Communication over Doppler spread channels. Part I: Channel andreceiver presentation

Scattering functions from several experiments demonstrate that acoustic underwater channels are doubly spread. Receivers used on these channels to date have difficulty with large Doppler spreads. A receiver to perform coherent communication over Doppler spread channels is presented in this first paper of two. The receiver contains a channel tracker and a linear decoder. The tracker operates by means of a modified recursive least squares algorithm which makes use of frequency-domain filters called Doppler lines. The decoder makes use of the channel tracker coefficients in order to perform minimum mean square error decoding. This first paper treats theoretical aspects whereas the second part presents implementation issues and results     

Coded modulation for digital communications over Rayleigh fadingchannels

A signal-design method based on the integration of coding and modulation, noncoherent demodulation, and soft-decision decoding is described. The integrated coding/modulation approach provides robust signal designs for digital communications over rapidly fading channels that may be encountered in medium- and long-range, horizontal-path acoustic telemetry. The structure of the corresponding demodulator/decoder is described, and the error rate performance of the resulting system is evaluated for Rayleigh fading signal statistics. Of special interest is the use of concatenated coding for forming codes of large distance, and an example is given using dual-k codes. The performance gains that are achieved by the integrated coded modulation approach relative to conventional uncoded signal designs are also illustrated     

Spatial diversity equalization applied to underwater communications

Underwater acoustic digital communication is difficult because of the nature of the fading multipath channels. Digital signal processing, such as adaptive equalization, is known to greatly improve the communication data rate by limiting intersymbol interference (ISI). However, existing underwater acoustic equalization studies are limited to single-channel techniques, and spatial diversity processing is limited to selection or combining. In this paper, we design minimum mean-square error (MMSE) equalizers jointly among all spatial diversity channels. We call this spatial diversity equalization (SDE). Results are based on a very sparse vertical array in a midrange underwater acoustic channel. We study the effect of element number and placement, the length of the equalization filters, and linear feedforward versus nonlinear decision feedback algorithms. A suboptimum equalizer combiner (EC) is studied to alleviate the computational intensity of JCE. We first design the system for a known acoustic channel; later, some results are verified using adaptive algorithms. Results are presented both in terms of the mean-square error (MSE) and the probability of a symbol error. The latter is important as it is the ultimate interest for a digital communication system. We found that system performance improves rapidly with an increase in the number of spatial channels     

Multiple terminal acoustic communications system design

A design is presented for a system providing highly reliable command and control acoustic communications between a mother ship and a number of small fast submersibles. The small submersibles may be employed for underwater mining, exploration, bottom mapping, or military surveillance. Modulation and coding design is presented; the techniques discussed provide multiple protection against multipath and fading, high reliability, acceptable transmitted signal total time duration, simplicity, and economy. The required decision point signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for Rayleigh fading conditions is derived for the modulation and coding design. Particular attention is paid in the receive signal processing to the Doppler (relative velocity) and Doppler variation (relative acceleration) problems inherent in a scenario with mobile endpoints. A Figure-of-Merit (FOM) calculation is provided for typical geometrical and environmental parameters. It is shown for a realistic source level that the required SNR can be achieved at long range with considerable endpoint relative motion.     

