Fault detection and fault related performance degradation in sonar arrays

It is desirable to maximize sonar gain against noise and interference in the prevailing underwater acoustic environment. Although significant emphasis is placed upon monitoring and modeling underwater acoustics for these purposes, little attention is paid to sensing the prevailing sonar configuration, especially deficiencies in the configuration arising from faults, design conditions, or improper operation. Yet, these deficiencies can degrade sonar performance as seriously as external environmental factors. Several techniques are examined for detecting fault related sonar configuration deficiencies and evaluating their effect on sonar performance. In particular, these analysis techniques are employed within a hierarchical framework that specifies the fault detection and performance evaluation methodology. The usefulness of this approach is demonstrated using both simulated data examples and real data gathered from towed array trials at sea.