Current methods of minefield reconnaissance and clearance operations prove to be tedious, time consuming, expensive, and dangerous. In an effort to find an effective low cost solution, the U.S. Navy is considering using fleets of robotic underwater vehicles equipped with detection sensors and /or magnetic and acoustic minesweeping devices. To ensure maximum sweeping of the minefield, all vehicle movements are coordinated through a supervisor vehicle. Here, a computer simulation was conducted...
Topics: Underwater vehicles, Autonomous underwater vehicles, Unmanned underwater vehicles, Robotics,...
In order for a team of several Automated Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), such as the ARIES, to operate cooperatively, operators require a cost effective position estimation method. Range only measurement (ROM) position estimation provides this and a means for the AUVs to identify each other's position. Position estimation usually requires at least two range measurements from known points to solve for a vessel's position. However, under certain conditions, one range only measurement can provide a...
Topics: Autonomous underwater vehicles, Unmanned underwater vehicles, Robotics, Navigation
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Topics: UNDERWATER VEHICLES., AUTONOMOUS NAVIGATION.
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Oct 7, 2015
10/15
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Barr, Donald Roy.;Larson, Harold J., 1934-
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Topic: UNDERWATER VEHICLES.,NAVIGATION--UNDERWATER.
Naval Postgraduate School
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Jan 24, 2013
01/13
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McGhee, Robert B.;Clynch, James R.;Kwak, Se-Hung.;McKeon, James Bernard.
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Topics: AUTONOMOUS NAVIGATION., UNDERWATER VEHICLES.
Naval Postgraduate School
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Nov 29, 2012
11/12
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Barr, Donald Roy.;Larson, Harold J., 1934-
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Topics: UNDERWATER VEHICLES., NAVIGATION--UNDERWATER.
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Oct 9, 2015
10/15
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McGhee, Robert B.;Clynch, James R.;Kwak, Se-Hung.;McKeon, James Bernard.
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Topic: AUTONOMOUS NAVIGATION.,UNDERWATER VEHICLES.
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Oct 8, 2015
10/15
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Lee, Yuh-jeng.;Wilkinson, Paul.
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Topic: UNDERWATER VEHICLES.,AUTONOMOUS NAVIGATION.
The use of artificial neural networks to provide a method of detecting and isolating impending failures in an autonomous underwater vehivle propulsion system has been studied. Two types of fault diagnostic systems, each capable of detecting different kinds of faults, were designed. The first system addresses the fault identification proces by looking at the raw data available from system sensors. The second design processes sensor data with a Kalman filter before it is input to a neural...
Topics: Failure detection, System parameter identification, Autonomous underwater vehicles, Underwater...
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) are being considered by the U.S. Navy for a variety of missions. Requirements for autonomy reinforce the need for a robust maneuvering controller that can ensure accurate tracking of a planned path. Model reference controllers (MRC) have been employed in situations where accurate tracking is desired and where plant parameters change with operating conditions. Because underwater vehicles are highly non-linear, it is conjectured that an MRC will provide...
Topics: Remote submersibles, Model reference controls, Autonomous underwater vehicles, Model Reference...
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Topics: SOFTWARE ENGINEERING., UNDERWATER VEHICLES., ROBOTS., VIRTUAL REALITY.
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Oct 9, 2015
10/15
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Brutzman, Donald P.
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Cover title
Topic: SOFTWARE ENGINEERING.,UNDERWATER VEHICLES.,ROBOTS.,VIRTUAL REALITY.
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) are a subject of study at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). This thesis discusses the formulation of a navigator for the Testbed AUV being constructed at NPS. The navigator being proposed estimates the position of the vehicle using measurable dynamic parameters. The estimate is refined by an observation of position using sonar. The effects of set, drift and sonar noise are minimized using a filter. A simulation to test the AUV is also provided to test the...
Topics: Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, Artificial intelligence, Robotics, Graphics
A truly Autonomous Vehicle must be able to determine its global position in the absence of external transmitting devices. This requires the optimal integration of all available organic vehicle attitude and velocity sensors. This thesis investigates the extended Kalman filtering method to merge asynchronous heading, heading rate, velocity, and DGPS information to produce a single state vector. Different complexities of Kalman filters, with biases and currents, are investigated with data from...
