Showing papers on "Intervention AUV published in 2001"
01 Oct 2001
TL;DR: A vision-based system for inspections of underwater structures, e.g., pipelines, cables, etc., by an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) driven by human operators placed in a support vessel that allows the AUV to accomplish the task in autonomy.
Abstract: This paper describes a vision-based system for inspections of underwater structures, e.g., pipelines, cables, etc., by an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). Usually underwater inspections are performed by remote operated vehicles (ROVs) driven by human operators placed in a support vessel. However, this task is often challenging, especially in conditions of poor visibility or in presence of strong currents. The system proposed allows the AUV to accomplish the task in autonomy. Moreover, the use of a three-dimensional (3-D) model of the environment and of an extended Kalman filter (EKF) allows the guidance and the control of the vehicle in real time. Experiments done on real underwater images have demonstrated the validity of the proposed method and its efficiency in the case of critical and complex situations.
106 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an inductive system that provides a nonintrusive power and communications interface between the docking station and the AUV is described, which makes up to 200 W of AC or DC power available to the UAV.
Abstract: Central to the successful operation of an autonomous undersea vehicle (AUV) is the capability to return from a mission, in that there is consistent recovery or docking of the AUV In addition, some missions may require communication with and power transfer to the AUV after docking This paper describes an inductive system that provides a nonintrusive power and communications interface between the dock and the AUV The system makes up to 200 W of AC or DC power available to the AUV The communications interface is 10BaseT Ethernet and is platform- and protocol-independent The overall design of the system is given as well as results from wet laboratory and field tests
54 citations
05 Nov 2001
TL;DR: The SWIMMER Vehicle as mentioned in this paper is a prototype autonomous vehicle capable of deploying existing work-class ROVs to subsea installations removing the need for continuous surface support vessels and long umbilical cables.
Abstract: The SWIMMER Vehicle is a EU-Thermie funded project to develop a prototype autonomous vehicle capable of deploying existing work-class ROVs to subsea installations removing the need for continuous surface support vessels and long umbilical cables. To be able to accurately position and dock a large free swimming AUV, at depths up to 1000m after transits of up to 10km is particularly challenging. The deployment configuration mounts the ROV above the SWIMMER AUV. The ROV is inactive during deployment, and the AUV is completely self-contained in terms of power, thrusters and computer-control. During transit, the LRPS (long range positioning system) provides autonomous navigation to the seabed, together with top station monitoring. During docking, the SRPS (short range positioning system) directs the vehicle during the final 20 metres of descent and provides the necessary positional information for a precise alignment for a mechanical docking with a seabed station. When docked, the SWIMMER uses computer-controlled clamps that allow the ROV to be disengaged remotely from the SWIMMER while on the seabed docking station. In this configuration, power and communications are fed from the seabed network to allow the SWIMMER to recharge, and the ROV to be remotely controlled.
53 citations
46 citations
05 Nov 2001
TL;DR: A new underwater navigation method for AUVs is proposed based on artificial underwater landmarks which are recognized by a vision system implemented in the robot to improve reliability of the underwater vision system.
Abstract: Near underwater structures or the surface of shallow water, acoustic sensing based navigation of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) suffers from inaccurate positioning which is caused by acoustic sensing such as multi-pass and noisy data. In the paper a new underwater navigation method for AUVs is proposed based on artificial underwater landmarks which are recognized by a vision system implemented in the robot. An underwater image processing strategy and an underwater vision environment analysis method are introduced to improve reliability of the underwater vision system. Experiments were carried out to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed navigation method of AUVs.
40 citations
05 Nov 2001
TL;DR: A low-cost versatile device developed to support the navigation of autonomous underwater vehicles and the remote tracking of their positions, without any extra acoustic signals being transmitted.
