Airborne DoA estimation of gunshot acoustic signals using drones with application to sniper localization systems

Rigel P. Fernandes; António L. L. Ramos; José A. Apolinário Jr.

doi:10.1117/12.2262782

5 May 2017 Airborne DoA estimation of gunshot acoustic signals using drones with application to sniper localization systems

Rigel P. Fernandes, António L. L. Ramos, José A. Apolinário Jr.

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 10184, Sensors, and Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (C3I) Technologies for Homeland Security, Defense, and Law Enforcement Applications XVI; 101840F (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2262782
Event: SPIE Defense + Security, 2017, Anaheim, CA, United States

Abstract

Shooter localization systems have been subject of a growing attention lately owing to its wide span of possible applications, e.g., civil protection, law enforcement, and support to soldiers in missions where snipers might pose a serious threat. These devices are based on the processing of electromagnetic or acoustic signatures associated with the firing of a gun. This work is concerned with the latter, where the shooter’s position can be obtained based on the estimation of the direction-of-arrival (DoA) of the acoustic components of a gunshot signal (muzzle blast and shock wave). A major limitation of current commercially available acoustic sniper localization systems is the impossibility of finding the shooter’s position when one of these acoustic signatures is not detected. This is very likely to occur in real-life situations, especially when the microphones are not in the field of view of the shockwave or when the presence of obstacles like buildings can prevent a direct-path to sensors. This work addresses the problem of DoA estimation of the muzzle blast using a planar array of sensors deployed in a drone. Results supported by actual gunshot data from a realistic setup are very promising and pave the way for the development of enhanced sniper localization systems featuring two main advantages over stationary ones: (1) wider surveillance area; and (2) increased likelihood of a direct-path detection of at least one of the gunshot signals, thereby adding robustness and reliability to the system.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Rigel P. Fernandes, António L. L. Ramos, and José A. Apolinário Jr. "Airborne DoA estimation of gunshot acoustic signals using drones with application to sniper localization systems", Proc. SPIE 10184, Sensors, and Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (C3I) Technologies for Homeland Security, Defense, and Law Enforcement Applications XVI, 101840F (5 May 2017); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2262782

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