Cross-ice acoustic communication system and method

Abstract

The present application relates to a cross-ice acoustic communication system and method. The method is applied to a first terminal, and comprises: exciting a transmission signal so that the transmission signal propagates in an ice layer and propagates in water below the ice layer at a predetermined angle so as to be received by a second terminal, wherein the first terminal is located on an ice surface, the second terminal is located in water below the ice layer, the receive directivity of the second terminal is directly towards the ice surface, and a beam opening angle is a preset angle.

Description

Cross-ice sound communication system and method

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202310717426.8, filed on June 16, 2023, entitled “A cross-ice acoustic communication system and method,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to a polar communication system and method, and in particular, to a cross-ice acoustic communication system and method. Background Art

[0004] The Arctic region, covered year-round by sea ice, is known as the world's only "white ocean." Sea ice, while a global climate regulator, is also the greatest obstacle to the development and utilization of polar resources. The core challenges in establishing three-dimensional polar information acquisition and transmission capabilities lie in the obstruction of cross-ice information transmission links caused by sea ice and the limited access to polar ocean information.

[0005] Communication methods typically use electromagnetic waves as a carrier, but electromagnetic waves are affected by ice and water absorption and are not suitable for Arctic icy environments. Acoustic wave communication methods, commonly used in marine environments, are primarily used for underwater acoustic communication beneath the ice. For cross-ice communication, cables are typically laid through the ice using relay equipment such as ice-based buoys. This cable then transmits underwater communication to the ice surface. This method requires breaking ice to lay cables, significantly increasing costs, construction risks, and application environment limitations. Furthermore, cross-ice communication typically uses seismic detectors to collect direct wave signals in the water beneath the ice, thereby completing the uplink communication from the water to the ice surface in cross-ice communication. Due to energy conversion issues associated with signal transmission across the medium, the communication channel from ice to water cannot be simply viewed as a reversal of the communication channel from water to ice. Surface acoustic waves excited by an ice source experience rapid attenuation and are limited in propagation distance, making the aforementioned uplink communication path incapable of achieving downlink communication from the ice surface to the water. Therefore, traditional underwater acoustic transceiver communication equipment based on channel reversal is not suitable for bidirectional communication across the ice medium. However, existing cross-ice medium transmission is limited to transmitting signals from the water under the ice to the ice surface, and there is no research on downlink communication from the ice surface to the water under the ice.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this application is to provide a cross-ice acoustic communication system and method that can meet the needs of cross-ice communication interaction in the polar regions.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present application, a method for cross-ice acoustic communication is provided for a first terminal, which may include: exciting a transmission signal so that the transmission signal propagates in the ice layer and propagates in the water below the ice layer along a predetermined angle for reception by a second terminal, wherein the first terminal is located on the ice surface, the second terminal is located in the water below the ice layer, the receiving directivity of the second terminal is facing the ice surface, and the beam opening angle is a predetermined angle.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present application, a method for cross-ice acoustic communication is provided for a second terminal, which may include: receiving a transmission signal, wherein the transmission signal is excited by the first terminal so that the transmission signal propagates in the ice layer and propagates in the water below the ice layer along a predetermined angle, wherein the first terminal is located on the ice surface, the second terminal is located in the water below the ice layer, the receiving directivity of the second terminal is facing the ice surface, and the beam opening angle is a predetermined angle.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present application, a method for cross-ice acoustic communication is provided for a first terminal, which may include: exciting a transmission signal of a first frequency band so that the transmission signal of the first frequency band propagates in the ice layer and propagates in the water below the ice layer along a predetermined angle for reception by a second terminal; and simultaneously receiving a transmission signal of a second frequency band from the second terminal, wherein the first terminal is located on the ice surface, the second terminal is located in the water below the ice layer, the receiving directivity of the second terminal is facing the ice surface, the beam opening angle is a predetermined angle, and the second frequency band is different from the first frequency band.

[0011] According to another aspect of the present application, a cross-ice acoustic communication system is provided, which may include: a first terminal, the first terminal excites a transmission signal so that the transmission signal propagates in the ice layer and propagates in the water below the ice layer along a predetermined angle for reception by a second terminal, wherein the first terminal is located on the ice surface, the second terminal is located in the water below the ice layer, the receiving directivity of the second terminal is facing the ice surface, and the beam opening angle is a predetermined angle.