Abstract: In this paper, we present a low-cost versatile device developed to support the navigation of autonomous underwater vehicles. Unlike the usual transponders extensively used for long baseline acoustic navigation of a single vehicle, this device allows the navigation of multiple vehicles and the remote tracking of their positions, without any extra acoustic signals being transmitted. The navigation beacon has a radio buoy connected to an underwater reconfigurable multifrequency transponder. A remote tracking station receives data from the buoy and monitors the position of the vehicles in real time. We describe the mechanical, electronic and software modules involved, as well as the tracking algorithm, and we also present experimental data from an operational mission.
37 citations
01 Jan 2001
TL;DR: A new remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) designed to serve as a platform for rapid development and deployment of novel underwater vehicle systems and to enhance the ability to develop new underwater vehicle subsystems in the laboratory, and rapidly field-test these new systems.
Abstract: This paper reports the development of a new remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) designed to serve as a platform for rapid development and deployment of novel underwater vehicle systems. The goal is to enhance our ability develop new underwater vehicle subsystems in the laboratory, and rapidly field-test these new systems. Although a significant fraction of ONR and NSF sponsored underwater vehicle research is now directed towards AUVs, we argue that ROVs continue to provide a highly efficient platform for the research and development of advanced underwater technology. Once developed and validated on ROVs, numerous technologies have been readily transitioned for use in autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Section 1.1 examines several contexts in which ROVs have served as development platforms for critical AUV technology. Section 1.2 reviews the desired performance specifications for the new vehicle.
32 citations
32 citations
05 Nov 2001
TL;DR: This paper proposes an archaeology-speciflc AUV to conduct precision survey of archaeological sites and describes the requirements for such a vehicle to work in precision, instrumented environments.
Abstract: This paper explores the intersection of two fields of research: autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), and archaeology in the deep sea. Archaeology in the deep sea poses a range of difficult, interesting problems for autonomous underwater vehicles. These include broad area sonar searches, target identification, and precision survey. Broad area sonar searches for archaeology have requirements similar to those in other AUV applications collecting sonar data to locate targets for further inspection. The authors briefly discuss what existing vehicles can contribute to archaeological searches. They then describe the challenges for AUVs in identifying archaeological sites. Then, they discuss the importance of precision survey of archaeological sites and its implications for vehicle design and control. By "mowing the lawn" with computer-controlled tracklines over an archaeological site, an AUV could collect imagery and sonar data for precise maps of a particular site. We propose an archaeology-speciflc AUV to conduct such surveys and describe the requirements for such a vehicle to work in precision, instrumented environments.
29 citations
TL;DR: The AUV and its mission, the specific navigation sensors selected, and how the overall navigation solution is mechanized are described, which describes the behavior of the navigation system during field experiments and during a successful long-range under-ice mission in the High Arctic.
Abstract: The Canadian Department of National Defence has developed an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) capable of performing long-range missions in ice-covered waters. Autonomous operations in such an extreme environment, where a priori knowledge of the bathymetry is frequently limited, requires a navigation system that is precise, reliable, and repeatable. A hybrid navigation system has been developed that provides precise navigation by combining data from two different types of sensors—inertial and acoustic. This navigation system has been integrated into a large AUV, and for mission lengths of up to 200 km has demonstrated horizontal navigational accuracies of better than 0.05 percent of distance traveled. This paper describes the AUV and its mission, the specific navigation sensors selected, and how the overall navigation solution is mechanized. It also describes the behavior of the navigation system during field experiments and during a successful long-range under-ice mission in the High Arctic.
17 citations
05 Nov 2001
TL;DR: Nekton Research developed a new series of micro-autonomous underwater vehicles (MicroAUV) called Rangers/sup TM/ that house commercial, multi-parameter water sensor arrays as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Nekton Research is developing a new series of micro-autonomous underwater vehicles (MicroAUV) called Rangers/sup TM/ that house commercial, multi-parameter water sensor arrays. Teams of these 9-centimeter diameter MicroAUVs work together to allow multi-agent, distributed sensing of inshore and near shore water down to 100 m depth. Swimming in schools of 4 to 12 members, these vehicles will work together to characterize phenomena as diverse as chemical plume geometry, small scale mixing, and 3-D flow dynamics. This Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) funded program combines a matti-agent distributed network search algorithm developed at Sandia National Labs (SNL), and an acoustic communication and navigation system developed at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI), with a new breed of AUV-Nekton Research's Ranger/sup TM/.
