Side scan sonar imaging system with enhancement

A sonar system for use with a boat to provide enhanced underwater images, the system comprising:

• a left side scan sonar transducer positioned within a housing mounted to the boat for transmitting a left side scan sonar beam of pulses and for receiving left side scan sonar return signals, wherein the left side scan transducer has a total length of up to about seven inches and a total width of up to about 0.5 inches, and wherein the left side scan sonar pulses are directed downward and laterally outward to a left side of a boat, the left side scan sonar beam having a narrow horizontal width and a wide vertical width;
• a right side scan sonar transducer positioned within the housing for transmitting a right side scan sonar beam of pulses and for receiving right side scan sonar return signals, wherein the right side scan sonar transducer has a total length of up to about seven inches and a total width of up to about 0.5 inches, and wherein the right side scan sonar pulses are directed downward and laterally outward to a right side of the boat, the right side scan sonar beam having a narrow horizontal width and a wide vertical width;
• signal processing circuitry for processing the left and right side scan sonar return signals to produce side scan image data;
• a user interface including user inputs and a display;
• and
• a digital processor for providing signals to the display to show an enhanced underwater image that provides details of underwater articles and contains shadows, wherein the digital processor, in response to a user input, performs an image enhancement algorithm upon the side scan image data to produce the enhanced underwater image.

A sonar system for use with a boat to provide enhanced underwater images, the system comprising:

• a housing mounted to the boat;
• a left side scan sonar transducer positioned within the housing for transmitting a left side scan sonar beam of pulses and for receiving left side scan sonar return signals, wherein the left side scan transducer has a total length of about three inches to about seven inches and a total width of about 0.125 inches to about 0.5 inches, and wherein the left side scan sonar pulses are directed downward and laterally outward to a left side of a boat, the left side scan sonar beam having a narrow horizontal width and a wide vertical width;
• a right side scan sonar transducer positioned within the housing for transmitting a right side scan sonar beam of pulses and for receiving right side scan sonar return signals, wherein the right side scan sonar transducer has a total length of about three inches to about seven inches and a total width of about 0.125 inches to about 0.5 inches, and wherein the right side scan sonar pulses are directed downward and laterally outward to a right side of the boat, the right side scan sonar beam having a narrow horizontal width and a wide vertical width,
• wherein the length of the housing is approximately the same length as the length of the left and right side scan transducers positioned therein;
• signal processing circuitry for processing the left and right side scan sonar return signals to produce side scan image data;
• a user interface including user inputs and a display;
• and
• a digital processor for providing signals to the display to show an enhanced underwater image that provides details of underwater articles and contains shadows, wherein the digital processor, in response to a user input, performs an image enhancement algorithm upon the side scan image data to produce the enhanced underwater image.