| Abstract: | For distributed sensor technologies whose costs are understood (or which may be estimated in some reasonable manner), we derive a simple analytic means by which to estimate the most cost-effective sensor detection range. Specifically, we consider design of sensor nodes whose purpose is to exploit a set of coherent acoustic array technologies to detect a target with a specified radiated signature in an environment characterized by the sonar equation. We define a simplified calculus of distributed search that exploits simple target motion as a means to enhance spatial coverage for a sparse field of uniformly distributed sensor nodes. We examine this strategy in the context of both area (two-dimensional) and volume (three-dimensional) surveillance coverage under both cylindrical and spherical spreading models. In all situations, cost-effective design guidance is given based on maintaining spatial detection coverage |