[0012] According to another aspect of the present application, a cross-ice acoustic communication system is provided, which may include: a second terminal, which receives a transmission signal, wherein the transmission signal is excited by the first terminal, so that the transmission signal propagates in the ice layer and propagates in the water below the ice layer along a predetermined angle, wherein the first terminal is located on the ice surface, and the second terminal is located in the water below the ice layer, and the receiving directivity of the second terminal is facing the ice surface, and the beam opening angle is a predetermined angle.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present application, a cross-ice acoustic communication system is provided, which may include: a first terminal, the first terminal excites a transmission signal of a first frequency band, so that the transmission signal of the first frequency band propagates in the ice layer and propagates in the water below the ice layer along a predetermined angle for reception by a second terminal; and simultaneously receives a transmission signal of a second frequency band from the second terminal, wherein the first terminal is located on the ice surface, the second terminal is located in the water below the ice layer, the receiving directivity of the second terminal is facing the ice surface, the beam opening angle is a predetermined angle, and the second frequency band is different from the first frequency band.

[0014] According to this application, the following technical effects can be achieved:

[0015] (1) Cross-ice acoustic communication: Based on the propagation characteristics of floating ice sound, the ice layer acoustic propagation channel (inter-plate longitudinal waves) and the underwater acoustic propagation channel (direct waves in the water) are used simultaneously. By exciting the inter-plate longitudinal waves in the ice, information is transmitted from the ice surface to the water. This solves the problem of being unable to achieve downlink long-distance communication due to the rapid attenuation of the direct waves in the water excited by the ice surface earthquake source. The effective transmission and reception of cross-ice medium acoustic signals is achieved, thus completing cross-ice medium acoustic communication.

[0016] (2) Achieve full-duplex communication and improve communication efficiency: Uplink communication (water to ice surface) and downlink communication (ice surface to water) use different frequency bands. That is, the ice surface communication device can simultaneously transmit signals through the ice layer acoustic propagation channel and receive signals through the underwater acoustic propagation channel, achieving full-duplex communication and improving communication efficiency. At the same time, the three-component data analysis and processing received on the ice surface and the directional reception of the underwater receiving module can effectively reduce the interference between the transmitted signal and noise, improve the quality of the received signal, and ensure the effective implementation of duplex communication.

[0017] (3) Increased practicality: The underwater communication device of the present application is conventional and universal and can be installed on an under-ice submersible; the ice surface communication device is simple to deploy and operate, and only needs to be fixed vertically on the ice surface to achieve communication with the water under the ice. At the same time, it can communicate with the satellite through the satellite communication module to achieve ultra-long-distance cross-media communication. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an ice surface communication device of a cross-ice acoustic communication system according to the present application;

[0019] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of an underwater communication device of the cross-ice acoustic communication system according to the present application;

[0020] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of downlink communication of the cross-ice sound communication system method according to the present application;

[0021] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of uplink communication of the cross-ice sound communication system method according to the present application;

[0022] FIG5 is a schematic diagram showing simultaneous uplink and downlink communications according to the cross-ice sound communication method of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The present application is described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples.

[0024] FIG1 shows a schematic diagram of an ice surface communication device (also referred to as a “first terminal”) of the cross-ice acoustic communication system according to the present application.

[0025] 1 , the ice surface communication device may include a housing 1 , a receiving module 2 , a transmitting module 3 , a signal processing module 4 , a power supply module 5 , and a satellite communication module 6 .

[0026] The receiving module 2 , the transmitting module 3 , the signal processing module 4 , the power module 5 , and the satellite communication module 6 may be disposed in the housing 1 .

[0027] The signal processing module 4 can be electrically connected to the receiving module 2 , the transmitting module 3 , and the satellite communication module 6 respectively.

[0028] Power module 5 can provide power to all other modules.

[0029] The signal processing module 4 can generate a communication signal, which can be a transmission signal obtained by the signal processing module 4 by modulating and encoding the communication information in the first frequency band. The signal processing module 4 can send the generated communication signal to the transmission module 3 and the satellite communication module 6.

