Dual-eyes Vision-based Docking System for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle: an Approach and Experiments

A critical challenge for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) is the docking operation for applications such as sleeping under the mother ship, recharging batteries, transferring data, and new mission downloading. The final stage of docking at a unidirectional docking station requires the AUV to approach while keeping the pose (position and orientation) of the vehicle within an allowable range. The appropriate pose therefore demands a sensor unit and a control system that have high accuracy and robustness against disturbances existing in a real-world underwater environment. This paper presents a vision-based AUV docking system consisting of a 3D model-based matching method and Real-time Multi-step Genetic Algorithm (GA) for real-time estimation of the robot’s relative pose. Experiments using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) with dual-eye cameras and a separate 3D marker were conducted in a small indoor pool. The experimental results confirmed that the proposed system is able to provide high homing accuracy and robustness against disturbances that influence not only the captured camera images but also the movement of the vehicle. A successful docking operation using stereo vision that is new and novel to the underwater vehicle environment was achieved and thus proved the effectiveness of the proposed system for AUV.     

Adaptive autonomous underwater vehicles for littoral surveillance

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have gained more interest in recent years for military as well as civilian applications. One potential application of AUVs is for the purpose of undersea surveillance. As research into undersea surveillance using AUVs progresses, issues arise as to how an AUV acquires, acts on, and shares information about the undersea battle space. These issues naturally touch on aspects of vehicle autonomy and underwater communications, and need to be resolved through a spiral development process that includes at sea experimentation. This paper presents a recent AUV implementation for active anti-submarine warfare tested at sea in the summer of 2010. On-board signal processing capabilities and an adaptive behavior are discussed in both a simulation and experimental context. The implications for underwater surveillance using AUVs are discussed.     

Underwater docking of an under-actuated autonomous underwater vehicle: system design and control implementation

Underwater docking greatly facilitates and extends operation of an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) without the support of a surface vessel. Robust and accurate control is critically important for docking an AUV into a small underwater funnel-type dock station. In this paper, a docking system with an under-actuated AUV is presented, with special attention paid to control algorithm design and implementation. For an under-actuated AUV, the cross-track error can be controlled only via vehicle heading modulation, so both the cross-track error and heading error have to be constrained to achieve successful docking operations, while the control problem can be even more complicated in practical scenarios with the presence of unknown ocean currents. To cope with the above issues, a control scheme of a three-hierarchy structure of control loops is developed, which has been embedded with online current estimator/compensator and effective control parameter tuning. The current estimator can evaluate both horizontal and vertical current velocity components, based only on the measurement of AUV’s velocity relative to the ground; in contrast, most existing methods use the measurements of both AUV’s velocities respectively relative to the ground and the water column. In addition to numerical simulation, the proposed docking scheme is fully implemented in a prototype AUV using MOOS-IvP architecture. Simulation results show that the current estimator/compensator works well even in the presence of lateral current disturbance. Finally, a series of sea trials are conducted to validate the current estimator/compensator and the whole docking system. The sea trial results show that our control methods can drive the AUV into the dock station effectively and robustly.     

基于多AUV间任务协作的水下多目标探测机制

利用自主式水下航行器（Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, AUV）对水下多目标进行协同探测是目前海洋技术领域的研究热点。本文主要研究在水下三维区间内的多AUV任务分配与协作探测机制,建立了以每个AUV能量耗费与能耗均衡为约束条件的水下三维空间中的多旅行商（Multiple Traveling Salesman Problem, MTSP）问题模型,利用遗传算法（Genetic Algorithm, GA）对该NP-Complete问题进行启发式求解,同时设计了考虑巡航总路径及访问目标数的适应度函数以提高多AUV间的能耗均衡性,实现多个AUV对多个水下目标的优化协同探测。最后本文利用Matlab R2014a软件对多AUV任务协作与多目标探测机制进行了仿真,仿真结果验证了该方法能够均衡多AUV多目标探测问题的能量消耗,进而提高巡航速度和生命周期。     

Development of autonomous underwater vehicles in Japan

In the hope of expanding underwater observation and research, the Institute of Industrial Science (IIS) at the University of Tokyo started extensive R&D on autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) in 1984. IIS has constructed nine vehicles, including three ocean-going vehicles, one lake survey vehicle and various testbed vehicles. The R-One Robot is equipped with a closed-cycle diesel engine system and it successfully completed a 12-h operation of long-range autonomous diving in the Pacific Ocean in 1998. Utilizing the testbed robots, many intelligent systems, especially those for underwater vision systems, have been developed. The success of these AUVs at the IIS has led to the establishment of the 'Underwater Technology Research Center' which opened on 1 April 1999. This new center also plans to collaborate both nationally and internationally with other facilities for further R&D of AUVs and other new underwater observation technologies.     

