Analysis of dynamic acoustic source positioning : an autonomous swarm approach

Abstract

As underwater autonomous vehicles become more prevalent, and their missions more complex, a novel means of underwater acoustic communication with respect to source positioning must be developed that takes advantage of the unique nature of sound propagation through the underwater environment while minimizing the number and energy use of the source agents. Through the use of an objective function, a dynamic positioning algorithm was developed to reduce transmission loss from the source agent to a given target as it changes position over time. Several operating profiles, that govern the behavior of interacting source agents through modification of the objective function, were also developed. Simulations in several operating environments show that a single dynamic source agent results in overall reduced transmission loss when compared to a static source at a fixed depth over many credible operating scenarios with a target is at slow speeds and moderate initial depth separation. The use of several source agents in a depth zone operating profile yields better results for targets at higher velocity or operating in areas of deeper water.