基于小型三维阵列的瞬态声源快速被动定位方法

重物在落水和着底过程中都会产生瞬态声信号,这类信号可被运用于浅水区域水下目标定位。 针对浅水区域目标定位的问题,提出了一种基于小型立体五元基阵的瞬态声源快速被动定位算法。 在分析重物落水信号特征的基础上,选取合适的广义互相关加权函数求得传声器之间的声程差,运用快速最小二乘搜索算法进行声源定位。 结果表明:运用 5 传声器阵列可以同时兼顾定位精度和鲁棒性,且满足实时性要求,该方法可运用于浅水区域瞬态声源定位等领域。     

深海海面目标单水听器被动测距方法与验证

基于射线理论分析了在深海情况下海面声源产生声场的频率-距离干涉结构,给出了影区内声场频率-距离干涉结构的近似理论表达式,分析得到影区内声场频域干涉周期随收发距离的增加而增大、随着接收水听器深度的增加而减小。因此由单水听器记录的声场干涉结构即可实现被动声源距离估计。在南海深海实验中观测到海面宽带噪声源在声场影区形成的声场干涉结构,对实验获得声场干涉结构的处理结果验证了深海声场影区干涉结构用于被动声源距离估计的有效性。与传统的匹配场被动定位方法相比,该方法不需要已知海底声学参数和大规模的拷贝场计算。     

VLF source localization with a freely drifting acoustic sensorarray

The source localization and tracking capability of the freely drifting Swallow float volumetric array is demonstrated with the matched-field processing (MFP) technique using the 14-Hz CW data collected during a 1989 float experiment conducted in the northeast Pacific. Initial MFP of the experimental data revealed difficulties in estimating the source depth and range while the source azimuth estimate was quite successful. The main cause of the MFP performance degradation was incomplete knowledge of the environment. An environment adaptation technique using a global optimization algorithm was developed to alleviate the environmental mismatch problem, allowing the ocean-acoustic environment to be adapted to the acoustic data in a matched-field sense. Using the adapted environment, the 14-Hz source was successfully localized and tracked in azimuth and range within a region of interest using the MFP technique at a later time interval. Two types of environmental parameters were considered, i.e., sound speed and modal wave number. While both approaches yield similar results, the modal wave number adaptation implementation is more computationally efficient     

两种基于贝叶斯点估计理论的多声源定位方法研究

海洋环境参数失配是制约匹配场定位性能的主要因素之一。为了克服环境失配,本文基于贝叶斯理论,将环境参数与声源的距离和深度一起作为未知量进行反演。然而在进行多声源定位时,反演参数的维数几何增长,极大地增加了反演问题的复杂性和计算量。为此本文将声源强度和噪声方差表示成其极大似然估计值,从而将这些参数进行隐式采样,大大降低了反演的维数和难度。文章比较了两种贝叶斯点估计方法,最大后验概率密度方法和最大边缘后验概率密度方法。最大后验概率密度方法的解是令后验概率密度取得最大值的参数组合,可以利用优化算法快速获得。最大边缘后验概率密度法将其他参数积分,得到目标参数的一维边缘概率分布,分布的最大值为反演结果。该方法得到最优估计值的同时可以获取参数估计的不确定信息。在环境参数和声源参数都未知的情况下,利用蒙特卡洛法在不同信噪比情况下对两种声源定位方法进行分析,实验结果表明：(1)对于敏感参数,如声源距离、水深和海水声速,最大边缘后验概率密度法比最大边缘后验概率密度方法的性能好。(2)对于较不敏感的参数,如海底声速、海底密度和海底声衰减,当信噪比较低时,最大边缘后验概率密度方法能较好地平滑噪声,从而比最大边缘后验概率密度法具有更好的性能。由于声源距离和深度是敏感参数,研究表明最大边缘后验概率密度法提供了一种在不确知环境下更可靠的多声源定位方法。     

Localization of autonomous underwater vehicles by floating acoustic buoys: a set-membership approach

