Patent ID: 8576657

Claim:
A method for calibrating a plurality of data channels in an acoustic vector sensor for simultaneously measuring acoustic pressure and particle motion in at least one direction in a point in space, said method comprising the steps of: providing a field data processor; receiving with the data processor, a reference sample set of collected data from a reference hydrophone that is arranged having a source-to-reference distance along a first direction wherein the reference sample set of collected data is produced by sampling an acoustic signal representing the acoustic pressure generated by the acoustic source; receiving with the data processor, a sensor sample set of collected data from the vector sensor that is arranged having an acoustic source-to-sensor distance along a second direction that is different from the first direction wherein the sensor sample set of collected data is produced by sampling acoustic signals representing the acoustic pressure and particle motion generated by the acoustic source; determining a range difference error in response to a comparison of the reference sample set of collected data and the sensor sample set of collected data of the vector sensor; correcting at least partially an estimated range difference error; correcting at least partially the acoustic pressure observed at the vector sensor; and correcting at least partially the particle motion observed at the vector sensor; wherein the vector sensor is calibrated based on said correcting steps.