RU2773497C1 - Method and system for navigation support of pilotage and positioning - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: navigation.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to the navigation of sea areas. Self-propelled hydroacoustic beacon buoy comprises a current source, control equipment, an antenna, and receiver of a GLONASS-type satellite navigation system, equipment for underwater communication, reception and emission of sonar signals, a receiving amplifier and decoder, electronic beacon equipment, an anchor apparatus with an anchor, an anchor rope and a reel, an onboard control system, a radio transmitter, a memory apparatus, a computing apparatus, hydrostatic and hydrodynamic pressure sensors, fastener for the anchor rope paid out from the reel, and an apparatus for separating the bitter end of the anchor rope from the reel attachment. Also claimed is a method for navigation support of pilotage, wherein the required amount of hydroacoustic beacon buoys is calculated, installation points thereof are determined, the buoys are prepared for installation on the base, subjected to operability check, and loaded onto the watercraft, delivered to the target sea area and unloaded into the water at the calculated points, after water landing, the hydroacoustic beacons buoys are set to the working position.

EFFECT: increase in the reliability of positioning of underwater objects.

2 cl, 4 dwg

Description

The invention relates to the field of marine engineering and can be used for navigational equipment of marine areas and ensuring the safety of navigation and determining the coordinates of surface ships and vessels, as well as underwater objects.

Navigational equipment of the sea area is a system of special coastal and floating structures, structures and devices designed to ensure the safety of navigation (navigation) and serves to determine the coordinates of ships and vessels at sea, their correct orientation while sailing in coastal and shallow water areas.

The means of navigation equipment are coastal and floating beacons, luminous and non-luminous signs, navigation lights, floating warning signs (buoys and milestones), radio, radar and sonar beacons, ground stations of radio navigation systems and other means (Naval Dictionary / Ch. ed. V. N. Chernavin, Moscow: Military Publishing House, 1989. - 511 pp., p. 265 [1]).

The most difficult is to ensure the safety of navigation and accurate orientation of underwater floating facilities under water, since most of the aids to navigation are installed on the surface of the water or on the shore. Therefore, hydroacoustic beacons (SAM) are used for underwater floating facilities.

Known bottom GAM, installed on the seabed at depths of up to 6000 m, capable of providing navigation parameters underwater floating facilities in almost all areas of the oceans. The range of such a beacon reaches 20-25 km. (I.S. Kalinsky. Navigational equipment of maritime theaters. L.: VVMKU named after M.V. Frunze. 1980. 428 p. S. 292 [2]). The bottom GAM device includes: an acoustic antenna with a cylindrical or rod piezoceramic transducer; duty channel of the beacon, consisting of a receiving amplifier and a decoder; electronic equipment of the beacon placed in a robust case; deep-sea float for lifting the antenna above the ground; power supply in one rugged housing with electronic equipment that performs the function of an armature; removable casing, inside of which there is a coil of cable with a cable connecting the antenna and the robust housing; a braking device in the lower part of the robust body in the form of a shock-absorbing corrugated cylinder, necessary to protect the beacon from damage when it hits rocky ground. The separation of the float with the antenna from the strong hull and its transition to the standby mode occurs after the beacon is dropped into the water when it reaches a certain depth (I.S. Kalinsky. Navigational equipment of maritime theaters. L .: VVMKU named after M.V. Frunze, 1980. - 428 pp. 302-304 [3]).

Known hydroacoustic buoy-beacon (GABM) with satellite communications equipment "Gonets-D1M" and navigation GLONASS, which is part of the underwater navigation and communication system "Positioner", including a control point and associated autonomous uninhabited underwater vehicles (AUVs) and the above GABM (D. Litovkin, A. Ramm. Underwater GLONASS was created in Russia. M.: Izvestia IZ, 08.12.2016, https//iz.ru/news/650211 [4]). AUVs patrol a given sea area at depths of up to 8 km and navigate at the same time according to the data of the GPSM, which are pre-installed on the bottom and have ultra-precise coordinates. GABM transmit navigation information to floating facilities that are not only in the water, but also on its surface. GABM, which are part of the "Positioner" system, are bottom, floating and frozen in ice. The general device of the GABM includes a hardware part, a radio and hydroacoustic part and a power supply system, placed in a plastic case. The radio and hydroacoustic part of the GABM includes an ultra-short-wave radio station, a GLONASS receiver, a set of the Gonets-D1M satellite communication system, and equipment for underwater communication with AUVs. The bottom version of the HAMM is equipped with an anchor, in the drifting variant the hardware is housed in a protective case with floats and additional batteries, and the frozen HAMM has a special high-strength thermal container with high thermal insulation. When working with an AUV, the sonar buoy-beacon has the following modes: “request”, when, at the request of the AUV, the buoy transmits information received via the satellite communication channel to it via the hydroacoustic communication channel; "dialogue", when in real time the buoy connects the control point with the AUV using its VHF radio channel and provides control over the location of the AUV and its control; “autonomous”, in which the AUV checks its coordinates with the buoy via the hydroacoustic communication channel and acts independently; "emergency", serving to transmit a distress signal from the AUV.

Autonomous sonar beacons-responders are known (patent RU No. 2292057, 20.01.2007 [5]), as well as navigation systems containing several bottom sonar beacons with different radiation frequencies (patent RU No. 2483326, 26.05.2013 [6]), and ship encoded request device.

The principle of their operation is based on measuring the time intervals of the propagation of hydroacoustic signals from the navigation object to the beacon and back, converting them into a distance at a known speed of sound in sea water and calculating the coordinates of the location of the navigation object or corrections to their countable coordinates.

The main advantage of hydroacoustic systems is a relatively long range with relatively low power consumption.

The disadvantages include a short service life, determined by an autonomous power source, the magnitude of self-discharge and the intensity of work.

It is known that in order to eliminate this drawback by repeated use of the lighthouse, a mechanism for separating the floating part from the anchor is introduced into its design, followed by completion with new or restored batteries and a new anchor device (Borodin V.I., Smirnov G.E., Tolstikova N.A. , Yakovlev GV Hydroacoustic navigation aids. - L.: Shipbuilding, 1983, p. 70 [7]). This decision is associated with significant organizational, technical and production difficulties: putting into the sea special floating facilities for calling, detecting and raising the lighthouse; permissible hydrometeorological conditions - the state of the sea, the absence of ice, the level of optical visibility, etc., and in the conditions of the polar night and a high degree of ice concentration, such work seems almost impossible. Nevertheless, such a proposal may be rational for particularly complex and expensive lighthouses.

A serious problem in the operation of autonomous beacons-responders is the uncertainty of the current state of the remaining energy resource due to the uncontrolled amount of work - the number of responses, the technological heterogeneity of self-discharge of batteries and individual battery cells and, as a result, the possibility of unexpected loss of communication with the beacon, that is, the unreliability or impossibility of guarantee estimates of the actual period services.

Known (patent RU No. 2125733, May 28, 1997 [8]) are sonar beacons-responders, in which additional sources of ionized emitters are introduced in a shielded protective case, as well as an electrical energy storage device for periodically recharging the battery of an autonomous beacon.

The biological unsafety of the used radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) should be noted. For example, at present, the remaining RTGs are being dismantled throughout the Arctic zone, including the NSR waters (http://www.iaea.org/OurWorkyST/NE/NEFW/Technical-Areas/WTS/CEG/documents/26th-IAEA-CEG -PlenaryMeeting/Paris_RUS_PDF/4.1_RTG_Program_Paper_Rus.pdf).

Solutions to navigation tactical and technical problems largely depend on the effectiveness of the underwater (under-ice) communication systems of the navigation object.

Systems are known (patent RU No. 2287450, November 20, 2006 [9]) based on the fact that an underwater object “throws” a cable radio buoy onto the sea surface. In the Arctic waters, in conditions of ice conditions, this method becomes problematic or impossible, depending on the degree of ice coverage of the sea surface. In addition, the operation of the beacon is easily detected.

