Adaptive multiuser detection for underwater acoustical channels

An underwater acoustic local area network (ALAN) provides multipoint-to-point telemetry between many high-rate, ocean-bottom sensors and a central, surface-deployed receiver in the 10-30 kHz vertical acoustical channel. Ocean-bottom modems initiate the transmission process by requesting data channel time slots via a common narrow-band request channel. Request packets overlap in time and frequency in this channel, and the throughput and average transmission delay rely heavily on the successful resolution of the request packet collisions. This paper presents the design, analysis, and experimental demonstration of a request channel receiver capable of resolving collisions between several asynchronous and cochannel packets. The receiver algorithm differs from standard capture schemes (by demodulating the data from both strong and weak transmitters), conventional spread-spectrum receivers (by overcoming the near-far problem), and existing multiple-access demodulation techniques (by adapting to the number of interfering signals, and the unknown phase, Doppler, amplitude, and timing of each signal in the collision). The receiver demodulates the collided packets by decision-directed techniques through a novel method of estimating the interference for each user which minimizes error propagation due to inaccurate tentative decisions. An inwater experiment illustrates that this technique is extremely desirable for collision resolution in underwater acoustic local area networks, and also for underwater autonomous vehicles with both sidescan sonar as well as acoustic telemetry links     

Low-bit-rate coding of underwater video using wavelet-basedcompression algorithms

Recent advances in autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) and underwater communication technology have promoted a surge of research activity within the area of signal and information processing. A new application is proposed herein for capturing and processing underwater video onboard an untethered AUV, then transmitting it to a remote platform using acoustic telemetry. Since video communication requires a considerably larger bandwidth than that provided by an underwater acoustic channel, the data must be massively compressed prior to transmission from the AUV. Past research has shown that the low contrast and low-detailed nature of underwater imagery allows for low-bit-rate coding of the data by wavelet-based image-coding algorithms. In this work, these findings have been extended to the design of a wavelet-based hybrid video encoder which employs entropy-constrained vector quantization (ECVQ) with overlapped block-based motion compensation. The ECVQ codebooks were designed from a statistical source model which describes the distribution of high subband wavelet coefficients in both intraframe and prediction error images. Results indicate that good visual quality can be achieved for very low bit-rate coding of underwater video with our algorithm     

Acoustic telemetry--An overview

Acoustic telemetry from underwater submersibles and sensors has been pursued ever since it was recognized that the ocean could support signal transmission. While it has been evident that some form of communication is possible, the ocean has proved to be a distressingly difficult medium in which to achieve high data rates. High data rate transmission requires a wide bandwidth which is severely constrained in the ocean because of the absorption of high-frequency energy. Moreover, the ocean is a very reverberant environment with both time and frequency spreading of signals; this further limits data transmission rates. The net effect of the bandwidth and reverberation constraints has led to either acoustic telemetry systems with low data rates or to the use of tethered systems. Over the years, various forms of acoustic communication systems have been developed. These have included direct AM and SSB for underwater telephones, FM for sensor data, FSK and DPSK for digital data, and parametric sonars for narrow-beam systems. As offshore operations have increased, several other systems have been proposed and/or built to respond to particular needs. In this paper, we review the underwater channel and the limitations that it imposes upon acoustic telemetry systems. We then survey some of the systems that have been built (excluding military systems) and indicate how they use various communication system principles to overcome these limitations.     

自主回收UUV水声定位与遥测遥控导引技术研究

针对 UUV 任务结束或能源不足时自主回收的需求,深入研究了 UUV 中远程水声定位与遥测遥控导引技术,完成了水声定位与遥测遥控导引系统方案设计,重点研究了 MFSK、OFDM、扩频等水声遥测遥控调制方式。 通过分析和对比,设计了一种正交混合扩频调制方式,并采用相干二维搜索技术,提高扩频技术多普勒补偿能力。 开展了湖上静态与动态跑船试验,试验数据结果表明:水声水平定位精度优于 0. 5%,水声遥测遥控系统解算误码率达到了 10^-3 数量级,可有效引导 UUV 回收作业。     

水声通信中基于小波变换的图像编码研究

提出了一种高误比特率传输条件下的图像编码方法，它适用于水声信道的图像传输。针对水下图像的特点，选取合适的小波基和变换参数对图像进行离散小波变换；依据小波系数的能量分布特性，对不同的子带采用不同的量化和定长编码，编码率为0．8比特／像素。水声通信试验表明，在传输误比特率达到10^-2时，仍能得到可接受的图像质量。     

时变水声信道中基于BEM的迭代信道估计技术

水声信道的多径时延扩展和时变特性对信道估计和均衡技术的研究带来了很大的挑战,同时也决定了水声信道是一种时频双扩展信道,提出一种水声OFDM通信系统中基于软信息的迭代信道估计技术,利用基于复指数基扩展模型(CE-BEM)进行信道估计。OFDM系统本身可以消除由于多径引起的符号间干扰(ISI)。基于导频的BEM信道估计,可以实现对时变信道的估计,结合基于软信息迭代的迭代均衡模块,将每次迭代生成的符号软判决信息作为辅助导频用于信道估计。同时,为了防止由于信道时变引起的信道子载波间干扰(ICI)对导频符号的影响,采用基于保护间隔的导频插入法插入导频。仿真结果显示基于BEM的软信息迭代信道估计性能较非迭代信道估计时明显提升。     

