System and method for rapidly tracking vehicles of special utility in low signal-to-noise environments

A system for facilitating the tracking of a target vehicle in an ocean environment in connection with successively-received acoustic sensor signal data items representative of the motion of said target vehicle, said system comprising:

• fast Fourier transform means for performing a fast Fourier transform operation in connection with each successive acoustic sensor signal data item to generate a phase and amplitude beam map reflecting spectral signal energy in the received acoustic sensor signal data item;
• signal detector means for determining whether the beam map generated by said fast Fourier transform means for a acoustic sensor signal data item indicates that the acoustic sensor signal data item represents a signal having a signal-to-noise ratio above a first predetermined threshold value;
• a beam map regions bound module for, in response to a positive determination by said signal detector means, using a beam map generated by the fast Fourier transform means for at least the acoustic sensor signal data item immediately proceeding the acoustic sensor signal data item for the signal having a signal-to noise ratio above a predetermined threshold value to generate a bounded beam map, and determining whether the bounded beam map represents a signal having a second predetermined signal-to-noise ratio;
• and
• processing means responsive to a positive determination by said beam map regions bound module for using both the beam map for the acoustic sensor signal data item representing the signal having a signal-to-noise ratio above the first predetermined threshold value and the beam map for the acoustic sensor signal data item whose bounded beam map represents a signal having a second predetermined signal-to-noise ratio to generate tracking information for said target vehicle.