Analytical study of acoustic ranging accuracy

This paper derives an analytical expression for acoustic horizontal ranging error caused by observation errors, using ray-tracing theory. It covers sound-speed measurement error, depth-sensor error and timing error. The analytical expression focuses on the acoustic ranging problem of the commercial underwater acoustic localization systems with medium frequencies (~5 kHz-50 kHz), in which non-turning direct-path eigenrays are used in the triangulation. To show the application of this expression, analytical calculations are carried out to study the acoustic ranging error for a seafloor transponder using surface acoustic measurements.