A Study of Spatial Processing Gain in Underwater Acoustic Communications

Spatial processing, including beamforming and diversity combining, is widely used in communications to mitigate intersymbol interference (ISI) and signal fading caused by multipath propagation. Beamforming suppresses ISI (and noise) by eliminating multipath (and noise) arrivals outside the signal beam. Beamforming requires the signals to be highly coherent between the receivers. Diversity combining combats ISI as well as signal fading by taking advantage of the independent information in the signal. Classical (spatial) diversity requires that signals are independently fading, hence are (spatially) uncorrelated with each other. In the real world, the received signals are neither totally coherent nor totally uncorrelated. The available diversity is complex and not well understood. In this paper, we study the spatial processing gain (SPG) as a function of the number of receivers used, receiver separation, and array aperture based on experimental data, using beamforming and multichannel combining algorithms. We find that the output symbol signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for a multichannel equalizer is predominantly determined by the array aperture divided by the signal coherence length, with a negligible dependence on the number of receivers used. For a given number of receivers, an optimal output symbol SNR (OSNR) is achieved by spacing the receivers equal to or greater than the signal coherence length. We model the SPG in decibels as the sum of the noise suppression gain (NSG, equivalent to signal-to-noise enhancement) and the ISI suppression gain (ISG, equivalent to signal-to-ISI enhancement) both expressed in decibels; the latter exploits the spatial diversity and forms the basis for the diversity gain. Data are interpreted using the modeled result as a guide. We discuss a beam-domain processor for sonar arrays, which yields an improved performance at low-input SNR compared to the element-domain processor because of the SNR enhancement from beamforming many sensors.     

Synchronization issues in ocean telemetry

The synchronization problem over fading dispersive channels is discussed. Although stated in general terms, the results are equally applicable to sonar and undersea problems in which the propagation medium has significant multipath spread and fluctuation rate. Optimum detection over such channels requires a perfect knowledge of the channels' scattering functions, which completely characterize the behavior of fading dispersive channels. Lack of such knowledge may result in performance degradation. A closed-form expression for the probability of false alarm and probability of detection is given, and a set of curves is provided to demonstrate the amount of degradation due to mismatch conditions. A parallel structure to achieve acquisition is suggested, and its performance is investigated. A performance measure for the synchronizer in this mode is defined. Upper and lower bounds on the performance measure are derived. The effect of various parameters, such as the signal-to-noise ratio, pulse width and modulation, number of pulses, spread of the channel, and the size of the resolution cell on the performance of the synchronizer is investigated. After achieving acquisition, the system needs to switch to the tracking mode. An optimum closed-loop symbol synchronizer is developed     

Acoustic telemetry system for underwater control

Underwater acoustic communication in the multipath environment encountered in shallow water is restricted mostly by signal fading. It degrades the signal detection and time synchronization required for reliable acoustic communication. An approach to time synchronization and to the frequency diversity method is presented. A communication algorithm for obtaining a reliable acoustic underwater link, and offering an easy-to-implement decoding scheme is introduced, and system realization is described     

水声通信中的鲁棒图像编码研究

由于受各种因素的影响，水下声信道是一种传输差错率较高的信道。标准化的图像编码系统(例如JPEC；H．263，MPEG等)使用了相似的压缩技术，它们往往存在严重的错误扩散，甚至单个错误比特就可能破坏整幅图像，所以一般不适合作为水下声信道图像传输的编码方案。文章针对常用的图像编码的缺点，利用定长编码技术，提出了一种高鲁棒性的图像压缩方案。实验表明在压缩率1．25比特／象素时，压缩后的图像仍然保持了较好的质量，并且能够较好地抵抗信道误码，提高了水下声信道图像传输的质量。     

The AWSUM filter: a 20-dB gain fluctuation-based processor

The advanced WISPR summation (AWSUM) filter, a natural extension of the WISPR filter for higher filter order numbers, is presented and its performance is compared to the performance of the WISPR filter and the conventional summation processor. It is shown that the AWSUM filter achieves substantial gains in various measures of processor performance above those of the other two processors in spatial and spectral resolution, minimum detectable level (MDL), clutter reduction, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) gain. The important processing parameters are shown to be the percentage of overlap of the voltage time series and the number of FFT's averaged. SNR gains in excess of 20 dB were shown to be achievable for low-fluctuation amplitude tonals using measured data     

