AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLES

A Seminar report submitted to

JAWAHARLAL NEHRU TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY ANANTAPUR, ANANTAPUR

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY in ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING Submitted by

A.V.PAVAN KUMAR (09121A0402)

Under the Guidance of Mr.P. MADHU KUMAR, M. Tech.,
Asst. Professor (SL), Dept. of ECE.

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering

SREE VIDYANIKETHAN ENGINEERING COLLEGE

(AUTONOMOUS)

Sree Sainath Nagar, Tirupati 517 102. (2009 2013) I

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering

SREE VIDYANIKETHAN ENGINEERING COLLEGE

(AUTONOMOUS) Sree Sainath nagar , A. Rangampet, Tirupati 517 102.

Certificate
This is to certify that the seminar report entitled

AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLES

is the bonafide work done and submitted by
A.V.PAVAN KUMAR (09121A0402)

In

the

department

of

Electronics

and

Communication

Engineering,

SREE

VIDYANIKETHAN ENGINEERING COLLEGE, A.Rangampet, affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Anantapur, Anantapur in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Electronics and Communication Engineering during 2009 -2013.

Supervisor: Mr.P.MADHU KUMAR, M. Tech, Asst.Professor(SL), Dept. of ECE.

HOD Prof. P. V. RAMANA, M. Tech,Ph.D.,

Professor & Head, Dept. of ECE.

II

Declaration
I hereby declare that seminar report entitled AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLES being submitted by me for award of degree of Bachelor of Technology in Electronics and Communication Engineering, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Anantapur, is a bonafide record of the SREE VIDYANIKETHAN ENGINEERING COLLEGE and has not been submitted to any other courses or university for award of any degree.

A.V.PAVAN KUMAR (09121A0402)

III

Acknowledgement

I am deeply indebted to the supervisor Mr. P. MADHU KUMAR, M. Tech., Ph.D., Asst.Professor, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering for his valuable guidance, constant encouragement, constructive criticism and keen interest evinced throughout the course of my seminar work. I am really fortunate to associate myself with such an advising and helping guide in very possible way, at all stages, for the successful completion of this seminar work. I express my deep sense of gratitude to Dr. C. SUBHAS, Ph. D., Dean of Electronics for his valuable guidance constant encouragement given to me during this seminar work and the course. I express my gratitude to the principal Dr. P. C. KRISHNAMACHARI, M.E, Ph. D, and the respectable director Mr. B. RAVI SHEKAR, for supporting me in completion of my seminar work successfully by providing the facilities. I am pleased to express my heart full thanks to the FACULTY in the department of ECE of Sree Vidyanikethan Engineering College for their moral support and good wishes. Finally I have a notation to express my sincere thanks to my parents, my friends and all those who guided, inspired and helped me in the completion of my seminar.

IV

Abstract
The demand for a more sophisticated underwater robotic technology that minimizes the cost and eliminates the need for human operator and is therefore capable of operating autonomously becomes apparent. These requirements led to the development of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). A key problem with autonomous underwater vehicles is being able to navigate in a generally unknown environment. The available underwater sensor suites have a limited capability to cope with such a navigation problem. In practice, no single sensor in the underwater environment can provide the level of accuracy, reliability and the coverage of information necessary to perform underwater navigation to cent percent safety. In order to navigate accurately an AUV needs to employ a navigation sensor with a high level of accuracy and reliability. It is therefore necessary to use a number of sensors and combine their information to provide the necessary navigation capability. To achieve this, a multisensor data fusion (MSDF) approach, which combines data from multiple sensors and related information from associated databases, can be used. The aim of this paper is to survey previous work and recent development in AUV navigation and to introduce MSDF techniques as a means of improving the AUV's navigation capability.

