Sonar apparatus, target velocity display method, and non-transitory medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11874408-B2
Application number	US-202117222042-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2021
Priority date	Apr 6, 2020
Publication date	Jan 16, 2024
Grant date	Jan 16, 2024

Abstract

A processor of a sonar system extracts a signal in a predetermined time range from a signal received by an acoustic array, calculates a correlation value for a signal waveform extracted, detects a peak value of the correlation value, calculates an integrated value by performing time-integration of a square of the correlation value, obtains a target velocity based on the peak value and the integrated value, and displays the target velocity on a display apparatus.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sonar apparatus comprising:
a processor in circuit communication to an acoustic array and a display apparatus; and
a memory storing program instructions executable by the processor,
wherein the processor, when executing the program instructions stored in the memory:
extracts one or more signal waveforms in a predetermined time range from a signal received by the acoustic array;
calculates a correlation value of the one or more signal waveforms that has been extracted;
detects a peak value of the correlation value;
calculates an integrated value by performing time-integration of a square of the correlation value;
derives a target velocity, based on the peak value and the integrated value; and
displays the target velocity on a display apparatus.

2. The sonar apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more signal waveforms comprise two signal waveforms, the signal received by the acoustic array is a pulse signal modulated by Linear Frequency Modulation (LFM), and
wherein the processor, when executing the program instructions stored in the memory:
calculates a cross-correlation value between the two signal waveforms extracted, as the correlation value; and
calculates a Doppler coefficient, based on the integrated value and the peak value of the cross-correlation value, and an absolute value of a frequency change rate and a pulse length to derive the target velocity.

3. The sonar apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more signal waveforms comprise two signal waveforms, the correlation value is a cross-correlation value between the two signal waveforms, the signal received by the acoustic array is a pulse signal modulated by Linear Frequency Modulation (LFM), and
wherein the processor, when executing the program instructions stored in the memory:
calculates a Doppler coefficient, based on a peak value R μμ (0) of an autocorrelation R μμ (τ) of the cross-correlation value, a peak value R aa (0) of an autocorrelation R aa (τ) of the autocorrelation R μμ (τ), and an absolute value of a frequency change rate and a pulse length to derive the target velocity.

4. The sonar apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor, when executing the program instructions stored in the memory:
calculates a cross-correlation value R SS (τ), an autocorrelation R μμ (τ) of the cross-correlation value, and an autocorrelation R aa (τ) of the autocorrelation R μμ (τ) of the cross-correlation value, and
performs frequency analysis of at least one of the cross-correlation value R SS (τ), the autocorrelation R μμ (τ) of the cross-correlation value, and the autocorrelation R aa (τ) of the autocorrelation R μμ (τ) of the cross-correlation value to derive the target velocity.

5. The sonar apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the signal received by the acoustic array is a Pulse Continuous Wave (PCW) signal, and
wherein the processor, when executing the program instructions stored in the memory:
calculates a Doppler coefficient based on the peak value of the correlation value, the integrated value of an autocorrelation of the correlation value, and a pulse length, to derive the target velocity.

6. The sonar apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a relationship among at least the peak value, the integrated value, and a relative velocity between the sonar apparatus and a target having the target velocity are stored in advance in a storage apparatus, and
wherein the processor, when executing the program instructions stored in the memory:
derives the target velocity, based on at least the peak value and the integrated value obtained for the signal received by the acoustic array, with reference to the storage apparatus.

7. The sonar apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the signal received by the acoustic array is a single pulse, and
wherein the processor, when executing the program instructions stored in the memory:
calculates an autocorrelation value of the single pulse, as the correlation value;
calculates the integrated value by performing time-integration of a square of the autocorrelation value; and
derives the target velocity, based on the peak value of the autocorrelation value of the single pulse and an integrated value of the square of the autocorrelation value.

8. The sonar apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more signal waveforms comprise three or more signal waveforms, and
wherein the processor, when executing the program instructions stored in the memory:
selects one or more pairs from among the three or more signal waveforms extracted;
calculates a cross-correlation value between each of the one or more pairs;
obtains one or more target velocities, for the one or more pairs, each of the one or more target velocities being derived based on the peak value and an integrated value of the square of the cross-correlation value between each of the one or more pairs to calculate, as the target velocity, an average value of the one or more target velocities; and
displays the average value of the target velocity for each of the one or more pairs on the display.

9. The sonar apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor, when executing the program instructions stored in the memory:
outputs a transmission signal at a predetermined transmission interval; and
calculates the correlation value between two signal waveforms extracted, a time interval therebetween corresponding to the transmission interval for a plurality of the signals extracted.

10. The sonar apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined time range is longer than a pulse length of the received signal.

11. A computer-implemented target velocity display method, comprising:
extracting, by a processor, one or more signal waveforms in a predetermined time range from a signal received by the acoustic array;
calculating, by the processor, a correlation value of the one or more signal waveforms that has been extracted;
detecting, by the processor, a peak value of the correlation value;
calculating, by the processor, an integrated value by performing time-integration of a square of the correlation value; and
deriving, by the processor, a target velocity based on the peak value and the integrated value, to display the target velocity on a display apparatus.

12. The computer-implemented target velocity display method according to claim 11 , wherein the one or more signal waveforms comprise two signal waveforms, the signal received by the acoustic array is a pulse signal modulated by Linear Frequency Modulation (LFM), and
wherein the method further comprises:
calculating, by the processor, a cross-correlation value between the two signal waveforms extracted, as the correlation value; and
calculating, by the processor, a Doppler coefficient, based on the integrated value and the peak value of the cross-correlation value, and an absolute value of a frequency change rate and a pulse length to derive the target velocity.

13. The computer-implemented target velocity display method according to claim 11 , wherein the one or more signal waveforms comprise two signal waveforms, the correlation value is a cross-correlation value between the two signal waveforms, the signal received by the acoustic array is a pulse signal modulated by Linear Frequency Modulation (LFM), and
wherein the method further comprises:
calculating, by the processor, a Doppler coefficient, based on a peak value R μμ (0) of an autocorrelation R μμ (τ) of the cross-correlation value between two signal waveforms extracted, a peak value R aa (0) of an autocorrelation R aa (τ) of the autocorrelation R μμ (τ), and an absolute valu

Assignees

• Nec Corp

Inventors

• Shiba Hisashi

Classifications

• G01S7/6209 Primary

  providing display of one measured variable · CPC title

• G01S15/582

  using transmission of interrupted pulse-modulated waves and based upon the Doppler effect resulting from movement of targets · CPC title

• G01S15/588

  measuring the velocity vector · CPC title

• G01S15/108 Primary

  using more than one pulse per sonar period · CPC title

• G01S7/62

  Cathode-ray tube displays · CPC title