利用环境噪声互相关实现散射体无源成像

最近研究表明利用环境噪声的互相关可以恢复两点之间的时域格林函数(声脉冲响应),这一原理在文献中被称为格林函数恢复。基于此原理,通过对多个传声器所接收的环境噪声进行互相关处理,获取与散射体相关联的散射波的到达时延信息,结合最小二乘反演算法和改进克希霍夫移位算法,分别获得道路交通噪声场中石柱以及海浪噪声场中塑料桶的空间位置,且其估计结果与实际测量相一致。实验结果表明将环境噪声作为探测信号进行散射体无源成像是可行的。这为设计室内无源声监测系统以及通过海洋环境噪声实现对水中静默目标成像提供了新思路和有益参考。      

The use of low-frequency noise in passive tomography of the ocean

A possible design of the mode tomography of the ocean with the use of a scheme requiring no expensive low-frequency radiators is considered. The design is based on the widely discussed method of estimating the Green’s function from the cross-coherence function of noise field received in a great number of observation points. The relationship between the Green’s function and the noise coherence function is derived from the Helmholtz-Kirchhoff integral. The use of the vertical multielement arrays composed of vector receivers is suggested to decrease the duration of noise signal accumulation required for a reliable determination of the Green’s function. The solution of the tomographic problem is based on the determination of the mode structure of acoustic field from the eigenvectors and eigenvalues of the cross-coherence matrix of the received noise field.     

On the possibility of using acoustic reverberation for remote sensing of ocean dynamics

The two-point correlation function of diffuse noise fields produced by distributed random sound sources carries useful information on the medium of sound propagation. Such information can be used for performing passive acoustic tomography of the ocean. In a number of cases that are important for practice, the noise field in the ocean is predominated by contributions of individual point sources. Here, a theoretical study is presented on the possibility of determining the sound speed and current velocity in the water column by the correlation processing of reverberation signals measured by two vertical receiving arrays. In other words, we study the possibility of replacing the diffuse noise produced by a great number of delta-correlated sources by waves generated by a localized source and scattered at the rough surface and bottom of the ocean for sensing the medium. The correlation function of scattered waves is calculated by using the method of small perturbations. It is shown that the correlation processing of the scattered waves offers an opportunity of measuring the acoustic nonreciprocity and reconstructing the field of sound speed in the fluid, without using any acoustiLc transceivers.     

A high-frequency warm shallow water acoustic communications channel model and measurements

Underwater acoustic communication is a core enabling technology with applications in ocean monitoring using remote sensors and autonomous underwater vehicles. One of the more challenging underwater acoustic communication channels is the medium-range very shallow warm-water channel, common in tropical coastal regions. This channel exhibits two key features-extensive time-varying multipath and high levels of non-Gaussian ambient noise due to snapping shrimp-both of which limit the performance of traditional communication techniques. A good understanding of the communications channel is key to the design of communication systems. It aids in the development of signal processing techniques as well as in the testing of the techniques via simulation. In this article, a physics-based channel model for the very shallow warm-water acoustic channel at high frequencies is developed, which are of interest to medium-range communication system developers. The model is based on ray acoustics and includes time-varying statistical effects as well as non-Gaussian ambient noise statistics observed during channel studies. The model is calibrated and its accuracy validated using measurements made at sea.     

Mapping of the ocean surface wind by ocean acoustic interferometers

Measurements of marine surface winds are crucial to understanding mechanical and thermodynamic forces on the ocean. Satellite measurements of surface winds provide global coverage but are problematic at high wind speeds. Acoustic techniques of wind speed retrieval, and even for tracking hurricanes, have been suggested as an alternative since wind is a strong source of ambient noise in the ocean. Such approaches involve near-local measurements with bottom-mounted hydrophones located close to the area of interest. This paper suggests a complementary approach: measuring directivity of low-frequency ambient noise in the horizontal plane. These measurements would employ long vertical line arrays (VLAs) spanning a significant portion of the ocean waveguide. Two VLAs separated by a distance of some tens of kilometers and coherently measuring acoustic pressure form a single ocean interferometer. By sampling the area of interest from different perspectives with at least two interferometers, marine surface winds might be mapped over horizontal scales of the order of 1000 km with about 10 km resolution (more specifically, the 10 km resolution here means that contribution from the basis functions representing surface wind field with the scale of spatial variations of the order of 10 km can be resolved; independent retrieval of the wind within 10(4) cells of a corresponding grid is hardly possible). An averaging time required to overcome statistical variability in the noise field is estimated to be about 3 h. Numerical simulations of propagation conditions typical for the North Atlantic Ocean are presented.     

