Broadband Sonar Digital Signal Processing (DSP) for Undersea Marine Life and Hazard Detection & Classification

Authorizations provided to the Navy for operation of the SURTASS LFA/CLFA active source require specific measures to be taken to avoid harming marine mammals. This generally includes searching the water column within 2 km of the SURTASS ship for the presence of marine mammals before going active. In-Depth Engineering Corporation proposes the Wideband High-frequency Aquatic Life Echolocation System (WHALES) – an innovative, low-cost, broadband, passive and active acoustic detection and classification system – as a replacement for the aging HF/M3 system currently deployed. WHALES will be able to detect all source modulation types, and will include an automated acoustic classification capability based on a model of the mammalian primary auditory cortex. Directional passive receive arrays will be paired with an active omnidirectional broadband projector operating around 25 kHz, well above the frequency band of the SURTASS system. The active source will enable detection and localization of non-vocalizing marine mammals, navigational hazards, divers, and UUVs. In Phase I the WHALES design was validated, and a single passive receiver array was developed and tested. In Phase II, the active source will be developed and the entire system will be tested in the water during the Base, Option 1, and Option 2 efforts.