Passive Source Localization using Coprime Arrays in Matched Field Processing

Matching field processing is one of the most common and important methods for locating underwater sound sources. However, sometimes there are some problems such as fuzzy localization, and localization failure caused by large localization error under low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), which limit the application of matching field. In this paper, the coprime array is used for matching field processing, which can effectively solve the above problems. The coprime array method breaks the limitation of the traditional uniform linear arrays which are limited by the physical array elements, expands the array aperture, improves the degree of freedom, and combines the characteristics of ocean acoustic field to locate the sound source. The simulation results show that this method can greatly reduce the localization ambiguity and is more effective under the noise conditions. Compared with the traditional uniform linear array, it has the advantages of better performance and higher probability of effective localization, which has a good significance for future engineering applications.