Abstract
Unmanned vehicles in both terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments can be remotely guided and controlled by radio frequency signals. Autonomous vehicles are also frequently equipped with LiDAR (light detection and ranging) technology for mapping, obstacle detection and navigation. In the case of autonomous unmanned underwater vehicles, radio frequency and optical signals do not penetrate far enough into water. Consequently, functionalities that are enabled by radio frequency signals, such as remote control and GPS-based navigation are not available for underwater vehicles. This limitation has led to the use of sound waves for underwater wireless communication and positioning. Acoustic signals can reliably travel long distances through water, but require the use of low frequencies, which in turn, limits available bandwidth.
Researchers at FAU have developed an estimation algorithm that uses acoustic signals with a direction-of-arrival technique for localization. This technology allows for the infrastructure-less 3D self-localization of multiple autonomous underwater vehicles with no reliance on GPS nor on availability of global clock synchronization. The vehicles leverage simple coded beacon signals to self-localize. Self-positioning and automated neighbor discovery of peers in multi-vehicle missions will support position-aware geographic data routing, directional communication links, swarming, collaborative sensing, coordinated sampling and vehicle navigation. The invention has been validated through simulation in statistically modeled underwater acoustic communication channels and water-tank experimentation, which resulted in significantly superior positioning accuracy compared with state-of-the-art estimation techniques.
FAU is seeking partners to advance this technology into the marketplace through licensing or development partnerships.
Benefit
Precise - Centimeter-level accuracy achievedEfficient - Substantially lower energy useCost-effective - Reduced operational expensesMarket Application
Defense - Enhanced covert operationsResearch - Underwater data collectionExploration - Improved seabed mappingPublications
Airborne Cognitive Networking: Design, Development, and Deployment
