Depth determination is one of the most important tasks for modern marine vessels. Finding the right course on the water has always been a challenge. It is necessary not only to bring a seagoing vessel to the port, it is necessary to bypass reefs and undercurrents. Ships used to often run aground due to an incorrectly laid course.
Thanks to the development of electronics, modern ships have on board a device for determining depth. This device periodically scans the seabed and with great accuracy shows the number of meters under the keel of the ship. Sensitive equipment instantly responds to any change in the underwater terrain and, if necessary, gives a danger signal. Depth gauges are used by research vessels to lay new routes or carry out other work on the seabed. It is also used in river shipping. Such a device is necessary wherever depth is to be measured.
Such devices were called "echo sounder", filling the previous meaning of the word "lot" with additional meaning. The principle of operation of the device is quite simple: it emits acoustic waves in the direction of the seabed and catches the reflected signal. After that, the trigger fires and the pulse counter starts . When a sound wave bounces off the seabed and comes back, a threshold device is turned on, which stops the reading. Everything, information is collected, it remains only to convert the number of pulses into visual information that is understandable to us on the monitor screen. As you can see, the device for determining depth works very simply, it identifies the time difference between the main and reflected signal and converts it into data that is understandable to us.
Fishfinder is very useful for those who are fond of fishing. With it, you can find secluded places where sea people like to hide. A home-made device for determining the depth is able to locate large schools of fish, providing invaluable assistance to fishermen.
Modern electronic echo sounders, of course, are much more complex. The main problem in the design of such devices faced by designers is the difficulty in extracting a useful signal, increasing the sensitivity of the device and the depth of measurements. In order to get rid of interference and to determine the depth of the ocean with sufficient accuracy, simultaneous measurements with different range and amplitude of acoustic waves are used.
A special place among instruments for studying the seabed is occupied by underwater metal detectors. All military vessels are equipped with such devices. Treasure hunters and seabed researchers actively use this device in their work.
In addition to underwater, there are also deep metal detectors that are designed to work on land. Such devices have proven themselves in excavations or other work related to the detection of metal objects.