There are also known methods of communication based on the subsurface of a submarine to a small, subsurface depth, which penetrate the electromagnetic waves of the radio range. The disadvantages include the vulnerability of the submarine from aerial surveillance and detection, including satellite systems, as well as the technical difficulties of "illuminating" the local sea surface (http://www.Libma.ru/tehnicheskienauki/sovetskieatomnyelodki/p.21.php).

Electromagnetic global communication systems based on extremely low frequencies are also known (domestic "Zeus" and American "Sanguine", including its development - "Seafer", "AustereELF" and "ProjectEEF"). But they are characterized by extremely high construction and operation costs, have not received further development for economic reasons, and their advantages, survivability and reliability, are currently not indisputable.

It should be noted the obvious disadvantages of receiving devices in the form of towed cable-antennas hundreds of meters long: the need to stabilize the cable in depth, the design complexity of controlling the release and selection of the antenna, a significant deterioration in the maneuvering characteristics of an underwater object, and so on. Thus, the "classical" electromagnetic channels of underwater communication are characterized by a limited range and low information capacity, but in comparison with hydroacoustic, sound-underwater communication, they have a higher signal propagation speed and secrecy of operation, and are not subject to numerous hydrological interference. As an underwater communication channel, fiber-optic communication lines can be used.

The Arctic navigation system must also take into account the known features: unreliable operation of some technical means of navigation in the Arctic latitudes, such as gyroscopic and magnetic compasses; limited accuracy and coverage of satellite navigation systems, in particular GPS and GLONASS, when operating in the Arctic latitudes, as well as their exposure to countermeasures; increased complexity, for example, of the Northern Sea Route in terms of navigation, numerous islands, straits, shallow depths, adverse weather conditions - frequent and prolonged fogs, limited possibilities for visual and astronomical observation, often difficult ice conditions.

The installation of sonoacoustic beacons and buoys in sea areas is carried out, as a rule, by surface ships or vessels for some time and is accompanied by certain maneuvering, demonstrating to outside and unwanted observers the nature of the work being done in the area to equip it with some stationary systems, which is a drawback of existing hydroacoustic beacons and methods of equipping sea areas with them. Another disadvantage of sonoacoustic beacons and beacon-buoys is their lack of such a quality as mobility, which does not allow, if necessary, to quickly equip sea areas with them.

The mobility of a hydroacoustic beacon or buoy-beacon and the secrecy of their equipment of the sea area can be ensured using underwater navigation facilities. The most suitable carrier for a sonar beacon or beacon buoy is an autonomous or remotely operated autonomous uninhabited underwater vehicle (AUV). A typical AUV has a body of a streamlined cylindrical or other shape, means of propulsion and power supply, sonar and television search tools, navigation equipment, communications equipment, a payload compartment and control devices. For communication with the control point, it is equipped with communication equipment with a hydroacoustic or radio-technical channel (Sidenko K.S. Illarionov G.Yu. Submarine and autonomous uninhabited underwater vehicle // MRE. No. 2, 2008 [10]).

AUVs perform various functions, including conducting underwater search operations to detect and identify sea mines, carry out hydroacoustic, hydrographic and bathymetric measurements, and also examine underwater objects and hydraulic structures (I. Belousov. Modern and advanced uninhabited underwater vehicles of the US Navy / / Foreign Military Review, 2013, No. 5. P. 79-88 [11] However, they have not yet been used as a means of delivering navigation equipment to sea areas.

Known methods for positioning underwater objects using sonar. Among them: a method according to patent RU No. 2032187, 03/27/1995 [12], which consists in the fact that a number of hydroacoustic transponder beacons with different response frequencies are placed at the bottom of the reservoir, creating a navigation base, and their calibration in relative and geographical coordinates with with the help of a supply vessel. To do this, the support vessel is equipped with onboard satellite and hydroacoustic navigation systems. The hydroacoustic transmitter, located on the navigation object, emits hydroacoustic signals with subsequent measurement of the time intervals of their propagation from the navigation object to the bottom transponder beacons and back, and converting these intervals into the distance between the navigation object and the bottom navigation base transponder beacons located on the bottom. As a result of processing the obtained range values from the navigation object (underwater object) to the bottom transponder beacons, reliable navigation results are obtained that ensure its positioning.

The disadvantages of this method are the significant costs of ship time, which affects the low efficiency of the method; a large number of bottom transponder beacons (12…16 pieces) with a long autonomy and the need for their maintenance; the need to carry out calibration work, not only during the installation and removal of bottom transponder beacons, but also during their operation when external conditions change, which may include hydrological and seismic factors; the need to replace the bottom beacons-responders after the development of their energy resource with the obligatory subsequent calibration work of the newly installed bottom equipment; the complexity of the onboard equipment of the navigation object, which affects its cost.

A known method for determining the geographical coordinates of an underwater object according to US patent No. 5579285, 21.08.1995 [13]. The method is implemented on the basis of a device that includes drifting GIB-buoys (Gtobal Intelligent Buoy), forming a long base of kilometers, and an underwater vehicle with a beacon - a hydroacoustic transmitter that emits signals of a certain frequency at preset times. Each buoy is equipped with a hydroacoustic receiver (hydrophone), a GPS receiver, a clock synchronized with the GPS clock, and a radio modem. The buoys measure their own geographic coordinates using GPS. At fixed times, the beacon emits a hydroacoustic signal, which, after a certain delay time, determined by the distance, is recorded by each buoy. At the same time, in strict time synchronization, the obtained values of the delay times are assigned the current geographic coordinates of the buoys at the moment the signal was emitted by the beacon of the underwater vehicle. All received data is transmitted over a radio channel via a radio modem to a tracking post located either on the escort ship or on the shore. At this post, taking into account the data received, using special software, the geographical coordinates of the underwater vehicle are calculated.

The disadvantages of this method are: the possibility of demolition of buoys due to drift from the control area to distances exceeding the range of hydroacoustic communication; due to the multipath propagation of hydroacoustic messages, the possibility of multiple arrivals on any of the buoys of the same signal emitted by the underwater vehicle beacon, which is clearly manifested at long distances between the underwater vehicle and buoys or in shallow water; since the difference in the time of arrival of a hydroacoustic signal to any of the buoys is determined by the leading edge of the signal coming from the hydroacoustic transmitter, then with a small signal-to-interference ratio, taking into account the significant distance between the buoy and the underwater vehicle, there is an ambiguity in determining the delay time due to possible signal damage by interference .

There is also a method for determining the coordinates (patent RU No. 2365939, 27.08.2009 [14]). To implement this method, a station drifting on the water surface is used, equipped with equipment for continuous reception of signals from satellite navigation systems (GPS or GLONASS). The reception and processing of these signals ensures the determination of the drifting station's own coordinates with high accuracy at any time. Upon a request signal from an underwater object or according to a specific work program of a drifting station, information about its geographical coordinates is transmitted to an underwater object via a hydroacoustic channel in the form of a noise-like coded signal of a certain shape.

The disadvantages of this method are the insufficient accuracy of determining the geographical coordinates of an underwater object, caused by: the error in determining the coordinates associated with the variability of the signal speed in sea water, which increases significantly in shallow water, when the time delays between individual beams decrease, while the beams themselves cannot be identified and isolated separately ; the possibility of distorting the signal transmitted from a drifting station to an underwater object due to its damage or weakening in the presence of factors such as hydrology (negative refraction, sound velocity jump layer) and reverberation.

There are also known methods for determining the geographical coordinates of an underwater object (patent RU No. 2717578 C1, 03/24/2020 [15] and its analogues patents RU No. 2365939 C1, 08/27/2009 [16]. RU No. 2488842 C1, 07/27/2013 [17], RU No. 2626244 C1, 25.07.2017 [18], RU No. 2460043 C1. 08.27.2012 [19], RU No. 2563332 C2, 20.09.2015 [20], US No. 4914598 A1, 03.04.1990 [21]). which relate to the field of underwater navigation and provide positioning (geographical reference) of underwater objects with the determination of their observed geographical coordinates using a sonar and a global navigation satellite system.

