Sonar buoy active detection and localization for underwater targets using high-level sound sources and MEMS hydrophone

Abstract

This paper presents a method for active detection and localization using a micro-sonar buoy equipped with a MEMS vector hydrophone. The approach enhances the signal-to-noise ratio and mitigates environmental noise by utilizing a high sound source level and an omnidirectional explosive sound source. By leveraging the vectorial properties of the MEMS vector hydrophone, a sound pressure–velocity processing algorithm and zero-padding Generalized Cross Correlation-Phase Transform (GCC-PHAT) technique were proposed. This method enables precise localization of the target by integrating target latitude and longitude calculations. The indoor experiments demonstrate that the azimuth angle error is less than 1°, and field tests show a distance error of 1.295 m between the buoy and the target. These results validate the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method. This research offers both theoretical insights and experimental validation, laying a foundation for future advancements and applications in the field.