UACE2017 Proceedings: From sonar performance modelling to underwater acoustic communication performance modelling

• Session:
  Sonar performance modeling and verification - Applications to active and passive sonar
• Paper:
  From sonar performance modelling to underwater acoustic communication performance modelling
• Author(s):
  Mathieu Colin, Michael Ainslie, Henry Dol, Roald Otnes, Mark Prior, Paul Van Walree
• Abstract:
  Underwater acoustic communication has been a developing field for the last forty years. Recent advances in embedded computing solutions have been bolstering that development, while advances in underwater robotics have increased the need for this technology. This has resulted in a variety of commercial underwater acoustic modems. Generally, the knowledge of the performance of these systems for the average industrial user is limited to what is advertised in the manufacturer brochures. However, like most other underwater acoustic systems, the performance of underwater acoustic modems is very variable and strongly depends on the environment.Fortunately, this has also been an issue for sonar users for the last hundred years. Furthermore, underwater acoustic modems and sonars are both detection and estimation systems. They also operate in comparable frequency bands.\nIn this paper, we examine the commonalities and differences between sonar performance modelling and underwater acoustic communication performance modelling. This comparison is done at several levels: requirements of final product, physical processes of interest and relevant models. Communication signal processing algorithms are often more complex than sonar algorithms. The final performance depends on which specific algorithm is used and might only be evaluated through simulations rather than theoretical modelling.\nThis paper provides some of the basis to design the architecture of a complete underwater acoustic communication performance model.\n
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Contact details

• Contact person:
  Dr Mathieu Colin
• e-mail:
  
• Affiliation:
  TNO
• Country:
  Netherlands