Online Reduction of Exploration Space for Automated Underwater Modem Optimization

Developing efficient underwater communication systems is complex, as multiple factors impact communication quality. While rapid prototyping has been a common approach, it carries a high risk of failure. To address this challenge, model-based development and implementation have gained popularity. However, selecting the optimal combination of modulation type, correction properties, synchronization properties, and other parameters remains time-consuming and intricate. This paper presents an innovative approach to streamline the development process by reducing the exploration space. The proposed method evaluates potential solutions based on scenario-specific, application-specific, and performance-related upper and lower bounds for the selectable communication system. These bounds consider common underwater challenges, such as SNR degradation and multiple bounce loss, and distinguish between dynamic and static system analyses. By adopting this approach, existing analysis and development workflow achieve more optimized communication systems and afford more efficient variant selection using narrowing down the solution space and considering the specific requirements of each scenario. The approach’s effectiveness is demonstrated through case studies and evaluations, highlighting the benefits of reducing the exploration space and utilizing scenario-, application-, and performance-based bounds. This enables the development of robust and tailored underwater communication systems, improving communication quality and overall system performance.