Multi-channel acoustic simulator

A method for generating phase related acoustic data in a system to simulate the output signals of a plurality of hydrophones of a hydrophone array representative of an ocean bottom for testing a receiver of a sonar sounding system having a channel corresponding to each hydrophone and a master frequency signal, comprising the steps of:

• applying the master frequency signal to phase shift means;
• providing phase shift data representative of the output signals of at least two hydrophones in the hydrophone array;
• applying the phase shift data to the phase shift means and producing phase shift output signals which are phase shifted from the master frequency signal in accordance with the applied phase shift data;
• and
• applying the phase shift output signals to respective channels of the receiver.

A method for generating phase related acoustical data in a sonar array sounding system to simulate the output signals of a plurality of hydrophones of a hydrophone array representing an ocean bottom for testing a receiver of the sounding system having a channel corresponding to each hydrophone, a plurality of periodic signal updates, and a master frequency, comprising the steps of:

• (a) determining a first set of hydrophone signals corresponding to a first update of the plurality of updates, the first set of signals including a respective signal representative of the output of each of at least two hydrophones in the hydrophone array;
• (b) determining a second set of hydrophone signals corresponding to a second update of the plurality of updates, the second set of signals including a respective signal representative of the output of each of the two hydrophones in the hydrophone array;
• (c) simultaneously storing the first and second sets of signals;
• (d) first applying each signal of the first set of signals to a respective channel of the sounding system;
• and
• (e) second applying each signal of the second set of signals to a respective channel of the sounding system the second applying occurring after the first applying.

A method for testing a receiver of a sonar array sounding system having hydrophone array inputs and a plurality of resolutions,.each resolution corresponding to a respective test signal sampling rate, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing hydrophone array output signals representative of a predetermined ocean bottom;
• (b) sampling the hydrophone array output signals at a first test signal sampling rate corresponding to a first resolution to provide a set of sample data signals;
• (c) first applying the set of sample data signals to the sounding system to first test the system at the first resolution;
• (d) selecting from the set of sample data signals a subset of sample data signals corresponding to a second resolution;
• and
• (e) second applying the subset of sample data signals to the sounding system to second test the system at the second resolution wherein the sample data signals of the first and second resolutions are derived from the same hydrophone array output signals.