Topics: UNDERWATER VEHICLES, KALMAN FILTERING, DATA FUSION, NA
The dynamic behavior of the AUV II thruster was mathematically modeled by a four quadrant mapping of the propeller blade lift/drag coefficients as a function of fluid effective angle of attack. The model was validated with experimental transient response test tank data of the actual AUV II thruster, yielding improved predicted results with respect to previous thruster models. An open loop static mapping control law was formulated, simulated, and evaluated utilizing the new model.
Topics: Thruster, Dynamic response, Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV)
The response of small tunnel thrusters to triangular and square wave changes in applied voltages to the thruster motor is studied. Previous mathematical models have attempted to identify the dynamic characteristics in thruster responses in order to minimize limit cycling in underwater vehicle position control. These experiments validate the effect of fluid inertia in the tunnel for long and shorter period commands. Additionally, the presence of a transient lag between changes in propeller speed...
Topics: Thrusters, Dynamic response, Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV)
Accurate track keeping of autonomous underwater vehicles is necessary for the autonomous navigation of a vehicle through confined spaces, and in the presence of obstacles and cross-current environments. Uncertainties in the force coefficients and environmental disturbances, as well as the required accuracy lead to the need for a robust sliding mode control for successful vehicle operations. This thesis investigates the use of a cross track error guidance law with a sliding mode compensator and...
Topics: Submersibles., Autonomous, Underwater vehicles, AUV, Guidance, Control
AQUA is an underwater hexapod robot that uses paddles to propel and orient itself. The system is typically operated remotely by a pilot, with feedback from cameras and on-board sensors. In this work, a stability augmentation system was developed and evaluated on the robot. In order to study the stability of the system, its model was linearized about a nominal equilibrium at several different cruising speeds. Since the robot is never truly in equilibrium due to its oscillating paddles, this...
Topics: Underwater Vehicles, Biomimetic, Fault Tolerant Control, Stability Augmentation.
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV's) are being considered for a diversity of U.S. Navy missions. They protend the advantages of cost effective fleet mUltiplication, minimal detectability, and reduced risk to personnel and high-value fleet assets. In response to the Department of the Navy and DARPA interests, AUV research and development by a number of pUblic and private sector organizations has intensified in recent years. The Naval Postgraduate School has now built the first of a series of...
Topics: Mechanical engineering, Digital Autopilot for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, Design
Navigation of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) is a problem that has not been adequately solved. Although the inclusion of the Global Positioning System (GPS) into AUV navigation has been briefly examined before, this possibility is explored further in this thesis. GPS and Inertial Measurement System (INS) based navigation package offers many advantages for AUV navigation especially for transits and precise object location in shallow water. This thesis provides background information on...
Topics: autonomous underwater vehicles, global positioning system, inertial measurement system
Nuclear powered submarines are most vulnerable to detection and attack while at periscope depth. Submarines also have specific communication and time requirements they have to meet and the primary method of transmitting and receiving data is via satellite, which requires the submarine to be at periscope depth. This means that in a command and control denied environment (C2DE), a submarine may be incapable of receiving orders or transmitting required reports. In order to meet its communications...
Topics: Design of experiments, simulation, submarines, unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs)
Design and analysis of multiple input autopilots using sliding modes in order to achieve accurate horizontal and vertical plane control of an autonomous underwater vehicle over a wide variation of speeds is presented. The simulated vehicle is equipped with two (fore and aft) sets of dive planes and two sets of rudders. In addition, two vertical and two horizontal thrusters are provided for control during low speed or hovering operations. The entire range of vehicle speeds from zero speed...
Topics: Mechanical engineering, Marine engineering., Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, AUV, Guidance Control
An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) can combine a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver with an Inertial Navigation System (INS) to navigate with a specified accuracy level. The AUV would be required to surface periodically to obtain a GPS fix. A computer simulation has been developed using an AUV model and an INS error model to generate noisy measurements. A Kalman filter is used to estimate the simulated INS errors. Several runs were executes to compare combinations of equipment with...
Topics: Navigation, Global positioning system, Kalman filter, Underwater vehicles, Inertial navigation
As autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are deployed in more complex operational scenarios (e.g., multi-vehicle operations or information gathering in cluttered littoral zones), accurate control of these platforms is of particular importance. However, the design of accurate controllers and these complex systems in general require accurate models. This research is focused on the identification of rigid body and hydrodynamic modeling parameters of the THAUS (a modified SeaBotix vLBV300) and the...