[0030] The transmitting module 3 may include a cylindrical vibrator that vibrates in a circumferential direction. As described above, the signal processing module 4 may send a communication signal to the transmitting module 3. When the transmitting module 3 receives the communication signal from the signal processing module 4, the transmitting module 3 may excite the communication signal to propagate in the form of circumferential vibration.

[0031] As described above, the signal processing module 4 can send a communication signal to the satellite communication module 6. When the satellite communication module 6 receives the communication signal from the signal processing module 4, the satellite communication module 6 can communicate with other trans-ice acoustic communication systems or communication satellites in the form of electromagnetic waves.

[0032] The receiving module 2 may include a three-component detector composed of three mutually orthogonal accelerometers, and is used to collect vibration information from the outside world.

[0033] The receiving module 2 may send the collected external vibration information to the signal processing module 4 , and the signal processing module 4 may analyze and decode the information.

[0034] Therefore, in addition to generating communication signals, signal processing module 4 can also analyze and decode externally received information. Optionally, these two operations can be performed simultaneously. In this case, signal processing module 4 can simultaneously analyze and decode the collected information transmitted by receiving module 2 while generating and transmitting communication signals to transmitting module 3 and satellite communication module 6. This allows the ice surface communication device to simultaneously receive and analyze collected information while transmitting communication signals.

[0035] In addition, the signal processing module 4 can control and optimize the entire system, such as controlling the power supply time of the transmitting module 3 and the satellite communication module 6.

[0036] The housing 1 may also be provided with a heat-insulating layer for keeping the receiving module 2, the signal processing module 4, the power supply module 5 and the satellite communication module 6 warm, so as to prevent the modules from suspending operation or being damaged due to low temperature.

[0037] Although FIG1 shows various components of the ice surface communication device, components may be added or reduced as needed.

[0038] FIG2 shows a schematic diagram of an underwater communication device (also referred to as a “second terminal”) of the cross-ice acoustic communication system according to the present application.

[0039] 2 , the underwater communication device may include a housing 7 , a receiving module 8 , a transmitting module 9 , a signal processing module 10 and a power supply module 11 .

[0040] The housing 7 may be provided with a waterproof layer for waterproofing the receiving module 8, the transmitting module 9, the signal processing module 10 and the power module 11 to prevent the modules from suspending operation or being damaged due to water ingress.

[0041] The signal processing module 10 can be electrically connected to the receiving module 8 and the transmitting module 9 respectively.

[0042] The power module 11 can provide power to other modules.

[0043] The signal processing module 10 can generate a communication signal, which can be a transmission signal obtained by the signal processing module 10 by modulating and encoding the communication information in the second frequency band. The signal processing module 10 can send the generated communication signal to the transmission module 9.

[0044] The transmitting module 9 may include an omnidirectional underwater acoustic transmitting transducer. As described above, the signal processing module 10 may send a communication signal to the transmitting module 9. When the transmitting module 9 receives the communication signal from the signal processing module 10, the transmitting module 9 transmits the communication signal in the form of sound waves.

[0045] The receiving module 8 may include a directional hydrophone and be used to collect underwater sound pressure information.

[0046] The receiving module 8 may transmit the collected information to the signal processing module 10 , and the signal processing module 10 may analyze and decode the information.

[0047] Therefore, in addition to generating communication signals, the signal processing module 10 can also analyze and decode externally received information. Optionally, these two operations can be performed simultaneously. In this case, the signal processing module 10 can generate and transmit communication signals to the transmitting module 9 while analyzing and decoding the collected information. This allows the underwater communication device to transmit communication signals while receiving and analyzing the collected information.

[0048] Although FIG. 2 shows various components of the underwater communication device, components may be increased or decreased as needed.

[0049] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of downlink communication (ice surface excitation-water reception) of the cross-ice acoustic communication method according to the present application.

