Multiuser detection in a horizontal underwater acoustic channel using array observations

We present a multisensor, multiuser receiver that is capable of operating in an underwater acoustic channel with severe multipath. For each active user, the receiver consists of a multi-input, single-output array processing filter followed by a single-channel adaptive equalizer. The array processing filter is chosen to maximize an averaged performance metric which measures reduction in the interference from multiple asynchronous cochannel users and the reduction in intersymbol interference caused by time spreading of the transmitted signal. The single-channel adaptive equalizer that follows the array processing filter eliminates the remaining intersymbol interference prior to hard symbol decisions. The division of labor between the array processing filter and single-channel equalizer reduces receiver complexity by allowing the array processing filter weights to be based on the fixed deterministic channel component and the single-channel equalizer to be based on the stochastic channel component. Receiver performance is demonstrated using data obtained from two shallow-water acoustic channels where two cochannel users are transmitting in shallow water at 18 and 30 nautical miles from the receiver array.