RU2772238C1 - Method for communication with underwater objects using an unmanned aerial vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: communication.

SUBSTANCE: area of application: invention can be used in organising unscheduled (emergency) one-way communication with underwater objects. Substance: the method consists in delivering, by an unmanned aerial vehicle, a sinking signal repeater buoy to the interval of the expected location of the underwater vessel. The repeater buoy delivered to the sea surface either receives the information necessary for transmission to the underwater object in advance at the control point, or the information is loaded to the repeater buoy using relay apparatus allowing for signal transmission over long distances. The objective is realised by means of a long-range aerial vehicle equipped with advanced camouflaging technology. The signal is transmitted under water by a repeater buoy created on the basis of a known apparatus "Radio sonar buoy on microcontrollers". The radio transmission path and the transceiver radio antenna are supplemented with a laser emission receiver, allowing for the use of a grouping of space satellites, using a system for data exchange via laser channel, to receive a message by the repeater buoy. An echo sounder is additionally installed on the sonar buoy for detecting local signal propagation obstacles. The signal is transmitted to the underwater object by an acoustic hydrophone installed on the buoy.

EFFECT: provided possibility of transmitting an emergency message at any time regardless of the planned communication session with the underwater object; possibility of the information being intercepted when using laser data transmission is also minimised.

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Description

The invention relates to the field of signal transmission and can be used to send an unscheduled (emergency) message to a strategic underwater object using an unmanned aerial vehicle or manned aircraft.

To date, the issues of data transmission to underwater objects remain relevant, since the implementation of this type of communication is the most difficult technical task. Often, for the implementation of underwater electromagnetic communication, it is necessary to use long and ultra-long waves capable of penetrating through the water column. The methods used have certain drawbacks, the main reason for which is the strong absorption of electromagnetic waves by sea water.

A method of two-way communication with an underwater object is known, in which, in order to receive and transmit messages from an underwater object, an acoustic wave is emitted in the direction of a given section of the sea surface and information is sent to the same path in the form of a modulated electromagnetic wave signal, which is received by the subscriber in the air or through a repeater in air on land or on a surface object. When sending a message to an underwater object, a method of electromagnetic irradiation by a transmitting antenna of a section of the sea surface, sounded by an acoustic wave from the depths of the sea, is used [patent RU No. 2134023, publ. 27.07.99].

The disadvantages of the above method are the limitation of the functionality of the communication system by searching for and maintaining electromagnetic contact in the area of illumination of the receiving-transmitting antennas of an air object on the surface, sounded by an acoustic wave from the depths of the sea, as well as low technical reliability due to the dependence of the system on the disturbance of the water surface and the use of air repeaters.

Also known is a method of communication of objects under water, in which a channel is formed in a liquid medium by means of a laser and an information signal is sent along the resulting channel, including for two-way communication [patent RU No. 2230436, publ. 10.06.04].

The disadvantages of this method are the limitation of the functionality of the communication system by searching for and maintaining electromagnetic contact in a limited area when fixed relative to the channel, as well as the use of electromagnetic waves in the optical range.

Known towed low-frequency underwater system, in which detection and communication with an underwater object provide transmission and reception of ultra-long-wave signals when towed behind a surface object extended surface antenna array [application US No. 2004125701, publ. 10.07.04].

The disadvantages of the above system are the limitation of the functionality of the communication system due to the limitations of the maneuvering of the surface object, as well as the limited range of frequencies used.

A known method of communication with an underwater object, in which the reception of ultra-long radio waves (at a frequency of 14-30 kHz) and ultra-low frequencies (at a frequency of 76 Hz) is carried out on a towed cable antenna of a stub type as-1554 brm (20), which is produced behind the hull of a submarine on length 610 meters with subsurface due to buoyancy [I. Sutyagin. Means of communication of nuclear submarines of the Los Angeles type // Foreign Military Review, 1995, No. 9, p. 52-57].

