The LOCAPASS project has as main objectives to develop an integrated system
for passively localizing a sound source using a single, or a reduced
number, of acoustic sensors. The principle is based on the usage of the environmental
information modelled with a numerical acosutic propagation model to discriminate
the perturbative sound source from the ambient background. Results obtained
previously have shown that: i) if the emitted signal has a realtively large
time*bandwidth product and ii) if the environmental background is relatively
well known and stable, it is indeed possible to localize an acoustic sound
source in depth and range with a single sensor. Using more than one buoy
and/or multiple sensors in a single buoy (array) will allow to compensate
for instability problems and/or partial knowledge of the environment of propagation
or even the possibility to equally determine the bearing of the source (multiple
buoys).