Enhancing AUV localization using underwater acoustic sensor networks: Results in long baseline navigation from the COLLAB13 sea trial

This work proposes a novel approach to enhance Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) navigation through the addition of localisation services to networked acoustic communication. The approach is based on the inclusion of timing information within acoustic messages through which it is possible to know the exact time of an acoustic transmission in relation to its reception. The exploitation of such information at the network level makes it possible to create an interrogation scheme similar to that of a long-baseline (LBL). The advantage is that the AUVs themselves become the transponders of the baseline, and hence there is no need for dedicated instrumentation. Results are given from the COLLAB13 experimental campaign, where a three node network was deployed off the coast of La Spezia, Italy.