Multiple-array passive acoustic source localization in urban environments

Abstract

In many situations of interest, obstacles to acoustic wave propagation such as terrain or buildings exist that provide unique challenges to localization. These obstacles introduce multiple propagation paths, reflections, and diffraction into the propagation. In this paper, matched field processing is proposed as an effective method of acoustic localization in a two dimensional scattering environment. Numerical techniques can be used to model complex propagation in a space where analytical solutions are not feasible. Realistically, there is always some uncertainty in model parameters that in turn can adversely affect localization ability. In particular, uncertainty in array location, sound speed, and various parameters affecting inter-array coherence only are investigated. A spatially distributed, multiarray network is shown to mitigate the effects of uncertainty. Multiarray inverse filter processing techniques are evaluated through perturbation of uncertain model parameters. These techniques are more accurate and flexible to implement than other matched field processing methods such as time reversal.