIG. 8, if U1 when level conversion is not performed is a value belonging to level 6, for example, the display color is orange from FIG. 10, but U2 when level conversion is performed. If the value belongs to level 4, for example, the display color is green as shown in FIG. 10, and reverberation is less noticeable on the screen.

  FIG. 11 shows an example of an echo image obtained by the level conversion process of the present invention. As is clear from comparison with FIG. 12, in the case of the present invention, only reverberation is suppressed by level conversion, so that the reverberation image 32 becomes inconspicuous, while the echo image 31 of the school of fish is displayed clearly.

  As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to suppress the reverberation having a signal level lower than that of the fish echo while keeping the fish echo having a high signal level as it is, so that the reverberation image is reduced on the screen. The school of fish can be easily identified. In this case, if the signal level of the entire range is high for each range, the signal level of the entire range is suppressed, and most of the signal levels are low for the range where the variance of the signal level is small compared to the other ranges. Be suppressed. In the above-described embodiment, since the maximum conversion level L2 is obtained based on the standard deviation, the level is maintained as it is with respect to the points dispersed in the higher level direction.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, it is only necessary to perform calculation using the signal level after detection in suppressing reverberation, and since the difference in frequency characteristics is not used as in Patent Document 1, the received signal is frequency-controlled in suppressing reverberation. There is no need to perform averaging after separating and converting to time-series waveform data. Therefore, the calculation time can be shortened and high-speed processing can be performed.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which calculation processing is performed for each range (distance) has been described. However, calculation processing may be performed for each direction (angle). In this case, I (j) in the expressions (1) and (2) is a data value of the signal level acquired for each range. Further, the procedure of level conversion processing is as shown in FIG. In FIG. 13, in steps S11 to S14, S16, and S17, only “each range” in steps S1 to S4, S6, and S7 in FIG. 4 is replaced with “each direction”. It is the same as the case of. By performing processing for each direction in this way, it is possible to suppress propeller noise that occurs radially behind and to the side of the ship and noise caused by grating lobes.

  In the present invention, various embodiments other than those described above can be adopted. For example, as the level conversion function J1 in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, those having a conversion curve such as an exponential function from P2 to P4 and those having a conversion curve such as an exponential function from P2 to P5 are used. May be.

  In the procedure of FIG. 4, the conversion maximum level L2 is calculated in step S7 after all the data for one time is obtained in steps S1 to S6. However, the maximum conversion level obtained from the previous data is calculated. May be used for processing. The same applies to the case of FIG. In this way, it is possible to sequentially process and display like a conventional sonar image without waiting for all data in one transmission / reception.

  In the above embodiment, the standard deviations X and Y are used in the level conversion process. However, in the present invention, instead of the standard deviation, the average value of the absolute value of the difference between each signal level and the average value may be used. Good. In addition, as long as the value is between the maximum value and the average value of the signal level, values other than these may be adopted.

In the above embodiment, in step S6 in FIG. 4 and step S16 in FIG. 13, the standard deviation Y is simply divided by the average value B in proportion to the level, but instead of this, for example, the average value B The standard deviation Y may be divided by log (B) obtained by logarithmically converting. In this case, equation (3) can be rewritten as follows.
L2 = B + Z × log (B) (4)
Further, the maximum conversion level L2 may be calculated by an arithmetic expression other than the expressions (3) and (4).

  In the above embodiment, the case where an echo image is displayed on the display unit 23 of the scanning sonar 1 has been described. However, a PC (personal computer) is connected to the scanning sonar 1 and the echo image is displayed on the monitor of the PC. It may be. Alternatively, data collected by the scanning sonar 1 in the ship may be recorded on a recording medium such as an optical disk, and this recording medium may be mounted on a PC installed at another location for data analysis.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the scanning sonar that performs an all-round scan by transmitting an ultrasonic beam in all directions of 360 ° has been described as an example, but the present invention transmits an ultrasonic beam in a direction of 180 °. It can also be applied to other types of scanning sonar, such as a scanning sonar that performs a half-round scan.

