Advanced Signal Processing of Impulsive Waveform

Impulsive acoustic sources have several advantages and disadvantages On the positive side, they are highly mobile and deliver a high source level without the use of connecting cables. On the negative side, their combination of high power and nondirectionality yields a high background of reverberation or clutter that obscures the desired echo. In addition, the transmit waveform cannot be easily altered or coded to take advantage of propagation and target characteristics. The Navy has expended a great deal of resources to correct these deficiencies in the back end signal processing. The innovative technique described in this proposal takes an entirely fresh approach: Alter the source to yield intrinsic clutter rejection properties, which can be exploited with proper signal processing techniques. The Phase I product will be an innovative impulse source design which provides the optimum coded waveform and the corresponding advanced signal processing. This involves several design tradeoffs including performance, signal processing complexity, and cost. The work plan includes a source configuration study and a sonobuoy implementation and cost study.