AIRBORNE ACOUSTIC DETECTION AND LOCALIZATION OF TRANSIENTS

摘要

Using acoustic sensors for detecting, localizing and classifying noise sources of any kind - and in particular related to potentially adverse activities - is an already well established technique applied in underwater activities. It now appears also as a significant multiplier for airborne automatic detection and localization of warning sounds such as: blasts, gunshots or shouts in public buildings such as stadiums, big transportation infrastructures, great and crowded events, VIP protection etc. low altitude aircraft, helicopters, unmanned vehicles, etc. as a temporary or permanent protection of sensitive plants (energy production, telecommunications, military plants, etc.), desert borders, etc. snipers and other terrorist fire-arm actions against police forces, international peace corps, etc. artillery localization and aggressor identification in cease-fire international verification, etc. The peculiarities of low altitude sound propagation in air, the numerous echoes in urban and suburban environments, the high level of ambient noise, the variability of atmospheric conditions, make airborne acoustic detection and localization very challenging and specific compared to the underwater sonar know-how. METRAVIB RDS and its Australian Subsidiary PNV have established an impressive record of experience and applications over the past four years providing to this presentation a real time practice backing. The key features of airborne acoustic detection and localization of transient sounds is presented together with their practical technological embedded. Typical performance and intrinsic potential and limits of this technique will also be explored.