[0050] 3 , the downlink communication method of the cross-ice sound communication system includes:

[0051] S301: The first terminal excites and sends a transmission signal: The ice surface communication device (the first terminal) is placed on the ice surface, and the transmitting module 3 and the receiving module 2 are buried in the ice layer. After coupling and fixing, the power supply module 5 is started; the ice surface signal processing module 4 modulates the encoded communication information X1 in the frequency band W1 to obtain the transmission signal Sig1, and transmits the transmission signal Sig1 to the transmitting module 3; the ice surface transmitting module 3 uses a circumferentially vibrating cylindrical oscillator to excite the signal Sig1. The circumferential vibration is used to excite the longitudinal waves between the ice plates to propagate in the ice layer. When the sound waves propagate in the ice layer, the energy will continue to leak into the water and propagate in the water in a specific direction θ (θ is the angle between the propagation direction and the normal to the ice surface);

[0052] S303: The second terminal receives the transmitted signal: the transmitted signal Sig1 transmitted through the ice layer will leak into the water at a fixed angle θ, and be received by the hydrophone of the underwater receiving module 8 with a receiving directivity facing the ice surface and an opening angle of θ in the underwater communication device (second terminal). The underwater receiving module 8 transmits the received signal Sig1 to the underwater signal processing module 10 for decoding and analysis, thereby obtaining the communication signal X1.

[0053] In this way, the downlink communication of ice layer excitation and water reception is completed.

[0054] In addition, the downlink communication method further includes: the ice surface signal processing module 4 transmits the transmission signal to the satellite communication module 6, and the satellite communication module 6 transmits the signal to the satellite or other communication device through the antenna to realize the networking communication function.

[0055] In an embodiment, the inter-plate longitudinal wave velocity c in the cross-ice medium communication area can be used as the basis p , wave speed in water c w To determine θ, and thus determine the directivity of the underwater receiving module 8 (the receiving directivity is facing the ice surface, and the opening angle is θ).

[0056] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of uplink communication (excitation in water - reception on ice surface) of the cross-ice acoustic communication system method according to the present application.

[0057] 4 , the uplink communication method of the cross-ice sound communication system includes:

[0058] S401: The second terminal sends a transmission signal: The underwater signal processing module 10 in the underwater communication device (the second terminal) modulates and encodes the communication information X2 in the frequency band W2 to obtain a transmission signal Sig2, and transmits the transmission signal Sig2 to the transmission module 9. The underwater transmission module 9 uses an omnidirectional underwater acoustic transducer to transmit the signal Sig2, and the sound wave will propagate omnidirectionally in the water;

[0059] S403: The first terminal receives the transmitted signal: the underwater acoustic wave signal Sig2 propagates to the lower surface of the ice layer, and is collected by the three-component accelerometer of the receiving module 2 in the ice surface communication device (first terminal) on the ice surface through the vibration of the ice layer; the signal Sig2 received by the ice surface receiving module 2 is transmitted to the ice surface signal processing module 4, and after noise reduction, decoding and analysis of the three-component information, the communication signal X2 is obtained.

[0060] In this way, the uplink communication of water excitation and ice surface reception is completed.

[0061] In addition, the uplink communication method further includes: the ice surface signal processing module 4 transmits the transmission signal to the satellite communication module 6, and the satellite communication module 6 transmits the signal to the satellite or other communication device through the antenna to realize the networking communication function.

[0062] FIG5 is a schematic diagram showing simultaneous uplink and downlink communications according to the cross-ice sound communication method of the present application.

[0063] Since the downlink communication and the uplink communication are described above with reference to FIG3 and FIG4 respectively, they will not be described again here.

[0064] Referring to Figure 5 , a first terminal can generate a transmission signal in a first frequency band and send the transmission signal in the first frequency band to a second terminal. Simultaneously, the first terminal can receive a transmission signal in a second frequency band from the second terminal. In this case, the first and second frequency bands can be different, allowing the first terminal to transmit and receive signals simultaneously.

[0065] In other words, the second terminal can generate a transmission signal in the second frequency band and send the transmission signal in the second frequency band to the first terminal. At the same time, the second terminal can receive the transmission signal in the first frequency band from the first terminal. In this case, the first and second frequency bands can be different, allowing the second terminal to transmit and receive signals simultaneously.

