The SMART (Sensor Monitoring Automated Reporting Technology) system for automated acoustic monitoring will provide advanced information on sensor health, significantly increasing the abilities of operators to manage sensor health while reducing the overall workload associated with sensor management. SMART automatically monitors noise sources in order to assess their effects on sensor performance. Noise sources monitored include self noise, platform noise, and environmental noise. Sensors monitored include the AN/SQS-20 (TB-37U) Multi-Function Towed Array (MFTA) and the AN/SQS-53C Hull Array. PMFL (performance monitoring fault localization) reports are simultaneously monitored and analyzed with noise sources. Based on the sources monitored and the results of the automated analysis, clear information on sensor status and performance is provided to operators, along with clear recommendations for corrective actions. Corrective actions may include recommendations for specific diagnostic procedures, processing option recommendations (such as selecting ABF or CBF), and recommendations to rely on one sensor over another. Condition based maintenance (CBM) prognosticates the future health of sonar sensors using data from those sensors and PMFL data. Data relevant to acoustic monitoring and CBM are saved into a centralized data repository for subsequent analysis to improve acoustic monitoring and CBM algorithms, thus enabling optimum system performance and maintenance.
Benefit: Operators will have both a better understanding of the performance of the acoustic sensors (including the AN/SQS-20 MFTA and the AN/SQS-53C Hull Array) and better control over the quality of detection results from these arrays. Improved status information will enable the operators to make better decisions based on sensor performance. Significant improvement in the understanding of system performance is expected because primary performance indicators (e.g. sensor noise) indicate status better than the secondary performance indicators such as element health included in current PMFL. Recommendations for corrective actions will assist operators in optimizing overall system performance. Automation will reduce the operator workload. Long-term improvements will be even greater through the use of CBM and by use of a centralized data repository to improve both CBM and acoustic monitoring based on recorded data. These sensors apply directly to surface combatants with the AN/SQQ-89 combat system and are best addressed through the ACB program. Extension to submarines with the AN/BQQ-10 combat system and to mobile surveillance (SURTASS) vessels with the AN/UQQ-2 combat system are available. Subsequent extensions into other military and civilian sonars are expected because SMART can be applied to any acoustic sensor.
Keywords: performance monitoring fault localization, performance monitoring fault localization, sea-state estimation, array self-noise, acoustic performance prediction, Sensor Performance, Condition Based Maintenance, Sensor Monitoring
