Line optimization of multi-beam sonar sounding technology in ocean surveying and mapping

Abstract In this paper, the problem of line optimization existing in the practical application of multi-beam sonar-sounding technology is studied. Firstly, by analyzing the working principle of multi-beam sonar, the multi-beam coverage width model and the overlap rate model between adjacent strips are established considering the slope of seabed terrain. Then, a more general parameterized multi-beam coverage width formula with an adjustable azimuth angle of the line is derived under three-dimensional space coordinates. Then, the minimum total line length is defined as the objective function, and the constraint conditions of overlap rate and complete coverage are added to establish the mathematical model of line planning. Then, an iterative algorithm is designed to quickly determine the line spacing, and an improved particle swarm optimization algorithm, including a trigonometric function change learning factor, is used to search for the optimal line layout. Finally, the simulation results show that the optimized scheme can reduce the total line length by 2% compared with the unoptimized line layout, which verifies the effectiveness of the established model and algorithm. This study provides a theoretical basis for navigation planning and shipboard system optimization of multi-beam sonar survey. Subsequent work taking into account the influence of complex sea conditions, efforts were made to expand the model’s applicability.