Covering Underwater Shadow Zones using Acoustic Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Zhao, Longfei, Tan, Jingbo, Wang, Jintao, Akyildiz, Ian F., Sun, Zhi
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Zhao, Longfei
Tan, Jingbo
Wang, Jintao
Akyildiz, Ian F.
Sun, Zhi
author_facet Zhao, Longfei
Tan, Jingbo
Wang, Jintao
Akyildiz, Ian F.
Sun, Zhi
contents To better explore the oceans, seamless communication coverage of the vast 3D underwater space is desired. Unlike terrestrial networks using radio signals, underwater acoustic communications face a unique challenge: nodes in underwater shadow zones cannot connect to the network, even within the line of sight. These shadow zones can extend for tens of kilometers, causing communication nodes to disconnect. Existing efforts focus on passive avoidance of shadow zones, but this strategy cannot ensure seamless coverage in dynamic ocean environments. This paper addresses the shadow zone problem by utilizing acoustic Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) to actively control the underwater channel. Shadow zones are analytically modeled, and optimal RIS deployment strategies are developed for both deep-sea and shallow-sea environments. The acoustic RIS is redesigned considering practical engineering limitations and validated through pool tests. Bellhop-based simulations show that without RIS deployment, coverage is limited to less than 20%, regardless of source strength. However, with optimal RIS deployment, energy coverage can reach almost 100%.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_02256
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Covering Underwater Shadow Zones using Acoustic Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces
Zhao, Longfei
Tan, Jingbo
Wang, Jintao
Akyildiz, Ian F.
Sun, Zhi
Networking and Internet Architecture
To better explore the oceans, seamless communication coverage of the vast 3D underwater space is desired. Unlike terrestrial networks using radio signals, underwater acoustic communications face a unique challenge: nodes in underwater shadow zones cannot connect to the network, even within the line of sight. These shadow zones can extend for tens of kilometers, causing communication nodes to disconnect. Existing efforts focus on passive avoidance of shadow zones, but this strategy cannot ensure seamless coverage in dynamic ocean environments. This paper addresses the shadow zone problem by utilizing acoustic Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) to actively control the underwater channel. Shadow zones are analytically modeled, and optimal RIS deployment strategies are developed for both deep-sea and shallow-sea environments. The acoustic RIS is redesigned considering practical engineering limitations and validated through pool tests. Bellhop-based simulations show that without RIS deployment, coverage is limited to less than 20%, regardless of source strength. However, with optimal RIS deployment, energy coverage can reach almost 100%.
title Covering Underwater Shadow Zones using Acoustic Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces
topic Networking and Internet Architecture
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.02256