Deepwater Multiple Vehicle Navigation Upgrade

该提案将设计、建造、测试和评估一个长基线导航系统，该系统可同时为多个深海航行器服务。目前用于水下航行器的基于转发器的导航方法，如Alvin、Jason和ABE，一次只能服务于一个航行器。拟议的工作将增加标准转发器，包括一个精确的时钟和控制电路，使转发器可以作为准确定时的信标。这将使任何数量的车辆能够使用从被动跟踪获得的数据计算其位置。拟议的系统将提高传统远征模式的生产力，并使多个车辆导航成为海底观测网络的一部分。为了确保与目前行动的平稳过渡，PI建议在信标上保留传统的转发器能力。因此，如果只有一个车辆在使用中，则部署的网将始终保持能够在当前应答器模式下操作。

This proposalwill design, build, test, and evaluate a long base line navigation system that can serve several deep-ocean vehicles simultaneously. Current transponder based navigation methods for use in underwater vehicles such as Alvin, Jason, and ABE can only serve one vehicle at a time. The work proposed will augment standard transponders to include a precision clock and control circuits so that the transponders may be operated as accurately timed beacons. This will enable any number of vehicles to calculate their position using data obtained from passive tracking. The proposed system will improve productivity in the conventional expeditionary mode as well as enabling multiple vehicle navigation as part of a seafloor observatory network. To ensure a smooth transition with present operations, the PI's propose to retain conventional transponder capabilities on the beacons. Thus, a deployed net will always remain able to operate in the current transponder mode if only one vehicle is in use.