Marine electronics
About 70% of our planet Earth’s surface is covered by water, and with the amount of cargo and fishing ships traversing the ocean, collisions between marine vessels and other objects occur frequently. Maritime electronics help the crew keep track of other vessels or obstacles nearby. Unictron has over 20 years of design and manufacturing experience for many of the maritime electronic devices. Some examples include: Underwater sensing or monitoring systems like sonar use ultrasonic waves, which are generated by piezoceramic elements, to detect nearby objects. Unictron is an experienced manufacturer of piezoceramic components for such applications. Ultrasonic transducers also have important roles in weather stations to monitor the wind speed, in autopilot systems to monitor the vessel speed or auto-docking systems to measure distance of vessels from the edge of the dock. Similar to automobiles, boats are also using GNSS/GPS navigation devices to determine their position and trajectory. Marine GNSS antennas are usually larger than the automotive counterparts, as they need to be able to withstand harsh weather conditions and be salt water-proof and weather-proof. The communication between boats is often provided via marine radio, which work with VHF bands around 152 – 174 MHz. The low frequency characteristics allow them to have longer communication distance. Modern marine electronics also frequently utilize Wi-Fi or Bluetooth for data collection or remote control of user’s portable devices. Further longer distance communication may be supported through cellular or Iridium communication, including voice and video transfer. Safety of marine vessels in the harbor or on the open water is another area where a lot of antennas are needed. Automatic identification systems (AIS) help track or identify marine vessels and fishing facilities on the water to make sure smooth traffic can be maintained. If you need further information for antennas and other marine electronic devices above or under water, Unictron is here to help you. You can review the specifications of products of your interests (datasheets available online) or contact us directly.
