UACE2017 Proceedings: ONMEX’16 and MANEX’16 MCM trials using UWBMBS (Ultra WideBand MultiBeam Sonar)

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  • Session:
    Towards Automatic Target Recognition. Detection, Classification and Modelling
  • Paper:
    ONMEX’16 and MANEX’16 MCM trials using UWBMBS (Ultra WideBand MultiBeam Sonar)
  • Author(s):
    Yan Pailhas, Nicolas Valeyrie, Chris Capus, Samantha Dugelay
  • Abstract:
    Underwater mine countermeasures aims to detect explosive devices that can be found on the sea bottom. In a broad sense, an underwater mine countermeasure system brings together acoustic sensors and detection algorithms that operate on the data produced by the sensors. The capabilities of a mine countermeasures system have to be ultimately assessed on real acoustic data.\n\nThe purpose of this paper is to present first results from the wideband acoustic data that were collected during the ONMEX and MANEX sea trials, organised by the Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) in September/October 2016. The data were collected with a new multi-beam wideband sonar that was mounted on a REMUS-100 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The wideband sonar programme is the result of a combined effort between Hydrason Solutions and Heriot-Watt University. The sonar itself comprises two transmitters and two arrays of eight receivers that jointly operate over a broad range of frequencies from 20 kHz to 180 kHz. The sonar is able to excite the resonances of natural and man-made objects, which makes it a sensor of choice for the mine countermeasures system.\n\nSeveral objects were deployed on the seabed at various locations over the course of the trials. These objects included two Manta-type mine-like objects (MLOs), two rocks, one cylinder and one Rockan-type MLO. The REMUS-100 AUV and wideband sonar were repeatedly flown over the objects in lawn-mower search patterns. The vehicle and sonar also performed circular reacquisition patterns over each object. A substantial data set containing the acoustic responses of the objects at all aspect angles was thus gathered. This paper draws out essential characteristics of the wideband responses and shows how they differ from object to object.
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Contact details

  • Contact person:
    Dr Yan Pailhas
  • e-mail:
  • Affiliation:
    Heriot-Watt University
  • Country:
    United Kingdom

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