Unmanned underwater vehicle ultra-long distance wireless communication system based on LoRa technology

Abstract

The utility model discloses an ultra-long-distance wireless communication system for an unmanned underwater vehicle based on a LoRa technology, and belongs to the technical field of ocean communication. Comprising an underwater equipment end and a shore ship control end, the underwater equipment end comprises an equipment end LoRa chip, an equipment end single-chip microcomputer control chip, an equipment end radio frequency amplifier, a copper rod antenna and an unmanned underwater vehicle main control computer, and the equipment end single-chip microcomputer control chip is connected with the equipment end LoRa chip and the unmanned underwater vehicle main control computer. The equipment end LoRa chip is connected with the equipment end radio frequency amplifier, the equipment end radio frequency amplifier is connected with the copper rod antenna, and the equipment end LoRa chip is used for establishing wireless communication connection with a shore ship control end. And deep sea water quality parameters stored in the unmanned underwater vehicle main control computer are transmitted to the shore ship control end under the control of the equipment end single chip microcomputer control chip. The system has the advantages that wireless transmission is adopted, the construction amount of equipment cable arrangement is reduced, the transmission distance is long, and the transmission cost is low.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of marine communication technology, specifically relating to an ultra-long-range wireless communication system for unmanned underwater vehicles based on LoRa technology. Background Technology

[0002] With the deepening of marine development, unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) have been applied and promoted in underwater operations, underwater exploration, and marine monitoring. Wireless communication technology is an indispensable component of UUVs, ensuring data and command transmission between them and the host platform during missions. Because UUVs operate in water, their antennas are relatively low and small. Therefore, signals are easily affected by the multipath effect of waves during transmission. Wave undulations and reflections cause signal scattering and attenuation, severely impacting communication quality and stability. This places higher demands on the transmission distance of communication systems.

[0003] Traditional communication methods between unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) and shore-based host computers typically involve GPRS or remote communication technologies using the 2.4GHz band, such as Zigbee, Bluetooth, and WiFi. However, in practical applications, UUVs often require long-distance voyages, frequently encountering long-range (greater than 10km) control environments. The aforementioned communication methods, due to their limited coverage, cannot meet the needs of such long-distance monitoring scenarios and cannot effectively achieve long-distance, stable communication. This poses significant challenges to the operation and control of UUVs.

[0004] In view of the aforementioned existing technology, the applicant has made beneficial designs, and the technical solutions to be introduced below are produced in this context. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an ultra-long-range wireless communication system for unmanned underwater vehicles based on LoRa technology. This system has strong anti-electromagnetic interference capabilities, can improve the communication range of unmanned underwater vehicles, and reduce communication costs.

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide an ultra-long-range wireless communication system for unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) based on LoRa technology, comprising an underwater device terminal and a shore-based ship control terminal. The underwater device terminal includes a device-side LoRa chip, a device-side microcontroller control chip, a device-side radio frequency amplifier, a copper rod antenna, and an UUV main control computer. The device-side microcontroller control chip is connected to the device-side LoRa chip and the UUV main control computer. The UUV main control computer is used to store UUV sensor data. The device-side LoRa chip is connected to the device-side radio frequency amplifier, which is connected to the copper rod antenna. The device-side LoRa chip is used to establish a wireless communication connection with the shore-based ship control terminal and, under the control of the device-side microcontroller control chip, transmits the deep-sea water quality parameters stored in the UUV main control computer to the shore-based ship control terminal.

[0007] In a specific embodiment of this utility model, the shore-to-ship control terminal includes a control terminal LoRa chip, a control terminal microcontroller chip, a control terminal radio frequency amplifier, an omnidirectional fiberglass antenna, and an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) host computer. The control terminal microcontroller chip is connected to the control terminal LoRa chip and the UUV host computer. The control terminal LoRa chip is connected to the control terminal radio frequency amplifier, and the control terminal radio frequency amplifier is connected to the omnidirectional fiberglass antenna. The control terminal LoRa chip is used to establish a wireless communication connection with the underwater equipment terminal and, under the control of the control terminal microcontroller chip, receives deep-sea water quality parameters sent by the UUV main control computer, displays them, and stores them in the UUV host computer.

[0008] In another specific embodiment of this utility model, the omnidirectional fiberglass antenna includes a sleeve, inside which multiple antenna elements are stacked. The antenna gain is generated by the superposition of the antenna elements, and the transmission distance of the LoRa chip at the control terminal is increased by increasing the antenna gain.

[0009] This invention, by employing LoRa technology, offers several advantages over existing technologies: wireless transmission between the unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) and the shore-based shipboard computer reduces the amount of cabling required, and allows for easier repositioning of communication equipment, increasing flexibility. It also boasts strong anti-electromagnetic interference capabilities, a long transmission distance, and by increasing transmission power and antenna gain, enables UUV data transmission and monitoring at a range of up to 10 kilometers above sea level, expanding the effective range of maritime transmission while maintaining low transmission costs. Attached Figure Description

[0010] Figure 1 This is a structural block diagram of the present invention;

[0011] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating the workflow of the underwater equipment described in this utility model.