05 Nov 2001
TL;DR: The development of a prototype miniature low-cost autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) was designed to explore technology for one-way military applications, including minefield mapping/tagging, and cooperative underwater activities with similar units, but could also find application in shallow water mapping and remote sensing.
Abstract: We announce the development of a prototype miniature low-cost autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The vehicle was designed to explore technology for one-way military applications, including minefield mapping/tagging, and cooperative underwater activities with similar units, but could also find application in shallow water mapping and remote sensing. The prototype vehicle measures approximately 24 inches long (61 m) by 3.5 inches in diameter (8.9 cm), displacing approximately 7 lbs (3.3 kg). We present the physical design of this vehicle, our findings from initial testing, including the performance of inexpensive sensors used for vehicle navigation.
05 Nov 2001
TL;DR: In this article, a maneuvering and control system simulator has been assembled using nearly the same control boards, LAN, scenarios and control programs as for an actual AUV system, and failure procedures such as emergency surfacing and obstacle avoidance, as well as standard cruising modes including straight constant speed running, course keeping, turning, diving, position keeping, crabbing, stopping and passing designated points can be verified through repeated computer runs of this AUV simulator.
Abstract: AUVs (autonomous underwater vehicles), which are maneuvered according to designated operation scenarios using nontethered systems, feature wide-ranging observation capability due to the un-connection of power and/or signal cables. Maneuvering scenarios and control software should be carefully formulated and checked so as to avoid unexpected AUV motion. Accordingly, a maneuvering and control system simulator has been assembled using nearly the same control boards, LAN, scenarios and control programs as for an actual AUV system. Scenarios and failure procedures such as emergency surfacing and obstacle avoidance, as well as standard cruising modes including straight constant speed running, course keeping, turning, diving, position keeping, crabbing, short turning, stopping and passing designated points can be verified through repeated computer runs of this AUV simulator.
05 Nov 2001
TL;DR: The Battlespace Preparation Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (BPAUV) were developed under the sponsorship of the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to support development of underwater survey applications in the shallow water (12-91 in (40-300 feet)) and, to some extent, very shallow water regions of the littoral environment as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The Battlespace Preparation Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (BPAUV) were developed under the sponsorship of the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to support development of underwater survey applications in the shallow water (12-91 in (40-300 feet)) and, to some extent, very shallow water (3-12 in (10-40 feet)) regions of the littoral environment. A primary function of this system is to evaluate techniques and technologies for bottom mapping/environmental survey and shallow water mine hunting. Two of these systems were built and each equipped with a Klein 5000 sidescan sonar, a CTD, a miniature fluorometer, and a tight scattering sensor; enabling the collection of the basic environmental data needed to characterize a given area. Initial field trials and a recent field demonstration provided opportunities to examine different dive profiles, evaluate navigational performance and survey capabilities, and evaluate the operator-vehicle interface. This paper includes a discussion of the BPAUV concept, some of the key issues associated with the development of the vehicle, and results generated during the testing and demonstration process.
Dissertation•
01 Jan 2001
05 Nov 2001
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe the effort to converge separate AUV and ASC research developments into a streamlined lab-wide standard and present the final ASC and AUV configurations incorporating AUV based technologies.
Abstract: Describes the effort to converge separate AUV (autonomous underwater vehicle) and ASC (autonomous surface craft) research developments into a streamlined lab-wide standard. The final ASC and AUV configurations incorporating AUV based technologies are described and the results of field tests are presented. The paper concludes with an assessment of the benefits and limitations of this approach to autonomous vehicle development and operation.
01 Jan 2001
Dissertation•
01 Jan 2001
TL;DR: The C-SCOUT as discussed by the authors is a prototype AUV for graduate student research with a limited budget, and is designed to be easily modifiable, small enough to handle, highly maneuverable, and readily adaptable for many missions.
