Striation-based beamforming for active sonar with a horizontal line array

Abstract

A physics-based method for beamforming signals measured on a horizontal array is developed with an application to underwater active sonar systems. The proposed striation-based beamformer coherently combines the pressure from each element in the array at different frequencies, and these frequencies are selected based on a striation hypothesis. The linear frequency shift and corresponding phase term introduced in the array weight vector accounts for multipath-induced fading, producing beam output with increased signal gain. The method is demonstrated using data collected on an array towed in the North Atlantic. The combination of the striation-based beamformer with the waveguide invariant concept to improve tracker performance is discussed.