Long-range acoustic communication in deep water using a towed array

In September 2010 a long-range acoustic communication (LRAC10) experiment was carried out in deep water off the Southern California Coast. The experiment involved two mobile components: (1) a source towed slowly at a speed of 2-3 knots at ～75-m depth and (2) a horizontal line array towed at 3.5 knots at a depth of ～200 m. Phase-coherent communication sequences were transmitted in the frequency band of 200-300 Hz at various ranges (100-700 km). Initial analysis of the LRAC10 data demonstrates that an information rate of 50 bits/s can be achieved over ～550-km range using quadrature-phase shift-keying (QPSK) modulation and error-correction coding combined with beamforming.     

Diversity combining for long-range acoustic communication in deep water

A recent experiment showed that coherent long-range acoustic communication is feasible in deep water over a ～550?km range between a source towed slowly at ～75?m depth and a horizontal line array towed at 3.5 knots at ～200?m depth. This letter further demonstrates that diversity combining mitigates channel fading and increases the output signal-to-noise ratio. Using sparse channel-estimate-based equalization, three transmissions are combined successfully to decode a 40?Hz bandwidth (230-270?Hz) 8 phase-shift-keying communication signal, achieving an effective data rate of 17 bits/s at ～550?km range.     

Acoustic communication in deep water exploiting multiple beams with a horizontal array

A recent experiment showed that coherent long-range acoustic communication (200-300?Hz) is feasible in deep water over a ～550-km range between a source and a horizontal towed array (～100?m aperture). The low input signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) (e.g., -10?dB) at an element level required conventional beamforming to enhance the SNR of the communication signals for subsequent channel equalization and decoding. This paper demonstrates that with a larger aperture (～200?m), multiple adjacent beams can be exploited to further improve the communication performance, achieving an almost error-free data rate of 100 bits/s for QPSK modulation at ～550?km range.     

Multi-carrier synthetic aperture communication in shallow water: experimental results

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communications in the presence of motion is investigated using data collected from the Kauai Acomms MURI 2008 (KAM08) experiment, conducted off the western side of Kauai, Hawaii, in June-July 2008. The experiment involved a vertical array moored in 106 m deep shallow water and a source towed at a speed of 3 knots at ranges between 600 m and 6 km. In order to attain reliable communications with only a single receive element, a synthetic aperture approach is applied. After combining multiple transmissions, an error-free reception is achieved with a low-density parity-check code, confirming the feasibility of coherent synthetic aperture communications using OFDM.     

浅海非均匀水平阵宽带声场信号无源孔径扩展

大孔径水平阵对于浅海低频水声物理实验研究和应用至关重要,然而受实际情况制约,通常使用的水平基阵孔径十分有限,通过孔径扩展处理来扩展基阵孔径是一条重要途径。传统的无源孔径扩展方法是建立在均匀线阵、匀速相对运动和相干窄带连续信号的基础上的,难以适用于非均匀阵以及非连续宽带声源的情况。针对这些问题,提出了非均匀阵宽带声场信号的无源孔径扩展方法。使用静止布设在海底的非均匀水平短阵接收运动声源重复发射的宽带声信号,先开展均匀空间插值,然后在阵元域和波束域进行宽带扩展孔径处理。仿真和实验结果表明,在水深约70 m的浅海波导环境中,纵向间隔27.5 m的2个阵元接收20~200 Hz宽带声场,其空间插值结果与真值的相关系数大于0.99,说明宽带声场插值方法的合理性。在水平非均匀、纵向孔径250 m的短阵接收声场无法分析简正波频散特征的情况下,仿真和实验数据经过宽带无源孔径扩展处理得到孔径大于1 km的均匀线阵的声场,能高分辨区分各阶简正波,证明所提方法是有效的。      

Bearing splitting and near-surface source ranging in the direct zone of deep water

Sound multipath propagation is very important for target localization and identification in different acoustical zones of deep water. In order to distinguish the multipath characteristics in deep water, the Northwest Pacific Acoustic Experiment was conducted in 2015. A low-frequency horizontal line array towed at the depth of around 150 m on a receiving ship was used to receive the noise radiated by the source ship. During this experiment, a bearing-splitting phenomenon in the direct zone was observed through conventional beamforming of the horizontal line array within the frequency band 160 Hz–360 Hz. In this paper, this phenomenon is explained based on ray theory. In principle, the received signal in the direct zone of deep water arrives from two general paths including a direct one and bottom bounced one, which vary considerably in arrival angles. The split bearings correspond to the contributions of these two paths. The bearing-splitting phenomenon is demonstrated by numerical simulations of the bearing-time records and experimental results, and they are well consistent with each other. Then a near-surface source ranging approach based on the arrival angles of direct path and bottom bounced path in the direct zone is presented as an application of bearing splitting and is verified by experimental results. Finally,the applicability of the proposed ranging approach for an underwater source within several hundred meters in depth in the direct zone is also analyzed and demonstrated by simulations.     

