Data-Gathering Scheme Using AUVs in Large-Scale Underwater Sensor Networks: A Multihop Approach

Area of Science:

• Marine robotics
• Underwater sensor networks
• Wireless communication

Background:

• Underwater sensor networks face challenges due to the dynamic mobility of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs).
• Intermittent connectivity and varying mobility parameters of AUVs lead to synchronization issues and communication delays.
• Existing multihop communication schemes struggle with the unpredictable nature of underwater environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose an efficient data-gathering scheme for hierarchical underwater sensor networks.
• To improve Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) synchronization frequency in intermittently connected networks.
• To reduce communication delays and packet loss in large-scale underwater environments.

Main Methods:

• A novel data-gathering scheme utilizing agent-nodes at the static layer for AUV status information sharing.
• Enhancing inter-AUV synchronization frequency through proactive information exchange.
• Evaluating performance based on synchronization frequency, vertical/horizontal/end-to-end delays, and packet loss ratio.

Main Results:

• The proposed scheme significantly improves Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) synchronization frequency.
• Demonstrated substantial reductions in vertical, horizontal, and end-to-end communication delays.
• Achieved lower packet loss ratios compared to conventional methods without synchronization time-out.

Conclusions:

• The proposed data-gathering scheme effectively addresses synchronization challenges in underwater sensor networks.
• Improved AUV synchronization leads to more reliable and efficient data transmission.
• This approach offers a promising solution for delay-sensitive applications in underwater environments.