Adaptive port-starboard beamforming of triplet sonar arrays

For a low-frequency active sonar (LFAS) with a triplet receiver array, it is not clear in advance which signal processing techniques optimize its performance. Here, several advanced beamformers are analyzed theoretically, and the results are compared to experimental data obtained in sea trials. Triplet arrays are single line arrays with three hydrophones on a circular section of the array. The triplet structure provides the ability to solve the notorious port-starboard (PS) ambiguity problem of ordinary single-array receivers. More importantly, the PS rejection can be so strong that it allows to unmask targets in the presence of strong coastal reverberation or traffic noise. The theoretical and experimental performance of triplet array beamformers is determined in terms of two performance indicators: array gain and PS rejection. Results are obtained under several typical acoustic environments: sea noise, flow noise, coastal reverberation, and mixtures of these. A new algorithm for (beam space) adaptive triplet beamforming is implemented and tuned. Its results are compared to those of other triplet beamforming techniques (optimum and cardioid beamforming). These beamformers optimize for only one performance indicator, whereas in theory, the adaptive beamformer gives the best overall performance (in any given environment). The different beamformers are applied to data obtained with an LFAS at sea. Analysis shows that adaptive triplet beamforming outperforms conventional beamforming algorithms. Adaptive triplet beamforming provides strong PS rejection, allowing the unmasking of targets in the presence of strong directional reverberation (e.g., from a coast) and at the same time provides positive array gain in most environments.