Optimal search tactics

The determination and implementation of optimal search tactics for an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is discussed. Various situations are identified to demonstrate the effects of sensor range, search area size, search time, acoustic environment, and target speed. A simulation of vehicles, sensors, and acoustic environment was developed to test these effects. The optimum solution to the situations was determined through exhaustive means. Calculation of the optimal solution required many days of processing time for each situation. Results show that what may seen like an obvious solution is not optimal. Knowing the search tactic that should be used in a given situation was not sufficient to determine the optimal solution. Expert system rules were developed to provide a near-optimal solution in real-time