Patent ID: 9268020
Filing Date: 2016-02-23
CPC Classification: G01S,G10K

Claim Text:
1. A transducer assembly comprising: a housing mountable to a water craft capable of traversing a surface of a body of water; a linear downscan transmit/receive transducer element positioned within the housing and aimed downwardly, and configured to transmit sonar pulses in the form of a fan-shaped beam in at least a direction substantially perpendicular to a plane corresponding to the surface of the body of water, wherein the linear downscan transmit/receive transducer element is further configured to receive sonar returns from the sonar pulses and convert sound energy of the sonar returns into downscan sonar return data in the form of electrical signals representative of the sound energy, wherein the linear downscan transmit/receive transducer element defines a substantially rectangular shape with a top surface, bottom surface, and opposing side surfaces; sound-attenuating material configured to substantially attenuate transmission of sonar pulses therethrough, wherein the sound-attenuating material is positioned proximate to the top surface of the linear downscan transmit/receive transducer element, and wherein the opposing side surfaces and bottom surface are substantially free of the sound-attenuating material such that the linear downscan transmit/receive transducer element is configured to transmit sonar pulses from the bottom surface and opposing side surfaces; and at least one sidescan receive-only transducer element positioned within the housing and aimed outwardly and downwardly, and configured to receive sonar returns from the sonar pulses transmitted at least from one of the opposing side surfaces of the linear downscan transmit/receive transducer element and convert sound energy of the sonar returns into sidescan sonar return data in the form of electrical signals representative of the sound energy.