CAREER: Mobile Underwater Communications Networks Supported by Autonomous Surface Vehicles

职业：自主水面车辆支持的移动水下通信网络

• 批准号: 2048188
• 负责人: Aijun Song
• 金额: $ 49.98万
• 依托单位: University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-06-01 至 2026-05-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2048188&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Mobile; Underwater; Communications; Networks

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) represent a critical innovation in ocean exploration. However, wireless communication and networking capabilities among AUVs remain primitive, hindering marine technologies’ advancement. This CAREER project utilizes mobility to address challenges in underwater wireless communications and networking. Equipped with multiple modes of communication devices, autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) are used to serve as communication base-stations for expanded coverage and enhanced data rates. This project develops new learning-based solutions by integrating knowledge from robotics, digital communications, networking, and machine learning. The proposed network contributes to ocean technologies as a flexible, low-cost facilitator, enabling effective sampling, exploration, and management of the ocean resources. An underwater robotics competition for K-12 students will be launched following the successful regional MATHCOUNTS initiative. The outreach activities will strengthen the STEM competitiveness in the state of Alabama. The project’s overall goal is to support ocean science progress and the development of the future blue economy workforce.This project envisions an underwater mobile multi-modal communication network with a fleet of ASVs and AUVs. Fundamental research issues are to be explored within this mobile network, for example, understanding how the mobile acoustic channel fluctuates in the micro-scale of tens of milliseconds and investigating the optimal ocean sampling strategy for given spatial correlation properties. The gained insights will help develop innovative signal processing techniques at multiple layers, from channel modeling to system optimization. Three research thrusts will be launched, including 1) mobile acoustic channel modeling, 2) mobile adaptive acoustic communications, and 3) integrative sampling, communications, and navigation. Research evaluation will be conducted in both numerical simulations and field experiments. The developed techniques will demonstrate how the science insights advance our abilities to precisely model the acoustic channel, reliably communicate, and effectively sample in the ocean. The project outcomes are expected to facilitate research of the next frontier, distributed adaptive ocean sampling.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

自主水下航行器（AUV）是海洋勘探的一项重要创新。然而，AUV之间的无线通信和联网能力仍然很原始，阻碍了海洋技术的进步。这个CAREER项目利用移动性来解决水下无线通信和网络的挑战。配备了多种模式的通信设备，自主水面车辆（ASV）被用来作为通信基站，以扩大覆盖范围和提高数据速率。该项目通过整合来自机器人、数字通信、网络和机器学习的知识，开发新的基于学习的解决方案。拟议的网络作为一个灵活、低成本的促进者，促进海洋技术，使海洋资源的有效取样、勘探和管理成为可能。在成功的区域数学计数计划之后，将为K-12学生举办水下机器人比赛。外展活动将加强亚拉巴马州的STEM竞争力。该项目的总体目标是支持海洋科学进步和未来蓝色经济劳动力的发展。该项目设想建立一个由ASV和AUV组成的水下移动的多模式通信网络。在这个移动的网络中将探索基础研究问题，例如，了解移动的声学信道如何在几十毫秒的微尺度上波动，并调查给定空间相关特性的最佳海洋采样策略。所获得的见解将有助于在多个层面开发创新的信号处理技术，从信道建模到系统优化。三个研究重点将启动，包括1）移动的声学信道建模，2）移动的自适应声学通信，和3）集成采样，通信和导航。研究评估将在数值模拟和现场实验两个方面进行。开发的技术将展示科学见解如何提高我们精确建模声道、可靠通信和有效在海洋中采样的能力。该项目的成果预计将促进下一个前沿的研究，分布式自适应海洋采样。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

项目成果

Demo: MuLink: Compact Acoustic Transceivers for Underwater Environments

演示：MuLink：适用于水下环境的紧凑型声学收发器

• DOI: 10.1145/3567600.3569539
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: WUWNet '22: Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Underwater Networks & Systems
• 作者: Alexander, Brodie;Song, Aijun
• 通讯作者: Song, Aijun

Reinforcement Learning-based Trajectory Optimization for Data Muling with Underwater Mobile Nodes

• DOI: 10.1109/access.2022.3165046
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: IEEE Access
• 影响因子: 3.9
• 作者: Qiang Fu;A. Song;Fumin Zhang;Miao Pan

Plume tracing simulations using multiple autonomous underwater vehicles

使用多个自主水下航行器进行羽流追踪模拟

• DOI: 10.1145/3567600.3568149
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: WUWNet '22: Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Underwater Networks & Systems
• 作者: Sampathkumar, Aswanth;Dugaev, Dmitrii;Song, Aijun;Hu, Fei;Peng, Zheng;Zhang, Fumin
• 通讯作者: Zhang, Fumin