[0012] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the workflow of the shore-to-ship control terminal described in this utility model.

[0013] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the fiberglass antenna described in this utility model.

[0014] In the diagram: 11. LoRa chip on the device side; 12. Microcontroller chip on the device side; 13. RF amplifier on the device side; 14. Copper rod antenna; 15. Unmanned underwater vehicle main control computer; 21. LoRa chip on the control side; 22. Microcontroller chip on the control side; 23. RF amplifier on the control side; 24. Omnidirectional fiberglass antenna; 25. Host computer of the unmanned underwater vehicle. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The specific embodiments of this utility model are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the description of the embodiments is not a limitation on the technical solution. Any formal but not substantive changes made based on the concept of this utility model should be considered within the protection scope of this utility model.

[0016] In the following description, all directional (or orientational) concepts involving up, down, left, right, front, and back refer to the position of the figure being described, and are intended to facilitate public understanding. Therefore, they should not be construed as a special limitation on the technical solution provided by this utility model.

[0017] Please see Figure 1 This utility model relates to an ultra-long-range wireless communication system for unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) based on LoRa technology, comprising an underwater device terminal and a shore-based ship control terminal. The underwater device terminal includes a device-side LoRa chip 11, a device-side microcontroller control chip 12, a device-side radio frequency amplifier 13, a copper rod antenna 14, and an UUV main control computer 15. The device-side microcontroller control chip 12 is connected to the device-side LoRa chip 11 and the UUV main control computer 15. The UUV main control computer 15 is used to store UUV sensor data. The device-side LoRa chip 11 is connected to the device-side radio frequency amplifier 13, which is connected to the copper rod antenna 14. The copper rod antenna 14 is used because the UUV operates underwater, requiring consideration of portability and pressure resistance. The device-side LoRa chip 11 is used to establish a wireless communication connection with the shore-based ship control terminal and, under the control of the device-side microcontroller control chip 12, transmits the deep-sea water quality parameters stored in the UUV main control computer 15 to the shore-based ship control terminal.

[0018] The shore-to-ship control terminal includes a control terminal LoRa chip 21, a control terminal microcontroller chip 22, a control terminal radio frequency amplifier 23, an omnidirectional fiberglass antenna 24, and an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) host computer 25. The control terminal microcontroller chip 22 is connected to the control terminal LoRa chip 21 and the UUV host computer 25. The control terminal LoRa chip 21 is connected to the control terminal radio frequency amplifier 23, and the control terminal radio frequency amplifier 23 is connected to the omnidirectional fiberglass antenna 24. The control terminal LoRa chip 21 is used to establish a wireless communication connection with the underwater equipment and, under the control of the control terminal microcontroller chip 22, receives deep-sea water quality parameters sent by the UUV main control computer 15, displays them, and stores them in the UUV host computer 25.

[0019] In this embodiment, the device-side LoRa chip 11 and the control-side LoRa chip 21 are SEMTECH's SX1268 chips. The device-side microcontroller control chip 12 and the control-side microcontroller control chip 22 are Texas Instruments (TI)'s MSP430F5529 ultra-low-power microcontrollers. The device-side RF amplifier 13 and the control-side RF amplifier 23 both use the SKY65338-21. In the underwater device, the MSP430F5529 chip communicates with the unmanned underwater vehicle's main control computer 15 via RS232 to acquire data, and communicates with the SX1268 chip via SPI to complete data reading and transmission. The device-side RF amplifier 13 and the control-side RF amplifier 23 use the H0606E to increase the transmission power and improve the transmission distance.

[0020] See Figure 2 This illustrates the workflow of the underwater device. After powering on, the underwater device first performs system initialization, checking whether the hardware status is normal and whether the parameter configuration settings are correct. Then, it checks whether there is a signal from the shore-based ship control terminal and establishes a communication connection. Next, the device's microcontroller control chip 12 begins to process the data stored in the unmanned underwater vehicle's main control computer 15. After processing, the data is sent out through the device's LoRa chip 11. During data transmission, the device's microcontroller control chip 12 continuously checks whether the data transmission is complete. If not, it continues to transmit. If the transmission is complete, the underwater device enters a sleep mode, waiting for the next data transmission.

[0021] See Figure 3This illustrates the workflow of the shore-to-ship control terminal. After powering on, the shore-to-ship control terminal first performs system initialization, checks whether the hardware status is normal and whether the parameter configuration settings are correct. Then, it can send a communication establishment request manually or automatically. After the underwater device receives the signal, it responds and successfully establishes communication. Next, the LoRa chip 21 of the control terminal opens the receiving channel and hands the received data to the device-side microcontroller control chip 12 of the underwater device for processing and sending it to the host computer 25 of the unmanned underwater vehicle. During the data reception process, the control terminal microcontroller control chip 22 of the shore-to-ship control terminal continuously judges whether the data transmission is complete. If the transmission is interrupted, it sends the signal again to re-establish the connection and start the transmission. If the transmission is complete, it enters the standby state.

