Space–time receiver for spread spectrum communication systems with beam tracking

Abstract

Abstract A method based on beam tracking in an underwater acoustic (UWA) time‐varying channel was proposed to improve the performance of UWA spread spectrum communication systems using arrays. In the ocean, the acoustic signal reaches the receiver through various paths, and the signal on each path has its own propagation delay and incidence angle. To effectively use the time and space characteristics of the received signal in a typical time‐varying or all types of UWA channels of mobile communication scenarios, the multiple signal classification (MUSIC) algorithm constantly updates the beam orientation. In addition, the receiving signal beamforming and maximum ratio combination can solve the severe inter‐symbol interference in a sea channel and significantly improve the signal‐to‐noise ratio of the received signal; the UWA spread spectrum communication system is more reliable. Through computer simulation and an actual pool experiment, a space–time receiver for an UWA spread spectrum communication system with beam tracking was successfully implemented.

Keywords

• acoustic arrays
• diversity reception
• multibeam antennas
• MUSIC algorithm
• spread spectrum communication
• underwater acoustic communication