подводного объекта, при этом гидролокатором надводного судна на выбранный момент времени определяются три пространственные координаты подводного объекта - пеленг (П), дальность (Д) и угол места (УМ), значения которых подаются на бортовой компьютер надводного судна для расчета истинных географических координат подводного объекта с последующей передачей полученных значений, приведенных к выбранному моменту времени, по информационному кабелю в навигационную систему подводного объекта.The essence of this method lies in the fact that in the method of determining the geographical coordinates of an underwater object using a sonar located on a surface vessel, based on receiving signals from GPS / GLONASS satellite navigation systems to determine the vessel's own geographical coordinates at a selected point in time, transmitting information via a hydroacoustic channel about the vessel’s own geographical coordinates to an underwater object, on which, taking into account its current geographical coordinates determined by the onboard navigation system, the true geographical coordinates are determined

underwater object, while the sonar of the surface vessel at the selected point in time determines three spatial coordinates of the underwater object - bearing (P), range (D) and elevation angle (EL), the values of which are fed to the on-board computer of the surface vessel to calculate the true geographical coordinates of the underwater object with subsequent transmission of the obtained values, reduced to the selected point in time, via the data cable to the navigation system of the underwater object.

подводного объекта на борту надводного судна на выбранный момент времени и их передаче, приведенных к этому времени, в навигационную систему подводного объекта, ч то достигается с помощью: гидролокатора, размещенного на надводном судне и определяющего три пространственные координаты подводного объекта: пеленг (П), дистанцию (Д), угол места (УМ); навигационного GPS/ГЛОНАСС -приемника, размещенного на надводном судне и принимающего данные с искусственного спутника Земли о его истинных географических координатах (ϕ_ист., λ_ист.); кабеля связи, обеспечивающего информационный канал передачи данных подводному объекту с надводного судна и обратно. В качестве указанных данных выступают искомые обсервованные (точно рассчитанные) географические координаты подводного объекта (ϕ_о,

которые рассчитываются на надводном судне по определенным алгоритмам с учетом пространственных координат подводного объекта (П, Д, УМ) и истинных географических координат надводного судна

In this case, the method consists in the preliminary calculation of the observed geographic coordinates

an underwater object on board a surface vessel at a selected point in time and their transmission, reduced to this time, to the navigation system of an underwater object, which is achieved using: a sonar located on a surface vessel and determining three spatial coordinates of an underwater object: bearing (P), distance (D), elevation angle (UM); a navigation GPS/GLONASS receiver placed on a surface vessel and receiving data from an artificial Earth satellite about its true geographic coordinates (ϕ _source , λ _source ); a communication cable that provides an information channel for transmitting data to an underwater object from a surface vessel and vice versa. The required observed (accurately calculated) geographical coordinates of the underwater object (ϕ _o ,

which are calculated on a surface vessel according to certain algorithms, taking into account the spatial coordinates of the underwater object (P, D, UM) and the true geographical coordinates of the surface vessel

определяются по сигналам, поступающим от искусственного спутника Земли навигационной системы GPS/ГЛОНАСС, которые принимаются его навигационным приемником. С учетом этих координат и полученных пространственных координат (пеленг, дистанция, угол места) подводного объекта осуществляется точный расчет координат подводного объекта на надводном судне, выполняемый по определенным алгоритмам, после чего рассчитанные географические координаты

подводного объекта передаются в его навигационную систему по информационному кабелю с надводного судна.The implementation of this method is implemented by means of a sonar located in the keel of the surface vessel, three spatial coordinates of the underwater object are determined: bearing; distance; elevation angle. This is carried out as a result of processing the probing hydroacoustic signal reflected from the underwater object, which is pulses of a certain amplitude, duration, duty cycle and filling frequency, which are emitted by the sonar of the surface vessel towards the underwater object and, after reflection from it, are received and recorded by two directional patterns scanning in space, generated by the hydroacoustic antenna of the specified sonar in the receive mode. True geographic coordinates of the surface vessel

are determined by the signals coming from the artificial Earth satellite of the GPS / GLONASS navigation system, which are received by its navigation receiver. Taking into account these coordinates and the obtained spatial coordinates (bearing, distance, elevation) of an underwater object, an accurate calculation of the coordinates of an underwater object on a surface vessel is carried out, performed according to certain algorithms, after which the calculated geographical coordinates

of an underwater object are transmitted to its navigation system via a data cable from a surface vessel.

The method can be used only under favorable weather conditions and is practically not feasible in ice-covered conditions due to the fact that a surface vessel and a data cable are used that connect the surface support vessel with an underwater object. In addition, at present, the issue of studying the Arctic, developing resources, and studying the bottom has become acute. It is especially problematic to work in the part of the Arctic seas, which are covered with ice all year round. Even in summer, the ice reaches such thickness and cohesion that it is impossible to carry out geographic work or carry out work on the positioning of underwater objects without icebreaking support. For example, the use of multibeam echo sounders or sonars on a surface carrier, even with icebreaking support, has several problems - this is increased noise due to ice friction on the hull and the need to cover the emitters with ice protection (or use special protected emitters), which leads to a significant reduction in the swath and signal quality.

The technical result of a similar well-known group of inventions is the development of a self-propelled sonar buoy-beacon and a method of navigation equipment of the sea area with its use, designed to implement operational and covert navigation equipment of the sea area in order to increase the safety of navigation in it, improve the quality of work and maneuvering of their swimming facilities by providing them with accurate navigation parameters (patent RU No. 2710831 C1, 24.03.2020 [22] and its analogues patents RU No. 2599902 C1, 20.10.2016 [23], RU No. 5119341 A1, 06/02/1992 [25], US No. 5331602 A1, 07/19/1994 [26]).

As a prototype, the technical solution given in the source [22] was chosen. Along with the advantages of the known method and device for its implementation, the following can be attributed to the disadvantages.

The greatest contribution to the distance measurement error is made by the average speed of sound propagation along the track, while the error in determining the coordinates can reach from 200 to 400 m at the maximum distance from the transmitter of the hydroacoustic station (buoy). In addition, the use of direction-finding (azimuth) methods for determining the coordinates of an object is impractical, since at significant distances, due to relatively large errors in measuring the bearing on board a mobile marine object (MMO), the errors in determining its coordinates can exceed tens of kilometers.

The objective of the proposed technical solution is to increase the reliability of determining the coordinates of underwater objects.