The disadvantages of this method are the limitation of the functionality of the communication system, associated with the practical impossibility of transmitting a signal directly from an underwater object due to the technical impossibility of the antenna used to radiate high powers, as well as low technical reliability due to the limited survivability of the cable antenna, which can only be used in interval of certain speeds of an underwater object and with limited maneuverability.

The main disadvantage of the above analogues is the impossibility of carrying out unscheduled communication outside the time set for communication.

The closest in technical essence to the claimed invention is an underwater cable digital fiber-optic communication system, containing two coastal terminals, between which an underwater main cable is laid along the seabed, optical repeaters are included through certain lengths, from them on short sections of cables, at the ends , fixed floating underwater hydroacoustic stations. At the coastal terminals of the system, transceiver stations of the optical range are installed, with the help of which information signals are transmitted through the optical fibers of the cable. Remote power supply of underwater optical transponders and underwater hydroacoustic stations is carried out from coastal terminals via a copper tube, which is a structural element of an underwater optical cable. The system additionally contains underwater linear couplers, containing each converter of a digital signal into a signal of a hydroacoustic station for transmission with an amplifier of this signal, as well as a converter of a signal of a hydroacoustic station into a digital signal at the reception with an amplifier of this signal, moreover, the hydroacoustic stations are located inside the housings of underwater amplifiers and couplers , at the same time, for communication, the vessels are equipped with small-sized low-power hydroacoustic stations lowered from the side into the water on a cable-cable using a winch to the desired depth [Patent RU No. 2445733, publ. 11/20/2011].

The main disadvantage of the prototype is the laying of hundreds and thousands of kilometers of cables along the bottom to hydrophones installed in areas where underwater objects are most likely to be found. In addition, hydroacoustic stations are not able to cover the length of the entire route of movement of submarines under water, which does not ensure the transmission of information at certain points in time.

The technical objective of the invention is the organization of an unscheduled (emergency) one-way communication with underwater objects, which consists in delivering the signal transmitter as close as possible to the underwater vessel using an aircraft to increase the reliability of message delivery, which solves the main problem of the prototype associated with laying cables under water.

The specified technical problem is achieved by the fact that the aircraft used, equipped with advanced camouflage technologies with a sufficient flight range, delivers a buoy-relay signal to the area of the proposed location of an underwater object.

The method proposed by the authors can be implemented in two versions. Information can be uploaded to the repeater buoy using repeater devices that allow the signal to be transmitted over long distances, or the repeater buoy delivered to the sea surface receives the information necessary for transmission to the underwater object in advance at the control point.

In the first case, the method includes the use of a laser data transmission channel to a transponder buoy delivered to the location interval of the underwater object using a space constellation of satellites. In this case, the interception by a potential adversary of information arriving at the buoy will be practically impossible due to the physical nature (in particular, the narrow beam directivity) of the laser atmospheric channel, the indicated features of which, together with an assessment of its security, are given, for example, in [L.A. Glushchenko, K.K. Morgunov "Assessment of information security in laser communication lines" // http://sci-article.ru] and in [L.A. Glushchenko, K.K. Morgunov "Mathematical model for assessing the security of information in laser communication lines" Journal of the University of Water Communications 2012 No. 1, p. 103-108].

In the absence of the possibility of using an optical atmospheric channel and a similar space constellation, data can be downloaded to the buoy in advance. In this case, it is necessary to exclude the possibility of detecting the aircraft delivering the repeater buoy. It is advisable to send several other aircraft together with the “buoy delivery aircraft”, performing diversionary maneuvers in order to avoid intercepting information by the enemy, as well as detecting the location of the submarine. The more aircraft involved in this operation, the closer to zero will be the probability of detecting a repeater buoy and an underwater object.

A graphical description of the method claimed by the authors is shown in Fig. 1 and FIG. 2, namely, in Fig. 1 - message transmission path; in fig. 2 - performing distracting maneuvers by aircraft.

In FIG. 1 shows a scheme for transmitting data to an underwater object, including: a command post 1, a constellation of relay space satellites 2 that carry out laser data transmission, a repeater buoy 3, an underwater object 4, an aircraft 5 delivering a repeater buoy.

