Experimental validation of a combined hydrophone array for underwater source localization

In-Jee Jung; Chan Wook Park; Jae-Gap Suh; Wan-Ho Cho

doi:10.7776/ASK.2026.45.5.499

All Issue

2026 Vol.45, Issue 5 Preview Page Next Page

Experimental validation of a combined hydrophone array for underwater source localization 수중 음원 위치 추정을 위한 결합형 하이드로폰 어레이의 실험적 검증

30 September 2026. pp. 499-506

PDF XML

Abstract

In this study, a sound source localization system based on acoustic intensimetry using a five channel combined hydrophone array was implemented, and its performance was verified through experiments and simulations. To compensate for spatial bias errors and the spatial irregularity of the array directional response depending on the direction of sound propagation, the hydrophone array is designed by combining a tetrahedral and a hexahedral structure, which exhibit complementary geometric cancellation characteristics. In addition, a phase calibration was conducted to minimize inherent phase mismatches between hydrophones and ensure the reliability of measurement results, and hardware robustness was established by selecting properly functioning sensors. The water tank experiments were conducted to validate the performance of the proposed method, and one can see that while individual arrays show spatial bias errors of up to 16° and 12° at high Helmholtz numbers, respectively, the combined array compensates for these errors, with a maximum error of less than 3°.

Keywords

Sound source localization

Hydrophone array

Combined array

Phase calibration

본 연구에서는 5채널 결합형 하이드로폰 어레이를 이용한 음향 인텐시티 측정법 기반의 음원 위치 추정 시스템을 구현하였으며, 실험 및 시뮬레이션을 통해 그 성능을 검증하였다. 음파 전파 방향에 따른 공간 편향 오차와 어레이 방향 응답의 공간적 불균일성을 보상하기 위해, 상호 보완적인 기하학적 상쇄 특성을 지닌 정사면체 및 정육면체 구조를 결합한 하이드로폰 어레이를 설계하였다. 또한, 채널 간 내재적 위상 편차를 최소화하고 측정 결과의 신뢰성을 확보하기 위해 위상 교정을 수행하였으며, 적절히 작동하는 센서를 선정하여 하드웨어의 강건성을 확보하였다. 제안된 방법의 성능을 검증하기 위해 수조 실험을 수행한 결과, 개별 어레이는 높은 헬름홀츠 수에서 각각 최대 16° 및 12°의 공간 편향 오차를 나타내는 반면, 결합형 어레이는 이러한 오차를 보상하여 최대 오차 3° 미만의 성능을 나타냄을 확인하였다.

키워드

음원 위치 추정

하이드로폰 어레이

결합형 어레이

위상 교정

References

F. J. Fahy, Sound Intensity, 2nd Ed (CRC press, New York, 1995), pp. 89-99.

K. T. Wong and M. D. Zoltowski, “Closed-form underwater acoustic direction-finding with arbitrarily spaced vector-hydrophones at unknown locations,” IEEE J. Ocean. Eng. 22, 649-658 (1997).

10.1109/48.650831

C. B. Leslie, J. M. Kendall, and J. L. Jones, “Hydrophone for measuring particle velocity,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 28, 711-715 (1956).

10.1121/1.1908455

J. L. Butler and C. H. Sherman, Transducers and Arrays for Underwater Sound (Springer, New York, 2016), pp. 306-323.

10.1007/978-3-319-39044-4

Y. Lim, J. Lee, C. Joh, H. Seo, and Y. Roh, “Design of a multimode piezoelectric spherical vector sensor for a cardioid beam pattern” (in Korean) J. Acoust. Soc. Kr. 32, 32-42 (2013).

10.7776/ASK.2013.32.1.032

P. Theobald and T. Pangerc, “Review of methods for the calibration of vector sensors for the measurement of underwater acoustic fields,” NPL., Rep., 2016.

G. L. D’Spain, J. C. Luby, G. R. Wilson, and R. A. Gramann, “Vector sensors and vector sensor line arrays: Comments on optimal array gain and detection,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 120, 171-185 (2006).

10.1121/1.2207573

J. Y. Chung, “Cross‐spectral method of measuring acoustic intensity without error caused by instrument phase mismatch,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 64, 1613-1616 (1978).

10.1121/1.382145

J. K. Thompson and D. R. Tree, “Finite difference approximation errors in acoustic intensity measurements,” J. Sound Vib. 75, 229-238 (1981).

10.1016/0022-460X(81)90341-2

F. Jacobsen and H.-E. de Bree, “A comparison of two different sound intensity measurement principles,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 118, 1510-1517 (2005).

10.1121/1.1984860

J.-C. Pascal and J.-F. Li, “A systematic method to obtain 3D finite-difference formulations for acoustic intensity and other energy quantities,” J. Sound Vib. 310, 1093-1111 (2008).

10.1016/j.jsv.2007.08.029

I.-J. Jung and J.-G. Ih, “Combined microphone array for precise localization of sound source using the acoustic intensimetry,” Mech. Syst. Signal Process. 160, 107820 (2021).

10.1016/j.ymssp.2021.107820

J. Lubbers and R. Graaff, “A simple and accurate formula for the sound velocity in water,” Ultrasound Med. Biol. 24, 1065-1068 (1998).

10.1016/S0301-5629(98)00091-X

Information

Publisher :The Acoustical Society of Korea
Publisher(Ko) :한국음향학회
Journal Title :The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
Journal Title(Ko) :한국음향학회지
Volume : 45
No :5
Pages :499-506
Received Date : 2026-08-31
Accepted Date : 2026-09-11
DOI :https://doi.org/10.7776/ASK.2026.45.5.499

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of KoreaISSN:1225-4428(Print) 2287-3775(Online)한국음향학회

All Issue