水下声学浮标南中国海海洋环境噪声实测分析*

海洋环境噪声是多种自然噪声和人为噪声的复杂组合,其谱级大小和频率组成是影响声纳系统探测性能的重要参数,由于海洋环境噪声时空域特性是非常复杂的,因此需要对海洋环境噪声进行长时间和大范围的观测才足以分析其特性。本文通过在多剖面水下浮标平台基础上集成声学测量系统,研制出了一种具有海洋环境噪声监测能力的水下声学浮标平台,该浮标平台可多次上浮、下潜,具备原位坐底和定深漂流两种工作模式,能够连续观测海洋环境噪声时长多达几个月。利用2019年8月在南海海区组织的多台水下声学浮标组网试验数据,分析了不同频率海洋环境噪声谱级随时间变化特性,数据处理结果符合海洋环境噪声典型变化规律,试验表明,水下声学浮标可作为一种潜在的优势水下无人移动平台,用于长期监测海洋环境噪声特性。     

A framework for the automated real-time detection of short tonal sounds from ocean observatories

Acquisition of acoustic data from ocean observatories is expected to play a key role for the long-term monitoring of marine mammals and anthropogenic noise. It typically requires processing of a large volume of acoustic data and it must rely on automated identification of signals. We present an algorithmic framework for the detection of short tonal sounds (e.g. cetacean calls, anthropogenic pings) intended to act as a first stage in a system for the automated real-time detection, classification, and localisation of acoustic sources. The algorithm was validated under a diversity of scenarios expected at ocean observatories. Using simulated signals that emulate a variety of cetacean call-types, perfect identification of signal position was obtained for signal to noise ratios of ?15 to ?5 dB, depending on the signal-type. Separation of real-world data segments with short tonal sounds (mainly cetacean calls) from segments with other sounds or noise resulted in Area Under the ROC Curve values between 0.96 and 0.98. The algorithm can be used to automatically identify cetacean calls and anthropogenic short tonal sounds much faster than in real-time, thereby reducing the burden put on data transmission, storage, or processing by classification and localisation algorithms.     

利用海洋环境噪声估计海流流速

为了观测海流在短时间尺度上的变化,基于被动声层析原理,提出了一种利用浅海海洋环境噪声估计海流流速的方法.通过波束形成增加噪声互相关函数的能量积累,从环境噪声互相关函数提取出两个水平阵列间的经验格林函数,利用经验格林函数的时间到达结构反演阵列间的浅海海流流速.海上实验数据处理结果表明,该方法提取了2h时间平均的经验格林函...     

Acoustic insulation capacity of Vertical Greenery Systems for buildings

Vertical Greenery Systems (VGS) are promising contemporary Green Infrastructure which contribute to the provision of several ecosystem services both at building and urban scales. Among others, the building acoustic insulation and the urban noise reduction could be considered. Traditionally vegetation has been used to acoustically insulate urban areas, especially from the traffic noise. Now, with the introduction of vegetation in buildings, through the VGS, it is necessary to provide experimental data on its operation as acoustic insulation tool in the built environment. In this study the acoustic insulation capacity of two VGS was conducted through in situ measurements according to the UNE-EN ISO 140-5 standard. From the results, it was observed that a thin layer of vegetation (20–30 cm) was able to provide an increase in the sound insulation of 1 dB for traffic noise (in both cases, Green Wall and Green Facade), and an insulation increase between 2 dB (Green Wall) and 3 dB (Green Facade) for a pink noise. In addition to the vegetation contribution to sound insulation, the influence of other factors such as the mass factor (thickness, density and composition of the substrate layer) and type of modular unit of cultivation, the impenetrability (sealing joints between modules) and structural insulation (support structure) must be taken into account for further studies.     