Improvement of Time-Reversal Communications Using Adaptive Channel Equalizers

The spatial and temporal focusing properties of time-reversal methods can be exploited for undersea acoustic communications. Spatial focusing mitigates channel fading and produces a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the intended receivers along with a low probability of interception elsewhere. While temporal focusing (compression) reduces significantly intersymbol interference (ISI), there always is some residual ISI depending upon the number of transmitters, their spatial distribution (spatial diversity), and the complexity of the channel. Moreover, a slight change in the environment over the two-way propagation interval introduces additional ISI. Using multilevel quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM) in shallow water, we demonstrate that the performance of time-reversal communications can be improved significantly by cascading the received time series with an adaptive channel equalizer to remove the residual ISI     

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。     

基于模糊理论的渐消滤波算法

渐消滤波具有控制状态模型误差影响的能力。在渐消滤波原理的基础上，提出了一种基于模糊控制理论的渐消滤波算法。该方法是基于预测残差和模糊理论构造渐消因子，它克服了在实践中现有渐消因子求解可能出现负定现象，求解时必须附加条件这一缺点，从而有效调节动力学模型信息与观测信息对导航解的贡献，并用算例验证了该方法的可行性和有效性。     

A comparison of inter-frame feature measures for robust objectclassification in sector scan sonar image sequences

This paper presents an investigation of the robustness of an inter-frame feature measure classifier for underwater sector scan sonar image sequences. In the initial stages the images are of either divers or remotely operated vehicles (ROV's). The inter-frame feature measures are derived from sequences of sonar scans to characterize the behavior of the objects over time. The classifier has been shown to produce error rates of 0%-2% using real nonnoisy images. The investigation looks at the robustness of the classifier with increased noise conditions and changes in the filtering of the images. It also identifies a set of features that are less susceptible to increased noise conditions and changes in the image filters. These features are the mean variance, and the variance of the rate of change in time of the intra-frame feature measures area, perimeter, compactness, maximum dimension and the first and second invariant moments of the objects. It is shown how the performance of the classifier can be improved. Success rates of up to 100% were obtained for a classifier trained under normal noise conditions, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) around 9.5 dB, and a noisy test sequence of SNR 7.6 dB     

High-Rate Communication for Underwater Acoustic Channels Using Multiple Transmitters and Space–Time Coding: Receiver Structures and Experimental Results

In this paper, we consider the use of multiple antennas and space-time coding for high data rate underwater acoustic (UWA) communications. Recent advances in information theory have shown that significant capacity gains can be achieved by using multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) systems and space-time coding techniques for rich scattering environments. This is especially significant for the UWA channel where the usable bandwidth is severely limited due to frequency-dependent attenuation. In this paper, we propose to use space-time coding and iterative decoding techniques to obtain high data rates and reliability over shallow-water, medium-range UWA channels. In particular, we propose to use space-time trellis codes (STTCs), layered space-time codes (LSTCs) and their combinations along with three low-complexity adaptive equalizer structures at the receiver. We consider multiband transmissions where the available bandwidth is divided into several subbands with guard bands in between them. We describe the theoretical basis of the proposed receivers along with a comprehensive set of experimental results obtained by processing data collected from real UWA communications experiments carried out in the Pacific Ocean. We demonstrate that by using space-time coding at the transmitter and sophisticated iterative processing at the receiver, we can obtain data rates and spectral efficiencies that are not possible with single transmitter systems at similar ranges and depths. In particular, we have demonstrated reliable transmission at a data rate of 48 kb/s in 23 kHz of bandwidth, and 12 kb/s in 3 kHz of bandwidth (a spectral efficiency of 4 bs^-1Hz^-1) at a 2-km range.     

A Method of Coding and Decoding in Underwater Image Transmission

A new method of coding and decoding in the system of underwater image transmission is introduced, including the rapid digital frequency synthesizer in multiple frequency shift keying,image data generator, image grayscale decoder with intelligent fuzzy algorithm, image restoration and display on microcomputer.     