Improving the coordination efficiency of limited‐communication multi–autonomus underwater vehicle operations using a multiagent architecture

This research addresses the problem of coordinating multiple autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) operations. An intelligent mission executive has been created that uses multiagent technology to control and coordinate multiple AUVs in communication‐deficient environments. By incorporating real‐time vehicle prediction, blackboard‐based hierarchical mission plans, mission optimization, and a distributed multiagent–based paradigm in conjunction with a simple broadcast communication system, this research aims to handle the limitations inherent in underwater operations, namely poor communication, and intelligently control multiple vehicles. In this research, efficiency is evaluated and then compared to the current state of the art in multiple AUV control. The research is then validated in real AUV coordination trials. Results will show that compared to the state of the art, the control system developed and implemented in this research coordinates multiple vehicles more efficiently and is able to function in a range of poor communication environments. These findings are supported by in‐water validation trials with heterogeneous AUVs. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Underwater guidance of distributed autonomous underwater vehicles using one leader

Consider the case where autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are deployed to monitor a 3D underwater environment. This paper tackles the problem of guiding all AUVs to the destination while not colliding with a priori unknown 3D obstacles. Suppose that among all AUVs, only the leader AUV has an ability of locating itself, while accessing a destination location. A follower, an AUV that is not a leader, has no sensors for locating itself. Every follower can only measure the relative position of its neighbor AUVs utilizing its sonar sensors. Our paper addresses distributed controls, so that multiple followers track the leader while preserving communication connectivity. We design controls, so that all AUVs reach the destination safely, while maintaining connectivity in cluttered 3D environments. To the best of our knowledge, our article is novel in developing 3D underwater guidance controls, so that all AUVs equipped with sonar sensors are guided to reach a destination in a priori unknown cluttered environments. MATLAB simulations are used to validate the proposed guidance scheme in underwater environments with many obstacles.     

Stability Analysis of an Underactuated Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Using Extended-Routh’s Stability Method

In this paper, a new approach to stability analysis of nonlinear dynamics of an underactuated autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is presented. AUV is a highly nonlinear robotic system whose dynamic model includes coupled terms due to the hydrodynamic damping factors. It is difficult to analyze the stability of a nonlinear dynamical system through Routh’s stability approach because it contains nonlinear dynamic parameters owing to hydrodynamic damping coefficients. It is also difficult to analyze the stability of AUVs using Lyapunov’s criterion and LaSalle’s invariance principle. In this paper, we proposed the extended-Routh’s stability approach to verify the stability of such nonlinear dynamic systems. This extended-Routh’s stability approach is much easier as compared to the other existing methods. Numerical simulations are presented to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed stability verification of the nonlinear dynamic systems, e.g., an AUV system dynamics.     

自主水下航行器的回坞导引和入坞控制算法

针对军事侦察和海洋环境监测领域中对自主水下航行器（AUV）水下自主回收能力的需求,研究了AUV自主回收过程中回坞和入坞的导引和控制问题。将水下自主回收过程分为回坞导引和入坞控制两个连续的阶段,其中回坞阶段采用经典的视线（LOS）导引法,使AUV到达回收器正前方的回坞航路点;入坞阶段则采用非线性横向跟踪控制方法,使AUV精确跟踪沿回收器中轴线的入坞直线航路航行并最终进入回收器。采用REMUS AUV的模型参数对水下回收进行了仿真研究,结果表明该方法是有效的,具有良好的工程应用前景。     

自治式水下机器人回收系统的研究与设计

本文介绍了我们承担研制的国家“８６３”计划１０００ｍ及６０００ｍ无缆水下机器人的回收系统，回收系统在４级海况下不用专用母船能够成功地回收水下机器人，依据母船、海况水下机器人及其他具体情况，介绍了两种不同的回收方案和回收器，经海上试验证明是有效和可行的。     