Cross-correlation in band-limited ocean ambient noise fields

Observations of ambient noise in the ocean are generally band limited, because of the natural spectral shape of the noise or the restricted bandwidth of the detection system. Either way, the noise may be regarded as white noise to which a band-limiting filter has been applied. An analysis of the two-point cross-correlation function of such filtered noise is presented for two cases, isotropic and surface-generated noise. The most pronounced effects occur with high-pass and bandpass filters when the low-frequency cut-off falls well above the first few zeros in the coherence function. In this situation, the sensor separation is very many times the longest acoustic wavelength (associated with the lowest frequency) in the passband. The filtering then produces sharp pulses at correlation delays equal to the numerical value of the acoustic travel time between the sensors. Although these pulses are narrow, they have a finite width, within which a fine structure appears in the form of multiple rapid oscillations, due to the differentiating action of the filter. The number of such oscillations increases as the low-frequency roll-off of the filter becomes steeper. This fine structure is evident in several recently published experimental determinations of the cross-correlation function of band-limited ocean ambient noise.     

采用被动声监测方法识别波弗特海区域海洋水声环境

为了研究北冰洋冰下水声环境的噪声特性,对2016年中国第七次北极科考期间在波弗特海进行的声学观测实验获取的数据集,采用时间统计分析和频域谱分析方法进行了处理,讨论了处理结果与同时期获取的海洋、大气之间的联系。针对冰下噪声长期监测和北冰洋水声环境特性的准实时观测,确定了描述冰下水声环境特性的参数组,给出了处理方法和流程,用于基于被动声监测的水声环境识别,指导研究设计和硬件选择。回传的实测结果可以与已发表的结论进行比较,从而确切描述和理解北冰洋水声环境的变化。     

Spectral estimation method for noisy data using a noise reference

The development of array processing methods to extract the useful characteristics of acoustic sources such as their locations and absolute levels, starting from the measured sound field is one of the main issues in aero-acoustics. The conventional beamforming method is a very popular technique investigated to solve the power level estimation problem. It has the advantage of being robust, easy to implement and cheap in computation time. However, this technique is also known for having poor spatial resolution capabilities which prevents the correct source levels being obtained for numerous practical applications. Deconvolution techniques of the result computed with CBF, with the point spread function of the array manifold, may restore the power levels of the acoustic sources that would be observed in the absence of the array resolution effects. However, the accuracy of the results provided by deconvolution methods is very sensitive to background noise, always present in acoustic measurements. This process should be carried out after the additive noise has been suitably attenuated and, ideally, the deconvolution operator should amplify the noise as little as possible. Another approach is described in the article. It consists in using a noise reference and a new technique called spectral estimation method with additive noise to remove both the smearing effect produced by the array response and the background noise. The technique has been applied to computer and experimental simulations conducted both in an anechoic chamber and in the test section of an open wind tunnel involving acoustic sources radiating in a noisy environment. The levels of the sources were found with a good level of accuracy and the background noise greatly reduced, confirming the validity of the approach and the satisfactory performance of the method proposed.     

Noise immunity of a combined hydroacoustic receiver

A statistical analysis of the noise immunity of a combined receiver is performed for the observation of a fluctuating tone signal against the background of underwater dynamic noise. The analysis is based on the experimental data obtained in deep ocean with the use of two four-component combined hydroacoustic receivers positioned at depths of 150 and 300 m. Theoretical expressions are obtained for the signal-to-noise ratio of a combined receiver, for reciprocal spectral levels of the signal and noise in both narrow and wide frequency bands. The definition of the combined receiver gain is introduced in terms of the functions of a common single-point coherence for the acoustic pressure and the particle velocity in an acoustic wave. According to the experimental data obtained, in the case of multiplicative processing, the maximal gain in the signal-to-noise ratio of a combined receiver, as compared to a hydrophone-based square-law detector, can reach 15–16 dB for the horizontal channel and 30 dB for the vertical channel of the combined receiver in the case of the compensation of opposing flows of the signal and noise energy.     

Separation of acoustic modes in the Florida Straits using noise interferometry

We consider separation of acoustic modes in an experiment carried out in the Florida Straits. The features of the approach are separation of modes using data from single hydrophones, not vertical mode arrays, and a passive scheme of noise interferometry in which the source consists of ocean noise. Processing made it possible to reliably separate the first four modes of the acoustic field. The results allow a conclusion on the possible use of this method for shallow-water monitoring under complex hydrological conditions.     

