introduction
Shooter localization is an important problem existing in urban and military settings. Different types of source localization systems are commercially available today, in which sensors can be used to detect motion, sound, and light. The use of wireless sensor networks has broad application. In urban settings, sensors can be placed in various locations along streets in order to detect gunfire and alert authorities. In military operations, sensors can be worn by soldiers or placed on vehicles to create a mobile sensor network. The sensors can detect and track targets of interest.
Sniper localization models detect gunshots by exploiting a particular gunshot phenomenon. For instance, the shockwave (SW) model exploits the shockwave of a gunshot, which comes about as a result of the supersonic bullets. Alternately, the muzzle blast (MB) model exploits the characteristic “bang” of a gunshot. Both the shockwave and the muzzle blast leave at the speed of sound from the gun barrel, although the muzzle blast involves the pressure depletion from the bullet leaving the gun and the shockwave involves the trajectory of the supersonic bullet. An array of sensors can then detect the muzzle blast or shockwave [2]. However, the shockwave from the supersonic bullet always makes it to the sensors before the muzzle blast, as shown in the figure to the left.
Shockwave vs. Muzzle Blast [2]
The SW model is more challenging to implement than the MB model, since parameters such as the bullet’s speed and ballistic behavior need to be taken into account. There is also a combined model, which exploits both the shockwave and the muzzle blast, and although it improves the accuracy of the estimation, it also increases its complexity [2]. Therefore, a muzzle blast model is the focus of this senior design report.
Shockwave vs. Muzzle Blast [2]
The SW model is more challenging to implement than the MB model, since parameters such as the bullet’s speed and ballistic behavior need to be taken into account. There is also a combined model, which exploits both the shockwave and the muzzle blast, and although it improves the accuracy of the estimation, it also increases its complexity [2]. Therefore, a muzzle blast model is the focus of this senior design report.