Design of frequency-domain beamforming solution for passive sonar systems in shallow-water environments

Abstract

This paper develops the frequency-domain beamforming solution for passive sonar systems operating in shallow-water environments, where acoustic signals are significantly affected by multipath propagation and spatially varying attenuation. The study focuses on optimizing the beamforming configuration by analyzing the influence of key processing parameters, namely FFT length, window type, and overlap ratio, on system performance, including half-power beamwidth (HPBW), peak-to-sidelobe ratio (PSLR), and output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR_out). Simulation experiments were conducted using three narrowband sources at 800, 900, and 1200 Hz, representing the typical operational frequency range of passive sonar systems in shallow-water conditions. Based on the obtained results, the optimal Short-Time Fourier Transform (STFT) configuration is proposed to balance performance and computational cost within the 800–1200 Hz frequency band, offering practical applicability for passive sonar systems operating in the shallow water environment of Vietnam.