An autonomous underwater platform

Abstract

For many subsea autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) operations station-holding against water current and decoupling between yaw and position are necessary requirements. This paper describes an autonomous underwater platform (AUP) that has been designed specially to investigate and evaluate control methods which can provide this type of stability. The AUP described is small and nimble, and has a re-configurable structure, comprising a 2D A-frame with modules, thrust units and controllable buoyancy units, mounted upon it. Two and five modules can be controlled according to mission requirement. The structure design of an AUV is a complex trade-off among various design variables and mission requirements. This paper presents the design and discusses the optimal configuration of the dynamics of the AUP, its sensor systems and control methods. The control system of the platform consists of a state control loop, a self-planning and navigation subsystem and an ultrasonic communication subsystem.