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DUSN Prototype Initial Field Tests
Garry Heard DRDC – Atlantic Research Centre
Defence Research and Development Canada
Reference Document
DRDC-RDDC-2017-D034 May 2017
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© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by
the Minister of National Defence, 2017
© Sa Majesté la Reine (en droit du Canada), telle que
représentée par le ministre de la Défense nationale,
2017
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DRDC-RDDC-2017-D034 i
Abstract
The Distributed Undersea Sensor Network (DUSN) is a component of
the Force ASW project.
DUSN consists of research directed toward the implementation of
autonomous UW networked
ASW sensors. Included in the project is an international
agreement with Norway and Sweden,
which is also called DUSN.
The DUSN project is attempting to create useful sized networks
of ASW sensors and therefore
DRDC is building a dozen DUSN nodes. These nodes, when combined
with nodes from the other
countries, will form a network that is just large enough to
begin to demonstrate network issues;
both positive and negative influences on performance. These
nodes have UW acoustic
communications, on-board detection and processing, and will
allow for the development of UW
network protocols and signal processing algorithms.
The first Canadian prototype DUSN node is nearing completion and
must under-go a series of
engineering tests before full investment in the remaining eleven
units is undertaken. This Bedford
Basin Barge Trial is intended as the first engineering trial for
the prototype sensor node.
-
ii DRDC-RDDC-2017-D034
Résumé
Le réseau de distribution de capteurs sous-marins (RDCS) est un
élément du projet de guerre
anti-sous-marine (GASM) de la force. Le RDCS comprend la
recherche orientée vers la mise en
œuvre de capteurs de GASM autonomes sous-marins en réseau. Le
projet comprend également
une entente internationale avec la Norvège et la Suède,
également appelée RDCS.
Dans le cadre du projet RDCS, on cherche à créer des réseaux de
capteurs de GASM de taille
utile. C’est pourquoi RDDC est en train de construire une
dizaine de nœuds de RDCS. Lorsqu’ils
seront conjugués à ceux d’autres pays, ces nœuds constitueront
un réseau juste assez grand pour
pouvoir démontrer les problèmes qu’il peut occasionner, leur
influence positive et négative sur le
rendement. Ces nœuds permettront d’établir des communications
acoustiques sous-marines, et de
procéder à la détection et au traitement embarqués. Ils
permettront également d’élaborer de
nouveaux protocoles de réseaux sous-marins et de nouveaux
algorithmes de traitement du signal.
Le premier prototype canadien de nœud de RDCS est presque achevé
et doit faire l’objet d’une
série d’essais techniques avant que la totalité des fonds soit
consacrée aux onze nœuds restants.
L’essai sur la barge dans le bassin de Bedford devrait être le
premier essai technique du prototype
de nœud de capteurs.
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Project FASW 01CA03
DUSN Prototype Initial Field Tests
Aug 2016
DRDC Atlantic File: 4118-02
OPI: Heard, Garry
Underwater Sensing Section
DRDC Atlantic Research Centre
902-426-3100 x310
[email protected]
PM: Adrian Hewitt
V2016.08.18
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DUSN Prototype Initial Field Tests
Chief Scientist: Dr. Garry J. Heard
[email protected]
Project Manager: Adrian Hewitt [email protected]
Overview The Distributed Undersea Sensor Network (DUSN) is a
component of the Force ASW project. DUSN
consists of research directed toward the implementation of
autonomous UW networked ASW sensors.
Included in the project is an international agreement with
Norway and Sweden, which is also, called
DUSN.
The DUSN project is attempting to create useful sized networks
of ASW sensors and therefore DRDC is
building a dozen-DUSN nodes. These nodes when combined with
nodes from the other countries will
form a network that is just large enough to begin to demonstrate
network issues; both positive and
negative influences on performance. These nodes have UW acoustic
communications, on-board
detection and processing, and will allow for the development of
UW network protocols and signal
processing algorithms.
The first Canadian prototype DUSN node is nearing completion and
must under-go a series of
engineering tests before full investment in the remaining eleven
units is undertaken. This Bedford Basin
Barge Trial is intended as the first engineering trial for the
prototype sensor node.
Participation DRDC Atlantic:
Trial Chief Scientist: Dr. Garry J. Heard
Eight DRDC personnel will be needed for the testing and analysis
of the data.
Leased Vessel:
Testing will be conducted on and around the vicinity of the DRDC
Atlantic Calibration Barge. The
Connor’s Diving boat used for personnel and equipment
transportation will be employed as the tow/dip
vessel for a hand-held (BATS) acoustic source. No additional
funding is required for the use of this boat.