This paper addresses localization of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) from acoustic time-of-flight measurements received by a field of surface floating buoys. It is assumed that measurements are corrupted by unknown-but-bounded errors, with known bounds. The localization problem is tackled in a set-membership framework and an algorithm is presented, which produces as output the set of admissible AUV positions in a three-dimensional (3-D) space. The algorithm is tailored for a shallow water situation (water depth less than 500 m), and accounts for realistic variations of the sound speed profile in sea water. The approach is validated by simulations in which uncertainty models have been obtained from field data at sea. Localization performance of the algorithm are shown comparable with those previously reported in the literature by other approaches who assume knowledge of the statistics of measurement uncertainties. Moreover, guaranteed uncertainty regions associated to nominal position estimates are provided. The proposed algorithms can be used as a viable alternative to more traditional approaches in realistic at-sea conditions.     

Robust source localization in shallow water based on vector optimization

Owing to the multipath effect, the source localization in shallow water has been an area of active interest. However, most methods for source localization in shallow water are sensitive to the assumed model of the underwater environment and have poor robustness against the underwater channel uncertainty, which limit their further application in practical engineering. In this paper, a new method of source localization in shallow water, based on vector optimization concept, is described, which is highly robust against environmental factors affecting the localization, such as the channel depth, the bottom reflection coefficients, and so on. Through constructing the uncertainty set of the source vector errors and extracting the multi-path sound rays from the sea surface and bottom, the proposed method can accurately localize one or more sources in shallow water dominated by multipath propagation. It turns out that the natural formulation of our approach involves minimization of two quadratic functions subject to infinitely many nonconvex quadratic constraints. It shows that this problem (originally intractable) can be reformulated in a convex form as the so-called second-order cone program (SOCP) and solved efficiently by using the well-established interior point method, such as the software tool, SeDuMi. Computer simulations show better performance of the proposed method as compared with existing algorithms and establish a theoretical foundation for the practical engineering application.     

Matched-field processing in a range-dependent shallow waterenvironment in the Northeast Pacific Ocean

This paper describes matched-field processing (MFP) of data collected in shallow water off the western coast of Vancouver Island in the Northeast Pacific Ocean. The data were collected from a vertical line array (VLA) as part of the PACIFIC SHELF trial carried out on the continental shelf and slope during September 1993, sensors in the 16-element VLA were evenly spaced at depths between 90 and 315 m, while the sound source was towed along radial paths or arcs. In this paper, we present results of the analysis of data from a continuous wave (CW) source which was towed downslope at a depth of 30 m in water from 150 to 375 m deep, in order to model the range-dependence of the acoustic propagation efficiently, the replica fields were calculated using the adiabatic normal mode approximation. This approximation was considered appropriate for the bottom slopes of the environment. Using sparse bathymetric data, a water sound speed profile and estimates of bottom properties, MFP correlations on individual ambiguity surfaces were found to be greater than 0.9 for the strongest signals. On account of environmental mismatch, the source position could not be determined unambiguously from most of the ambiguity surfaces even at high signal-to-noise ratios. Nevertheless, when an efficient linear tracker was applied to the ambiguity surfaces to find tracks, the source track was recovered at both low and high signal-to-noise ratios, this tracker performs the analysis at a constant depth and reports the track with the highest estimated track signal-to-noise ratio     

A posteriori probability source localization with uncertainmesoscale eddy currents

Long-range source localization is shown to be affected by a mesoscale eddy whose realization is solely a cyclonic current (no thermal manifestation). The sensitivity of a matched-field type processor (known ocean) to an eddy is demonstrated, as well as its sensitivity to a mismatch between the parameters of the eddy and the processor assumptions. Optimum uncertain field processing techniques are used to overcome these sensitivities by incorporating uncertainties about the environment into the processor. These processors operate on data produced by a special 3-D ray tracer using actual sound speed data and two different models for eddy current structure     

