Acoustic sensing for urban battlefield applications.

Abstract

For years, acoustic sensor systems have been used effectively in a variety of battlefield applications due to its low-cost, low-power, non-line-of-sight and 360 deg coverage capabilities. Acoustic (only) systems can autonomously detect, track, and classify a variety of targets: personnel, ground vehicles, airborne targets, and transient events. In recent years, acoustics has become an important sensing technology due to its complementary sensing capability within multi-modal sensor systems, and its wide-area coverage capability to alert and point other hi-resolution sensors within a network of sensor systems for intelligent-surveillance-reconnaissance (ISR). For example, in a multi-modal sensor system, acoustic can provide enhanced detection and discrimination of targets and activities, and cue imaging sensors to capture the events of interest. Similarly, in a network of ISR sensor systems, acoustic can reduce the search space for other ISR sensors to autonomously track and locate events of interest in real time. In this discussion, we will present an overview of battlefield acoustic applications that are of current interest to military operations: (i) detection and localization of transients, (ii) sensing from mobile and aerial platforms, and (iii) sensing within a network of ISR sensor systems. We will then discuss the signal processing strategies and challenges associated with the applications.