Table of contents

Acknowledgment 1 Introduction 2 History 3 Applications 3.1 Commercial 3.2 Military 3.3 Research 3.4 Hobby 4 Vehicle designs 4.1 Sensors 4.2 Navigation 4.3 Propulsion 4.4 Power 5 State of Art 6 Future Possibilities 7 References

1.Introduction
An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) is a robotic device that is driven through the water by a propulsion system, controlled and piloted by an onboard computer, and maneuverable in three dimensions. This level of control, under most environmental conditions, permits the vehicle to follow precise preprogrammed trajectories wherever and whenever required. Sensors on board the AUV sample the ocean as the AUV moves through it, providing the ability to make both spatial and time series measurements. Sensor data collected by an AUV is automatically geospatially and temporally referenced and normally of superior quality. Multiple vehicle surveys increase productivity, can insure adequate temporal and spatial sampling, and provide a means of investigating the coherence of the ocean in time and space. The fact that an AUV is normally moving does not prevent it from also serving as a Lagrangian, or quasi Eulerian, platform. This mode of operation may be achieved by programming the vehicle to stop thrusting and float passively at a specific depth or density layer in the sea, or to actively loiter near a desired location. AUVs may also be programmed to swim at a constant pressure or altitude or to vary their depth and/or heading as they move through the water, so that undulating sea saw survey patterns covering both vertical and/or horizontal swaths may be formed. AUVs are also well suited to perform long linear transects, sea sawing through the water as they go, or traveling at a constant pressure. They also provide a highly productive means of performing seafloor surveys using acoustic or optical imaging systems. When compared to other Lagrangian platforms, AUVs become the tools of choice as the need for control and sensor power increases. The AUVs advantage in this area is achieved at the expense of endurance, which for an AUV is typically on the order of 8- 50 hours. Most vehicles can vary their velocity between 0.5 and 2.5 m/s. The optimum speed and the corresponding greatest range of the vehicle occur when its hotel load (all required power except propulsion) is twice the propulsive load. For most vehicles, this occurs at a velocity near 1.5 m/s. The degree of autonomy of the robot presents an interesting dichotomy. Total autonomy does not provide the user with any feedback on the vehicles progress or health,

nor does it provide a means of controlling or redirecting the vehicle during a mission. It does, however, free the user to perform other tasks, thereby greatly reducing operational costs, as long as the vehicle and the operator meet at their duly appointed times at the end of the mission. For some missions, total autonomy may be the only choice; in other cases when the vehicle is performing a routine mission, it may be the preferable mode of operation. Bidirectional acoustic, radio frequency, and satellite based communications systems offer the capability to monitor and redirect AUV missions worldwide from a ship or from land. For this reason, semi-autonomous operations offer distinct advantages over fully autonomous operations.

2.History
The following presents highlights of some notable achievements in the history of AUVs. In the short space and time available, it is unfortunately not possible to provide information on all systems. The origin of AUVs should probably be linked to the Whitehead Automobile Fish Torpedo. Robert Whitehead is credited with designing, building, and demonstrating the first Torpedo in Austria in 1866. Torpedoes are named after the Torpedo fish, which is an electric ray capable of delivering a stunning shock to its prey. Whiteheads first torpedo achieved a speed of over 3.0m/s and ran for 700 m. The vehicle was driven by compressed air and carried an explosive charge. If one ignores the fact that it carried an explosive charge, it might be considered the first AUV. The need to obtain oceanographic data along precise trajectories and under ice motivated Stan Murphy, Bob Francois, and later Terry Ewart of the Applied Physics Laboratory of the University of Washington to begin development of what may have been first true AUV in the late 1950s. Their work led to the development and operation of The Self Propelled Underwater Research Vehicle(s) (SPURV). SPURV I, became operational in the early 60s and supported research efforts through the mid 70s. SPURV I displaced 480 kg, and could operate at 2.2 m/s for 5.5 hours at depths to 3 km. The vehicle was acoustically controlled from the surface and could autonomously run at a constant pressure, sea saw between two depths, or climb and dive at up to 50 degrees. Researchers used the vehicle to make CT measurements along isobaric lines in support of internal wave modeling. The vehicle was used later in the 70s to support observations of Horizontal and Vertical Diffusion using a dye tracer at depths to 1 km. The vehicle was able to track the dye plume 66 hours after the dye was released . SPURV II was more capable than SPURV I, and was used to study the dispersion of submarine wakes using a dye tracer during the 70s and 80s. There were over 400 SPURV deployments.

The Naval Ocean System Center, now SPAWAR, began development of the Advanced Unmanned Search System (AUSS) in 1973 in response to the sinking of the USS Thresher, the USS Scorpion, and the H bomb loss of Palomares.

