Covering Underwater Shadow Zones using Acoustic Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces
Longfei Zhao, Jingbo Tan, Jintao Wang, Ian F. Akyildiz, Zhi Sun

TL;DR
This paper proposes using acoustic Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces to actively eliminate underwater shadow zones, significantly improving communication coverage in challenging ocean environments.
Contribution
It introduces a novel application of acoustic RIS for underwater communication, including analytical modeling, deployment strategies, and practical validation.
Findings
Without RIS, coverage is less than 20%.
Optimal RIS deployment achieves nearly 100% coverage.
Validated through pool tests and simulations.
Abstract
To better explore the oceans, seamless communication coverage of the vast 3D underwater space is desired. Unlike terrestrial networks using radio signals, underwater acoustic communications face a unique challenge: nodes in underwater shadow zones cannot connect to the network, even within the line of sight. These shadow zones can extend for tens of kilometers, causing communication nodes to disconnect. Existing efforts focus on passive avoidance of shadow zones, but this strategy cannot ensure seamless coverage in dynamic ocean environments. This paper addresses the shadow zone problem by utilizing acoustic Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) to actively control the underwater channel. Shadow zones are analytically modeled, and optimal RIS deployment strategies are developed for both deep-sea and shallow-sea environments. The acoustic RIS is redesigned considering practical…
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Taxonomy
TopicsUnderwater Vehicles and Communication Systems · Underwater Acoustics Research · Coastal and Marine Dynamics