深海海底反射会聚区声传播特性

在深海声道条件下,海水折射效应会使得声场出现会聚效应;在不完全声道条件下,深海海底对声场具有重要影响.利用在中国南海海域收集到的一次深海声传播实验数据,研究了深海不完全声道环境下的海底反射对声传播的影响.实验观测到不同于深海会聚区的海底反射会聚现象,在直达声区范围内的海底地形隆起可导致海底反射会聚区提前形成,并使得部分影区的声强明显提高.由于不平坦海底和海面的反射破坏了完全声道环境下的会聚区结构,在60 km范围内存在两个海底反射会聚区,会聚区增益可达10 dB以上,同时在11 km附近的影区和51 km附近形成高声强区域.当接收深度与声源深度相同时,第二会聚区的增益高于第一会聚区.在第一会聚区内,随着接收深度的增加,声线到达结构趋于复杂,多途效应更加明显.使用抛物方程数值分析结合射线理论对深海海底反射会聚区现象产生的物理原因进行了分析解释.研究结果对于声纳在深海复杂环境下的性能分析具有重要的指导意义.     

基于矢量水听器的深海直达波区域声传播特性及其应用

对于深海近水面声源产生的声场, 处于较大深度处的接收器在一定水平距离范围内能接收到直达波. 2014年在某深海海域进行的水声考察实验中, 应用深度为140 m的拖曳声源发射实验信号, 布放在水下3146 m深处的矢量水听器成功地接收到了直达波信号. 本文应用射线理论, 分析了深海直达波区域声场的传播特性, 得出了水平振速与垂直振速的传播损失与声线到达接收点处的掠射角以及收发水平距离之间的关系. 在以上分析的基础上, 提出了一种利用水平振速与垂直振速的能量差估计声源距离的方法, 并结合2014年实验数据对实验中两条航线上8 km范围内的目标声源进行了测距, 测距结果与目标的GPS数据符合得较好.     

Space-time and frequency-phase stability of the acoustic field in the underwater sound channel

The space-time and frequency-phase stability of the acoustic field is studied for the case of long-range propagation in the underwater sound channel. The possibility of splitting the field components produced by the Doppler effect in the total interference structure of a monochromatic signal is revealed for different ranges, parameters of the channel inhomogeneities, and frequencies. The experiments are performed in summertime in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean, near the Kamchatka Peninsula, on a path of 2100 km. Highly stable sound sources with resonant frequencies of 230 and 380 Hz are used for the measurements. The sources are towed at a depth of 70 m with a speed of 5–6 knots. To receive the signal near the channel axis, a bottom-moored (at a depth of 200 m) stationary system is used. The width of the sound beams is studied, and the broadening limits of the frequency spectra are estimated for the coherent and incoherent field components in the case of super-long-range sound propagation. The phase velocities of the split components are determined.     

Long-range multi-carrier acoustic communications in shallow water based on iterative sparse channel estimation

Long-range orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) acoustic communications is demonstrated using data from the Kauai Acomms MURI 2008 (KAM08) experiment carried out in about 106 m deep shallow water west of Kauai, HI, in June 2008. The source bandwidth was 8 kHz (12-20 kHz), and the data were received by a 16-element vertical array at a distance of 8 km. Iterative sparse channel estimation is applied in conjunction with low-density parity-check decoding. In addition, the impact of diversity combining in a highly inhomogeneous underwater environment is investigated. Error-free transmission using 16-quadtrative amplitude modulation is achieved at a data rate of 10 kb/s.     

利用拖船辐射噪声的深海声学参数近场匹配场反演方法

针对深海声学参数难以通过远距离合作声源反演获取的问题,提出了利用拖船低频噪声近场匹配场反演方法。首先,利用聚焦波束形成计算拖曳阵接收拖船噪声的方向性,获得传播路径特征;然后,构建多参数反演模型,由波数积分声传播模型计算拷贝场,采用遗传算法对多频匹配场目标函数进行反演。同时,采用蒙特卡罗方法分析参数后验概率密度。仿真与试验结果表明:深海环境中拖曳阵接收拖船噪声主要来自海底反射路径,利用该特性反演得到海水深度、噪声源距离、阵列深度、沉积层厚度等参数,多频联合反演可以提高沉积层厚度等参数反演准确性。宽带匹配场处理表明,利用反演最优参数模型能准确给出拖船噪声源的空间位置。      

