Multi-body modelling and analysis of the motion platform for underwater acoustic dynamic communication

• Published in: Applied mathematical modelling Vol. 109; pp. 455 - 472
• Main Authors: Li, Shuai, Wang, Yanhui, Wu, Shangshang, Niu, Wendong, Yang, Shaoqiong, Lan, Shiquan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01-09-2022
• Subjects: Beam pointing; Dynamic underwater acoustic network; Multi-body model; Underwater acoustic transducer; Underwater glider; Multi-body model; Beam pointing; Underwater acoustic transducer; Dynamic underwater acoustic network; Underwater glider
• ISSN: 0307-904X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apm.2022.05.005

•The dynamic communication failure caused by attitude change of underwater glider is analyzed.•This study constructs the multi-body mathematical model of the network integrating an underwater glider and a wave glider.•A motion platform integrating an underwater acoustic transducer is established, requiring at least two rotational DOFs.•The motion angles of the motion platform are modified based on the bend of the sound ray, and the controller is designed.•The simulation proves that the underwater acoustic transducer keeps tracing and pointing to the USBL positioning system.
With the development of marine science, the dynamic underwater acoustic network composed of many underwater and surface nodes has become an active research field of information science. The network in this study mainly involves the underwater gliders integrating underwater acoustic transducers and the wave glider carrying an ultra-short baseline positioning system. The attitude change of the underwater glider during zigzag profiling changes the beam pointing of the underwater acoustic transducer, which may lead to communication failure in the network. To deal with this problem, a motion platform for integrating an underwater acoustic transducer is proposed to be installed on the underwater glider. This work first integrates an underwater glider and a wave glider into a multi-body model by taking underwater acoustic signals as the media to illustrate the kinematics of the proposed motion platform. According to screw theory, the motion platform needs at least two rotational degrees of freedom to follow the ultra-short baseline positioning system. According to the bend of the sound ray, the motion angles of the motion platform are modified, and the motion platform controller is designed. The simulation results show that the controller can keep the underwater acoustic transducer tracking and pointing to the ultra-short baseline positioning system during communication when the underwater glider and wave glider move freely.