A network-centric UUV acoustic measurement range system

This paper discusses the design and architecture of the network-centric underwater measurement range system that is currently in operation by the Carderock Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center Acoustic Research Detachment (CDNSWC ARD) on Lake Pend Oreille Idaho. This system provides acoustic measurement and tracking of large scale unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) for the purpose of concept development, model validation, and design research for submarines and UUVs. The inland freshwater acoustic environment provides exceptional SNR for measurement, ranging, and telemetry. This advanced measurement system has a high-speed ATM-SONET network backbone that provides open-standard connectivity to sensors, controls, configuration managers, system monitors, data displays, beamformers, processors, and recorders. The network includes water column sensor arrays, bottom-mounted tracking and communication transducers, onboard tracking and communication transducers, and dry-end laboratory systems. The network architecture leverages the ATM virtual channel concept to provide access, routing, control, and multicast of individual sensor channels as well as processed channels. The virtual channel routing and connectivity can be easily reconfigured to provide system changes, experimental set-ups, and flexible capabilities.