Detection of Blainville’s beaked whales with towed arrays

The detection performance of a towed hydrophone array for deep-diving species is quantified by comparing detections of echolocation clicks from foraging groups of Blainville’s beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris) from the TNO Delphinus array to detections from bottom-mounted hydrophones at the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) in the Bahamas. A beaked whale group detection probability of 40% is obtained at close ranges (R < 2000 m) with the Delphinus towed array, and a maximum detection range of 5000 m is measured. The detection function can be explained by models, when taking into account the range in rms source levels (200-220 dB re 1 μPa² m²), and the high system noise levels during the experiment. The model results suggest that detection ranges up to about 7 km are possible under favourable conditions, and demonstrate the effectiveness of using towed arrays to monitor deep-diving species, such as beaked whales.     

Long-range time reversal communication in deep water: experimental results

In December 2011 a long-range acoustic communication experiment was conducted in deep water, west of Izu-Ogasawara Islands, Japan. The experiment involved a stationary source (450-550 Hz) and an 18-element vertical array (102-m aperture), both deployed at around the sound channel axis. Initial analysis of data demonstrates that a data rate of 400 bits/s can be achieved over ~600-km range in deep water using 16 quadrature amplitude modulation and passive time reversal equalization.     

多波束分集深海远程正交频分复用水声通信

针对深海远程信道传播衰减大、多途扩展严重的问题,提出一种单输入多输出（SIMO）模型下的水声正交频分复用（OFDM）多波束空间分集均衡方法。建立了深海远程信道下SIMO-OFDM接收信号模型,对宽带波束形成处理后的多个到达角度的波束输出进行独立的多普勒补偿和稀疏信道估计,最后基于最大比合并实现多波束均衡。相对于远程通信中常用的单波束处理方法,所提方法可获得额外的不同到达角度的多径分集增益;且基于阵列波束形成处理可明显提升各个波束输出信噪比,避免了单阵元信噪比过低导致的信道估计误差增大的问题。所提方法的计算复杂度大于单波束均衡,但低于多阵元最大比合并均衡。基于BELLHOP的数值仿真和中国南海实验结果表明,所提方法的误码率性能明显优于单波束均衡和最大比合并均衡,且在100 km的距离上实现了通信速率199 bps的无误码通信。      

水平阵信号压缩感知用于简正波分离

针对水平阵信号简正波分离过程中常规波束形成分辨率低以及warping模态滤波不适用于复杂声信号的问题,提出水平阵信号压缩感知用于简正波分离的方法。利用压缩感知在方位估计中的高分辨特性,通过估计水平阵接收信号在频率方位角上的二维分布,分离得到各阶简正波的方位谱,并逆Fourier变换得到时域波形。仿真孔径1 km、阵元间隔10 m水平阵接收20~200 Hz伪随机声信号和脉冲声信号,所提方法分离出的各阶简正波与理论波形的相关系数在0.97~1.0。对2011年北黄海声学实验中的海底28元水平阵接收的气枪信号,在合成至1 km孔径后使用压缩感知方法分离简正波,其与warping模态滤波分离得的前5阶简正波相关系数在0.82~0.93。仿真与实验都说明了水平阵信号压缩感知简正波分离方法的有效性。      

Reverberation at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge during the 1993 ARSRP experiment seen by R/V Alliance from 200-1400 Hz and some modeling inferences

In July 1993 SACLANTCEN participated in an experiment for the Acoustic Reverberation Special Research Program (ARSRP). The primary objective was to take high resolution measurements to shed light on the detailed physical processes dominating the low frequency scattering from rough topographic features and from deep sediment pond areas. A very detailed set of monostatic and bistatic scattering experiments were conducted just west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge near 26 degrees N, 47 degrees W. Results from SACLANTCEN's R/V ALLIANCE are presented which show monostatic and bistatic scattering from selected bathymetric features using pulsed sources from 200-1400 Hz and SUS charges. Area water depths ranged from 3300 to greater than 5200 m. The receivers were a horizontal array of 128 elements spaced at 0.5, 1, and 2 m. Source depths varied from 120 to 1200 m and receiver depths ranged from 400 to 500 m. Received reverberation levels are presented as functions of the estimated scatterer position on area bathymetry maps. Results show the same high scattering areas from one seamount were observed in three distinct frequency bands centered at 227, 350, and 700 Hz. Even at 1350 Hz the correlation of scattering highlights with nearby bathymetric features is quite good. Comparisons of measured reverberation and modeled reverberation are presented which suggest that the dominant longer range scattering from the large features is driven by the steep slopes present above the critical depth but that small scale roughness is also essential for strong backscatter.     

