Modeling and Characterization of Bio-Inspired Hydro-Acoustic Sensor

Abstract

A biomimetic miniature underwater acoustic sensor is proposed and analyzed for the measurement of directivity of underwater sound propagation. Unlike a hydrophone array, which detects propagation direction by the arrival time of sound waves, this novel sensor is based on a mechanically coupled mechanism, which amplifies the time delay of the arriving sound wave. In this paper, a mathematical model of the sensor is developed based on the finite element (FE) modeling technique, and it is used to study performance characteristics of the sensor. Effects of the fluid–structure interaction are examined through simulation of the sensor model and the results are compared with those obtained by a full scale FE model developed in a commercial software package.