Subsonus
Subsonus is a next-generation USBL/INS that provides high accuracy position, velocity and heading at depths of up to 1,000 meters.
Position Accuracy
0.1 m
Roll & Pitch
0.1 °
Acoustic Heading
0.3 °
Range & Depth
1,000 m
Subsonus is a miniature underwater acoustic positioning system that provides high accuracy position, velocity, and heading at ranges of up to 1000 meters. The USBL provides highly reliable tracking thanks to its advanced signal processing and unique hydrophone design. Subsonus also seamlessly operates as a modem capable of transmitting user data underwater.
Features
Industry Leading Hydrophone Array
Subsonus features an industry-leading eight-channel factory-calibrated hydrophone array. With the hydrophones, Subsonus is able to perform beamforming, offering exceptional multipath rejection in poor environments and higher accuracy measurements.
Dynamic Power and Signal Encoding
Subsonus dynamically adjusts its acoustic transmit power and signal encoding based upon its operating environment. This results in highly improved performance and reliability in difficult conditions.
Acoustic Heading
Subsonus features acoustic heading transfer technology that allows it to transfer high accuracy GNSS heading from the surface to a unit underwater. This allows underwater units to achieve high accuracy heading without a gyrocompass and with no susceptibility to magnetic interference.
Internal Speed of Sound Sensor
Subsonus has the ability to measure the speed of sound through water using a revolutionary new technique. This means that the system is self tuning and no extra equipment or user intervention is required to setup the system for optimal performance.
Fully Integrated Miniature Enclosure
Subsonus does away with the typical reliance on external equipment such as rack mount units, interface boxes or PCs. All processing is done internally inside the miniature titanium enclosure and the system connects through a single ethernet connection for data output. It features a web browser based user interface.
Acoustic Modem
Subsonus offers acoustic modem functionality, capable of rapidly transmitting third-party data via a TCP Network port from one subsonus to another.
Miniaturization
Subsonus utilizes modern high-end electronics and manufacturing techniques to miniaturize the physical components of the USBL system, without compromising on performance. Subsonus runs fully on the processor within the transceiver, and is accessible via a web browser, with no additional rack-mounted interface units or processing PCs.
Applications
AUVs
ROVs
Subsea Surveying
Diver Tracking
Specifications
Navigation
Acoustics
Sensors
Hardware
Downloads
Datasheet
Performance Evaluation
3D Model
Bracket 3D Model
Subsonus Firmware
Version 3.80
20 May 2025
The latest firmware for all Subsonus hardware versions. This can be loaded onto Subsonus using the web browser interface. Subsonus firmware v3.0 or newer must be used with Subsonus Tag firmware v2.0. Refer to the release notes for further details.
Version 2.4
29 Oct 2020
Pre-version 3.0 firmware for all Subsonus hardware versions. This can be loaded onto Subsonus using the web browser interface. Subsonus firmware v2.4 must be used with Subsonus Tag firmware v1.4. Refer to the release notes for further details.
Subsonus SDK
Version 2.4
27 Oct 2020
The Subsonus SDK provides example source code for interfacing with Subsonus through the AN Packet Protocol. The languages provided are C/C++, Java, and .Net C#.
Subsonus Tools
Version 3.1
5 May 2023
Subsonus Tools is a utility for logging data and converting log files from Subsonus into CSV formats.
Related Articles
Subsonus Acoustic Compass for Underwater Exploration
19 June 2024
View Post
Untangling USBL – Comparing the Benefits of USBL-Squared (USBL2) with Classic and Inverted USBL
8 March 2023
View Post
Subsonus USBL2 Technology Accelerates JM Robotics Small-Scale ROV Program With Accurate Acoustic Heading
6 March 2023
View Post
DOF Subsea Selects Subsonus USBL/INS for Their Small-Scale ROV
30 May 2022
View Post