A Novel Initialization Method for HybridUnderwater Optical Acoustic Networks

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new initialization method for hybrid underwater optical acoustic networks that leverages acoustic waves for node localization, addressing the challenge of network setup without GPS in underwater environments.

Contribution

The paper proposes a novel network initialization approach combining UWN identification, discovery, localization, and decomposition, specifically designed for UWOANs.

Findings

Numerical simulations confirm the effectiveness of the proposed initialization method.

The method improves network setup accuracy in GPS-denied underwater environments.

The approach enhances the reliability and efficiency of underwater network deployment.

Abstract

To satisfy the high data rate requirement andreliable transmission demands in underwater scenarios, it isdesirable to construct an efficient hybrid underwater opticalacoustic network (UWOAN) architecture by considering the keyfeatures and critical needs of underwater terminals. In UWOANs,optical uplinks and acoustic downlinks are configured betweenunderwater nodes (UWNs) and the base station (BS), wherethe optical beam transmits the high data rate traffic to theBS, while the acoustic waves carry the control information torealize the network management. In this paper, we focus onsolving the network initializing problem in UWOANs, which isa challenging task due to the lack of GPS service and limiteddevice payload in underwater environments. To this end, weleverage acoustic waves for node localization and propose anovel network initialization method, which consists of UWNidentification, discovery, localization, as well as decomposition.Numerical simulations are also conducted to verify the proposedinitialization method.