Objectives The objectives with respect to the testing of the
Innovation are:
Testing the rapid deployment of the packaged array system
Testing of the underwater modem networking
Testing of the basic DUSN node sensor operations
Collection of test data sets
Recovery mode testing
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]
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Area Clearances An area clearance consisting of a large region
in Bedford Basin has been requested. See the included
memorandum in Annex B.
Network Accreditation and Certification Not applicable.
Experiments The experiments are intended to produce the data to
verify component and system operations, rapid
deployment, and the collection of test data sets.
Testing Rapid Deployment The DUSN sensors are packaged much like
a sonobuoy. The package is held together with locking pins,
which are removed prior to deployment. Once the pins are
removed, the DUSN body falls through the
water column. The bottom separates and forms the anchor system,
while the top also separates and
floats upward pulling the Vertical Line Array (VLA) and
Cross-Dipole Array (CDA) out of the package.
Despite the relatively large size of the DUSN, all the
components are a tight fit inside. The purpose of
this effort is to ensure that the arrays and anchor deploy
properly.
In order to do this part of the experiment a number of
underwater cameras and lights have been
obtained. The prototype DUSN node will be repeatedly deployed,
recovered, and re-packed at the
Bedford Basin Acoustic Calibration Barge (ACB) to facilitate
filming of all aspects of the deployment. The
intention is to also ensure that deployment is reliable and to
identify issues before we build another
eleven DUSN nodes.
Testing of the Underwater Networking Once the deployment tests
have been completed, the DUSN node will be left in a deployed
condition.
An Ethernet data cable will be attached to the node to
facilitate communications and alterations to the
internal processor.
A Benthos Modem Seaweb gateway node will be deployed about 100-m
from the ACB and tests will be
conducted to ensure that the acoustic networking is functioning
properly and that no difficulties are
produced by the node’s physical arrangement.
Testing of the DUSN Node Operations This part of the effort is
an engineering test to insure that data are collected and stored
within the DUSN
node memory, that the internal signal detection, beamforming,
and message generation algorithms are
all functional and producing the proper results. In addition,
the tests will ensure that the secondary
sensors (orientation, temperature, etc.) are all functional.
System operation will be checked end-to-end including autonomous
detection, target tracking, and
message generation and communications. The Connor’s boat will be
used as a cooperative target and as
a tow boat for an acoustic projector during these tests.
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Collection of Test Data Sets The Connor’s boat will be used to
conduct a series of transits past the prototype sensor in order
to
collect a number of controlled boat transits for future
algorithm development.
Recovery Mode Testing Each DUSN node has a pair of acoustic
releases embedded within the plastic body. As a final test, we
will
attempt to operate the acoustic releases and drop the anchor
section of the body. The DUSN will then
rise to the surface under the influence of the VLA float.
Primarily this test is concerned with ensuring that the body of
the DUSN does not obscure the acoustic
release receivers from the release signal.
Schedule The schedule for the array field tests is uncertain at
present due to delays in the manufacturing of the
system. A relative schedule is presented below.
Week prior COMEX DUSN prototype, tools, and other supplies
transported to ACB.
Saturday/Sunday Lab closed
COMEX Begin deployment testing
COMEX + 3 Deployment tests complete, modem gateway deployed,
acoustic comms tests.
COMEX + 4 Begin testing node operations
Weekend Lab closed
COMEX + 7 continue node operation tests.
COMEX + 8 Collection of test data sets
COMEX + 10 Recovery testing
COMEX + 11 Barge Testing Ends
Equipment Larger items for the testing are identified in the
table below.
Barge Boat Miscellaneous
- Walky-talky - Acoustic source(s) for 20-11000 Hz - DUSN
prototype - Benthos seaweb modems - Subsea sonics release
controller and
transducer - Small ROV to assist in filming and
recovery of bottom anchor
- Recording GPS - Walkie-Talkie - DACS?? - BATS source
- Tools - Super-88 Vinyl Tape - Tie Wraps assorted - Marine
Band
Walkie-Talkies - Scope - DMM
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Records A trial log book will be maintained in electronic
form.
Overtime Working day lengths are limited by the transportation
vessel contract. Extensive over-time is not
anticipated to be required; however, transportation of gear to
and from the dock may extend the
normal working day. Additional effort may also be required from
time-to-time in order ensure a
successful trial outcome in a timely fashion. Personnel will be
paid for hours worked and a log of over-
time will be kept by the Chief Scientist.
No work on weekends is currently anticipated.
A blanket over-time request will be created and forwarded to
H/US for advance approval in case extra
working time is needed. The OT, if any, will be minimal and is
to be covered by the centre. This OT
authorization will request a maximum of 12 hours for each of the
eight personnel.
Security Operations will be conducted in an unclassified manner.
