UNDERWATER COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20100091612A1
• Filed: 10/06/2009
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mares S.p.A (Head Sports Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Mares S.p.A (Head Sports Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: SKROBANEK, Gerald, Distefano, Giovanni
• Granted Patent: US 8,159,903 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 367/134
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 11/26 Communication means, e.g. means for signalling the presence of diverselectric communication in general H04
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 11/00 Transmission systems employing sonic, ultrasonic or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/02 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the earth or a large mass of water thereon, e.g. earth telegraphy

Abstract

Underwater communication system comprising a plurality of communication modules, each provided with a microprocessor, a memory, a transmitter and a receiver unit; these communication modules are incorporated in an underwater computer and in a plurality of underwater equipment devices; the underwater computer and the underwater equipment devices form an underwater master/slave communication network for short and long ranges, in which each device forms a node and communicates in a bidirectional way with the other nodes of the network administered by a main underwater computer or master unit; each node of the network is identified by a unique identification code which is assigned dynamically by the master unit of the network, and is provided with at least one of said communication modules for short-range communication; a data and message transmission protocol is provided for this network, for administering the bidirectional network between the various nodes of the network.

Claims

1. Underwater communication system comprising a plurality of communication modules, each provided with a microprocessor, a memory, a transmitter and a receiver unit, said communication modules being incorporated in an underwater computer and in a plurality of underwater equipment devices, characterized in that the underwater computer and the underwater equipment devices form an underwater master/slave communication network for short and long ranges, in which each device forms a node and communicates in a bidirectional way with the other nodes of the network administered by a main underwater computer or master unit, each node of the network being identified by a unique identification code which is assigned dynamically by the master unit of the network and being provided with at least one of said communication modules for short-range communication, a data and message transmission protocol being provided for said network for administering the bidirectional network between the various nodes of the network.

2. System according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one node of the network is preferably provided with at least one communication module for long-range communication.

3. System according to claim 1, characterized in that said transmission protocol can be used for the purpose of connection operations, detection of the devices present in the network, and short-range and long-range data transmission.

4. System according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a device for acquiring the pressure in the cylinder or cylinders, mounted on a portable breathing apparatus and provided with a communication device for acquiring and transmitting the pressure data to other devices which process or display said data, the master unit being capable of requesting said pressure data as a function of the diver'"'"'s depth and air consumption.

5. System according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an electronic buoyancy control device provided with a communication device and capable of monitoring parameters such as the diver'"'"'s depth and velocity of descent and ascent, and the like.

6. System according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a diver'"'"'s mask provided with a communication device which can show, by means of a suitable display unit, the data received and possibly processed by the master unit.

7. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the data transmission in an area close to the diver is carried out by means of electromagnetic waves with a data transmission frequency preferably in the range from 5 kHz to 100 kHz, while long-range data transmission is carried out by means of ultrasonic waves.

8. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the data transmission control is based on a CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection) protocol.

9. System according to claim 1, characterized in that each receiving device of said bidirectional underwater communication network is associated with two or more transmitting devices, said receiver units being connectable to each other and if necessary to a long-range repeater.

10. System according to claim 1, characterized in that said identification code of each node of the bidirectional underwater communication network, and the various data exchanged between the various master and slave units, are transmitted in encrypted form.

11. System according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a procedure for recognition and connection of a master unit to one or more slave units comprising the following steps:

transmission of a connection message by the master unit to one or more slave units;

transmission of synchronization data and indication of the type of device;

transmission of a random 32-bit number to be used for the calculation of the key for decrypting the messages;

transmission of a control data element, namely the FCS (Frame Check Sequence) data, for determining whether the transmitted message is consistent as regards the cryptography key;

transmission of a control data element, namely the radio FCS, for determining whether the transmitted message is correct as regards radio transmission;

reception by the slave unit of the message sent by the master unit and verification of the consistency of this message by means of the radio FCS;

transmission by the slave unit of a connection acceptance message (ACK, Affirmative acknowledgement) having the same structure as the message transmitted by the master unit;

reception by the master unit of the message received from the slave unit according to the preceding step, and generation of the key for decrypting future messages.

12. System according to claim 11, characterized in that the messages following the recognition and connection procedure are generated as follows:

the transmitter device, a slave unit for example, creates a message and calculates the FCS data;

said transmitter device uses the key created in the connection procedure to encrypt the message;

the radio FCS is calculated for said encrypted message;

after receiving the message from the slave unit, the master unit checks the consistency of the received data, using the radio FCS;

the master unit decrypts the message, using the decryption key created in the connection procedure;

using the FCS data, the master unit checks whether the message was generated with the same key, in other words the key relating to the associated transmitter or transmitters, and, if the result is positive, it considers the message to be valid and processes its contents.