Resolving Velocity Ambiguity in Multifrequency, Pulse-to-Pulse Coherent Doppler Sonar

Coherent Doppler sonar allows noninvasive velocity measurements and is suitable for both laboratory and field applications. The approach is particularly attractive in those environments where optical techniques are not suitable either because of power requirements or more critically, water turbidity. Notably, the technique has been employed successfully in oceanic and river boundary layer studies. However, the occurrence of range and velocity ambiguities limit the more general application of the technique. This paper introduces a method to overcome speed ambiguities by acquiring acoustic backscatter at two (or more) frequencies simultaneously with a broadband transmit pulse. The different frequencies have distinct velocity ambiguities allowing disambiguation of the velocity measurements. The approach is conceptually similar to the use of multiple transmit pulse rates but has the advantage that the data can be acquired simultaneously and so there is no loss in data rate. In addition, system geometry often restricts the allowed pulse repetition rate so that disambiguation using frequency is more flexible and more generally applicable. Theoretically, the effective ambiguity velocity of a dual-frequency system can be extended arbitrarily but phase noise in a practical system restricts the method to about a fivefold increase in ambiguity velocity.