Underwater MIMO Communication Simulator
The Underwater MIMO Communication Simulator enables the performance evaluation of multi-input multi-output (MIMO) configurations in underwater optical wireless communication (UOWC)
Overview
The Underwater MIMO Communication Simulator enables the performance evaluation of multi-input multi-output (MIMO) configurations in underwater optical wireless communication (UOWC) systems. The software simulates realistic underwater propagation effects—including attenuation, scattering, temperature and salinity-induced turbulence, and misalignment errors—for SISO, SIMO, MISO, and MIMO systems. It supports key spatial diversity combining techniques such as Equal Gain Combining (EGC), Maximal Ratio Combining (MRC), and Selection Combining (SelC). This simulator is essential for system designers and researchers developing robust underwater optical links in both shallow and deep-water environments.
Note: Delivered as a compiled .exe file. MATLAB source code is not provided.
Key features
- Multiple Antenna Configurations: SISO (Single Input Single Output), SIMO (Single Input Multiple Output), MISO (Multiple Input Single Output), MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output)
- Diversity Combining Techniques: EGC: Co-phased signal combination with equal weights, MRC: Weighted combining maximizing SNR, SelC: Selection of the strongest received branch
- Realistic Underwater Channel Modeling: Attenuation based on absorption and scattering using Beer-Lambert law, Scattering Models: Anisotropic scattering based on phase functions (e.g., Henyey-Greenstein), Turbulence Models: Log-normal and Gamma-Gamma based on temperature and salinity fluctuations, Pointing Errors and Jitter: Modeled as Rayleigh or Ricean distributed offsets
- Performance Metrics: Bit Error Rate (BER) vs. link distance, Channel capacity for different MIMO schemes, Outage probability under variable link conditions, Diversity gain and signal combining performance
Use cases
- System Design Optimization: Determine optimal number of transmit/receive apertures for given conditions
- Robustness Analysis: Evaluate performance under varying turbulence strengths and link distances
- Energy-Constrained Communication: Select diversity schemes that offer best performance per unit energy
- Channel Characterization: Simulate correlated or uncorrelated channel conditions in underwater environments
- Academic Research: Study the impact of underwater diversity techniques on QoS and spectral efficiency
System requirements
- Software Dependencies: MATLAB or MATLAB Runtime (MCR)