Time reversal of ocean noise

It has recently been shown [Roux et al., "Extracting coherent wave fronts from acoustic ambient noise in the ocean," J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 116, 1995-2003 (2004)] that the time-averaged correlation of ocean noise between two points yields a deterministic waveguide arrival structure embedded in the time-domain Green's function. By performing a set of these correlations between a vertical receive array and a single receiver, transfer functions necessary for time reversal can be extracted from ocean noise. Theory and simulation demonstrate this process and data of opportunity from the North Pacific Acoustic Laboratory experiment confirm the expected performance of a noise-based time reversal mirror.     

A model for the spatial coherence of arbitrarily directive noise in the depth-stratified ocean

Though referred to as noise, the ambient ocean soundscape carries valuable information about the physical ocean environment. To study this information, Kuperman and Ingenito introduced a model for spatial coherence in a depth stratified ocean arising from the vertically directive diffuse acoustic noise produced by bubbles distributed throughout the surface. Here the model is adapted to incorporate horizontal directivity as well, making it possible to include additional noise contributions from directive features such as storms, biologics, shipping, and wave breaking. As an analytic approach, the model can serve as a computationally light complement to existing methods.     

Passive acoustic tomography of the ocean using arrays of unknown shape

It was recently established that ocean acoustic tomography based on an inversion of ray travel times can be implemented without use of any dedicated sound sources by cross-correlating the ambient noise recorded on two line arrays, the shapes of which are known. In contrast to active tomography, the amount of useful information from noise interferometry is proportional to the product of the numbers of receivers in the two arrays. In our study based on the 2D and 3D numerical experiments, we examine a hypothesis concerning the feasibility of simultaneous performance of a passive ray tomography and passive positioning of arrays through cross-correlation of ambient or shipping noise. The numerical experiments are conducted under conditions close to those of a field experiment on passive ocean tomography. It is demonstrated that, when using arrays of 20–40 hydrophones, the sound velocity profile and the array shape can be found from noise correlation to an accuracy adequate for oceanological and acoustic applications.     

Maximum entropy approach to statistical inference for an ocean acoustic waveguide

A conditional probability distribution suitable for estimating the statistical properties of ocean seabed parameter values inferred from acoustic measurements is derived from a maximum entropy principle. The specification of the expectation value for an error function constrains the maximization of an entropy functional. This constraint determines the sensitivity factor (β) to the error function of the resulting probability distribution, which is a canonical form that provides a conservative estimate of the uncertainty of the parameter values. From the conditional distribution, marginal distributions for individual parameters can be determined from integration over the other parameters. The approach is an alternative to obtaining the posterior probability distribution without an intermediary determination of the likelihood function followed by an application of Bayes' rule. In this paper the expectation value that specifies the constraint is determined from the values of the error function for the model solutions obtained from a sparse number of data samples. The method is applied to ocean acoustic measurements taken on the New Jersey continental shelf. The marginal probability distribution for the values of the sound speed ratio at the surface of the seabed and the source levels of a towed source are examined for different geoacoustic model representations.     

水声信号处理领域新进展

本文介绍近30年来水声信号处理领域理论研究的新进展和在声纳设计中的应用。包括水声信号建模、声场匹配、海洋波导和内波现象的探索和研究、声矢量场信息获取和处理,低频水声信道的时/空相关特性,水下目标辐射噪声的不变特征量提取和检测技术,水下语音、图像传输和抗干扰技术。同时概述,声纳设计的前沿领域:大孔径拖曳线列阵声纳、高分辨力合成孔径声纳、深海传呼机等的发展情况。     

Tracking sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) dive profiles using a towed passive acoustic array

A passive acoustic method is presented for tracking sperm whale dive profiles, using two or three hydrophones deployed as either a vertical or large-aperture towed array. The relative arrival times between the direct and surface-reflected acoustic paths are used to obtain the ranges and depths of animals with respect to the array, provided that the hydrophone depths are independently measured. Besides reducing the number of hydrophones required, exploiting surface reflections simplifies automation of the data processing. Experimental results are shown from 2002 and 2003 cruises in the Gulf of Mexico for two different towed array deployments. The 2002 deployment consisted of two short-aperture towed arrays separated by 170 m, while the 2003 deployment placed an autonomous acoustic recorder in tandem with a short-aperture towed array, and used ship noise to time-align the acoustic data. The resulting dive profiles were independently checked using single-hydrophone localizations, whenever multipath reflections from the ocean bottom could be exploited to effectively create a large-aperture vertical array. This technique may have applications for basic research and for real-time mitigation for seismic airgun surveys.