Topics: autonomous and underwater vehicles, hydrodynamic modeling, system identification, model learning
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Jul 6, 2010
07/10
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BASHARINOV, A. E
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VARIOUS USES AND APPLICATIONS OF SPACEBORNE MICROWAVE MEASUREMENTS ARE GIVEN. SUCH MEASUREMENTS CAN BE USED TO DETECT FIRES, MEASURE SOIL MOISTURE AND TEMPERATURE, MEASURE SUB-ICE SOIL TEMPERATURES AND THE THICKNESS OF ICE COVER, AS WELL AS IN THE SEARCH FOR SUBSURFACE WATER.
Topics: MANIPULATORS, REMOTE CONTROL, SERVOMECHANISMS, AUTOMATIC CONTROL, CABLES (ROPES), UNDERWATER...
Developing a technique for underwater robot vision is a key factor in establishing autonomy in underwater vehicles. A new technique is developed and demonstrated to depict an underwater scene in three dimensions (3D) for use in underwater robot vision. This technique uses passive lighting and the optical properties of water to approximate distances between objects in a scene. Beers Law is used to describe the change in intensity that light at different wavelengths experiences as it travels...
Topics: DTIC Archive, Jones,Jake A, Naval Postgraduate School Monterey United States, robots, vision,...
This research investigates the ability of epi-splines to improve upon current methods of creatingempirical semivariograms for use in optimal spatial estimation (OSE). Models utilizing traditionalmethods of curve fitting for semivariograms (spherical, exponential, and Matrn) used in the spatialestimation process are compared to a proposed model that employs an epi-spline for curve fitting. Theresulting semivariograms are then used for kriging to produce spatial estimation using a sparse number...
Topics: DTIC Archive, Tydingco,Peter II M, Naval Postgraduate School Monterey United States, unmanned...
Three dimensional (3D) simulation, Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) milling are used to design and implement a waterborne surf-zone robot prototype. This robot is an autonomous platform meant to be a test-bed for sensors and algorithms for future developments; a key enabler is its modular design. It combines the capabilities of an untethered Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) and an Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV), being able to transition between the...
Topics: DTIC Archive, Ariza,Manuel, Naval Postgraduate School Monterey United States, robots, UNMANNED...
Autonomous Undervvater Vehicles are being considered today by many organizations as a lovv cost substitute for manned vehicles. Requirements forautonomy emphasize the need for a robust system controller that can adequately tnaneuver the vehicle and ensure precise tracking of a planned path. This thesis presents the determination of hydrodynamic coefficients for vertical motion of a radio controlled undervvater vehicle based on open loop testing. The equations of motion vvere manipulated using...
Topics: Oceanographic submersibles, Autinomous Underwater Vehicles, Automatic Dive Control, Model Based...
The long-term goal is to integrate REMUS and this underwater docking system into a re-locatable sampling network whose strategies may be altered as data assimilative predicative computer models generate revised descriptions of the local scene and identify arenas of interest and uncertainty.
Topics: DTIC Archive, WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION MA, *DOCKING, *UNDERWATER VEHICLES, SAMPLING
Topics: DTIC Archive, Caldwell, Douglas R, OREGON STATE UNIV CORVALLIS, *UNDERWATER VEHICLES
Webb Research Corporation (WRC) and Rutgers University (RU) plan to provide an important advance in regional-scale coastal ocean observation programs by operating a coordinated fleet of glider AUVs in an intelligent adaptive network. Slocum autonomous underwater vehicle Gliders (AUVGs) are uniquely mobile network components capable of moving to specific locations and depths, occupying controlled spatial and temporal grids, and will conduct their third annual test this July during the final...
Topics: DTIC Archive, WEBB RESEARCH CORP EAST FALMOUTH MA, *UNDERWATER VEHICLES, AUTONOMOUS NAVIGATION
Bluefin s business focus is the design and manufacture of autonomous underwater vehicles for use in military, scientific, and commercial applications. For many AUV missions, accurate navigation that does not depend on acoustic beacons in the operating region is one of the primary remaining technical hurdles. This effort will address this need through the creation of the Cornerstone AUV Navigator, an extensible, flexible, low-cost AUV navigator that will solve the navigation needs of a variety...
