The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI, Moss Landing, CA) has developed a 54-cm-diameter (21-in) docking AUV and companion docking station. This program resulted in four consecutive successful autonomous homing and docking events in the open ocean, which included downloading data, uploading a new mission plan, recharging the battery, and complete power cycling of the AUV. We describe the design, simulation, and at-sea test of the homing and docking control system.

Docking Control System for a 54-cm-Diameter (21-in) AUV

The power supply for unmanned underwater vehicles has been an important research point since the vehicles were invented. The power systems and environmental energy conversions for the vehicles are reviewed in the paper. Several topics are represented: problems and general solutions for unmanned underwater vehicles power supplies; the mechanisms and structures of tether power system; characteristics of several batteries; the characterization of potential environmental energy, and energy conversion for unmanned underwater vehicles. Docking stations for underwater vehicles continuation are also represented in the paper. Some typical vehicles powered by the power systems and their performances are listed and analyzed.

Reviews of power systems and environmental energy conversion for unmanned underwater vehicles

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are increasingly used for undersea exploration. The endurance of AUVs is limited by the onboard energy storage among which the battery systems dominate. Various underwater recharging methods are employed to increase the AUV range and autonomy. Currently, contact-based underwater recharging utilizes the wet-mate connector technology that requires a high-precision AUV docking, and is prone to electrical safety issues. To overcome these limitations, underwater wireless recharging techniques for AUVs have been explored in recent years. Wireless charging offers a safe and reliable method for autonomous power transfer between a charging station and a vehicle. This article reviews the state-of-the-art inductive wireless power transfer (IWPT) solutions for underwater applications and discusses the engineering challenges of the IWPT system design. Underwater environmental factors, such as seawater conductivity, temperature, pressure, water currents, and biofouling phenomenon, impose constraints on IWPT systems. A comprehensive review of AUV energy storage systems, docking methods, IWPT system control methods, and compensation networks is presented in this article. Based on the main operational and constructional principles, the AUV IWPT systems are categorized as loosely coupled transformers and resonant IWPT systems. Each of the categories is illustrated through their main design principles and implementations reported in the literature so far. Technical challenges, such as integration of IWPT system into an AUV hull, interoperability, alignment and retention issues, docking station sinking and stability, the design of pressure-tolerant charging electronics, data transfer, and the battery operation in the underwater environment are discussed in this article too. The article is concluded with the best practice overview of designing an IWPT system for AUVs.

Review of Wireless Charging Systems for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) has developed an AUV docking station for a 21-inch (54 cm) diameter AUV. The system was designed for operation with cabled undersea observatories in water depths up to 4 km deep and has been demonstrated in the open ocean, though at much shallower depths. The program demonstrated successful autonomous homing and docking, data downloads, uploading of new mission plans, battery recharging, and complete power cycling of the AUV. We describe the design, and at-sea tests.

The Development and Ocean Testing of an AUV Docking Station for a 21" AUV

Autonomous underwater vehicle docking system for cabled ocean observatory network

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), used by marine scientists mainly, have to refuel and download data regularly. Usually, AUVs resurface and are recovered for these routine tasks, but surfacing waste time and manpower for AUV's launch and recovery on a support ship. Especially, the cost of manpower on the support ship is in problem for long-term monitoring. To solve these problems, some concepts of underwater docking and recharging, that AUV docks with a fixed (or mobile) base, to recharge its batteries and download data, are suggested. When AUVs need no surfacing for routine tasks by this system, it will become a 'completely autonomous' underwater observation and monitoring system in the future. Some devices of underwater docking and recharging system for AUVs have been suggested and underwater-tested in U.S. and Europe, but we have developed a new experimental AUV, called "MARINE BIRD" with new underwater docking and recharging system. This system is based on an original, unique concept, different from previous ones. We have also carried out docking trials in the dock, the MARINE BIRD succeeded the docking test and demonstrated the excellence of its autonomous docking capability. This paper introduces an overview of MARINE BIRD, docking and recharging system, and test results of docking test.

"MARINE BIRD", a new experimental AUV with underwater docking and recharging system

The "Marine Bird" is an experimental autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) that can dock with an underwater base to charge batteries. An AUV with docking functions like the Marine Bird and a scientific submarine cable network system are to enhance their availability each other when they are used together. The combination of both technologies is to be a breakthrough for oceanographic investigations. This paper describes the overview of the Marine Bird, its docking and recharging system and the principal test results.

M. Baino

Papers

"MARINE BIRD", a new experimental AUV with underwater docking and recharging system

Development of AUV "Marine Bird" with underwater docking and recharging system