In FIG. 2 shows a scheme for performing distracting maneuvers by aircraft, containing: an underwater object 4; an aircraft 5 delivering a transponder buoy; aircraft 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, simulating false actions; the dashed line shows the trajectory of the aircraft delivering the buoy; the solid line shows the trajectory of the aircraft simulating false actions.

The underwater signal transmitter is a buoy-retransmitter, created on the basis of the well-known device "Radio-hydroacoustic buoy on microcontrollers". The radio transmitting path and the receiving-transmitting radio antenna are supplemented with a laser radiation receiver, which makes it possible to use a constellation of space satellites using a laser channel data exchange system to receive a message by a repeater buoy. It is necessary to equip the buoy with echo sounders to detect local obstacles to signal propagation. After receiving the information, the buoy sinks and occupies an optimal position in depth (above the top point of the underwater relief) so that the signal propagation in the selected directions is not interfered with by the features of the seabed surface. Next, the buoy relays the signal to the underwater object using an acoustic hydrophone until it receives confirmation of the delivery of information to the submarine, after which the device self-destructs. To date, a device for self-destruction of a buoy is known and is used in the invention "Radio-hydroacoustic buoy on microcontrollers". Signal transmission to an underwater object is carried out by an acoustic hydrophone installed on a buoy. To increase the probability of obtaining information by a submarine, several relay buoys attached to one or more aircraft can be used.

The repeater buoy used to implement the method may be subject to the possibility of failure of the equipment located in it due to the occurrence of overloads at the moment of impact on the water when the buoy is dropped from the aircraft. Therefore, in order to avoid such an emergency when the buoy is dropped, it is necessary to use a device for lowering it, for example, a winch with a safe unwinding speed. The flight altitude of the aircraft and the length of the unwinding of the cable must be fixed depending on the height of the buoy drop from the end of the cable and can be calculated taking into account the unwinding speed in accordance with GOST 28213 for certain equipment used in the design of the buoy. Also, in order to avoid premature collision of the buoy with the water surface, it is necessary to take into account the weather conditions, which determine the height of the crest of the sea wave, determined by the Beaufort scale.

The methods claimed by the authors can be implemented using a buoy-relay signal; long-range aircraft or other manned aircraft equipped with advanced camouflage technology delivering a transponder buoy to an underwater facility; spacecraft carrying out laser data transmission; hydroacoustic receiving devices installed on an underwater object, which is known at the current level of development of technology.

The technical result achieved by implementing the proposed method is the ability to transmit an emergency message at any time, regardless of the planned communication session with an underwater object. It also minimizes the possibility of intercepting information when using laser data transmission.

A common feature of the prototype and the proposed method is the use of hydroacoustic emitters to transmit a signal to an underwater object through the water.

A distinctive feature of the proposed method according to the first variant is the delivery of a sonar buoy using an unmanned aerial vehicle or manned aircraft, which makes it possible to transmit an unscheduled emergency message, and also minimizes the probability of intercepting data by the enemy when transmitting information to the repeater buoy due to the use of optical atmospheric channel for laser retransmission of data using satellites.

A distinctive feature of the proposed method according to the second variant, in addition to those described above, with the exception of the use of a space constellation of satellites, is the advance loading of information on a relay buoy.

In both cases of the implementation of the method, decoys (aircraft) can be used to perform distracting maneuvers to reduce the likelihood of detecting a repeater buoy.

The implementation of the method is possible on the basis of components and assemblies, mass-produced by the industry.

Claims (1)

A method for performing unscheduled emergency one-way communication with underwater objects, characterized in that an aircraft is used that delivers a buoy-relay signal to the area where the underwater object is located, after which the buoy-relay receives information via a laser atmospheric channel from a command post through a relay space constellation of satellites, receiving information, converts it for hydroacoustic relaying, dives to a given depth, after which it relays an acoustic signal through hydrophones to an underwater object, receives a delivery message and generates a self-destruct command, after which it self-destructs.

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