Faster Optical Modem for Underwater Data Acquisition

To address NGA’s requirements, Sonalysts’ team of world-class experts in underwater optical communication proposes development and implementation of the Precision Optical Navigation Transceiver for Undersea Systems (PONTUS). PONTUS will transfer navigation information from an Underwater Navigation Beacon (UNB) to an Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) in an electromagnetic-spectrum-denied (e.g., Global Positioning System (GPS)-denied) environment. PONTUS notionally consists of components on the UNB and the UUV. On the UNB, PONTUS notionally includes: (1) blue laser diode transmitters, modulated to communicate navigation information, and (2) an undersea battery system. On the UUV, PONTUS notionally includes: (1) blue receivers, (2) high-resolution cameras, (3) image processing circuit board, and (4) an interface to the UUV Inertial Navigation System (INS). This effort will meet technical objectives of: (1) demonstrate feasibility of determining UUV position; (2) determine speed of transmission required for on-off keying; stretch goal is to determine speed of transmission required to send 80-character signal; (3) determine minimum perceptibility based on speed, orientation, and energy of transmission; (4) determine that underwater optical communication signal, on-off keying, can be acquired across water column of 2 meters; stretch goal is across water column of 10 meters; and (5) determine minimum beacon energy required for transmission.