On efficient data collection and event detection with delay minimization in deep sea

Efficient data collection and event detection in the deep sea, as special applications of delay tolerant networks, pose some unique challenges due to the need for timeliness of data and event reporting of coverage areas and the delay of acoustic transmission in the ocean. Usually, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) deployed in searching need to surface frequently to transmit collected data and events, as communications in the air can be done more quickly than communications under the water. However, extra delay is introduced at each resurfacing as AUVs are usually operated in the deep sea. In this paper, we attempt to optimize the frequency of surfacing with the objective of minimizing the average data and event reporting delay. We also study trajectory planning using an extended Euler circuit, where the search space is a set of connected line segments in the deep sea.