Multisensor registration for distributed active sonar systems

Abstract

A technique is described whereby discrepancies between and biases within active sonar receivers may be corrected using acoustic signals. The method utilizes information contained in the direct blast recorded on each receiver over multiple active pings to estimate the ranges and bearings of the one or more sources relative to each receiver. Each sensor is assumed to have limited beamforming capability. In addition, the use of known acoustic scatters to resolve sensor misalignment will be discussed. Finally, results of an application of these techniques to active sonar data from the Deployable Experimental Undersea Multistatic Undersea Surveillance system (DEMUS) will be discussed and used to assess the algorithm. [This work was funded under ONR Contract No. N00014-00-G-0450-21.]