Decentralised optimal deployment of mobile underwater sensors for covering layers of the ocean

Abstract

This paper presents the problem of sensing coverage of layers of the ocean in three dimensional underwater environments. We propose distributed control laws to drive mobile underwater sensors to optimally cover a given confined layer of the ocean. By applying this algorithm at first the mobile underwater sensors adjust their depth to the specified depth. Then, they make a triangular grid across a given area. Afterwards, they randomly move to spread across the given grid. These control laws only rely on local information also they are easily implemented and computationally effective as they use some easy consensus rules. The feature of exchanging information just among neighbouring mobile sensors keeps the information exchange minimum in the whole networks and makes this algorithm practicable option for undersea. The efficiency of the presented control laws is confirmed via mathematical proof and numerical simulations.