Nonlinear model predictive control for hydrobatics: Experiments with an underactuated AUV

Hydrobatic autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) can be efficient in range and speed, as well as agile in maneuvering. They can be beneficial in scenarios such as obstacle avoidance, inspections, docking, and under-ice operations. However, such AUVs are underactuated systems—this means exploiting the system dynamics is key to achieving elegant hydrobatic maneuvers with minimum controls. This paper explores the use of model predictive control (MPC) techniques to control underactuated AUVs in hydrobatic maneuvers and presents new simulation and experimental results with the small and hydrobatic SAM AUV. Simulations are performed using nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) on the full AUV system to provide optimal control policies for several hydrobatic maneuvers in Matlab/Simulink. For implementation on AUV hardware in robot operating system, a linear time varying MPC (LTV-MPC) is derived from the nonlinear model to enable real-time control. In simulations, NMPC and LTV-MPC shows promising results to offer much more efficient control strategies than what can be obtained with PID and linear quadratic regulator based controllers in terms of rise-time, overshoot, steady-state error, and robustness. The LTV-MPC shows satisfactory real-time performance in experimental validation. The paper further also demonstrates experimentally that LTV-MPC can be run real-time on the AUV in performing hydrobatic maneouvers.     

基于准最大最小模型预测控制的AUV视觉对接

针对六自由度自主式水下机器人(autonomous underwater vehicle, AUV)视觉对接这一重要课题,提出一种基于融合深度信息的改进准最大最小模型预测控制(quasi-min-max model predictive control, QMM-MPC)方法,有效提高复杂水下视觉伺服对接系统性能.首先,针对水下AUV视觉由于能见度低导致深度信息存在不确定性的影响,建立新的六自由度AUV视觉伺服模型;然后,结合AUV运动和图像特征运动的测量数据,设计在线深度估计器,同时提出结合多李雅普诺夫函数的QMM-MPC算法,通过求取凸多面体中各顶点不同上界值,降低传统QMM-MPC算法中单李雅普诺夫函数上界所带来的强保守性;最后,通过仿真验证所提出方法的有效性和优越性.     

A comparative study of control techniques for an underwater flight vehicle

Unmanned, underwater vehicles have been developed considerably in recent years. Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are increasingly used for routine inspection and maintenance tasks but have a range that is limited by the umbilical cable. For long range operations, such as oceanographic exploration and surveying, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are emerging which haveon-board power and are equipped with advanced control capabilities to carry out tasks with the minimum of human intervention. AUVs typically resemble torpedoes in that mosthave control surfaces and a single propulsion unit, and must move forwards to manoeuvre. Such vehicles are called flight vehicles. This paper describes techniques which are candidates for control of a flight AUV and identifies controllers used on some existing vehicles. Since underwater vehicle dynamics are nonlinear, fuzzy logic and sliding mode control were felt to have promise for autopilot application due to their potential robustness. Following development using a comprehensive simulation programme, the controllers were tested using the experimental vehicle, Subzero II, and their performance compared with that of a classical linear controller. The relative merits of the methods for practical implementation are discussed.     

Robust adaptive trajectory tracking control of underactuated autonomous underwater vehicles with prescribed performance

In this paper, a novel robust adaptive trajectory tracking control scheme with prescribed performance is developed for underactuated autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) subject to unknown dynamic parameters and disturbances. A simple error mapping function is proposed in order to guarantee that the trajectory tracking error satisfies the prescribed performance. A novel additional control based on Nussbaum function is proposed to handle the underactuation of AUVs. The compounded uncertain item caused by the unknown dynamic parameters and disturbances is transformed into a linear parametric form with only single unknown parameter called virtual parameter. On the basis of the above, a novel robust adaptive trajectory tracking control law is developed using dynamic surface control technique, where the adaptive law online provides the estimation of the virtual parameter. Strict stability analysis indicates that the designed control law ensures uniform ultimate boundedness of the AUV trajectory tracking closed‐loop control system with prescribed tracking performance. Simulation results on an AUV in two different disturbance cases with dynamic parameter perturbation verify the effectiveness of our adaptive trajectory tracking control scheme.     