Geoacoustic model parameter estimation using a bottom-moored hydrophone array

This paper describes results from an experiment carried out to investigate geoacoustic inversion with a bottom-moored hydrophone array located in the shallow waters of the Timor Sea off the northern coast of Australia. The array consisted of two arms in a V shape, horizontally moored at a site that was essentially flat over a large area. Hydrophone positions were estimated using an array element localization (AEL) technique that established relative uncertainties of less than 1 m on the seafloor. The data used for geoacoustic inversion were from experiments with continuous wave (CW) tones in the 80- to 195-Hz band transmitted from a towed projector. A hybrid search algorithm determined the set of geoacoustic model parameters that maximized the Bartlett fit (averaged coherently spatially at each tone and incoherently over frequency) between the measured and modeled data at the array. Due to the long range experimental geometry, the inversion was sensitive to attenuation in the sediment. The inverted geoacoustic profile performed well in a simple test for localizing the sound source at other sites in the vicinity of the array. Range-depth localization performance for the horizontal array was comparable to that for an equivalent vertical array.     

CRB approximations for a horizontal array observing a narrow-bandtarget with partial coherence

It is demonstrated that simple approximations are available for the Cramer-Rao lower bounds on estimates of range, bearing and frequency using a moving line array. The results are extended to include the effects of the partial coherence of the source     

Recording and quantification of ultrasonic echolocation clicks from free-ranging toothed whales

Toothed whales produce short, ultrasonic clicks of high directionality and source level to probe their environment acoustically. This process, termed echolocation, is to a large part governed by the properties of the emitted clicks. Therefore derivation of click source parameters from free-ranging animals is of increasing importance to understand both how toothed whales use echolocation in the wild and how they may be monitored acoustically. This paper addresses how source parameters can be derived from free-ranging toothed whales in the wild using calibrated multi-hydrophone arrays and digital recorders. We outline the properties required of hydrophones, amplifiers and analog to digital converters, and discuss the problems of recording echolocation clicks on the axis of a directional sound beam. For accurate localization the hydrophone array apertures must be adapted and scaled to the behavior of, and the range to, the clicking animal, and precise information on hydrophone locations is critical. We provide examples of localization routines and outline sources of error that lead to uncertainties in localizing clicking animals in time and space. Furthermore we explore approaches to time series analysis of discrete versions of toothed whale clicks that are meaningful in a biosonar context.     

A Study of a Short-Baseline Acoustic Positioning System for Offshore Vessels

The underwater position of the beacon determined using the conventional mode of the short-baseline acoustic positioning system (SBL system) is usually incorrect due to the inaccuracy of underwater-measured sound speed, which is affected by the environment. This article presents a corrected mode of SBL system to offer a precise solution for the underwater beacon position. The corrected mode using the formulation of Euclidean geometry converges quickly and efficiently, obtaining the precise position of the beacon. Finally, a simulation of coring missions of a vessel is presented to verify the accuracy of the corrected mode of the SBL system.     

Simulations of Matched-Field Processing in a Deep-Water Pacific Environment

Conventional bearing estimation procedures employ planewave steering vectors as replicas of the true field and seek to resolve in angle by maximizing a power function representing the agreement between actual and replica fields. For vertical arrays in oceanic waveguides the received field depends on range and depth, and it is natural to replace the "look-direction" (theta) by a "look-position" (r, z). Thus an environmental model is constructed by specifying ocean depth, sound speed profile, bottom properties, etc., and a propagation model is employed to construct a replica of the field that would be received on the array for a particular source position. The usual estimators (e.g., Bartlett or maximum likelihood) are then used to gauge the agreement between actual and replica fields and the true source position is identified as that position where the agreement is best. The performance of this kind of matched-field processing is strongly affected by the environment. In particular, we demonstrate through simulations that for a deep-water Pacific environment dominated by waterborne paths, ambiguities or sidelobes are associated with convergence zones. In the absence of mismatch between replica and actual fields we find that a 16-element array performs extremely well in low-frequency regimes. Mismatch caused by uncertainties in phone positions, bottom parameters, ocean sound speed, surface and bottom roughness, etc., causes degradation in localization performance. The impact of some of these effects on conventional and maximum likelihood estimators is examined through simulation.     

