Range-sensitive Bayesian passive sonar tracking

Abstract

Passive sonar arrays are commonly operated under a far-field assumption in which the only observable parameter regarding target location is the direction of arrival of the target's signal. Range can be observed, but only when a target is in the near-field region of the array. In a Bayesian formulation of the problem, additional range dependence may be added to the passive sonar likelihood function by utilizing knowledge of the source level of a target of interest. It is shown that incorporating such knowledge of source level can increase track accuracy, both in the near-field and far-field regions of the array. In addition, it is shown that source level modeling can give a field of omni-directional sensors the ability to detect and localize a target.