Synthetic baseline navigation using phase-coherent acoustic communication signals

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Oceanography
• Acoustic Communications

Background:

• Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) require robust self-localization for missions.
• Traditional navigation methods often rely on dedicated acoustic transmissions, increasing operational costs.
• Intermittent acoustic communication signals offer a potential, yet underexplored, resource for navigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a synthetic baseline navigation technique for AUVs.
• To enable AUV self-localization using only intermittent acoustic communication signals.
• To improve navigation accuracy without additional navigation-specific acoustic transmissions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized phase measurements from a second-order phase-locked loop for pseudorange estimation.
• Integrated phase-derived range estimates with one-way travel time measurements.
• Employed an adaptive particle filter to incorporate range measurements and vehicle kinematic models.
• Leveraged multiple phase-derived range measurements within communication packets.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated successful self-localization of a REMUS 100 AUV using the developed technique.
• Achieved improved vehicle navigation by utilizing existing acoustic communication data.
• Validated the method's effectiveness through in-ocean field tests.
• Showcased the ability to derive fine-scale pseudorange estimates.

Conclusions:

• The synthetic baseline navigation technique effectively enhances AUV self-localization.
• Leveraging acoustic communication signals for navigation is a cost-effective strategy.
• The adaptive particle filter approach successfully integrates phase-derived range measurements.
• This method offers a significant improvement for AUV navigation in underwater environments.