Title: Localisation of underwater targets using sensor networks

Authors: C. Prabha; V. Ananthakrishnan; M.H. Supriya; P.R. Saseendran Pillai

Addresses: Department of Electronics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi 682 022, India ' Department of Electronics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi 682 022, India ' Department of Electronics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi 682 022, India ' Department of Electronics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi 682 022, India

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: localisation; passive listening; buoy sensor networks; steerable hydrophone arrays; direction of maximum signal arrival; DOA; Kalman filter; underwater targets.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSNET.2013.055007

International Journal of Sensor Networks, 2013 Vol.13 No.3, pp.185 - 196

Published online: 25 Jun 2013 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article