Plane-based calibration for multibeam echo sounder mounting angles

In this work, we propose best fitting a small patch of sounding data collected by multibeam sonar to represent the seafloor right beneath the survey path. A pair of such patches obtained from two adjacent reciprocal or perpendicular survey paths are selected for comparison. The inconsistency between the two patches, or a false feature, gives us an idea how the mounting parameters of the multibeam system, i.e., the rolling, pitching and yawing angles, might be. If the parameters are accurately estimated, the two patches should be co-plane. We design three feedback iteration algorithms to steer the mounting angles to search for the unknown offset values. We test this idea with field data. The contour plots based on this method and with the angles calibrated by commercial software, such as Hysweep are compared. The performance of our proposed algorithms looks promising in this preliminary study.