Imaging system with multiple, simultaneous transmissions

An imaging system comprising:

• a transmiting array including plural omnidirectional transducers each simultaneously transmitting respective differently coded signals;
• a receiving array including plural tranducers each adapted to receive signals transmitted by said transmitting array and reflected off a target, each said receiving array tranducer producing a respective output signal;
• and
• means for processing the output signals produced by said receiving array tranducers, comprising,
• means for forming P reception channels and generating respective reception signals V.sub.1 (.theta.), V.sub.2 (.theta..sub.2), . . . V.sub.k (.theta..sub.k), . . . V.sub.p (.theta..sub.p) corresponding respectively to predetermined increments .theta..sub.1, .theta..sub.2, . . . .theta..sub.k, . . . .theta..sub.p along a predetermined angular coordinate .theta.,
• means for forming Q transmission channels along a second angular coordinate .phi. and for generating respective signals S.sub.i,k (.phi..sub.i, .theta..sub.k) corresponding respectively to predetermined increments .phi..sub.1, .phi..sub.2, . . . , .phi..sub.i . . . .phi..sub.q along a predetermined angular coordinate .phi. for each of said reception channels, wherein the signals S.sub.i,k (.phi..sub.i, .theta..sub.k) are the sum in amplitude and phase of the coded signals transmitted by said transmitting array in the direction referenced by angular coordinates .phi..sub.i and .theta..sub.k,
• means for performing matched filtering of each of said signals V.sub.k (.theta..sub.k) with a respective set of said signals S.sub.i,k (.phi..sub.i, .theta..sub.k) and for producing respective output signals, and
• means for forming P.times.Q image points based on the output signals produced by said matched filtering performing means.