Topics: DTIC Archive, BLUEFIN ROBOTICS CORP CAMBRIDGE MA, *AUTONOMOUS NAVIGATION, *UNDERWATER VEHICLES,...
The continual development of computer technology has enabled the expansion of intelligent control into the field of underwater robots, where potential uses include oceanographic research, environmental monitoring and military mine countermeasures. With the naval focus shifting to operations in the littorals, and the need to lower cost of operations, tetherless autonomous vehicles are now being proposed for use in very shallow water minefield reconnaissance. These areas are dominated by a highly...
Topics: Disturbance Rejection, Sliding Mode Control, Seaway Learning, Autonomous Underwater Vehicles,...
Over the past five years, International Submarine Engineering Research and the Esquimalt Defence Research Detachment of the Defence Research Establishment Atlantic have worked together to develop a large autonomous underwater vehicle, named Theseus, for laying optical fiber cables in ice-covered waters. In trials and missions conducted in 1996, this vehicle showed impressive capabilities. It was able to lay a fiber optic cable in a completely autonomous mode for a distance of 200 km under...
Topics: DTIC Archive, Thorleifson,J M, Defence R and D Canada - Atlantic Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Canada,...
In the early 1980's John J. Hopfield developed a recurrent network based on a model of biological neurons. In his model, each neurons accepts inputs from all other neurons in the network, modifies each input with a weight and converts their sum to an output via the non-linear sigmoid transfer function. This output is then fed back to each of the input paths where the input signals are updated before the next summation. It has been proposed that this network can be successfully applied to the...
Topics: Neural network, Hopfield network, Failure detection, System parameter identification, Autonomous...
The expanded role of unmanned systems in military and civilian applications has introduced interesting new questions in multi-vehicle coordination and communication. The goal of this research is to derive steering algorithms utilizing event- and self-triggered control,capable of driving vehicles to a particular formation while simultaneously coordinating inter-agent communication instances (i.e. surfacing times). This goal is broken up into two segments: multi-vehicle control and communication...
Topics: DTIC Archive, Sims,Aaron M, NAVAL ACADEMY ANNAPOLIS MD ANNAPOLIS United States, unmanned underwater...
Bluefin's business focus is the design and manufacture of autonomous underwater vehicles for use in military, scientific, and commercial applications. For many AUV missions, accurate navigation that does not depend on acoustic beacons in the operating region is one of the primary remaining technical hurdles. This effort will address this need through the creation of the Cornerstone AUV Navigator, an extensible, flexible, low-cost AUV navigator that will solve the navigation needs of a variety...
Topics: DTIC Archive, BLUEFIN ROBOTICS CORP CAMBRIDGE MA, *AUTONOMOUS NAVIGATION, *UNDERWATER VEHICLES,...
An autopilot is designed using Sliding Mode Control Theory that can control the speed and heading of a full six degree of freedom, nonlinear model that allows speed and heading to be treated as separate systems. Once control of heading and speed is established, depth control is achieved by a third control law. Although they are developed separately, the three individual control laws act simultaneously to provide robust control of speed, heading, and depth of the nonlinear model of the vehicle....
Topics: Remote submersibles, Vehicles, Remotely piloted, Control theory., Autonomous, Underwater vehicles,...
Precision control of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) requires accurate knowledge of the dynamic characteristics of the vehicles. However, developing such models are time and resource intensive. The problem is further exacerbated by the sensitivity of the dynamic model to vehicle configuration. This is particularly true for hovering-class UUVs since sensor payloads are often mounted outside the vehicle body. Methods are investigated in this thesis to learn the dynamic model for such a...
Topics: Unmanned underwater vehicles, system identification, hydrodynamic model, online model learning,...
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) currently use varying methods for navigation, but incorporating GPS into those methods is becoming a popular technique. This thesis experimentally evaluates the configuration and implementation of the Navigational Suite within the Naval Postgraduate School's AUV, the ARIES (Acoustic Radio Interactive Exploratory Server). Specific attention is given to the configuration of the vehicle's newly completed DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System). A brief...
Topics: Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, Differential Global Positioning System, Extended Kalman Filtering,...