The problem is solved due to the fact that in a self-propelled sonar buoy-beacon having a power source, control equipment, an antenna and a receiver of a satellite navigation system of the GLONASS type, equipment for underwater communication, receiving and emitting hydroacoustic signals, a receiving amplifier and a decoder, electronic equipment of the beacon, an anchor device with an anchor, an anchor rope and a view, made on the basis of an autonomous uninhabited underwater vehicle, has an on-board control system with a navigation module and an echo sounder, a power plant with a power source and an engine, a propulsion device, servo drives and external plumage with rudders, it is additionally equipped with a radio transmitter and an antenna for signaling its location when surfacing, as well as a storage device for recording hydroacoustic signals and noise in the setting area, a computing device and hydrostatic and hydrodynamic pressure sensors that are used to calculate the speed of the tree yfa of the sonar buoy-beacon when it is immersed for anchoring, the direction and magnitude of the horizontal drift of the buoy-beacon relative to the anchor due to the current, the anchor device is additionally equipped with a latch, controlled from the onboard control system, of the anchor rope etched from the view, which serves to regulate the depth of the buoy-beacon and its distance from the ground, as well as a device for separating the root end of the anchor rope from mounting on the view in order to release the buoy-beacon from the anchor and float to the surface of the water, unlike the prototype [22], the emitters for receiving and emitting hydroacoustic signals are made of piezoceramic rings, high-precision reference generators are installed as on a buoy. beacon, and on the PMO, the PMO additionally has a signal correlation processing module located in the receiving path, which includes a single time module, an ADC module, a rubidium frequency standard, hardware and software tools for correlation processing and decoding of received signals, each buoy has an etched on a specified depth of the cable, at the end of which a hydroacoustic emitter is located, and in the method of navigation equipment of the sea area, in which the number of sonar buoys-beacons necessary for the navigation equipment of a given sea area is calculated and their installation points are determined, sonar buoys are prepared on the basis of beacons to the installation, check their operability and load onto a floating craft, deliver them to a given sea area and drop them into the water at the calculated points, after splashing down, the sonar buoys-beacons are transferred to the working position, while the anchor is separated from the stationary buoys, the buoyrep is unwound and installed they put it on the ground, leaving the float of the buoy, as well as the drifting buoy, on the surface of the water, turn on the radio station, the receiver of the satellite navigation system, the satellite communication set and the equipment for sound underwater communication, receive the geographical coordinates of each buoy from the satellite navigation system and, upon request, surface or underwater craft transmit them by radio or underwater sound communication, use self-propelled sonobuoys-beacons made on the basis of autonomous uninhabited underwater vehicles, prepare them for launch, enter the route task into the onboard control system and release from a coastal, sea or air carrier, carry out the movement of each self-propelled sonar buoy-beacon along a given route at a given depth to a given point for it, in the process of their deployment to a given area, they use sound underwater communications, underwater surveillance equipment and act in a group in a coordinated manner, in the transition area, and also at a given point float on top accuracy, receive coordinates from the satellite navigation system, sink to a specified distance from the bottom and anchor, according to the readings of the hydrostatic and hydrodynamic pressure sensors, the length of the anchor rope and the distance from the ground, the true geographical coordinates of the self-propelled sonar buoy-beacon are calculated in the computing device and translated in the standby mode of operation, record the received hydroacoustic signals and ambient noise in the memory device, provide their surface or underwater watercraft operating in the area, at their request, with navigation information, at the command from the control point, broadcast via sound underwater communication by the arriving watercraft or by a repeater dropped from an aircraft , are released from the anchor and float to the surface, turn on the radio transmitter and give the set signal to be detected by their boats, boarding and returning to the base, unlike the prototype, they receive broadband pseudo noise signals (phase-shift keyed signals, for example, M-sequences), upon detection of which the hydroacoustic receiving channel of the PMO navigation equipment performs the operation of correlation convolution of the received signal with a copy of the emitted signal, the decision to detect and start measuring the propagation time of the navigation signal between the buoy and the PMO is made according to the maximum value the impulse response that has overcome the threshold of correlation noise, then, in the interval under consideration, the delay of this maximum relative to the probing pulse of the reference generator of the receiving equipment of the PMO is measured, to accurately determine the distances between the buoy-beacon and the PMO, high-precision reference generators are used both on the buoy-beacon and on the PMO , when forming the time scale and pseudo-random sequence for modulating the carrier frequency of the hydroacoustic equipment of the buoy-beacon, and in the receiving path of the PMO equipment, to demodulate the received signal, the same information that forms the signal in the modulator of the buoy-beacon transmitter, the distances to the buoy measured by the PMO receiving equipment are processed by the method of recurrent Kalman filtering, the vector of estimated parameters includes three components: corrections of latitude, longitude (departure) to the denumerable coordinates of the PMO and a systematic correction due to clock discrepancy (generators) of the buoy-beacon and PMO, the determination of the PMO velocity vector is carried out by joint processing of a series of observations, after splashing down the buoys, the location of the underwater sound channel (if any) is determined, a decision is made on the depth of use of the carrier during work, the speed and direction of the surface current are determined , initially set the first buoy - beacon, located on the layout from the side of the prevailing current, after that, the PMO starts moving at the depth of hydrographic work to the installation site of the second buoy, while the second buoy is moving, they receive a signal from the first th buoy-lighthouse and determine the speed and direction of drift of the second buoy-lighthouse, record the movement track on each buoy-lighthouse and register data on the speed of sound in the water at the depth horizon, each buoy-beacon is equipped with SNS equipment having a common synchronization, on at the depth of the emitter, a sound velocity meter in water is installed, synchronized with the track record in the buoy-beacon, all buoys-beacons operate at the same radiation frequency and the signals are separated in time or each buoy-beacon operates at its own frequency, each buoy-beacon transmits at its appointed time a navigation signal and then a series of two coded packets (two values - fractions of minutes of latitude and longitude of your location, these signals are decoded in the receiving path of the PMO onboard equipment, the first - the navigation signal is used to determine the distance from the buoy-beacon to the PMO, two subsequent series of signals are decoded, the obtained values change the previous coordinates of each buoy-lighthouse, for each buoy-lighthouse and a model of “behavior” is built - drift, while using the data of the course and speed of the PMO received from the INS, when calculating, it takes into account the movement of the PMO during the time between buoy signals and takes this into account in the calculations.

The essence of the invention is illustrated by drawings, where in Fig. 1-4 shows: Fig. Fig. 1. The general scheme of the formation of a navigation range, where the positions indicate: 1 - PMO, 2 - beacon buoy, 3 - emitter of hydroacoustic signals, 4 - navigation satellite, Fig. 2 - layout of buoys - beacons, taking into account the displacement of the PMO for a period of time t between radiation sessions of three buoys - beacons; fig. 3 - the cycle of operation of the hydroacoustic navigation system with the option of using only one frequency on three buoys - lighthouses; fig. 4 - the cycle of operation of the hydroacoustic navigation system with the option of using different frequencies on three buoys-beacons.

Structurally, the buoy-beacon can be made, as in the prototype, ie. in the form of an autonomous uninhabited underwater vehicle and contain similar structural elements.

Self-propelled sonar buoy-beacon, as in the prototype [22] works as follows. In preparation for the launch of a self-propelled sonobuoy-beacon on a carrier, the performance of its on-board systems is checked, the route task and the work program at the setting point are entered into the on-board control system, after which it is released into the water when ready. Next, the self-propelled sonar buoy-beacon arrives at a point with given coordinates and floats to the surface to communicate with spacecraft of the satellite navigation system and clarify its current coordinates. After determining its location, the self-propelled sonar buoy-beacon dives and, having reached the set depth or distance from the bottom, anchors and etches the specified length of the anchor line. With the occupation of the position, the sonar buoy-beacon switches to the standby mode of operation, which consists in listening to the surrounding space and recording external noise in the memory device and being ready to receive an interrogation signal from the provided floating craft. Taking into account the readings of the hydrostatic and hydrodynamic pressure sensors, the length of the etched anchor rope and its distance from the ground, the true geographical coordinates of the antenna are calculated in the computing device of the sonar buoy-beacon, which, according to the established request signal, are transmitted to consumers in the form of an encrypted signal along with an array of navigation information. Upon receipt of the established command via sound underwater communication, the sonar buoy-beacon is released from the anchor and floats to the surface of the water for lifting on board the vessel, subsequent return to the base, maintenance, decoding of records in the memory device and retraining for further use. In order to facilitate the search for a sonar buoy-beacon, after surfacing to the surface of the water, a radio transmitter is turned on and transmits the set signal to the search vessel.

Unlike the prototype in the device, the emitters for receiving and emitting hydroacoustic signals are made of piezoceramic rings, high-precision reference generators are installed both on the buoy-beacon and on the underwater or surface object of the PMO, the coordinates of which are to be determined, an additional signal correlation processing module is installed on the PMO, placed in the receiving path, which includes a single time module, an ADC module, a rubidium frequency standard, hardware and software tools for correlation processing and decoding of received signals, each buoy-beacon has a tether cable etched to a predetermined depth, at the end of which a hydroacoustic emitter is located. The buoy-beacon can also be installed directly from the underwater PMO. for example, through a torpedo tube.

