An improved demodulation scheme for FH-MFSK underwater acoustic communications

Underwater acoustic communications are required for controlling and networking a variety of underwater or sea surface objects. Due to the unique characteristics of the underwater acoustic channel, e.g., complicated multipath propagation, selective frequency fading, extreme Doppler effect and heavy ambient noise, FH-MFSK techniques play a vital role in robust underwater acoustic communication, especially in shallow water. However, based on detecting the frequency of the receiving signals, the demodulation scheme for FH-MFSK may be sensitive to the frequency shifting caused by underwater Doppler shifts. This paper focuses on how to design the frequency demodulation scheme and to improve the performance of underwater FH-MFSK acoustic communication system. By using an original Double-Line Interpolation algorithm with Hanning window, we propose a demodulation scheme to enhance the tolerance of the Doppler shift and improve the detection rate. Simulations and demodulation performance were tested. Experimental results show a promising future for FH-MFSK demodulation in underwater acoustic communication system.