Sonar image motion distortion estimation and correction using covariance function modelling

Abstract

An important cause of distortion in side scan sonar images is sonar platform motion. When the sonar platform deviates from its nominal straight line course, the normally regular sea bed scanning pattern is disturbed. This is manifest as distortion in the sonar image. The problem is to extract from the degraded sonar image features which allow the sonar position to be estimated, and to use this estimate to produce a corrected image. In this paper, a new formulation of this problem based on covariance function model estimation is proposed. A correction algorithm is then developed from this formulation.