System operation will be shut-down as
necessary to ensure that classified data is not collected
Physical security for the equipment is limited. There is no
overnight commissionaire on the barge. The
barge is alarmed.
Safety In general, during boat operations safety will be the
responsibility of the masters of the individual
vessels. Activities on the barge will be monitored by Rick
Vienneau, who is the appointed Safety Officer
(FSO) for this field trial. A floater jacket or other certified
personal floatation device (PFD) is required for
use on boats and around the moon pool or the barge. All
personnel will bring a helmet, PFD, and hard-
toed shoes. Work gloves as required should also be obtained from
Stores.
Safety briefings will be held by the Chief Scientist prior to
personnel joining the transport vessel to the
barge for the first time. The safety briefing will be given to
all participants. The FSO will brief on Barge
Safety to all personnel. All procedures mandated are to be
followed. All participants will be responsible
to remain vigilant to safety concerns in the trial conduct.
Sunscreen and a hat are strongly recommended as well as personal
supplies of drinking fluids.
Annex A contains a hazard risk assessment for this trial based
on `Occupational Health and Safety
Hazard and Risk Assessment—MARLANT Defence Research and
Development Canada’, Final Report,
DND Contract HX 099015—Call Up 4. REA Project No. 14111.4, June
4, 2010.
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Contact Numbers:
Barge 902-426-5946
DRDC—Atlantic Research Centre 902-426-3100
Dial 6 for a name directory Commissionaire x120
Calvin Hyatt (CD) x114 CDR Craig Bradley x159
Queen’s Harbour Master 902-427-0550 x6001
Environmental All work will be conducted near the Bedford Basin
with the Acoustic Calibration Barge as the focus of the
activities. This work is covered under the new Stantec Report,
“Updated Environmental Baseline Study
of the DRDC Acoustic Calibration Barge.”
Communications Hand portable radios will be used between the
vessel, barge, and shore.
Personnel This field activity will involve a total of eight
personnel. The participants are listed below.
Since this trial is being held within 2 hours of medical
treatment, in accordance with DRDC SOP, medicals
are NOT required for the personnel.
Field Team
1. Garry J. Heard Chief Scientist
2. Derek Clark Computer Specialist
3. Stephane Blouin Defence Scientist
4. Sean Pecknold Defence Scientist
5. Val Shepeta Electronics Technologist
6. Mark Fotheringham Electronics Technologist
7. Ricky Vienneau Mechanical Technologist
8. Tracey Robertson Photographer
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Signatures
Distribution - Dan Hutt H/US
- LCdr Mark Titus
- R. (Lex) Stuart
- Adrian Hewitt
- Sean O’Grady
- Stephane Blouin
- Sean Pecknold
- David Hazen CD
- CR
- Garry Heard
- Derek Clark
- Val Shepeta
- Dan Graham
- Ricky Vienneau
- Tracey Robertson
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ANNEX A
Hazard Risk Assessment for the 2016 DUSN Prototype Initial Field
Tests
A hazard identification and risk assessment was conducted for
this trial based on the report, `Occupational
Health and Safety Hazard and Risk Assessment—MARLANT Defence
Research and Development
Canada’, Final Report, DND Contract HX 099015—Call Up 4. REA
Project No. 14111.4, June 4, 2010.
Risks and hazards likely to be encountered during the trial were
extracted from the listing in the REA
report regardless of the Work Location (column 1). The point
scores for consequence were adjusted for
the conditions of the DUSN trial in accordance with the DRDC
Atlantic SEMS Manual. A colour coded
scale indicates the severity of the risk. The point scale in the
column labelled ‘LxSum(C)’ also indicates
the severity of the hazard.
Twenty-five risks were identified in total that might be
encountered in some form during the trial. Three
of these risks were above the acceptable level and specific
mitigation, notice, and attention is to be
applied. All of the risks are listed in Annex 3A of the DRDC –
Atlantic SEMS Manual, which has been
printed and used for the risk identification.
This trial consists mostly of work on a moored barge in Bedford
Basin. Bedford Basin is an inland
waterway and is somewhat sheltered. The work is being done in
late August to early September, with
the result that pleasant weather conditions can be expected. The
work will require transportation by a
contracted vessel to and from the Barge. The contracted vessel
will also be used to carry out some
limited work with a sound source near the barge.
One of the most hazardous events in the work is simply getting
on and off the vessel. The weather
conditions are expected to be benign at the time and the area is
sheltered by the land on all sides. We
can therefore expect that rain and wind will be the most
detrimental conditions that could occur and
these will not increase the hazard substantially except for
possibly increasing the likelihood of slipping.
