Geometric bounding techniques for underwater localization using range-only sensors

Abstract

This paper describes the application of geometric bounding techniques to range-only navigation of an underwater vehicle. A geometric technique is defined to obtain a position fix of an underwater vehicle using a combination of dead-reckoning navigation and acoustic measurements of range between the underwater vehicle and a global positioning system (GPS)-equipped ship. An assessment is made of the accuracy to which navigational parameters can be estimated using these methods.