Abstract: This thesis presents and discusses the design process, construction, outfitting, and preliminary in-water testing of the C-SCOUT (Canadian Self-Contained Off-the-shelf Underwater Testbed) Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). This work was carried out from January 1999 to August 2001. C-SCOUT was designed to be of low cost and simple to manufacture while still retaining a multi-mission capability. The designed vehicle is for graduate student research with a limited budget, and is designed to be easily modifiable, small enough to be easily handled, highly maneuverable, and readily adaptable for many missions. A modular design was developed, and the most basic version of the AUV was built and tested as a proof-of-concept vehicle. -- The C-SCOUT Baseline Configuration vehicle is 2.7 metres long, 0.4 metres in diameter, and 1.06 metres from fin-tip to fin-tip. A second vehicle hull, the C-SCOUT 11, has been constructed for hydrodynamic testing on the planar motion mechanism. The control surfaces were designed using Det Norkse Veritas guidelines for highly maneuverable vessels and an in-depth analysis of pressure vessel design was carried out using boiler code from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Vehicle powering requirements were estimated using a component buildup method and an empirical database method. Both yielded very similar results. Preliminary in-water tests were conducted to validate the vehicle design methodology. The C-SCOUT AUV performed well in these trials and can now be used as a testbed vehicle for graduate level research.
05 Nov 2001
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed a new navigation algorithm which consists of behavior-based module and path planning module for the survey to get high resolution image of the seabed in the water current.
Abstract: Introduction of an AUV (autonomous underwater vehicle) equipped with a side scanning sonar is anticipated for the survey to get high resolution image of the seabed in the water current This paper proposes a new navigation algorithm which consists of behavior-based module and path planning module for this purpose. By the behavior based module, the AUV can avoid collision with unknown obstacles and keep constant altitude close to the seabed. The path planning module generates a suitable path that can safely sweep the whole seabed in the mission area. If the water current condition changes during the mission, the proposed path planning algorithm recalculates a new path line which is suitable for the new condition. Simulation result shows that the proposed algorithm is suitable for such a mission taking images of an underwater hill where the water current is not negligible.
01 Aug 2001
TL;DR: The Schwierigkeiten liegen in nichtlinearen Systemverhalten des Fahrzeugs, der aufwendigen Positionsermittlung, robusten Auslegung des Autopiloten sowie der übersichtlichen Darstellung der eingehenden Informationen für den Operator as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Die Führung von Unterwasserfahrzeugen stellt erhebliche Ansprüche an die einzusetzenden Algorithmen. Die Schwierigkeiten liegen im nichtlinearen Systemverhalten des Fahrzeugs, der aufwendigen Positionsermittlung, der robusten Auslegung des Autopiloten sowie der übersichtlichen Darstellung der eingehenden Informationen für den Operator.
01 Jul 2001
TL;DR: Chemical detection underwater is playing increasingly important roles for both military and environmental applications, and use of unmanned underwater vehicles as sensor platforms allow extended ranges and greater area coverage with minimal risk to personnel and high-value assets.
Abstract: : Chemical detection underwater is playing increasingly important roles for both military and environmental applications. Use of unmanned underwater vehicles as sensor platforms allow extended ranges and greater area coverage with minimal risk to personnel and high-value assets. There are a variety of underwater platform types available including remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), and crawlers. The benefits and tradeoffs of each platform type will be discussed with regard to the specific mission and environments. ROVs are the most mature of the platforms, with a wide range of systems in use in the Fleet and commercially. AUVs are becoming available and will provide extended capabilities in the future. State of the art systems and directions will be presented.
05 Nov 2001
TL;DR: In this article, the REDERMOR II autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) controller is presented and the first results in simulation are analyzed, which is a module developed in a project whose objective is to use sonars for the improvement of the navigation, the guidance and the control of an AUV.
Abstract: This article deals with the controller of the REDERMOR II autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). This controller is a module developed in a project whose the objective is to use sonars for the improvement of the navigation, the guidance and the control of an AUV. After a short presentation of the project and the vehicle, the controller is presented and the first results in simulation are analyzed.