On the Impacts and Benefits of Implementing Full-duplex Communications Links in an Underwater Acoustic Network

Abstract

Acoustic signals offer a means of establishing wireless networks in shallow water regions. These networks may provide command and control for autonomous underwater vehicles, forward reporting by arrays of sensor grids, ad hoc communications links to covert forces, or positive control of unmanned, forward-deployed weapons systems. However, the capacity limitations and extreme propagation delays of acoustic communications must be addressed to ensure timely, predictable message delivery. This paper presents the status of current experimentation at the Naval Postgraduate School regarding the viability of full-duplex underwater acoustic communications. As implementation of full-duplex links requires partitioning the total capacity into distinct sub-channels, the paper presents a top-level description and specification of a capacity allocation protocol to mitigate the adverse impacts of such a partitioning when system load is light.