ACOMMS-Based Sensing, Tracking, and Telemetry

A number of important acoustic and non-acoustic technologies are enabled or enhanced by leveraging from the capabilities of a modern acoustic communications (acomms) modem. The acomms technology and signal processing infrastructure of the Teledyne Benthos modem provides the following extended features: high volume, high speed serial data recording from attached sensors; high volume, high speed continuous recording of wideband acoustic signals; precision navigation aids for divers, UUVs, ROVs, and other undersea platforms; integration of chip-scale atomic clocks for precision sampling, time-stamping, and coordination among distributed networks of modems. In addition the modems form the core component of most Teledyne Benthos acoustic releases, and they provide a platform for the development and testing by third parties of new concepts in acomms protocols, from the physical layer right through to the network layer. Examples are provided showing precision diver monitoring and tracking, extensions to fixed undersea observatories, and bio-energy harvesting for long duration undersea presence.