It is a system configuration figure showing an embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which showed the principle which detects underwater with a scanning sonar. It is the block diagram which showed the electrical structure of the scanning sonar. It is the flowchart which showed the procedure of the level conversion process. It is the schematic diagram which showed a mode that the receiving beam was turning in arbitrary ranges. It is the figure which showed the example of the signal level obtained as a result of scanning. It is a figure explaining leveling of a standard deviation. It is the figure which showed the principle of level conversion. It is the figure which showed the principle of level conversion. It is the figure which showed the color table. It is an example of the echo image by this invention. It is an example of the conventional echo image. It is the flowchart which showed the procedure of the level conversion process by other embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 Scanning Sonar 6 Transceiver 7 Transmit Beam 8 Receive Beam 22 Data Processing Unit 23 Display Unit 31 Fish Echo Image 32 Reverberation Image R1, R2, ... Rn Range

Claims (6)

In a scanning sonar that transmits an ultrasonic beam from a transducer to a detection region in a predetermined direction, receives an echo with a reception beam formed by scanning the transducer in the circumferential direction, and displays an image of the echo,
Detecting means for detecting the level of the signal received by the reception beam for each range;
For each of the ranges, a calculation means for calculating an average value of the signal level in a range excluding a level protruding beyond a certain level with respect to the signal level detected by the detection means;
For each of the ranges, based on the average value calculated by the calculation means, a maximum conversion level that is the upper limit value of the signal level to be level-converted is determined, and among the signal levels detected by the detection means, Level conversion means for converting a signal level below the maximum conversion level to a signal level lower than the signal level;
Scanning sonar characterized by In a scanning sonar that transmits an ultrasonic beam from a transducer to a detection region in a predetermined direction, receives an echo with a reception beam formed by scanning the transducer in the circumferential direction, and displays an image of the echo,
Detecting means for detecting the level of the signal received by the receiving beam for each direction;
For each of the azimuths, a calculation means for calculating an average value of the signal levels in a range excluding a level protruding beyond a certain level with respect to the signal level detected by the detection means;
For each of the azimuths, based on the average value calculated by the calculation means, a maximum conversion level that is the upper limit value of the signal level to be level-converted is determined, and among the signal levels detected by the detection means, Level conversion means for converting a signal level below the maximum conversion level to a signal level lower than this,
Scanning sonar characterized by The scanning sonar according to claim 1 or 2,
The calculating means includes
First average value calculating means for calculating an average value A of the signal levels detected by the detecting means;
First standard deviation calculation means for calculating a standard deviation X based on the average value A and each signal level acquired by scanning the reception beam;
Second average value calculating means for calculating an average value B for a signal level within a range of A−X and A + X based on the average value A and the standard deviation X;
Scanning sonar characterized by comprising The scanning sonar according to claim 3,
The calculation means further includes second standard deviation calculation means for calculating a standard deviation Y based on the average value B and each signal level acquired by scanning the reception beam,
The level converting means is based on the average value B calculated by the second average value calculating means and the standard deviation Y calculated by the second standard deviation calculating means for each range or each direction. The scanning sonar characterized in that the maximum conversion level is determined. The scanning sonar of claim 4,
The level converting means sets a suppression reference level within a range equal to or less than the maximum conversion level, and when the average value B is greater than the suppression reference level, the level conversion means is predetermined within a range equal to or less than the maximum conversion level and equal to or greater than the suppression reference level. If the average value B is equal to or lower than the suppression reference level, level conversion is performed using a conversion curve according to a predetermined function within a range below the maximum conversion level and above the average value B. Scanning sonar characterized by that. The scanning sonar according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
A scanning sonar using an average value of absolute values of differences between signal levels and an average value instead of the standard deviation.

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