As part of the research to development an optical communication design of a leader-follower formation between unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), this paper presents light field characterization and design configuration of the hardware required to allow the use of distance detection between UUVs. The study specifically is targeting communication between remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). As an initial step in this study, the light field produced from a light source mounted on the leader UUV was empirically characterized and modeled. Based on the light field measurements, a photo-detector array for the follower UUV was designed. Evaluation of the communication algorithms to monitor the UUV’s motion was conducted through underwater experiments in the Ocean Engineering Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire. The optimal spectral range was determined based on the calculation of the diffuse attenuation coefficients by using two different light sources and a spectrometer. The range between the leader and the follower vehicles for a specific water type was determined. In addition, the array design and the communication algorithms were modified according to the results from the light field.

Date Published: 3 June 2013
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 8724, Ocean Sensing and Monitoring V, 872406 (3 June 2013); doi: 10.1117/12.2015988

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8724:
Ocean Sensing and Monitoring V
Weilin W. Hou; Robert A. Arnone, Editor(s)