Experimental application of heterogeneous gliders communication system in South China Sea

Abstract

This study presents an underwater acoustic communication system based on heterogeneous gliders. The system consists of an underwater unit integrated into an underwater glider and a surface unit integrated into a surface wave glider. This setup enables real-time information exchange across different media. This study details the adaptive integration method and information exchange protocol of the underwater acoustic communication system implemented on the heterogeneous glider. To validate the feasibility of this integration, sea trials are conducted in the South China Sea. Additionally, the communication performance of the heterogeneous glider integrated with the underwater acoustic communication system is analyzed thoroughly. This allows for information communication between underwater, surface, space-based, and shore-based components. The results of this study lay a strong foundation for the development cooperative network intelligent monitoring of heterogeneous gliders.