Source Range Estimation Based on Pulse Waveform Matching in a Slope Environment

An approach of source range estimation in an ocean environment with sloping bottom is presented. The approach is based on pulse waveform correlation matching between the received and simulated signals. An acoustic propagation experiment is carried out in a slope environment. The pulse signal is received by the vertical line array, and the depth structure can be obtained. For the experimental data, the depth structures of pulse waveforms are different, which depends on the source range. For a source with unknown range, the depth structure of pulse waveform can be first obtained from the experimental data. Next, the depth structures of pulse waveforms in different ranges are numerically calculated. After the process of correlating the experimental and simulated signals, the range corresponding to the maximum value of the correlation coefficient is the estimated source range. For the explosive sources in the experiment with two depths, the mean relative errors of range estimation are both less than 7%.