Experimental Study of Doppler Effect for Underwater Acoustic Communication Using Orthogonal Signal Division Multiplexing

Abstract

This paper is about the underwater acoustic (UWA) communication using orthogonal signal division multiplexing (OSDM) in shallow water, whose environment is time spread and frequency spread. In this paper, the Doppler effect – Doppler shift and spread – for UWA communication using OSDM is mainly considered. The effects of Doppler shift and Doppler spread are evaluated in a test tank with a moving platform on a stable water surface and with a stable platform with a moving water surface, respectively. Doppler shift correction, which has been considered in simulation-based studies, is found to work effectively. In relation to the effect of Doppler spread, the experimental result well agrees with the simulation result. Through this study, it is confirmed that a smaller frame length is preferable because it enables the measurement of the UWA channel frequently so that it can keep up with channel changes.