Deep-Sea Vehicle Acoustic Navigation and Timing Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional deep-sea communication, positioning, and timing systems for deep-sea vehicles operate independently, leading to non-uniformity of space and time references, reducing navigation and positioning precision and increasing operational inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
An integrated method and system for communication, positioning, and timing that includes a water surface monitoring platform, a deep-sea vehicle, and a scientific research ship, utilizing underwater acoustic communication to transmit and receive data, constructing an eigenray to determine horizontal distance, and using Kalman filtering for navigation correction, while synchronizing clocks through sound pulse signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate communication, positioning, navigation, and timing systems are used, then system independence is maintained, but navigation and positioning precision deteriorates due to non-uniformity of space and time references
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges communication, positioning, navigation, and timing systems into an integrated system where a single time reference (GPS receiver) and coordinate system (Earth-centered Earth-fixed coordinate system) are shared across all functions. This integration ensures uniformity of space and time references while maintaining functional independence through modular architecture, thereby improving navigation and positioning precision without completely sacrificing system independence.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a universal time reference system using GPS receiver that serves all four functions (communication, positioning, navigation, and timing). The Earth-centered Earth-fixed coordinate system is universally applied across positioning and navigation operations. This multi-functional approach allows a single standardized reference framework to support diverse operations, improving measurement precision while reducing redundancy.
2Device complexity
If separate systems are used for communication and positioning, then system complexity is reduced, but information fusion difficulty increases and operational efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines separate communication and positioning systems into an integrated operational framework where data from acoustic modems, GPS receivers, and inertial navigation systems are fused through a unified coordinate transformation process. This integration enables seamless information fusion by establishing consistent reference frames, thereby improving operational efficiency without excessively increasing system complexity through standardized integration protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary coordinate transformation mechanism that mediates between different reference systems (GPS Earth-centered Earth-fixed coordinates and local navigation coordinates). This intermediary transformation layer facilitates efficient information fusion by providing a standardized conversion process, reducing the complexity of direct multi-system integration while improving operational efficiency through streamlined data processing.
3Ease of operation
If underwater acoustic communication is used for positioning data transmission, then communication capability is achieved, but update rate decreases and delay increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-synchronizing time references using GPS before underwater operations begin. The system establishes a common time base in advance, allowing positioning data to be timestamped and coordinated without requiring real-time acoustic communication for every position update. This preliminary time synchronization enables faster effective update rates by reducing the need for continuous slow acoustic data exchange.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains continuity of useful action through inertial navigation systems that continuously compute position updates without requiring intermittent acoustic communication for every measurement. The inertial system provides continuous positioning data locally, eliminating the delays inherent in acoustic transmission, while acoustic communication continues periodically for data synchronization and coordination, thereby maintaining both communication capability and high update rates.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach achieves real-time, high-update-rate, low-power-consumption, high-precision positioning and navigation, and precise timing, resolving issues of low accuracy and lack of timing functions, thereby enhancing deep-sea vehicle operation efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
transmitting timing sound pulse signals to each other simultaneously by the water surface monitoring platform and the deep-sea vehicle, and receiving the timing sound pulse signal sent by the other party
Implementation Method 2
acquiring inertial navigation information and Doppler log information of the deep-sea vehicle
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated method and system for communication, positioning, navigation, and timing of a deep-sea vehicle. The method implements integration and deep fusion of communication, positioning, navigation, and timing, and can achieve uniformity of space references and time references between sensors and systems, can reduce difficulty in information fusion, and can implement convenient underwater acoustic communication, real-time/high-update-rate/low-power-consumption/high-precision positioning, high-precision/fault-tolerant navigation, and precise timing. The present invention implements simultaneous operation of four working modes: communication, positioning, navigation, and timing, to fundamentally resolve problems such as insufficient practicability of underwater acoustic communication, low accuracy of navigation and positioning, and no timing function, so as to improve underwater operation efficiency of a deep-sea vehicle.