Impact of dredging and dumping on the stability of ebb–flood channel systems

The impact of dredging and dumping on the morphologic stability of the tidal channels is investigated using morphologic field observations for the Westerschelde estuary dating back to 1955. The results are used to verify the theoretical concept presented by Wang and Winterwerp (2001). This concept states that a critical threshold for the amount of sediment dumping exists above which a channel system in equilibrium may become unstable and degenerate. The value of this threshold amounts to 5–10% of the total sediment transport capacity. Verification of this concept using field observations is not straightforward as the morphology of tidal channel often changes as a result of both natural processes and human interferences, i.e. the channels are not in equilibrium. In addition, the morphological timescales associated with channel degeneration are large (decades to centuries). Verification of the theory thus requires a careful analysis of abundant morphological data and numerical modeling of sediment transports. The results of such analyses presented in this study confirm the existence and the approximate magnitude of the critical level for dumping that follows from theory. Refined guidelines are derived to use the theoretical concept as an engineering tool for the evaluation and design of strategies for dumping in estuarine multi-channel systems. In the absence of the required morphological data the indicative theoretical level of 5–10% can be used to obtain a first estimate of the dump capacity in two-channel systems.     

Correlation-based decision-feedback equalizer for underwater acoustic communications

The purpose of this paper is to develop a decision-feedback equalizer (DFE) using a fixed set of parameters applicable to most shallow oceans with minimal user supervision (i.e., a turn key system). This work is motivated by the superior performance [bit error rate (BER)] of the multichannel DFE compared with other methods, such as passive-phase conjugation (PPC), at the same time noting its sensitivity to different acoustic environments. The approach is to couple PPC, utilizing its adaptability to different environments, with a single-channel DFE. This coupling forms an optimal processor for acoustic communications in theory, but it has never been implemented in practice. By coupling with DFE, the method achieves the same spatial diversity as conventional multichannel DFE, without requiring a large number of receivers as does PPC. The correlation-based DFE in terms of the autocorrelation functions of the channel impulse responses summed over the receiver channels (the Q function) is derived. This paper shows in terms of waveguide physics, further supported by real data, the many desirable features of the Q function that suggest, given adequate sampling of the water column, a general applicability of the correlation-based equalizer to different environments, irrespective of the sound speed profiles, bottom properties, and source-receiver ranges/depths. This property can be expected to hold approximately for a small number of receivers with spatial diversity. This paper demonstrates the robustness of the new equalizer with moving source data despite the range change (which modifies the impulse response) and symbol phase change due to time-varying Doppler.     

A Variable-Rate Spread-Spectrum System for Underwater Acoustic Communications

A key research area in underwater acoustic (UWA) communication is the development of advanced modulation and detection schemes for improved performance and range-rate product. In this communication, we propose a variable-rate underwater data transmission system based on direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) and complementary code keying (CCK), particularly for shallow-water acoustic channels with severe multipath propagation. We provide a suboptimum receiver that consists of a bidirectional decision feedback equalizer (BiDFE) to cancel both postcursor and precursor intersymbol interference (ISI). We also develop iterative signal processing and time-reversal (TR) diversity processing to mitigate the effect of error propagation in BiDFE. We present performance analysis on bit error rate (BER) for different data rates. Our works show that this new variable-data-rate DSSS-CCK is a suitable candidate for UWA communications over varying channel conditions and distance.      

Spatial modulation experiments in the underwater acoustic channel

A modulation technique for increasing the reliable data rate achievable by an underwater acoustic communication system is presented and demonstrated. The technique, termed spatial modulation, seeks to control the spatial distribution of signal energy such that the single physical ocean channel supports multiple parallel communication channels. Given a signal energy constraint, a communication architecture with access to parallel channels will have increased capacity and reliability as compared to one with access to a single channel. Results from two experiments demonstrate higher obtainable data rates and power throughput for a system employing spatial modulation than for one that does not. The demonstrated benefits were characterized by an equivalent SNR gain of over 5 dB in the first experiment. In the second experiment, using two element source and receiver arrays with apertures of 0.9 m, a coherently modulated signal was shown to offer nearly 50% greater capacity by using spatial modulation than by using temporal modulation alone.