Platform motion estimation in multi-band synthetic aperture sonar with coupled variational autoencoders

Coherent processing in synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) requires platform motion estimation and compensation with sub-wavelength accuracy for high-resolution imaging. Micronavigation, i.e., through-the-sensor platform motion estimation, is essential when positioning information from navigational instruments is absent or inadequately accurate. A machine learning method based on variational Bayesian inference has been proposed for unsupervised data-driven micronavigation. Herein, the multiple-input multiple-output arrangement of a multi-band SAS system is exploited and combined with a hierarchical variational inference scheme, which self-supervises the learning of platform motion and results in improved micronavigation accuracy.