[0066] It should be noted that the methods and systems discussed above are for illustrative purposes only. It must be emphasized that various embodiments may appropriately omit, replace, or add various steps or components. For example, it should be understood that, in alternative embodiments, the methods may be performed in an order different from that described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. In addition, features described with respect to certain embodiments may be combined in various other embodiments. Different aspects and elements of the embodiments may be combined in a similar manner. In addition, it should be emphasized that technology is constantly evolving, and therefore, many elements are exemplary and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of this application.

[0067] Having described several embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications, substitutions, and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of the present application. For example, the above elements may be merely components of a larger system, wherein other rules may take precedence over or otherwise modify the application of the present application. In addition, steps may be taken before, during, or after considering the above elements. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A cross-ice sound communication method, used for a first terminal, the method comprising: Exciting a transmission signal so that the transmission signal propagates in the ice layer and propagates in the water below the ice layer along a predetermined angle so as to be received by a second terminal, The first terminal is located on the ice surface, the second terminal is located in the water below the ice layer, the receiving directivity of the second terminal faces the ice surface, and the beam opening angle is the predetermined angle.

2. According to the cross-ice acoustic communication method according to claim 1, the transmission signal propagates in the ice layer in the form of longitudinal waves between ice plates. 3 . The method for cross-ice acoustic communication according to claim 2 , wherein the predetermined angle is determined based on the velocity of longitudinal waves between plates and the velocity of waves in water.

4. A cross-ice sound communication method, used for a second terminal, the method comprising: Receive the transmitted signal, The transmission signal is excited by the first terminal, so that the transmission signal propagates in the ice layer and propagates in the water below the ice layer along a predetermined angle. The first terminal is located on the ice surface, the second terminal is located in the water below the ice layer, the receiving directivity of the second terminal faces the ice surface, and the beam opening angle is the predetermined angle.

5. According to the method for cross-ice acoustic communication according to claim 4, the transmission signal propagates in the ice layer in the form of longitudinal waves between ice sheets. 6 . The method for cross-ice acoustic communication according to claim 5 , wherein the predetermined angle is determined based on the velocity of longitudinal waves between plates and the velocity of waves in water.

7. A cross-ice sound communication method, used for a first terminal, the method comprising: Exciting a transmission signal of a first frequency band so that the transmission signal of the first frequency band propagates in the ice layer and propagates in the water below the ice layer along a predetermined angle to be received by the second terminal; and simultaneously receiving a transmission signal of a second frequency band from the second terminal, The first terminal is located on the ice surface, the second terminal is located in the water below the ice layer, the receiving directivity of the second terminal faces the ice surface, and the beam opening angle is the predetermined angle, and The second frequency band is different from the first frequency band.

8. A cross-ice acoustic communication system, the cross-ice acoustic communication system comprising: a first terminal, wherein the first terminal excites a transmission signal so that the transmission signal propagates in the ice layer and propagates in the water below the ice layer along a predetermined angle so as to be received by the second terminal, The first terminal is located on the ice surface, the second terminal is located in the water below the ice layer, the receiving directivity of the second terminal faces the ice surface, and the beam opening angle is the predetermined angle.

9. A cross-ice acoustic communication system, the cross-ice acoustic communication system comprising: a second terminal, the second terminal receiving the transmitted signal, The transmission signal is excited by the first terminal, so that the transmission signal propagates in the ice layer and propagates in the water below the ice layer along a predetermined angle. The first terminal is located on the ice surface, the second terminal is located in the water below the ice layer, the receiving directivity of the second terminal faces the ice surface, and the beam opening angle is the predetermined angle.

10. A cross-ice acoustic communication system, the cross-ice acoustic communication system comprising: a first terminal, wherein the first terminal excites a transmission signal of a first frequency band, so that the transmission signal of the first frequency band propagates in the ice layer and propagates in the water below the ice layer along a predetermined angle, so as to be received by the second terminal; and simultaneously receives a transmission signal of a second frequency band from the second terminal, The first terminal is located on the ice surface, the second terminal is located in the water below the ice layer, the receiving directivity of the second terminal faces the ice surface, and the beam opening angle is the predetermined angle, and The second frequency band is different from the first frequency band.

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