Unlike the prototype, in the proposed method, broadband pseudo-noise signals (phase-shift keyed signals, for example, M-sequences) are received, upon detection of which the hydroacoustic receiving channel of the PMO navigation equipment performs the operation of correlation convolution of the received signal with a copy of the emitted signal, the decision to detect and start measuring the propagation time of the navigation signal between the point of emission and the PMO is received according to the maximum value of the impulse response, according to the signal that has overcome the correlation noise threshold. Further, on the interval under consideration, the delay of this maximum relative to the probing pulse of the reference generator of the receiving equipment of the PMO is measured, to accurately determine the distances between the buoy-beacon and the PMO, high-precision reference generators are used both on the buoy-beacon and on the PMO, when forming the time scale and pseudo-random sequence to modulate the carrier frequency of the buoy-beacon equipment, and in the receiving path of the PMO equipment, to demodulate the received signal, the same information is used that forms the signal in the modulator of the buoy-beacon transmitter, the distances to the buoy-beacon measured by the receiving equipment of the PMO are processed by the recurrent method Kalman filtering, the vector of estimated parameters includes three components: corrections of latitude, longitude (departure) to the denumerable coordinates of the PMO and a systematic correction due to the discrepancy between the clocks (generators) of the buoy-beacon and the PMP, the determination of the PMP velocity vector is performed by joint processing of the series observations, after splashing down the buoys - beacons determine the occurrence of the underwater sound channel (if any), make a decision on the depth of the carrier when performing work, determine the speed and direction of the surface current, initially set the first buoy located on the layout from the side of the prevailing current, after that, the PMO starts moving at the depth of hydrographic work to the installation site of the second buoy-beacon, while the second buoy-beacon is moving, they receive a signal from the first buoy-beacon and determine the speed and direction of drift of the second buoy-beacon, record the movement track on each buoy -beacon and record data on the speed of sound in water at the depth horizon of the emitter of hydroacoustic signals, each buoy-beacon is equipped with SNS equipment having a common synchronization, at the depth of the emitter of hydroacoustic signals, a sound velocity meter in water is installed, synchronized with the recording of the track in the buoy-beacon , all buoys are working at the same emission frequency and the signals are separated in time or each buoy-beacon operates at its own frequency, each buoy-beacon transmits at its appointed time a navigation signal and then a series of two coded packets (two values - fractions of minutes of latitude and longitude of its location, in in the receiving path of the PMO onboard equipment, these signals are decoded, the first - navigation signal is used to determine the distance from the buoy-beacon to the PMO, the next two series of signals are decoded, the previous coordinates of each buoy-beacon are changed by the obtained values, for each buoy-beacon » - drift, while using the data of the course and speed of the PMO received from the INS, the calculation takes into account the movement of the PMO during the time between the signals of the buoys-beacons and takes this into account in the calculations.

Distinctive features of the proposed technical solution make it possible to increase the accuracy of determining the coordinates of the location and speed of the PMO by forming a long-range hydroacoustic navigation system based on self-propelled buoys-beacons using complex broadband probing signals. To improve the accuracy of determining the coordinates of the position and velocity of the PMO, it is necessary to know the speed of propagation of hydroacoustic signals along the path from the emitter of the beacon-beacon to the PMO receiver, use reference generators on board the receiver and transmitter, corrected according to the data of the global navigation satellite systems GLONASS / GPS, and apply extreme correlation methods for processing the measured range. An analysis of current trends in the development of underwater technologies indicates significant progress in the creation of promising robotic systems. At the same time, the requirements for the functionality of software and robotic systems for various purposes have shifted in recent years towards increasing the range from control and positioning systems. In this case, the use of the classical scheme of a long-base hydroacoustic system based on the installation of bottom beacons in the area of application of PMO becomes problematic. One of the promising methods for increasing the range and improving the positioning accuracy of PMO using a hydroacoustic navigation network (HNS) is the use of low-frequency complex broadband probing signals. Recently, developments using phase-shift keyed signals (for example, M-sequences) have become widespread in hydroacoustic navigation and communication systems [Kasatkin B.A., Matvienko Yu.V., Zlobina N.V., Rylov R.N. Principles of construction of long-range hydroacoustic navigation systems // Proc. of Intern. Conf. SubSeaTech' 2007. June 25-28. -St. Petersburg, 2007. Burdinsky I.N., Matvienko Yu.V., Mironov A.S., Rylov R.N. On the use of complex signals in hydroacoustic systems for navigation and control of underwater robots. Institute of Marine Technology Problems FEB RAS Vladivostok // Underwater research and robotics. - 2008. - No1. - S. 39-46]. Let us formulate three main requirements, the fulfillment of which can provide an increase in the efficiency of hydroacoustic navigation aids using complex signals: high-precision determination of the speed of propagation of hydroacoustic signals by increasing noise immunity and using direct acoustic beams in communication channels: transmitting hydroacoustic station (buoy-beacon) - PMO; high-precision determination of the time of arrival of navigation signals by choosing the optimal parameters of M-sequences (frequency, number of symbols, number of periods per symbol) and linking sounding pulses to a common time system both on the buoy-beacon and in the PMO receiving equipment; expanding the capabilities of control systems, telemetry and navigation systems by working with an ensemble of orthogonal navigation signals and periodic correction of onboard clocks using common time signals. The transmitter installed on the buoy-beacon must be low-frequency and have sufficient frequency band for high-quality transmission of complex signals. The most suitable for these purposes are emitters based on piezoceramic rings (V.V. Bezotvetnykh, A.V. Burenin, Yu.N. - 2009. - V.55. - No3. - P. 374-380. POSSIBLE WAYS TO INCREASE). The main method for processing broadband pseudonoise signals when they are detected by the hydroacoustic receiving channel of the PMO navigation equipment is the operation of correlation convolution of the received signal with a copy of the emitted one. The decision to detect and start measuring the propagation time of the navigation signal between the emission point and the PMO is made based on the maximum value of the impulse response that has overcome the correlation noise threshold. Further, on the interval under consideration, the delay of this maximum is measured relative to the probing pulse of the reference oscillator of the PMO receiving equipment. Thus, in order to accurately determine the distances between the buoy-beacon and the PMO, it is necessary to have high-precision reference generators both on the buoy-beacon and on the PMO. Both in the formation of the time scale and pseudo-random sequence for modulating the carrier frequency of the buoy-beacon equipment, and in the receiving path of the PMO equipment, the same information should be used to demodulate the received signal, which forms the signal in the modulator of the buoy-beacon transmitter. Increasing the duration of the pseudo-random sequence increases the noise immunity of the system as a whole. A similar scheme is already used in satellite navigation systems GLONASS and GPS. To form the time scale and pseudo-random sequence on satellite vehicles, cesium and rubidium reference oscillators (OG) with a long-term relative instability of 10-11-10-12 are used, and quartz reference oscillators with a long-term relative instability of 10-6-10- 9. The latest developments of quartz EG have small weight and size characteristics and low power consumption. Since the speed of propagation of sound waves in sea water is approximately equal to 1500 m/s, similar exhaust gases can be used in the equipment of the transmitter of hydroacoustic signals of the buoy-beacon and in the receiving path of the PMO equipment. As a result of the use of OG, the potential (instrumental) error in measuring the distance will not exceed a few meters. The time of continuous operation of the exhaust gas, at which it will provide the specified measurement accuracy, exceeds six months. The conducted experimental studies have shown that the use of complex broadband phase-shift keying signals will make it possible to determine the coordinates of underwater moving objects quite accurately (hundredths of a percent) at distances of more than 300 km from a transmitter installed in the coastal shelf zone. However, in this case, restrictions are imposed on the place of installation of the transmitter: the presence of a negative refraction of the speed of sound propagation in the aquatic environment, which leads to the formation of a near-bottom sound channel on the continental shelf and the transition of acoustic energy into an underwater sound channel (USC). Good results in terms of accuracy of measuring distances are due to the stability of the speed of sound on the SCD axis, i.e. measurement of the distance between the corresponding points is reduced to multiplying the values of the speed of sound on the SVG axis by the value of the propagation time of the maximum pulse passing near the SVG axis. Multiple testing of this technology (V. V. Bezotvetnykh, A. V. Burenin, Yu. N. Morgunov, Yu. 55. - No3. - P. 374-380. POSSIBLE WAYS TO INCREASE) showed good results, but it was noted that in order to improve the accuracy of measurements, it is necessary to take into account the fact that usually the speed of sound on the shelf differs from the speed of sound on the SSV axis, and it is necessary to calculate the effective (average) velocity taking into account the contribution of the sound velocity on the shelf. To do this, it is necessary to measure the speed of sound propagation (SRZ) from the AUV and, together with the installation of the emitter on the buoy - beacon. Knowing the numerical values of these quantities, it is possible to calculate the average value of the SRH along the route using the formula:

Vcp=VshRsh/(Rbzk+Rb)+VbzkRbzk/(Rbzk+Rb), where Rb is the length of the route part on the shelf, Rbzk is the length of the part of the route in the deep sea, Vb is the average speed of sound on the shelf, Vbzk is the average speed of sound in deep sea.

