PFI:AIR - TT: A Novel Vector Acoustic Communication Technology for High Speed Underwater Modems

本PFI: AIR技术翻译项目重点翻译新颖的矢量声学水下通信研究成果，以满足海洋和其他水下环境对高速通信的需求。地球表面的四分之三被水覆盖，水覆盖着我们赖以生存的许多资源。水下传感器、深水仪器和自主水下航行器之间的高速水下无线数据通信在许多国家利益的应用中具有重要意义，例如海洋环境监测以预测飓风等自然灾害，以及海上石油和天然气钻探。然而，水下信道具有高度的带宽限制，现有调制解调器的数据速率远低于有效通信和管理所需的数据速率。该项目将产生一个原型水下调制解调器，它受益于新颖的矢量声学水下通信概念和方法。除了传统的声压通道外，该水下矢量调制解调器还具有利用声粒子速度通道进行数据通信的独特特点。与市场上领先的水下调制解调器相比，该功能具有以下优点：提高数据速率，提高性能，并且调制解调器体积小。这个项目解决了从研究发现到商业应用的一些技术差距。在新的矢量声学和粒子速度通信范式中，水下调制解调器设计者面临着与过去使用的通信通道和换能器根本不同的新通信通道和换能器。因此，调制解调器的不同部分，包括传感器和模拟和数字收发器的适当设计将得到发展。模拟电子应该与多通道换能器接口，而数字信号处理单元需要生成和解调多个数据流。本项目涉及的研究生和本科生将通过在电声换能器、水下声学、通信和信号处理硬件/软件等多学科的接口工作，以及参加密集的技术创业训练营，获得创新创业和技术翻译经验。该项目与Teledyne-Benthos和Kongsberg这两家领先的公司合作，这两家公司的水下调制解调器和自主水下航行器在全球范围内销售，以协助对该技术从研究发现到商业现实的转化过程中开发的原型调制解调器进行海上测试。矢量声学高速调制解调器原型的发展最终将使许多水下系统和业务得以发展，这些系统和业务的运营受到低无线数据速率或非常昂贵的海底电缆的限制。

This PFI: AIR Technology Translation project focuses on translating novel vector acoustic underwater communication research findings to fill the need for high speed communication in oceans and other underwater environments. Three quarters of the earth surface is covered with water that overlays many resources upon which our lives depend. High speed wireless underwater data communication among underwater sensors, deepwater instruments and autonomous underwater vehicles is of high importance in many applications of national interest, such as environmental ocean monitoring to predict natural disasters such as hurricanes, and offshore oil and gas drilling. However, underwater channels are highly bandlimited and the data rates of existing modems are much smaller than what is needed for effective communication and management. The project will result in a prototype underwater modem that benefits from novel vector acoustic underwater communication concepts and methods. This underwater vector modem has the unique feature of utilizing acoustic particle velocity channels for data communication, in addition to the conventional acoustic pressure channel. This feature provides the following advantages: increased data rate, improved performance, and small size modems, when compared to the leading competing underwater modems in this market space.This project addresses a number of technology gaps as it translates from research discovery toward commercial application. In the new vector acoustic and particle velocity communication paradigm, the underwater modem designer is facing new communication channels and transducers that are fundamentally different from those used in the past. Therefore, proper designs for different parts of the modem, including transducers and analog and digital transceivers will be developed. Analog electronics are supposed to interface with multi-channel transducers, whereas digital signal processing units are required to generate and demodulate multiple data streams. The personnel involved in this project, graduate and undergraduate students, will receive innovation, entrepreneurship and technology translation experiences through working at the interface of multiple disciplines such as electro-acoustic transducers, underwater acoustics, communication and signal processing hardware/software, as well as participating in an intensive boot-camp on technology entrepreneurship.The project engages Teledyne-Benthos and Kongsberg, two leading companies whose underwater modems and autonomous underwater vehicles are sold worldwide, to assist in at-sea testing of the prototype modem developed in this technology translation effort from research discovery toward commercial reality. Development of the vector acoustic high speed modem prototype will eventually allow the growth of many underwater systems and businesses whose operations have been constrained by low wireless data rates or very expensive undersea cables.