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Updated: Aug 12, 2026
08:08
Evaluating Targeting Accuracy in the Focal Plane for an Ultrasound-guided High-intensity Focused Ultrasound Phased-array System
Published on: March 6, 2019
Multi-target azimuth estimation using a single acoustic vector sensor via a mixture of wrapped Cauchy distributions
Jiayao Shi1,2,3, Junyuan Guo1,2,3, Shengchun Piao1,2,3
1National Key Laboratory of Underwater Acoustic Technology, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, China.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|August 11, 2026
Summary
This study introduces a novel method for accurately estimating the azimuth of multiple sound sources using a single acoustic vector sensor (AVS). The approach enhances multi-target azimuth estimation without needing prior signal-to-noise ratio knowledge.
Area of Science:
- Acoustics
- Signal Processing
- Oceanography
Background:
- Single acoustic vector sensors (AVS) offer collocated acoustic pressure and particle velocity measurements for azimuth estimation.
- Existing methods for AVS azimuth estimation lack robustness and angular resolution, especially in multi-target scenarios.
- Conventional active sound intensity methods require prior signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) knowledge and struggle with multiple targets.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a robust multi-target azimuth estimation method for single acoustic vector sensors.
- To overcome limitations of existing methods, including poor robustness, angular resolution, and SNR dependency.
- To enable accurate azimuth estimation in complex acoustic environments without prior SNR information.
Main Methods:
- Preserves the frequency-domain processing of complex sound intensity.
- Introduces a mixture of wrapped Cauchy (MWC) distribution to model sound intensity-derived direction angles.
- Employs the expectation-maximization algorithm for clustering frequency-dependent azimuth estimates and enabling multi-target identification.
Main Results:
- The proposed method enables multi-target azimuth estimation without prior SNR knowledge.
- Analytical derivations examine the influence of signal coherence and energy ratios on estimation accuracy.
- Simulations demonstrate MWC goodness-of-fit, outperform existing methods, and show effective multi-target tracking.
- Experimental validation in the South China Sea confirms accurate azimuth estimation of multiple targets.
Conclusions:
- The developed method significantly enhances multi-target azimuth estimation capabilities using a single acoustic vector sensor.
- The mixture of wrapped Cauchy distribution and expectation-maximization algorithm provides a robust framework for complex acoustic scenarios.
- The approach is validated for real-world applications, including underwater acoustics.
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