Spatial diversity processing for underwater acoustic telemetry

A large increase in the reliability of shipboard or stationary underwater acoustic telemetry systems is achievable by using spatially distributed receivers with aperture sizes from 0.35 to 20 m. Output from each receiver is assigned a quality measure based on the estimated error rate, and the data, weighted by the quality measure, are combined and decoded. The quality measure is derived from a Viterbi error-correction decoder operating on each receiver and is shown to perform reliability in a variety of non-Gaussian noise and jamming environments and reduce to the traditional optimal diversity system in a Gaussian environment. The dynamics of the quality estimator allow operation in the presence of high-power impulsive interference by exploiting the signal and noise differential travel times to individual sensors. The spatial coherence structure of the shallow water acoustic channel shows relatively low signal coherence at separations as short as 0.35 m. Increasing receiver spacing beyond 5 m offers additional benefits in the presence of impulsive noise and larger-scale inhomogeneities in the acoustic field. A number of data transmission experiments were carried out to demonstrate system performance in realistic underwater environments     

水声信道高速率数据传输技术

本文介绍近年来水声信道高速率数所传输技术的一些研究进展，并结合本所研究的水声数据遥测，数字语音通讯和视频图像传输实验样机，讨论了具有抗多途干扰的声传输系统在调制信号设计及信号处理上所采用的关键技术。     

Recent advances in high-speed underwater acoustic communications

In recent years, underwater acoustic (UWA) communications have received much attention as their applications have begun to shift from military toward commercial. Digital communications through UWA channels differ substantially from those in other media, such as radio channels, due to severe signal degradations caused by multipath propagation and high temporal and spatial variability of the channel conditions. The design of underwater acoustic communication systems has until recently relied on the use of noncoherent modulation techniques. However, to achieve high data rates on the severely band-limited UWA channels, bandwidth-efficient modulation techniques must be considered, together with array processing for exploitation of spatial multipath diversity. The new generation of underwater communication systems, employing phase-coherent modulation techniques, has a potential of achieving at least an order of magnitude increase in data throughput. The emerging communication scenario in which the modern underwater acoustic systems mill operate is that of an underwater network consisting of stationary and mobile nodes. Current research focuses on the development of efficient signal processing algorithms, multiuser communications in the presence of interference, and design of efficient modulation and coding schemes. This paper presents a review of recent results and research problems in high-speed underwater acoustic communications, focusing on the bandwidth-efficient phase-coherent methods. Experimental results are included to illustrate the state-of-the-art coherent detection of digital signals transmitted at 30 and 40 kb/s through a rapidly varying one-mile shallow water channel     

Digital waveform codings for ocean acoustic telemetry

M-sequence waveform coding with a single long codeword has been considered as the basis for long-range underwater acoustic telemetry for one user. (An m-sequence is a periodic, binary, linear-law maximal-length sequence. If the span of the law is n, the maximal length L-2ⁿ=1). For a given law, a single m-sequence transmits a maximum of log₂ (L) bits of source information per channel word. To increase the number of bits per word, families of m-sequences and Gold codes are considered and compared to a single m-sequence. A hypothetical idealized multipath channel with added white Gaussian noise is assumed. Coding using families of m-sequences is recommended because it requires a smaller bit-energy-to-noise ratio than other waveform codes to achieve an equivalent codeword error probability     

BDRM理论在双轴海洋声道中的应用

由于表面声道与深海声道间的耦合效应,声波在双轴海洋声道中的传播比较复杂,因此求解双轴海洋声道中的声场就比较困难。在 WKBZ 本征函数的基础上,推导出了参考界面相位修正的一致表达式,并将浅海声传播的波束位移射线简正波(BDRM)理论应用于计算双轴海洋声道中的声场,进行了数值模拟并与传统简正波方法进行比较,结果表明应用 BDRM 理论计算的传播损失具有很高的精度和速度,可以对双轴海洋声道内声传播问题进行分析和预报。     

水下光学无线通信的海水信道特性研究

提出了将具有比声学高达几倍的数据通信速率,良好的安全性和隐蔽性的光学无线通信技术应用于海军、海洋科学研究和水下工程等领域,实现高速率的水下无线通信技术实现海量数据的信息交换.基于生物光学特性的水下光学信道模型,建立了水下光学通信系统性能分析方法.并对基于发光二极管(LED)的水下光学无线通信系统进行了仿真,其结果表明所建立的方法可以进行各种海域水质环境的模拟,便于时水下光学无线通信系统性能进行预测评估,为水下光学无线通信系统的设计方案的评估提供了依据.     

