An Ultra-Short Baseline Positioning Model Based on Rotating Array & Reusing Elements and Its Error Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Marine Technology
• Acoustic Positioning Systems
• Underwater Navigation

Background:

• Ultra-Short Base Line (USBL) systems are vital for underwater acoustic positioning due to their compact size and user-friendliness.
• Traditional USBL methods rely on slant range and azimuth, leading to increased positioning errors with distance and dependence on ranging accuracy.
• These limitations make conventional USBL unsuitable for long-distance underwater operations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel USBL positioning calculation model that overcomes the limitations of traditional methods for long-distance applications.
• To eliminate the influence of ranging errors in USBL positioning by incorporating depth information and a 'rotating array and reusing elements' approach.

Main Methods:

• Development of a new USBL positioning model utilizing depth information.
• Implementation of a 'rotating array and reusing elements' technique within the USBL system.
• Theoretical analysis and simulation experiments to validate the model's performance.

Main Results:

• The proposed model completely eliminates the influence of long-distance ranging errors on USBL positioning accuracy.
• It effectively removes the impact of wavelength and spacing errors from underwater acoustic signals on positioning.
• Achieved approximately 90% improvement in positioning accuracy, with horizontal errors under 1.2 m within 1000 m distance.

Conclusions:

• The new USBL positioning model offers high precision for long-distance underwater operations.
• It provides a significant advancement over traditional methods by removing ranging error dependencies.
• Presents a novel concept for the engineering design of future USBL underwater positioning systems.