Range localization of 10-100 km explosions by means of an endfire array and a waveguide Invariant

Short acoustical signals like those caused by explosions will in a waveguide split into mode arrivals. If the distance is long enough, they can at the receiver be resolved in time with appropriate narrowband filters. They can simultaneously be resolved in vertical angle (incidence-) with an endfire array and a beamformer. Combined in a beam-time diagram the arrivals will line up along a straight line. The slope of this line is invariant with frequency, mode indexes, source and receiver depths. It can conveniently be linked to the so-called waveguide invariant /spl beta/. An alternative approach to /spl beta/ is to compute it from the bathymetric profile. This is valid for range variable waveguides under adiabatic conditions, constant water sound speed over a harder bottom, and small grazing angles. Together these two approaches to /spl beta/ can be combined in a formula, where direct range determination is the end product. The applicability of the method is demonstrated on data from an experiment at sea. An 820-m array with 10 hydrophones was deployed at the bottom in 320-m water depth. For two endfire runs in opposite directions, small explosive charges out to 115 km were used as sound sources. Typical range estimation errors were 5-10%.     

The influence of underwater data transmission sounds on the displacement behaviour of captive harbour seals (Phoca vitulina)

To prevent grounding of ships and collisions between ships in shallow coastal waters, an underwater data collection and communication network (ACME) using underwater sounds to encode and transmit data is currently under development. Marine mammals might be affected by ACME sounds since they may use sound of a similar frequency (around 12 kHz) for communication, orientation, and prey location. If marine mammals tend to avoid the vicinity of the acoustic transmitters, they may be kept away from ecologically important areas by ACME sounds. One marine mammal species that may be affected in the North Sea is the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina). No information is available on the effects of ACME-like sounds on harbour seals, so this study was carried out as part of an environmental impact assessment program. Nine captive harbour seals were subjected to four sound types, three of which may be used in the underwater acoustic data communication network. The effect of each sound was judged by comparing the animals' location in a pool during test periods to that during baseline periods, during which no sound was produced. Each of the four sounds could be made into a deterrent by increasing its amplitude. The seals reacted by swimming away from the sound source. The sound pressure level (SPL) at the acoustic discomfort threshold was established for each of the four sounds. The acoustic discomfort threshold is defined as the boundary between the areas that the animals generally occupied during the transmission of the sounds and the areas that they generally did not enter during transmission. The SPLs at the acoustic discomfort thresholds were similar for each of the sounds (107 dB re 1 microPa). Based on this discomfort threshold SPL, discomfort zones at sea for several source levels (130-180 dB re 1 microPa) of the sounds were calculated, using a guideline sound propagation model for shallow water. The discomfort zone is defined as the area around a sound source that harbour seals are expected to avoid. The definition of the discomfort zone is based on behavioural discomfort, and does not necessarily coincide with the physical discomfort zone. Based on these results, source levels can be selected that have an acceptable effect on harbour seals in particular areas. The discomfort zone of a communication sound depends on the sound, the source level, and the propagation characteristics of the area in which the sound system is operational. The source level of the communication system should be adapted to each area (taking into account the width of a sea arm, the local sound propagation, and the importance of an area to the affected species). The discomfort zone should not coincide with ecologically important areas (for instance resting, breeding, suckling, and feeding areas), or routes between these areas.     

Target parameter estimation using measurements acquired with a small number of sensors

A performance prediction procedure is developed and applied to the evaluation of a passive tracking technique intended primarily for the localization of targets in the near field or vicinity of the sensors. The analysis is sufficiently general to be applied to underwater and air acoustics, passive radar, and electromagnetic direction finding systems. Since near field applications are of primary concern, localization parameter identifiability with a single pair of omni-directional sensors is established with the aid of the Fisher Information Matrix (FIM). The Fisher Information Matrix is also used to determine upper bounds on localization performance, and the corresponding uncertainty ellipses associated with target position are evaluated for various tracking scenarios and types of measurements. Emphasis is placed on the use of measurements such as time difference of arrival and frequency difference of arrival obtained with two sensors, and frequency estimates obtained with a single sensor. It is shown that under certain conditions the time difference of arrival measurements yield full localization information, even though the conditioning can be marginal. Additional measurements, such as frequency, are shown to improve localization performance significantly. Bearing measurements obtained with a closely spaced cluster of a few sensors are also considered.     