Performance limitations in underwater acoustic telemetry

Performance limitations in digital acoustic telemetry are addressed. Increases in computational capabilities have led to a number of complex but practical solutions aimed at increasing the reliability of acoustic data links. These solutions range from ocean-basin scale data telemetry to video-image transmission at a few hundred yards' distance. The opportunity to implement highly complex tasks in real time on modest hardware is a common factor. The data rates range from 1 to 500 kb/s and are much slower than satellite channels, while acceptable system complexity is higher than virtually any other channel with comparable data throughput. The basic performance bounds are the channel phase stability, available bandwidth, and the channel impulse response fluctuation rate. Phase stability is of particular concern for long-range telemetry, channel fluctuation characteristics drive equalizer, and synchronizer design; the bandwidth limitation is a direct constraint on data rate for a given signaling method     

Channel capacity in bits per joule

Underwater acoustic telemetry has a total input energy constraint, since the energy is stored in the transmitter's batteries. This work is primarily rephrasing the work in channel capacity in terms ofC_{J}bit/J as compared toCbit/s, to emphasize the energy efficiency and to deemphasize the speed of the telemetry. The energy channel capacityC_{J}, for any waveform channel with well-defined capacityCbit/s at signal powerSwatts, is defined asC/Sbit/J. It is shown that for coherent binary frequency shift keying (BFSK) and waveform channels, the supremum ofC_{J}overSis approached asSapproaches zero. For the Gaussian channel the best coding uses narrow bands with the highest S/N.     

浅海声信道文本信息传输研究

论文首先介绍浅海声信道声传输的基本特性,指出在此类信道中进行多媒体信息传输的特殊困难.随后论述了文本信息传输所具有的抗噪声、抗起伏等优良性能,较能适应于水声信道的复杂性和多变性,但属于较高速率的文本信息传输,多途干扰仍然是文本信息正确检测的根本障碍.文中分析了频率跳变技术克服时域扩散较短的浅海多途的可行性和需解决的关键技术.海上获得的初步实验结果说明了文本信息传输所具有的优越性,值得今后继续深入的研究.     

On the peculiarity of the sound channel on the shelf of the North-European basin

Analysis of the sections traversing the polar hydrological front on the shelf of the North-European basin has enabled us to reveal the areas limited by closed isotaches of the sound velocity existing in the interfrontal zone at depths of 50–150 m. These areas represent the closed waveguide which has the property of an underwater sound channel.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

一种基于双通道的水下图像增强卷积神经网络

近年来各国对于海洋生物的保护意识日益强烈,用来监测海洋生物生存状态的水下机器人装备的研发是保护海洋生物资源的关键。水下相机是这类机器人在水下进行海洋生物监测时的光学感知设备。然而水下环境复杂,拍摄到的图像模糊不清,为解决水下图像模糊等问题,提出了一种基于双通道的水下图像增强卷积神经网络。在网络的编码器中采用双通道结构,其中一个通道采用了密集连接和高效通道注意力机制,提取水下图像的细节特征,另一个通道采用多尺度结构,提取原始图像的多尺度语义特征。接着,在网络中引入残差注意力模块和自适应特征融合模块,进一步优化了特征。最后将优化后的特征输入解码器重建出增强后的水下图像。试验表明：提出的网络算法在UIQM指标和Entropy指标上分别为3.005 6和7.654 7,较第二名的算法分别高出0.097 5和0.123 2。     

The range-averaged intensity model: a tool for underwater acousticfield analysis

The range-averaged intensity model (RAIM) long known as a powerful method for transmission loss estimation in waveguides, is extended to other aspects of the acoustic field: impulse response and angular pattern estimations at a receiver, general time spreading in a waveguide, signal fluctuations, reverberation levels, and ambient noise structure. An example of its application to a SOFAR propagation and detection case is presented. This method appears to be a very efficient and reliable analysis tool for many underwater acoustics configurations: particularly long-range horizontal telemetry and shallow-water sonar     

浅海声信道信号时间相关特性研究

水声信道中信号的时间相关特性是水声微弱信号相关检测的理论基础和具体参数选择依据。文中以厦门港典型的浅海声信道中信号的时间自相关和互相关特性进行实验研究。结果指出,信号有强的时间相关性,无论自相关或互相关性均比海洋环境噪声强得多,因此在水声信道中采用时间相关检测可望达到优良的抗噪声效果。     

水声信道中一种抗多途跳频通信的研究

水声通道系统是当代海洋开发和海洋环境立体监测中的重要技术组成部分，广泛应用于海洋监测、海洋资源勘探和开发等方面。然而，水声信道的随机起伏、时－空－频变的多途特征使水声通信技术成为当代最为复杂的通信技术之一。本文介绍近年来在高速水声通信方面的一些研究进展，讨论了一种利用高速数字信号处理器（DSP）实现水声信道跳频通信的方案，并探讨了该方案在调制信号设计及信号处理实现上所采用的关键技术。