A matched-field processing approach to ranging surface vessels using a single hydrophone and measured replica fields.

Area of Science:

• Underwater acoustics
• Signal processing
• Ocean engineering

Background:

• Accurate localization of surface vessels is crucial for maritime safety and surveillance.
• Traditional methods can be limited in shallow water environments.
• Matched-field processing (MFP) offers a potential solution for acoustic target localization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a novel matched-field processing (MFP) approach for instantaneous horizontal range estimation of surface vessels.
• To utilize the cepstrum of acoustic signals for range estimation with a single hydrophone.
• To assess the method's effectiveness in shallow water conditions.

Main Methods:

• A matched-field processing (MFP) technique was developed, employing the cepstrum of received acoustic signals.
• Replica fields (cepstra) were generated from recorded acoustic data at known horizontal ranges.
• The method involved matching the observed cepstrum to a library of replica cepstra to estimate the vessel's range.

Main Results:

• The proposed MFP method successfully provided instantaneous horizontal range estimates for surface vessels in shallow water.
• Real acoustic data from multiple vessel transits validated the effectiveness of the cepstrum-based MFP approach.
• The method demonstrated robustness when applied to data from individual hydrophones within an array.

Conclusions:

• The cepstrum-based matched-field processing (MFP) method is effective for real-time horizontal range estimation of surface vessels in shallow waters.
• The technique's reliance on a single hydrophone simplifies deployment and data acquisition.
• This approach offers a promising tool for underwater acoustic surveillance and navigation applications.