Flight parameter estimation using instantaneous frequency and direction of arrival measurements from a single...

Area of Science:

• Acoustics
• Signal Processing
• Aerospace Engineering

Background:

• Estimating airborne sound source flight parameters is crucial for surveillance and navigation.
• The retardation effect, caused by source movement during signal propagation, enables parameter estimation using Direction of Arrival (DOA) measurements.
• Existing methods primarily rely on DOA, but precision can be limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the use of instantaneous frequency (IF) measurements to enhance the precision of airborne sound source flight parameter estimation.
• To evaluate the combined use of IF and DOA measurements for improved accuracy.
• To develop and assess algorithms utilizing both IF and DOA data.

Main Methods:

• Simplified Cramer-Rao lower bound analysis to assess theoretical precision limits.
• Development of two flight parameter estimation algorithms integrating both IF and DOA measurements.
• Performance evaluation using simulated and real-world acoustic data.

Main Results:

• Instantaneous frequency (IF) measurements, when combined with Direction of Arrival (DOA) data, significantly reduce the standard deviation in flight parameter estimates.
• The proposed algorithms demonstrate improved precision in estimating parameters like altitude, speed, and trajectory.
• Validation of the methods with both simulated and real acoustic signal data.

Conclusions:

• The integration of instantaneous frequency (IF) measurements offers a significant improvement in the accuracy of airborne sound source flight parameter estimation.
• Combined IF and DOA measurement strategies provide a more robust and precise method for tracking aerial acoustic sources.
• The developed algorithms are effective for real-world applications requiring accurate flight parameter determination.