Advances in command and control of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) using acoustic communications are crucial to future Fleet objectives, particularly in Very Shallow Water Mine Countermeasures (VSW MCM). Understanding of the capability to redirect missions, provide relatively high rate downloads of mission information, and perform cooperative tracking for multi-vehicle systems is limited to some bounding data based on fixed node experiments. The main objectives of this dissertation were...
Topics: Data transmission systems., Autonomous underwater vehicles, Acoustics, Acoustic control, Acoustic...
The current surface mine countermeasures (MCM) fleet is aging, yet there are no viable systems to replace it. The U.S. Navy requires an improved minehunting platform, and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) can meet that need. In order to attain enough UUVs and operators to make these missions successful, the United States must rely on the participation of allies to provide these assets. This study assesses the key decision factors in mine clearance operations using UUVs of differing...
Topics: Unmanned underwater vehicles, mine warfare, mine countermeasures, simulation, design of...
The long-term goal of this work is to examine the utility of commercial bathymetric lidar technology solely, and in combination with commercial passive imaging spectrometers, for measuring environmental information for military applications in the littoral zone. These findings will indicate how commercial systems might evolve to achieve improved performance for rapid environmental assessment and for deployment in unmanned aerial vehicles.
Topics: DTIC Archive, OPTECH INTERNATIONAL INC KILN MS, *OPTICAL RADAR, AUTONOMIC AGENTS, BATHYMETRY,...
Navigation is one of the fundamental roadblocks to development of AUV technology today. Improved navigation and coordination of multiple vehicles is essential to reduce space-time aliasing and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of ocean mapping and reconnaissance using AUVs. However, current navigation sensors for low-cost vehicles are inadequate for many mission objectives to be met. The ultimate goal is to create a generic, flexible, intelligent, cost-effective navigation capability...
Topics: DTIC Archive, MASSACHUSETTS INST OF TECH CAMBRIDGE, *NAVIGATION, *UNDERWATER VEHICLES, COST...
Precision control of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) requires accurate knowledge of the dynamic characteristics of the vehicles. However, developing such models are time and resource intensive. The problem is further exacerbated by the sensitivity of the dynamic model to vehicle configuration. This is particularly true for hovering-class UUVs since sensor payloads are often mounted outside the vehicle body. Methods are investigated in this thesis to learn the dynamic model for such a...
Topics: DTIC Archive, NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA, *UNDERWATER VEHICLES, ADAPTATION,...
The objective of this project is to evaluate innovative technologies required for deploying underwater electromagnetic induction (EMI) sensors from remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). The integration of these platforms, highly accurate navigation and control systems, and a high-resolution electromagnetic array can overcome limitations of current diver-deployed, towed, and unmanned integrated underwater ordnance systems.
Topics: DTIC Archive, Schultz,Gregory, White River Technologies Newton United States, REMOTELY OPERATED...
In order to increase robustness, reliability, and mission success rate, autonomous vehicles must detect debilitating system control faults. Prior model-based observer design for 21UUV was analyzed using actual vehicle sensor data. It was shown, based on experimental response, that residual generation during maneuvering was too excessive to detect manually implemented faults. Optimization of vehicle hydrodynamic coefficients in the model significantly decreased maneuvering residuals, but did not...
Topics: Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, Robotics, Robust Fault Detection, Extended Kalman Filtering,...
The long-term goal is to create and demonstrate a reactive survey system, capable of long-term unattended deployments in harsh environments. We refer to such a system as an Autonomous Ocean Sampling Network (AOSN). This project is to develop a cost effective means to observe the ocean continuously over many months with vehicle ranges of several thousand km.
Topics: DTIC Archive, WASHINGTON UNIV SEATTLE SCHOOL OF OCEANOGRAPHY, *OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA, *UNDERWATER...
This work will result in significant improvements in underwater battery packs. Such systems will power AUVs in scientific and military applications, as well as the critical offshore oil and sub-sea telecommunications industries. Our market study shows that, by 2005, AUV applications alone will constitute a multi-million dollar market for these batteries. In addition, the prospects for non-AUV uses are at least as promising.
Topics: DTIC Archive, BLUEFIN ROBOTICS CORP CAMBRIDGE MA, *STORAGE BATTERIES, *UNDERWATER VEHICLES,...
