Direction and Location Estimating Algorithm for Sound Sources with Two Hydrophones in Underwater Environment

Abstract

For underwater vehicles, the use of sensors such as cameras and laser scanners is limited by the difference in environment compared to robots designed to work on dry land. In underwater environments, if use is made of sound signals, valuable information can be obtained. The most important application is the localization of underwater sound sources. The estimated location of a sound source can be used to control underwater robots or submarines. Thus, the purpose of this research is to estimate the source's direction and location in a noisy underwater environment. The direction of the sound source is obtained using two hydrophones. Furthermore, if we assume that the robot or sound source is moving, the location of the sound source is estimated using more than two estimated directions. The feasibility of the developed algorithm is examined by experiments in a water tank and in the ocean.