The use of complex signals makes it possible to create multi-channel receiving equipment based on code or frequency separation of signals. This opens up the possibility of taking into account the frequency Doppler shift for a wide range of PMO speeds and organization of information transmission. To implement the above requirements, the transmitting equipment of the buoy-beacon must have the following receiving-transmitting equipment: a reference generator for forming the time scale and modulating the transmitting frequency of the buoy-beacon; receivers of signals from satellite navigation systems GLONASS and GPS for periodic correction of the time scale; equipment for transmitting the measured SRH values to the PMO for calculating the average SRH along the route, which will improve the accuracy of measuring the buoy-beacon - PMO distances. The ranges to the buoy-beacon measured by the PMO receiving equipment can be processed by the least squares method or by the recurrent Kalman filtering method, while the number of measurements of navigation parameters should be at least four. The vector of estimated parameters should include three components: corrections of latitude, longitude (departure) to the countable coordinates of the PMO and a systematic correction due to the discrepancy between the clocks (generators) of the buoy-beacon and the PMO. To determine the PMO velocity vector, joint processing of a series of observations is required. Preliminary tests show that it is possible to determine the distance to the AUV with an error of several tens of meters (V.V. Bezotvetnykh, A.V. Burenin, Yu.N. Morgunov, Yu.A. Sea // Acoustic Journal. - 2009. - V.55. - No. 3. - P. 374-380. POSSIBLE WAYS TO INCREASE).

Analysis of the results shows that the greatest contribution to the distance measurement error is made by the knowledge of the SRH along the route, while the error in determining the coordinates can reach from 200 to 400 m at the maximum distance from the buoy-beacon. At the same time, the use of a hydroacoustic navigation system to create a working area by means of several buoys-beacons, for example, as part of a master and several slave stations, as is implemented in ground-based radio navigation systems (RNS), is impossible, since in the RNS the electromagnetic signal is continuous, and the hydroacoustic the signal is pulsed. In addition, the use of direction-finding (azimuth) methods for determining the coordinates of an object is impractical, since at significant distances, due to relatively large errors in measuring the bearing on board the PMO, the errors in determining its coordinates can exceed tens of kilometers. At present, the issue of studying the Arctic, the development of resources, the study of the bottom has become acute. It is especially problematic to work in the part of the Arctic seas, which are covered with ice all year round. The ice, even in summer, reaches such thickness and cohesion that it is impossible to carry out, for example, hydrographic work without icebreaking support. For example, the use of MBE or EBO on a surface carrier, even with icebreaking support, has several problems - this is increased noise due to friction of ice on the hull and the need to cover the emitters with ice protection (or use special protected emitters), which leads to a significant decrease in the swath and quality signal. When installing hydrographic equipment on an underwater carrier, these problems do not arise, the quality of the work performed is much higher due to the absence of pitching, low noise, ice friction on the hull. But the problem of underwater navigation arises, since the use of currently available navigation systems cannot provide the accuracy necessary for hydrographic work. It is obvious that in a submerged position, especially under the ice, the only possible is the use of hydroacoustic navigation systems (GNS). The currently available HNS, regardless of the principle of navigation, have common drawbacks, the source of which is the need to install the HNS emitters at the bottom. In addition, at great depths, it is necessary to take into account the slant range, a correction for the vertical location of the speed of sound.

The proposed system is a set of 2 to several buoys-beacons (3 are enough to equip one area of work). The underwater carrier itself arranges them, for example, through a torpedo tube.

Each beacon is equipped with a SNS receiver, which allows you to constantly know their exact location and to receive an accurate time signal. Thus, all buoys are synchronized in time and constitute a navigation system that has a common synchronization. Time synchronization of the underwater carrier is also carried out according to the SNS when surfacing before performing work (for example, in a polynya when installing buoys-beacons) and then according to the unified PMO time system, the accuracy of time keeping can be significantly lower when using 3 or more buoys. When using GLONASS, to synchronize the time scale on a public network (SSOP), a single exact time is distributed from the state standard of units of time, frequency and national time scale (GEWCH) through the subsystem for storing and transmitting GLONASS reference time signals to ground GLONASS signal receivers. According to the ITU-R recommendations, the technical means of the STS should provide a time scale error of no more than ÷ 500 nsec. All buoys will be tied to a single time, the accuracy of which reaches 0.5 µs (when using the public network, and when using a special mode, the accuracy can be increased).

Each buoy-beacon has a rope-cable etched to a predetermined depth, at the end of which a hydroacoustic emitter is located. If there is an underwater sound signal in the area, the depth of the underwater sound channel is used, and the PMO is used at the same depth. In the absence of an underwater sound channel, the acoustic emitters of the buoys-beacons are etched to the depth of the expected depth of the PMO operation in the area. This completely eliminates the curvature of the signal propagation path and the need to take into account the temporal propagation of the sound speed, it is only necessary to take into account the sound speed at the horizon of the work. At the depth of the emitter, a sound velocity meter in water of the SVP-70 type is installed with a track recorded in a buoy-beacon. There are two options for constructing the HNS, when all buoys-beacons operate at the same radiation frequency and the signals are separated in time, and when each buoy-beacon operates at its own frequency.

When using the first option, the system is given a period of operation equal to the operation time of one beacon, multiplied by the number of beacons used, plus 1. All beacon-beacons operate in turn, starting with the one assigned to No. 1 and further by numbers. The resulting gap between the series is a means of identifying the beginning of a new cycle of operation of all buoys-beacons by the receiving system at the PMO. A gap may not be made, since the time on all the buoys-lighthouses, and on board the PMO is synchronized and the operating time of each buoy-lighthouse is clearly defined. The buoys-beacons operate alternately after a period of time sufficient so that the signals do not overlap with the signals of the previous buoy-lighthouse. So for a range of a buoy-beacon of 20 km, for example, this interval will be equal to 15 seconds.

The on-board apparatus on the PMO is only a receiver, which increases the stealth of the carrier, does not require a complex synchronization system, and simplifies the entire system. Since the on-board system is synchronized with the beacon buoys, it distinguishes the order of the signals from the beacon buoys by their serial number after a pause (or by a pre-assigned synchronized operation time), it is easy to determine the location of the PMO relative to drifting or moored beacon buoys by the time of passage of signals from them , taking into account the speed of propagation of the speed of sound. Since the exact time of radiation of each buoy-beacon is known, the exact time of its reception, we obtain the signal transit time from the buoy-beacon to the PMO, divide by the speed of sound on the horizon of the carrier and obtain the distance to the buoy-beacon with coordinates known at the time of radiation.

Each buoy-beacon transmits at its appointed time not only a navigation signal, but also a series of two coded messages. Two values are put into these parcels of the buoy-beacon - fractions of minutes of latitude and longitude of their location. There is no need to transmit full coordinates when the buoys - beacons float to the surface and drifting change their location at a speed of no more than 3 knots. And it is necessary to take into account only their displacement in the short time elapsed between the previous sending of the buoy in the series. Approximately, for example: with a time between buoy sendings of 10 seconds, for the specified time, the buoy-beacon will drift at a drift speed of 3 knots of only 15.4 meters, i.e. less than 0.1 cab. In the "coordinate expression" this value is 0.0 G. I.e. it is necessary that the buoy-beacon transmit only hundredths and thousandths of minutes. That is, the buoy-beacon, determining its coordinates according to the SNS, must “discard” degrees, minutes and tenths of minutes from the coordinate values and transmit only two two-digit digits. For secrecy, these numbers are encoded before transmission. In the receiving path of the PMO onboard equipment, the signals are decoded, the first - navigation signal is used to determine the distance from the buoy to the PMO, the next two series of signals are decoded, the previous coordinates of each buoy-beacon are changed by the obtained values. To encode two two-digit digits - changes in latitude and longitude, two binary words of 7 characters each ("0" or "1") are required, which are encoded by the presence or absence of a signal in the word. For each buoy-beacon, a model of "behavior" - drift is built by means of software, the system "knows" the direction and speed of the drift, calculated when determining the previous coordinates of the buoy-beacon, which makes it possible to unambiguously take into account the increment of coordinates in the required direction. Next, the problem of determining the coordinates of the PMO for three ranges to three landmarks with known coordinates is solved.

