Energy-Attenuation-Based Passive Localization of Acoustic Sources in Restricted Aquatic Areas

Abstract

: The article is devoted to the problem of determining the coordinates of a sound emitter using a network of scalar hydrophones. The physical operating principle of such a network is that a sound wave carries energy from the source through the medium, and this energy gradually decreases with distance from the emitter. The proposed method uses several synchronized scalar hydrophones, each of which measures the total sound energy at its location. When the measured energy exceeds the ambient-noise threshold, the system interprets this as the appearance of a new acoustic source in the monitored water area. From the wave energy recorded by different hydrophones, the relative distances to the source are estimated: the greater the energy attenuation, the farther the emitter is located. Knowing the exact coordinates of the scalar hydrophones and the calculated distances, the system determines the position of the sound emitter on the horizontal plane of the water area with the required accuracy. This approach is based on a predefined model of sound-energy attenuation with distance and enables reliable localization of the emitter without any active emission from the hydrophone network.