A localization method for submarines based on array probes magnetic measurement at two positions to overcome the influence of background field

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Shangguan, YunQi^* | Yuan, JianSheng | Zou, Jun

Affiliations: Department of Electrical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: YunQi Shangguan, Department of Electrical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. Tel.: +86 18811328398; E-mail: sgyq15@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn.

Abstract: Induced magnetic field of ferromagnetic submarines will interfere with geomagnetic field in their surroundings, which makes possible localization of submarines through measuring the magnetic anomaly signals. This paper presents a localization method for submarines by measurements of the gradient tensor of the induced magnetic field at two positions. The components of the gradient tensor are measured approximately as a finite difference of two magnetometers of a detection array. Since the background field is eliminated in the difference, it can avoid the influence of either the time varying geomagnetic environment or other disturbance fields. The localization equations are based on the independent components of the gradient tensor. By solving the equations, the submarine can be located accurately from a relatively far distance. The simulation shows that through this method and a detection array made by 7 single-axis magnetometers with a sensitivity of 10 pT, the maximum detection range can up to 500 m.

Keywords: Submarine localization, geomagnetic field, detection array, two observation positions

DOI: 10.3233/JAE-170081

Journal: International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics, vol. 55, no. 2, pp. 205-212, 2017