Interbeam correlation processing and multibeam resolution improving

Abstract

Resolution improving method considered in the paper is based on minimum variance method (MVM), put forward by Capon in the last century's sixties for seismic signal processing. It is shown that minimum variance method has evident advantages in comparison with standard beamforming. Seabed was reconstructed by means of MVM to a higher accuracy then using standard beamforming. It should be emphasized that real refinement was achieved rather than some kind of smoothing or interpolation. More complete using of scattering data and a priori information causes the effect. Next step to elaborate the method of interbeam processing introduced is to carry out joint processing of echoes of adjacent pings. As distinct from popular synthetic aperture processing inverse correlation matrix is used in ping-to-ping interbeam minimum variance processing.