Ocean dynamic noise energy flux directivity in the 400 Hz to 700 Hz frequency band

Results of field studies of underwater dynamic noise energy flux directivity at two wind speeds, 6 m/s and 12 m/s, in the 400 Hz to 700 Hz frequency band in the deep open ocean are presented. The measurements were made by a freely drifting telemetric combined system at 500 m depth. Statistical characteristics of the horizontal and vertical dynamic noise energy flux directivity are considered as functions of wind speed and direction. Correlation between the horizontal dynamic noise energy flux direction and that of the wind was determined; a mechanism of the horizontal dynamic noise energy flux generation is related to the initial noise field scattering on ocean surface waves.     

分布反馈式光纤激光水听器拖曳线列阵实验研究

为了进一步增大光纤拖曳阵的探测距离,研制了缆径为16mm的32元分布反馈式光纤激光水听器拖曳线列阵.阵元在10~2 000Hz频率范围内的平均声压灵敏度为-142.7dB(re 1rad/μPa),波动幅度小于±2dB.基于声光调制器的时分、波分联合复用技术实现了32元光纤激光水听器的多路复用,各个阵元之间以及各个通道之间的串扰均小于-40dB,并完成了静态和动态拖曳湖上实验.实验结果表明,研制的32元分布反馈式光纤激光水听器拖曳线列阵无论是在静态,还是在6~16节的动态拖曳状态,都能对目标形成稳定的波束指向,与GPS轨迹记录完全一致,展现了分布反馈式光纤激光水听器拖曳线列阵在工程上的应用前景.     

Random focusing of sound into spatially coherent regions

Abstract

Oceanographic variability creates a weak random propagation medium for acoustic waves. The impact on acoustic transmission is becoming increasingly appreciated as the deterministic modelling of sound propagation in the ocean has become tractable and better understood. Beyond the near field (where phase fluctuations are weak) and the far field (where the scintillation index becomes saturated) multiple-scattering theory predicts that random focusing will greatly enhance the acoustic energy density over small volumetric regions, which we call ‘ribbons’. In 1986 an experiment was carried out in the eastern Mediterranean to test this prediction using acoustic propagation along distinct, resolvable ray paths. This experiment is one of the few to map the spatial structure of acoustic intensity with such a large vertical aperture, and as far as the authors are aware it remains the only experiment to attempt to detect the two-dimensional structure of the predicted focused ribbons for individual energy paths. Renewed impetus to publish the results has been provided by the recent focus on moderate- to high-frequency acoustics in near-shore and shallow-water environments. The experiment is described and high-intensity regions consistent with the theoretical predictions are reported. A 3.5 kHz pulsed signal was transmitted over ranges of 11–23 km and sampled over a vertical aperture of 250–350 m and horizontal apertures of 4–4.5 km. The acoustic signals travelling along individual ray paths developed randomly focused regions of 6–18 dB over regions with a vertical dimension of about 20 m and whose horizontal length could possibly be up to 1 km. The understanding of these features allows system limitations to be estimated quantitatively and opens up the way to their constructive tactical use. The results are applicable to many systems from towed array sonars to high-frequency bathymetric sidescan and minehunting.     

Three-dimensional seismic array characterization study: experiment and modeling

In the summer of 2003, the Littoral Acoustic Demonstration Center conducted an acoustic characterization experiment for a 21-element marine seismic exploration airgun array of total volume of 0.0588 m(3) (3590 in.(3)). Two Environmental Acoustic Recording System buoys, one with a desensitized hydrophone, were deployed at a depth of 758 m in a water depth of 990 m, near Green's Canyon in the Gulf of Mexico. Shots over a grid were recorded and calibrated to produce absolute broadband (up to 25 kHz) pressure-time dependencies for a wide range of offsets and arrival angles in the water column. Experimental data are analyzed to obtain maximum received zero-to-peak pressure levels, maximum received sound exposure levels, and pressure levels in 13-octave frequency bands for each shot. Experimental data are quantitatively modeled by using an upgraded version of an underwater acoustic propagation model and seismic source modeling packages for a variety of ranges and arrival angles. Experimental and modeled data show good agreement in absolute pressure amplitudes and frequency interference patterns for frequencies up to 1000 Hz. The analysis is important for investigating the potential impact on marine mammals and fish and predicting the exposure levels for newly planned seismic surveys in other geographic areas.