[0022] Furthermore, the transmission distance can be increased by raising the antenna height. However, due to environmental factors limiting antenna height increases for the unmanned underwater vehicle, a 2-meter-long omnidirectional fiberglass antenna 24 is preferentially selected for the shore-to-ship control terminal. Figure 4 As shown, the omnidirectional fiberglass antenna 24 includes a sleeve 242, inside which multiple antenna elements 241 are stacked. The antenna gain is generated by the superposition of the antenna elements 241. The more antenna elements 241 are stacked, the higher the antenna gain, the better the directivity, and the longer the communication distance. Therefore, by increasing the antenna gain, the transmission distance of the LoRa chip 21 at the control end can be increased. In this embodiment, the antenna gain is increased to 7dBi to increase the transmission distance of the LoRa chip 21 at the control end to the 10-kilometer level. At the same time, the antenna height is also increased to improve the actual transmission distance. According to the following dual-path model formula, the maximum transmission distance with the antenna height can be obtained.

[0023]

[0024] Wherein, the Earth's radius R = 6371000m, and the antenna height H at the underwater equipment end... t =0.5m. According to calculations, when the antenna height Hr = 4.38m at the shore-to-ship control end, the transmission distance d can reach 10km. The antenna itself is 2 meters long, so only an unobstructed platform with a height of about 2.38 meters is needed to achieve 10km-level communication, reducing the difficulty of antenna installation.

[0025] Both the underwater equipment and the shore-based ship control terminal utilize the H0606E RF amplifier to boost the transmission power to 33dBm, thereby increasing the transmission distance. The theoretical transmission distance can be derived from the following free-space propagation formula.

[0026]

[0027] Among them, the effective transmit power P tSince the impact of multipath fading on the sea surface is reduced, the LoRa chip in the system operates at 433MHz. At this frequency, the multipath fading margin is typically 5-15dB. Therefore, the median value P is taken as the multipath fading margin. m =10dBm. Calculations show that the actual transmit power P... t =23dBm, if the power conversion unit is set to W, then:

[0028]

[0029] P t ≈0.2W

[0030] The receiving sensitivity P r = -130dBm = 1 × 10 -13 W, copper rod antenna gain G t =1, omnidirectional fiberglass antenna gain G r Given an antenna wavelength of λ≈0.693m and a value of ≈5.01, the theoretical propagation distance d≈172.5km can be calculated using the above formula. However, due to various factors affecting signal transmission, the actual transmission distance can vary by several to more than ten times. While we won't list and verify all these factors here, the theoretical distance suggests that the actual transmission distance can easily reach the 10km level.

[0031] This system uses LoRa wireless technology, and the unmanned underwater vehicle transmits data to the host computer on the shore or ship via LoRa communication. Because it uses wireless transmission, the amount of construction work for laying equipment cables is reduced. At the same time, the communication equipment can be adjusted more easily, increasing flexibility. By increasing the transmission power and increasing the antenna length, the transmission distance can reach the 10km level, thereby expanding the effective range of maritime transmission.

Claims

1. A long-range wireless communication system for unmanned underwater vehicles based on LoRa technology, comprising an underwater device terminal and a shore-to-ship control terminal, characterized in that: The underwater equipment includes a device-side LoRa chip (11), a device-side microcontroller control chip (12), a device-side radio frequency amplifier (13), a copper rod antenna (14), and an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) main control computer (15). The device-side microcontroller control chip (12) is connected to the device-side LoRa chip (11) and the UUV main control computer (15). The UUV main control computer (15) is used to store UUV sensor data. The device-side LoRa chip (11) is connected to the device-side radio frequency amplifier (13), and the device-side radio frequency amplifier (13) is connected to the copper rod antenna (14). The device-side LoRa chip (11) is used to establish a wireless communication connection with the shore-based ship control terminal and, under the control of the device-side microcontroller control chip (12), transmits the deep-sea water quality parameters stored in the UUV main control computer (15) to the shore-based ship control terminal.

2. The ultra-long-range wireless communication system for unmanned underwater vehicles based on LoRa technology according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shore-to-ship control terminal includes a control terminal LoRa chip (21), a control terminal microcontroller chip (22), a control terminal radio frequency amplifier (23), an omnidirectional fiberglass antenna (24), and an unmanned underwater vehicle host computer (25). The control terminal microcontroller chip (22) is connected to the control terminal LoRa chip (21) and the unmanned underwater vehicle host computer (25). The control terminal LoRa chip (21) is connected to the control terminal radio frequency amplifier (23), and the control terminal radio frequency amplifier (23) is connected to the omnidirectional fiberglass antenna (24). The control terminal LoRa chip (21) is used to establish a wireless communication connection with the underwater equipment terminal and, under the control of the control terminal microcontroller chip (22), receives deep-sea water quality parameters sent by the unmanned underwater vehicle main control computer (15), displays and stores them in the unmanned underwater vehicle host computer (25).

3. The ultra-long-range wireless communication system for unmanned underwater vehicles based on LoRa technology according to claim 2, characterized in that: The omnidirectional fiberglass antenna (24) includes a sleeve (242) with multiple antenna elements (241) stacked inside the sleeve (242). The antenna gain is generated by the superposition of the antenna elements (241). The transmission distance of the LoRa chip (21) at the control end is increased by increasing the antenna gain.

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