Vector Hydrophone Depth Estimation Method Based on Combined Acoustic Pressure and Particle Velocity Processing

The performance of target depth estimation methods based on the time delay differences of multipath signals is adversely affected by ocean ambient noise, which reduces the correlation of multipath signals. Based on the differing correlation characteristics between coherent source signals and ocean ambient noise, this paper proposes a target depth estimation method that combines acoustic pressure and particle velocity signals. The technique examines the impact of factors such as receiver distance, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), source depth, and receiver depth on algorithm performance. Data analysis from a sea trial reveals that the proposed method enhances the average peak amplitude of the correlation by 39.9%, with a maximum depth estimation error of no more than 1.1 meters. The results demonstrate its effectiveness in suppressing ocean ambient noise and improving depth estimation accuracy.