Localization of an acoustic autonomous underwater vehicle using multi-channel back-propagation methods

Abstract

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are extremely useful tools for studying the acoustics of complex ocean environments due to their ability to detect environmental changes with greater spatial resolution than fixed moorings. During the New England Shelf Break Acoustics (NESBA) experiments in May 2021, an AUV system was deployed to collect acoustic data for investigating the local biological, physical, and geological oceanography. This acoustic AUV system was comprised of a modified REMUS 600 vehicle, a hull-mounted 3.5 kHz transducer, and a towed multi-channel hydrophone array. Along mission profiles where the AUV is fully submerged but too shallow for bottom-lock navigation, one challenge is accurate localization of the AUV. Localization was performed in post-processing using multi-channel back-propagation methods applied to AUV source signals received at mooring hydrophones in the NESBA network as well as ship-towed sound source signals received at the AUV-towed array. Uncertainty in the localization estimates due to spatiotemporal sound speed changes was investigated, and hydrophone mooring tilt angle was determined by minimizing the localization uncertainty. Following localization, this AUV acoustic data was used to investigate local seafloor sub-bottom properties and the acoustic effects of biological scattering layers and varying physical oceanography. [Work supported by the Office of Naval Research.]