At the dock, the height differential between the boat and dock
is dependent on the tides. The probable
transfer location is equipped with a ramp to mitigate issues and
avoid climbing a ladder. At the Barge
the docking area and the Contractor vessel are of similar
height. These conditions should facilitate safe
embarkation and disembarkation. At both locations, personnel
must wait for others to be ready to assist
before attempting to transfer. When appropriate gang planks and
similar transfer equipment will be used.
The other two significant risks are related to the electrical
risk in connecting the large power amplifier to
acoustic sources and the manual handling of equipment. All
personnel are trained in the laboratory
requirements which include the hook-up of electrical equipment.
Personnel must ensure that power is
removed from transducers and cables before attempting to
connect/disconnect these devices.
All personnel should pay particular attention to the lifting of
heavy loads—particularly on and off the
boat! Extreme care must be used in deployment and recovery of
equipment. PFD’s and other
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appropriate safety equipment must be worn. No unnecessary
personnel will be in the immediate area,
but should be ready to assist in the event of an emergency.
Two or more of the trials personnel are trained and current in
First-Aid (Derek Clark, Sean Pecknold), while
most of the other personnel have been First Aid trained on
multiple occasions, but may not be current.
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ANNEX B
Area Clearances
The area outline below was requested 2016.08.08 by liaison
officer LCdr D. Brennan.
1. The op area requested is outlined below.
WP Lat (N deg) Lon (E deg)
1 44.680 63.649
2 44.683 63.656
3 44.688 63.657
4 44.702 63.657
5 44.703 63.631
6 44.675 63.631
7 44.675 63.6411
ACB 44.684 63.6521
The attached figure illustrates the region in Bedford Basin that
is requested.
2. As of today, the activity is booked for 29 Aug – 2 Sept, 2016
inclusive.
3. Adrian Hewitt is the PM for this effort under the FASW
project.
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Figure B1. Map showing the waypoint locations and the requested
operational area for the trial.
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DUSN Prototype Initial Field Tests
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Heard, G.
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both official languages unless the text is bilingual.)
The Distributed Undersea Sensor Network (DUSN) is a component of
the Force ASW project.
DUSN consists of research directed toward the implementation of
autonomous UW networked
ASW sensors. Included in the project is an international
agreement with Norway and Sweden,
which is also called DUSN.
The DUSN project is attempting to create useful sized networks
of ASW sensors and therefore
DRDC is building a dozen DUSN nodes. These nodes, when combined
with nodes from the
other countries, will form a network that is just large enough
to begin to demonstrate network
issues; both positive and negative influences on performance.
These nodes have UW acoustic
communications, on-board detection and processing, and will
allow for the development of UW
network protocols and signal processing algorithms.
The first Canadian prototype DUSN node is nearing completion and
must under-go a series of
engineering tests before full investment in the remaining eleven
units is undertaken. This
Bedford Basin Barge Trial is intended as the first engineering
trial for the prototype sensor node.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Le réseau de distribution de capteurs sous-marins (RDCS) est un
élément du projet de guerre
anti-sous-marine (GASM) de la force. Le RDCS comprend la
recherche orientée vers la mise en
œuvre de capteurs de GASM autonomes sous-marins en réseau. Le
projet comprend également
une entente internationale avec la Norvège et la Suède,
également appelée RDCS.
Dans le cadre du projet RDCS, on cherche à créer des réseaux de
capteurs de GASM de taille
utile. C’est pourquoi RDDC est en train de construire une
dizaine de nœuds de RDCS.
Lorsqu’ils seront conjugués à ceux d’autres pays, ces nœuds
constitueront un réseau juste assez
grand pour pouvoir démontrer les problèmes qu’il peut
occasionner, leur influence positive et
négative sur le rendement. Ces nœuds permettront d’établir des
communications acoustiques
sous-marines, et de procéder à la détection et au traitement
embarqués. Ils permettront
également d’élaborer de nouveaux protocoles de réseaux
sous-marins et de nouveaux
algorithmes de traitement du signal.
Le premier prototype canadien de nœud de RDCS est presque achevé
et doit faire l’objet d’une
série d’essais techniques avant que la totalité des fonds soit
consacrée aux onze nœuds restants.
L’essai sur la barge dans le bassin de Bedford devrait être le
premier essai technique du
prototype de nœud de capteurs.
14. KEYWORDS, DESCRIPTORS or IDENTIFIERS (Technically meaningful
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helpful in cataloguing the document. They should be selected so
that no security classification is required. Identifiers, such as
equipment model designation,
trade name, military project code name, geographic location may
also be included. If possible keywords should be selected from a
published thesaurus,
e.g., Thesaurus of Engineering and Scientific Terms (TEST) and
that thesaurus identified. If it is not possible to select indexing
terms which are
Unclassified, the classification of each should be indicated as
with the title.)
acoustics; underwater; towed array
AbstractRésuméTable of contents11.1
