Localisation of underwater targets using sensor networks
Precise localisation and tracking of underwater targets in regimes like oceanography, fisheries and military applications is of prime importance owing to various phenomena that impede the accuracy of physical measurements. An approach for localisation of unknown underwater targets using a minimally configurable, three buoy sensor networks using passive listening concepts has been prototyped. The system comprises three sensor nodes, each consisting of mechanically steerable hydrophone array and support electronics. The sensor system picks up the noise emanations from the targets of interest and the hydrophone array of each node gets aligned to the Direction of maximum signal Arrival (DOA). Using the DOAs measured, the distances of the target from the three nodes are computed. The prototype localiser model has been field tested and the validation tests yielded encouraging results within the limits of theoretical approximations and measurement errors, which necessitated the need for refining the estimates using Kalman filter.
localisation sensor networks passive listening steerable hydrophone arrays direction of maximum signal arrival doa kalman filter