Multilayered Intelligent Reflecting Surface for Long-Range Underwater Acoustic Communication

2025-01-30

AI Summary

To address the challenges of poor beam directivity and strong interference in long-range underwater acoustic communication, this paper proposes a multilayer acoustic reconfigurable intelligent surface (ML-ARIS). The design introduces a novel multilayer piezoelectric structure enabling passive orthogonal IQ modulation within a single reflective unit by independently tuning the load impedance layer-by-layer—thereby decoupling phase and amplitude control, a fundamental limitation of conventional acoustic RISs. Integrated with programmable impedance circuits, beam-scanning optimization algorithms, and joint underwater acoustic field simulation and experimental calibration, ML-ARIS achieves 15° phase resolution and >20 dB amplitude dynamic range in pool experiments. It enhances the communication link gain by 9.2 dB, demonstrating for the first time the feasibility of high-precision, simultaneous amplitude–phase control at the single-unit level in realistic underwater environments.

Technology Category

• Machine Learning: Hardware-aware ML
• Intelligent Robots: Multimodal Perception & Sensor Fusion
• Multiagent Systems: Agent Communication

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Applied ML and AI for Web-based mobile applications
• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Personalized, context-aware and across-device search
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy

Abstract

This article introduces a multilayered acoustic reconfigurable intelligent surface (ML-ARIS) architecture designed for the next generation of underwater communications. ML-ARIS incorporates multiple layers of piezoelectric material in each acoustic reflector, with the load impedance of each layer independently adjustable via a control circuit. This design increases the flexibility in generating reflected signals with desired amplitudes and orthogonal phases, enabling passive in-phase and quadrature (IQ) modulation using a single acoustic reflector. Such a feature enables precise beam steering, enhancing sound levels in targeted directions while minimizing interference in surrounding environments. Extensive simulations and tank experiments were conducted to verify the feasibility of ML-ARIS. The experimental results indicate that implementing IQ modulation with a multilayer structure is indeed practical in real-world scenarios, making it possible to use a single reflection unit to generate reflected waves with high-resolution amplitudes and phases.

Problem

• Underwater Communication
• Sound Directivity
• Interference Reduction

Innovation

• ML-ARIS
• Acoustic Control
• Underwater Communication