Ocean effects on time delay estimation requiring adaptation

In active sonar and in passive sonar localization, time delay is a fundamental parameter whose extraction is vital to the sonar function. The underlying time delay parameter (or parameter vector) contains information about the acoustic source (or reflector) as seen through the ocean at a receiver. The ocean effects require sonar adaptation. A tutorial review of ocean effects in time delay estimation is provided, with references to benchmark work. It covers coherence, time-delay estimation, localization, time-varying time delay estimation, the complexity of the ocean environment, and depth estimation using mode matching     

The influence of acoustic emissions for underwater data transmission on the behaviour of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in a floating pen

To prevent grounding of ships and collisions between ships in shallow coastal waters, an underwater data collection and communication network is currently under development: Acoustic Communication network for Monitoring of underwater Environment in coastal areas (ACME). Marine mammals might be affected by ACME sounds since they use sounds of similar frequencies (around 12 kHz) for communication, orientation, and prey location. If marine mammals tend to avoid the vicinity of the transmitters, they may be kept away from ecologically important areas by ACME sounds. One marine mammal species that may be affected in the North Sea is the harbour porpoise. Therefore, as part of an environmental impact assessment program, two captive harbour porpoises were subjected to four sounds, three of which may be used in the underwater acoustic data communication network. The effect of each sound was judged by comparing the animals' positions and respiration rates during a test period with those during a baseline period. Each of the four sounds could be made a deterrent by increasing the amplitude of the sound. The porpoises reacted by swimming away from the sounds and by slightly, but significantly, increasing their respiration rate. From the sound pressure level distribution in the pen, and the distribution of the animals during test sessions, discomfort sound level thresholds were determined for each sound. In combination with information on sound propagation in the areas where the communication system may be deployed, the extent of the 'discomfort zone' can be estimated for several source levels (SLs). The discomfort zone is defined as the area around a sound source that harbour porpoises are expected to avoid. Based on these results, SLs can be selected that have an acceptable effect on harbour porpoises in particular areas. The discomfort zone of a communication sound depends on the selected sound, the selected SL, and the propagation characteristics of the area in which the sound system is operational. In shallow, winding coastal water courses, with sandbanks, etc., the type of habitat in which the ACME sounds will be produced, propagation loss cannot be accurately estimated by using a simple propagation model, but should be measured on site. The SL of the communication system should be adapted to each area (taking into account bounding conditions created by narrow channels, sound propagation variability due to environmental factors, and the importance of an area to the affected species). The discomfort zone should not prevent harbour porpoises from spending sufficient time in ecologically important areas (for instance feeding areas), or routes towards these areas.     

混响环境中声场重构的实验研究

针对混响环境非自由声场中声源测量的问题,本文以消声水池和混响水槽为实验环境,以换能器辐射的声场为研究对象,以水听器阵列为测量前端,进行了混响环境非自由声场中声源对象的测量、分析和重构的实验研究。通过单层水听器阵列对非自由声场进行声压分布测量,并对测量结果作声波分离处理,将分离前后的声压分布和在消声水池中测量的声压分布进行比较,给出了声源频率为5 000 Hz和7 000 Hz时,声场重构的误差分析结果。结果表明,基于单层水听器阵列声压测量的声波分离方法,能够较精确地对混响环境中的声场进行重构。     

西北太平洋副热带模态水形成区声传播特性分析

利用Argo剖面数据和水声学数值模型,分析了西北太平洋副热带模态水(STMW)形成区因季节性环境差异所引起的水声传播变化特征。声场计算结果表明,STMW形成区域的声传播为近表层波导与会聚区的复合形式,其中会聚区终年存在,表面波导在秋、冬两季混合层加深的环境条件下出现,次表层波导在夏季STMW潜沉的环境条件下出现。上层海洋中两类不同形式的波导使表层和次表层的声能分布呈反相变化,波导内与波导外的声能差异可达10~15dB(声波频率为1 000Hz)。STMW的季节性变化还会引起会聚区的位置差异,具体情况与声源深度有关。声源在20m时,夏季会聚区距离最远,秋季、春季次之,冬季最近,夏季和冬季相差6.6km;声源在150m时,夏季会聚区距离缩短了3.1km,其他季节变化不大。