At the same time, the system, using the data of the course and speed of the PMO received from the INS, during the calculation takes into account the movement of the PMO during the time between the signals of the buoys - beacons and takes this into account when calculating, for example, by the type of "Cruise-distance", compares the calculated coordinates and the received ones. At the same time, the accuracy of determining the coordinates of the buoys-beacons is 5-7 meters, the SNS time error is ±0.5 μs. (it is possible to increase the accuracy when using the “closed mode”) - 0.5 m per kilometer of range, the accuracy of determining the speed of sound on the horizon of the work: when using the sound velocity meter in sea water SVP-70, installed in the emitter of the buoy-beacon in the range speed measurements from 1350 m/s to 1800 m/s is 0.01 m/s - 0.0067 meters per kilometer of range, the accuracy of determining coordinates over three distances, taking into account the angle between the position lines. Since the error in determining the position of the vessel by distances depends on 3 factors: the non-simultaneity of measuring distances, the displacement of the lines of position and the angle of intersection of the lines of position, then the root mean square error of the position is calculated by the formula:

, где Δn₁, Δn₂ - смещение линий положения, θ - угол пересечения линий положения.

, where Δn ₁ , Δn ₂ is the offset of the lines of position, θ is the angle of intersection of the lines of position.

At the same time, when the PMO is located inside the work area, when the buoys - beacons are located on different sides of the carrier, it is possible to reduce the error in knowing the speed of sound in water, the time error between the common time system and the SNS by calculating the "error triangle".

From the above estimates of the errors affecting the accuracy, we can conclude that the accuracy of determining the location will be in the range of 10-15 meters. In the variant of operation, when each buoy-beacon operates at its own frequency, the receiving on-board equipment becomes more complicated, since the number of receiving paths equal to the number of buoys-beacons is required, but the system operates with a synchronous transmission of all buoys-beacons and taking into account the "Cruise effect" does not required. But at the same time, the frequency of sending buoys-beacons in N + 1 will be more frequent.

Buoys-beacons can be both reusable (the need to collect, charge, prepare for the next use), and to ensure the secrecy of work, disposable - cheap, self-flooding after the batteries are exhausted.

When the battery discharge threshold is reached, the buoy-beacon starts to transmit only its full coordinates for search and charge, also the buoy-beacon can transmit the remaining resource in an encoded message to ensure timely charging or replacement of the beacon buoy.

When placing buoys-beacons, PMO comes to the work area, determines the occurrence of the sound channel field (if any), makes a decision on the depth during the work. If possible, the surface current is determined. First, the first buoy-beacon is set, located on the layout from the side of the prevailing current. After that, the PMO starts moving at the depth of hydrographic work to the installation site of 2 buoy-lighthouse (No. 2), while moving, it already receives a signal from buoy-lighthouse No. 1 and can estimate the speed and direction of demolition of the buoy-lighthouse, also determined by the signal operating buoy-beacon range of stable operation of the buoy-beacon. After placing 2 buoy, the PMO moves and sets the third buoy. After that, with the possibility of subsurfacing, the PMO extends the SNS antenna and synchronizes the time of the universal time system, determines its exact coordinates. Then it goes to the area, makes control lines, simultaneously determining the stability and uninterrupted operation of the system as a whole. If necessary, a decision is made to reinstall the buoys-beacons. Next, the necessary type of work is carried out.

To ensure the reliability of obtaining coordinates, a recording of the movement track on the beacon itself is provided, followed by, after surveying the beacon 0 buoy, its extraction and recalculation of the PMO tack parameters. That will reduce the probability of error in determining the location almost to the minimum value.

When performing hydrographic work (bathymetric or gravimetric surveys), it is possible to use the system without transmitting the coordinates of the buoys-beacons (in areas with a slight current), the movement of the carrier with the appropriate equipment, for example, PMO along pre-planned lines with coordination according to the data of the KBT "Gryada" taking into account excess overlap between tacks. In this case, the "finish laying" is performed by the system (Replay) only after the work has been completed and the survey of the buoys-lighthouses, the extraction of tracks from the buoys-lighthouses. Thus, the issue of coordination accuracy is solved, but the probability of “misses” is high. If, however, the work does not require continuous coverage of the area, but surveys are made, for example, of profiles to determine the profile of the continental shelf to identify the boundaries of the continental shelf, this option may be quite sufficient. Signal transmission without coordinates will significantly reduce the required battery capacity, lengthen the operating time. With a high frequency of bursts, it is possible to transmit the coordinates of the buoys-beacons not in each burst, but after a set number of bursts. The coordinates of the buoys-beacons in this case between the parcels for determining the position on the tack are determined in this case by interpolation, and in the case of a "finish" laying - along the track recorded in the memory of the buoys-beacons after the completion of work.

When working with rectilinear lines - this method can be the main one - 1 package with coordinates - but already with the digits of minutes, tenths, hundredths, thousandths, then 10-20 only navigation packages, which are recorded in the on-board equipment, but are not processed and are used only when processing along the tracks of buoys - lighthouses. Parcels with navigation signals are processed in the course of work and serve to control and correct being on the tack and observing the inter-tack distance (when performing continuous coverage).

When working at shallow depths, where increased requirements are placed on accuracy, it is possible to program buoys - beacons so that for the entire time of the tack (and its length, and hence the passage time can be easily calculated) only a navigation signal is transmitted, and for circulation and for the time of setting on a tack (which is also easy to calculate (plus a small margin of time) - navigation signals with coordinates. At the same time, since everything is synchronized, you can set the software to track the beginning and end of each tack and navigate in time. In this case, data processing is performed after downloading When a high-precision optical heading indicator is installed on the PMO, it is possible to determine the location by one buoy-beacon.Two lines of position are obtained - one is the course, the second is the range to the buoy-beacon with known coordinates.

To improve the accuracy on the buoy-beacon, data on the speed of sound in water at the horizon of the emitter deepening can be recorded in the track (it is necessary to install a sound speed sensor there) and on the PMO during work, local changes can be taken into account during processing in order to get a complete picture after the work is completed sound velocity distribution in the area on the horizon of the work.

When using the proposed technical solution, there are such advantages as: buoys-beacons can be located both underwater and on the surface, while they can be easily removed, charged and moved to another area, since the acoustic signal moves only in one direction - from buoys-beacons to PMO, the system is much simpler, there is no need to take into account the passage of the signal along the signal reception-processing-transmission path, the possibility of using any number of buoys-beacons (in the version of a single frequency for all buoys-beacons) for long routes, for example, for gravimetric survey, high positioning accuracy of about 10-15 meters, no need to use a support vessel, no need to equip the area with bottom responder beacons, determine the coordinates of their location. At the same time, the determination of the coordinates of the bottom beacons of the transponders by the vessel that set them up faces big problems due to the difficulty of taking into account the influence of the environment (slant range of a complex shape, vertical distribution of the speed of sound at the installation site, etc.).

In addition, the range of the system is determined only by the frequency, the conditions for signal propagation of a given frequency (attenuation), and only in one direction, the signal power of the buoy emitter and the sensitivity of the receiving path of the onboard equipment. Possibility to use the hydroacoustic complex PMO as on-board equipment if there is a digital output. In this case, the hydroacoustic system is tuned to receive the frequency of the buoy-beacon (frequencies of the buoy-beacons), when the signal is fixed, it is output and transmitted to the software package with the installed navigation program, which fixes the exact time the signal was received. The AUV hydroacoustic system has a high sensitivity, which can significantly increase the range of the system; with an increase in the range of the buoy-beacon, the drift of the buoy-beacon loses its relevance, since it can be used at a greater range, despite the drift from the initial installation area.

The only disadvantage of using beacons on the surface is the drift of beacons, but in the open parts of the ocean it is rarely higher than 1 knot, it can be taken into account in the process of work, and when planning a large amount of work in an area or long lines (for example, when performing gravity observations), buoys-beacons can be placed in any number and the drift and its direction can be taken into account when planning the direction of the tack. In addition, the mode of use of buoys - beacons on the surface is short-term and is mainly due to the receipt of radio signals from the SNS.