Design and Control of Autonomous Underwater Robots: A Survey

During the 1990s, numerous worldwide research and development activities have occurred in underwater robotics, especially in the area of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). As the ocean attracts great attention on environmental issues and resources as well as scientific and military tasks, the need for and use of underwater robotic systems has become more apparent. Great efforts have been made in developing AUVs to overcome challenging scientific and engineering problems caused by the unstructured and hazardous ocean environment. In the 1990s, about 30 new AUVs have been built worldwide. With the development of new materials, advanced computing and sensory technology, as well as theoretical advancements, R&D activities in the AUV community have increased. However, this is just the beginning for more advanced, yet practical and reliable AUVs. This paper surveys some key areas in current state-of-the-art underwater robotic technologies. It is by no means a complete survey but provides key references for future development. The new millennium will bring advancements in technology that will enable the development of more practical, reliable AUVs.     

Strategies for simultaneous multiple autonomous underwater vehicle operation and control

Under sampling of the coastal oceans remains a persistent problem for standard oceano-graphic measurement practice wherein an instrument package is tethered to a research vessel. The overhead costs associated with operating a large research vessel impose a strict minimum on the cost of data collected. Owing to the overheads, significant improvements in sampling technology on the tethered platform can only produce modest gains in the cost effectiveness. In contrast, untethered vehicles if operated simultaneously have the potential to increase cost effectiveness significantly by distributing the overhead costs over several sampling platforms. Furthermore, synoptic and pseudosynoptic data can be collected with multiple autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), thereby providing the type of information critical to dynamic process modeling unattainable with non-synoptic data. While the goal of simultaneous multiple-vehicle operation has been espoused over the last few years, AUV technology and practice have until recently been too immature to realize that potential. Recently, Florida Atlantic University (FAU) has developed a new series of modular AUVs with the express purpose of supporting multiple sensors and multiple-vehicle operation. This series of vehicle is called the Ocean Explorer of which three have been produced so far. This paper will explore some of the associated navigation, tracking, control and deployment problems associated with multiple-vehicle operation in coastal applications. In addition, the characteristics of the component level intelligent distributed control system, integrated data logger and vehicle control system will be discussed. In particular this paper will discuss how FAU has applied the concepts of elastic constraint propagation and the symmetric fuzzy decision-making model to AUV control systems. Some results of early experiments in synoptic data collection with a conductivity, temperature and depth (CTD) sensor using multiple AUVs for the determination of horizontal structure will be described.     

Robust time‐varying formation control for multiple underwater vehicles subject to nonlinearities and uncertainties

This paper addresses the robust formation control problem for multiple autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to achieve the desired formation trajectory and time‐varying formation pattern and to align the vehicle attitudes. The dynamics of each AUV system involves parameter variations, nonlinear dynamics, and external disturbances. A robust distributed formation control protocol is developed based on the graph theory and the robust compensation theory. It is proven that the tracking errors of the global uncertain system can converge into a given neighborhood of the origin in a finite time. Simulation results substantiate the effectiveness of the developed formation control method for multiple AUVs subject to nonlinearities and uncertainties.     

Cooperative bathymetry-based localization using low-cost autonomous underwater vehicles

We present a cooperative bathymetry-based localization approach for a team of low-cost autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), each equipped only with a single-beam altimeter, a depth sensor and an acoustic modem. The localization of the individual AUV is achieved via fully decentralized particle filtering, with the local filter’s measurement model driven by the AUV’s altimeter measurements and ranging information obtained through inter-vehicle communication. We perform empirical analysis on the factors that affect the filter performance. Simulation studies using randomly generated trajectories as well as trajectories executed by the AUVs during field experiments successfully demonstrate the feasibility of the technique. The proposed cooperative localization technique has the potential to prolong AUV mission time, and thus open the door for long-term autonomy underwater.     

An Empirical Evaluation of Co-ordination Strategies for an AUV and UAV

We propose a framework for cooperative search using a combination of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). Such a combination allows search platforms to adapt to changes in both mission objectives and environmental parameters. We propose three strategies for coordination between an UAV and AUV to maximize the area explored while minimizing the idle time of the UAV and AUV. We evaluate the efficacy of these strategies while varying the speed, communication range and the number of targets. Preliminary results suggest the feasibility of our approach to combine UAVs and AUVs for effectively searching a given area.