A time-frequency approach to blind deconvolution in multipath underwater channels

Blind deconvolution is presented in the underwater acoustic channel context, by time-frequency processing. The acoustic propagation environment was modelled as a multipath propagation channel. For noiseless simulated data, source signature estimation was performed by a model-based method. The channel estimate was obtained via a time-frequency formulation of the conventional matched-filter. Simulations used a ray-tracing physical model, initiated with at-sea recorded environmental data, in order to produce realistic underwater channel conditions. The quality of the estimates was 0.793 for the source signal, and close to 1 for the resolved amplitudes and time-delays of the impulse response. Time-frequency processing has proved to overcome the typical ill-conditioning of single sensor deterministic deconvolution techniques.