In the proposed system for determining the coordinates of underwater objects, single signals are used, which are reference navigation and, at the same time, carriers of command and communication information, including information about the current hydrological conditions in the area of deployment of system elements. The proposed technical solution meets the following requirements: the range of receiving navigation signals through the hydroacoustic channel is at least 500 km; range of the system for transmitting command and communication information via a hydroacoustic channel - at least 500 km; limiting radial error (P = 0.997) of determining the geographical coordinates of a place (according to three sources of navigation and communication signals) - no more than 250 m.

At the same time, the path for generating navigation and communication signals includes: a single time module, a reference oscillator module that generates frequencies for the normal functioning of the hydroacoustic system, a digital-to-analog converter, a rubidium frequency standard, software tools for preparing a signal frame. The path is designed to play a pre-prepared signal frame (file recorded on the SD card) at specified times. The onboard time scale of the tract is synchronized with universal time signals transmitted by GLONASS/GPS satellites.

The navigation and communication signal generation path meets the following requirements: synchronization accuracy with the GLONASS/GPS satellites onboard time scale - 10 ^-6 sec; the relative temperature instability of the master oscillator is not worse - 10 ^-10 ; sampling frequency formation accuracy - 0.01 Hz; file playback sampling rate - 24 kHz; playback frequency band - from 300 to 600 Hz ¹ ; the maximum level of the output signal - U _pp \u003d 3 V; bit depth of the output DAC - 12 bits; playback of files in the format - 16-bit Motorola PCM; support for SDHC memory cards with FAT32 file system.

The proposed self-propelled sonar buoy-beacon and the method of navigation equipment of the sea area provide operational and covert navigation equipment of the sea area in order to increase the safety of navigation in it of floating facilities, both surface and underwater, improve the quality of their work and maneuvering by supplying accurate navigation parameters and also allows to ensure the performance of hydrographic works in accordance with the requirements for accuracy and reliability.

Sources of information.

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3. I.S. Kalinsky. Navigation equipment for maritime theatres. Leningrad: VVMKU im. M.V. Frunze, 1980. - 428 p. pp. 302-304.

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Claims (2)

1. Self-propelled sonar buoy-beacon, having a current source, control equipment, an antenna and a receiver of a satellite navigation system of the GLONASS type, equipment for underwater communication, receiving and emitting sonar signals, a receiving amplifier and a decoder, electronic equipment of the lighthouse, an anchor device with an anchor, an anchor rope and view, made on the basis of an autonomous uninhabited underwater vehicle, has an on-board control system with a navigation module and an echo sounder, a power plant with an energy source and an engine, a propulsion unit, servo drives and external plumage with rudders, it is additionally equipped with a radio transmitter and an antenna for signaling about its location upon ascent to the surface, as well as a memory device for recording hydroacoustic signals and noise in the setting area, a computing device and hydrostatic and hydrodynamic pressure sensors that are used to calculate the drift speed of the sonar buoy-beacon when it is submerged for anchoring, the direction and magnitude of the horizontal drift of the buoy-beacon relative to the anchor due to the current, the anchor device is additionally equipped with a latch, controlled from the onboard control system, of the anchor rope etched from the view, which serves to regulate the depth of the buoy-beacon and its distance from the ground, as well as a device for separating the root end of the anchor rope from the fastening on the view in order to release the buoy-beacon from the anchor and float to the surface of the water, characterized in that the emitters for receiving and emitting sonar signals are made of piezoceramic rings, high-precision reference generators are installed on a self-propelled sonar buoy-beacon, The buoy-beacon has a cable etched to a predetermined depth, at the end of which a hydroacoustic emitter is located. 2. A method for navigation support for navigation, in which the number of sonar buoys-beacons necessary for navigational equipment of a given sea area is calculated and their installation points are determined, sonobuoys-beacons are prepared on the basis for installation, their performance is checked and loaded onto a watercraft, delivered they are dropped into the water in a given sea area and at calculated points, after splashing down, the sonobuoys-beacons are transferred to the working position, the radio station, the receiver of the satellite navigation system, the satellite communication set and the equipment for sound underwater communication are turned on, the geographical coordinates of each buoy are received from the satellite navigation system and at the request of surface or underwater craft, they transmit them by radio or underwater sound communication, use self-propelled sonobuoys-beacons made on the basis of autonomous uninhabited underwater vehicles, prepare them for launch, enter the route task and release into the onboard control system they fly from a coastal, sea or air carrier, carry out the movement of each self-propelled sonar buoy-beacon along a given route at a given depth to a given point for it, in the process of their deployment to a given area they use sound-underwater communications, means of underwater surveillance and act in a group in a coordinated manner, in the transition area, as well as at a given point, they float to the surface, receive coordinates from the satellite navigation system, sink to a given distance from the bottom and anchor, according to the readings of hydrostatic and hydrodynamic pressure sensors, the length of the anchor rope and the distance from the ground, they are calculated in a computing device true geographic coordinates of the self-propelled sonobuoy-beacon and transfer it to the standby mode of operation, record the received sonar signals and ambient noise into the memory device, provide their surface or underwater watercraft operating in the area at their request for navigation this information, at the command from the control point, broadcast via sound underwater communication by the arrived floating craft or repeater dropped from the aircraft, they are released from the anchor and float to the surface, turn on the radio transmitter and give the set signal to be detected by their own boats, boarding and returning to the base, characterized in that they receive broadband pseudo-noise signals, that is, phase-shift keyed signals, for example, M-sequences, upon detection of which the hydroacoustic receiving channel of the navigation equipment of a mobile marine object (MMO) performs the operation of correlation convolution of the received signal with a copy of the emitted signal, the decision to detect and start measuring the propagation time of the navigation signal between the emission point and the PMO is taken according to the maximum value of the impulse response, the signal that has overcome the correlation noise threshold, then, on the considered interval, the delay of this maximum mind relative to the probing pulse of the reference generator of the PMO receiving equipment, for precision determination of distances, high-precision reference generators are used both on the self-propelled sonar buoy-beacon and on the PMO, when forming the time scale and pseudo-random sequence for modulating the carrier frequency of the equipment on the self-propelled sonar buoy-beacon, and in the receiving path of the PMO equipment, to demodulate the received signal, the same information is used, which forms the signal in the transmitter modulator of the self-propelled sonobuoy-beacon, the distances to the self-propelled sonobuoy-beacon measured by the receiving equipment of the PMO are processed by the method of recurrent Kalman filtering, the vector of estimated parameters includes three components: corrections of latitude, longitude to the denumerable coordinates of the PMO and a systematic correction due to the discrepancy between the hours of the self-propelled sonar buoy-beacon and the PMO, the determination of the PMO velocity vector is performed by the joint processing of a series of observations, after the splashdown of the buoys in the presence of a SSV, the location of the SSV is determined, a decision is made on the depth of the carrier during the performance of work, the speed and direction of the surface current are determined, the first buoy is initially set, located on the layout from the side of the prevailing current, after which the PMO starts movement at the depth of hydrographic work to the installation site of the second buoy, during the movement of the second buoy, they receive a signal from the first buoy and determine the speed and direction of the demolition of the second buoy, record the movement track on each buoy and record data on the speed of sound in the will at the depth horizon , each buoy is equipped with SNS equipment having a common synchronization, a sound velocity meter in water is installed at the depth of the emitter, synchronized with the track recording in the buoy, all buoys operate at the same radiation frequency and the signals are separated in time or each buoy operates at its own frequency, each buoy transmits in St. navigation signal and then a series of two coded packets in the receiving path of the PMO onboard equipment, these signals are decoded, the first - the navigation signal is used to determine the distance from the buoy to the PMO, two subsequent series of signals are decoded, the previous coordinates of each buoy are changed by the obtained values, for for each buoy in the PMO, a model of “behavior” is built - drift, while using the data of the course and speed of the carrier received from the INS in the calculation, the movement of the PMO during the time between the signals of the buoys is taken into account and this is taken into account in the calculations.

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