Teledyne RDI Improves DVL Bottom-tracking Range

Teledyne RD Instruments (TRDI) has released a new proprietary Extended Range Tracking (XRT) option which is capable of extending the bottom tracking range of its’ Pathfinder and Pioneer Doppler Velocity Logs (DVL) by 60 percent. According to the manufacturer, this development allows users to attain bottom lock faster and more efficiently than ever before.

TRDI said extensive in-house and customer testing has proven this extended range in a wide array of conditions and terrains, and in fact, has exceeded design expectations.

Grant Jennings, Director of Navigation product line at TRDI explained, “We have seen an increase in smaller vehicles operating to greater depths. Our 38kHz DVLs can bottom track to over 2,500m and our 150 kHz DVLs can bottom track to over 500m, but these products are too large to use on the emerging smaller class vehicles.

“TRDI’s 30 years of Doppler signal processing experience has allowed us to develop a new algorithm that combines the strengths of narrowband with our proven broadband signal processing, giving us the unique combination of the improved range of a narrowband signal, with the proven reliable bottom detection of a broadband signal.”

Teledyne RDI’s DVLs provide precision navigation solutions for subsea vehicles. The new XRT option is available with new DVL sales, or as a fast and easy, firmware upgrade for customers with existing Pathfinder or Pioneer DVLs.