Optimal design of sensor networks for enhanced ocean wave energy conversion

Advanced control systems for Wave Energy Converter (WEC) devices require the prediction of the exact time waveforms of ocean waves. In this paper, ocean waves are described as a sum of several plane waves of different frequencies and directions of travel while sensor measurements are assumed to be observed under Gaussian noise. A general expression for the Cramer Rao Bound (CRB) of the estimates is derived pertaining to the group of sensors analyzed in the paper. The CRB is used as the criterion for determining the recommended type of sensors to be used for ocean environments described by a single frequency and a single direction.