Beam Pattern Synthesis Based on Hybrid Optimization Algorithm

As conventional methods for beam pattern synthesis can not always obtain the desired optimum pattern for the arbitrary underwater acoustic sensor arrays,a hybrid numerical synthesis method based on adaptive principle and genetic algorithm was presented in this paper.First,based on the adaptive theory,a given array was supposed as an adaptive array and its sidelobes were reduced by assigning a number of interference signals in the sidelobe region.An initial beam pattern was obtained after several iterations and adjustments of the interference intensity,and based on its parameters,a desired pattern was created.Then,an objective function based on the difference between the designed and desired patterns can be constructed.The pattern can be optimized by using the genetic algorithm to minimize the objective function.A design example for a double-circular array demonstrates the effectiveness of this method.Compared with the approaches existing before,the proposed method can reduce the sidelobe effectively and achieve less synthesis magnitude error in the mainlobe.The method can search for optimum attainable pattern for the specific elements if the desired pattern can not be found.

Al-free cladding-layer blue laser diodes with a low aspect ratio in far-field beam pattern

c-plane GaN-based blue laser diodes（LDs） were fabricated with Al-free cladding layers（CLs） and deepened etching depth of mesa structure, so the aspect ratio of the far-field pattern（FFP） of the laser beam can be reduced to as low as 1.7, which is nearly the same as conventional AlGa In P-based red LDs. By using GaN CLs,the radiation angle of the laser beam θ⊥ is only 10.1° in the direction perpendicular to the junction plane. After forming a deeply etched mesa, the beam divergence angle parallel to the junction plane of FFP, θ;, increases from4.9° to 5.8°. After using the modified structure, the operation voltage of LD is effectively reduced by 2 V at an injection current of 50 mA, but the threshold current value increases. The etching damage may be one of the main reasons responsible for the increase of the threshold current.

Ultrasound beam shift induced by short-beaked common dolphin’s(Delphinus delphis) tissues as an attenuating gradient material

To understand sound propagation and beam formation, the physical properties of soft tissues from the biosonar system of odontocetes should be explored. Based on the acoustic impedance distributions of biosonar systems, these processes have been examined via numerical simulations. In this study, the images of a short-beaked common dolphin(Delphinus delphis) were obtained via computed tomography. Then, the dolphin was dissected to extract tissue samples for additional examination. In addition to the speed of sound and density measurements, the acoustic attenuation coefficients of the biosonar system in the forehead were tested. The results revealed that the inner layer of the forehead was characterized using low sound speed, low density, and high attenuation. Acoustic fields and beam patterns were then evaluated by setting acoustic attenuation coefficients at different levels. Sounds propagating along the low-attenuation path had a lesser reduction in amplitude. Beam directivities in near and far fields suggested that changes in attenuation distribution would cause beam patterns to shift. These results indicated the complexity of a dolphin’s sonar emission system and helped improve our understanding of sound energy attenuation via studies on the forehead of odontocetes.

Optimized simulated annealing algorithm for thinning and weighting large planar arrays

This paper proposes an optimized simulated annealing(SA) algorithm for thinning and weighting large planar arrays in 3D underwater sonar imaging systems.The optimized algorithm has been developed for use in designing a 2D planar array(a rectangular grid with a circular boundary) with a fixed side-lobe peak and a fixed current taper ratio under a narrow-band excitation.Four extensions of the SA algorithm and the procedure for the optimized SA algorithm are described.Two examples of planar arrays are used to assess the efficiency of the optimized method.The proposed method achieves a similar beam pattern performance with fewer active transducers and faster convergence ability than previous SA algorithms.