Buried object localization using direct algorithm

This study deals with buried object localization using a towed flexible array of sensors. So, the phases of the received signals deviate from the assumed plane wave model by the phase errors which are due to the random distortions of the antenna. In this letter, an objective function is defined and a new source steering vector including the acoustic scattering model at each sensor is proposed. The robust DIRECT (DIviding RECTangles) method is applied to minimize this objective function for estimating the bearings and the ranges of objects together with the phase errors. To decorrelate the received signals and to estimate the coherent signal subspace a fast focusing operator is proposed . The performance of the developed method is investigated on experimental data recorded during underwater acoustic experiments.