Underwater acoustic model-based signal processing applied to the detection of signals from a planar array of point source elements

Abstract

A computer simulation of a correlator receiver was developed and exercised to study the impact of a model-based signal processing algorithm on the detection of transmitted CW and LFM pulse acoustic signals incident on a planar array of electroacoustic transducers. The model of the ocean communication channel incorporates a space-variant sound speed profile. The transducer output electrical signals are cophased by an FFT beamformer via phase weighting, and summed to form a total array output signal. The total array output signal is correlated with a delayed replica of the transmit waveform and compared to a Neyman-Pearson threshold. Receiver performance is measured using a Monte Carlo technique to estimate the probability of detection for a fixed probability of false alarm versus the signal-to-noise ratio at the input of a single transducer. White, zero-mean, Gaussian transducer noise is assumed to facilitate comparison between theoretical and simulated performance. Results indicate that model-based signal processing provides significant improvement of receiver performance.