The vehicle was launched in 1983, and reports and publications on the system were still in press in the 90s. AUSS displaced 907 kg, carried 20 kw-hours of energy in silver zinc batteries, and was rated to 6 km. It had an acoustic communication system that transmitted video images through the water. AUSS completed over 114 dives, some to 6 km. The concept of using multiple free swimming vehicles to improve system performance can be traced to the development of this system. This work was completed some time in the early 80s. IFREMERs Epulard was designed in 1976, assembled by 1978, and was fully operational by 1980. Epulard was the first 6 km rated acoustically controlled AUV that supported deep ocean photography and bathymetric surveys. The vehicle maintained a constant altitude above the bottom by dragging a cable. Epulard completed 300 dives, some to 6 km, between 1970 and 1990. According to Busbys 1987 Undersea Vehicle Directory, there were six operational AUVs and an additional 15 other vehicles that were considered to be prototypes or under construction by 1987. During this period, AUVs were called un-tethered (autonomous) ROVs, and the acronym AUV stood for Advanced Underwater Vehicle, a vehicle under development by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects, which was completed in 1984. The origin of the 3Hugin vehicle, which is currently manufactured by Konsberg Simard, can also be traced back to the late 80s. During the 90s, there was a rekindling of interest in AUVs in academic research. The Massachusetts Institute of Technologys Sea Grant AUV lab developed six Odyssey vehicles during the early 90s. These vehicles displaced 160 kg, could operate at 1.5 m/s for up to six hours, and were rated to 6 km. Odyssey vehicles were operated under ice in 1994, and to a depth of 1.4 km for 3 hours in the open ocean in 1995. Odyssey vehicles were also used in support of experiments demonstrating the Autonomous Ocean Sampling Network during this period. WHOIs Autonomous Benthic Explorer (ABE) was also developed during the early 90s and completed its first scientific mission in 1994. ABE displaces 680 kg and can operate for up to 34 hours to depths of 5 km, and typically travels at about 0.75 m/s. ABE carries six thrusters, making it a highly maneuverable vehicle in all three dimensions. These capabilities make ABE an excellent platform to perform near bottom surveys in rough terrain. ABE has completed over 80 dives in support of science; one dive lasted for 30 hours at 2.2 km. Its deepest dive to date was to 4 km.

International Submarines Engineering, Ltds Theseus was developed during the early 90s for the U.S. and Canadian defense establishments. Theseus displaces 8,600 kg, and could operate at 2 m/s for 100 hours to depths of 1 km. The vehicle successfully laid 190 km of fiber optic cable under ice in 500 m of water in 1996; total mission length was 365 km and was completed in 50 hours. WHOIs REMUS vehicle was developed in the late 90s to support scientific objectives at the LEO-15 observatory in Tuckerton, NJ, with funding from NSF and NOAA. REMUS completed its first scientific mission in 1967. The vehicle displaces 36 kg and can operate for up to 20 hours at 1.5 m/s and to a depth of 100 m. There are currently over 50 REMUS vehicles in 20 different configurations that are being independently operated by nine universities, three US Navy laboratories, one British defense laboratory, and three branches of the US Navy. Hundreds of people have been successfully trained in the use of REMUS vehicles. It is not possible to determine how many missions have been performed by REMUS. The longest REMUS mission lasted 17 hours. The vehicle traveled 60 km at 1.75 m/s at a maximum depth of 20 m off the coast of NJ at the LEO-15 observatory. South Hampton Oceanography Centers Autosub was developed during the early 90s to provide scientists with the capability to monitor the oceans in new ways. Autosub completed its first scientific mission in 1998. The vehicle displaces 1700 kg, and can travel for up 6 days at 3 knots at depths up to 1.6 km. Autosub has completed 271 missions, totaling 750 hours and covering 3,596 km. Its deepest dive was to 1 km.; its longest mission lasted 50 hours . In 1998, the UK National Environmental Research Council provided 2.6m pounds in grants and training awards for use with the Autosub. These grants stimulated a great deal of interest in the scientific community. The turn of the century ushered in the first commercial enterprise to offer deep water (3 km) AUV survey services. C&C Technologies of Lafayette, Louisiana offers a Hugin 3000 AUV for charter. The vehicle was manufactured by Kongsberg Simrad of Norway. The vehicle displaces 1400 kg, and can operate at 4 knots for 40 hours utilizing an aluminum/oxygen fuel cell. C&C Technologies has completed over 17,702 km of (paid for) geophysical mapping, some to 3 km, since the vehicle was first offered in 2000. C&C Technologies also offers its clients interactive software on their web site that permits the monitor and direct the progress of the generation of charts that are being made aboard the survey ship that is supporting the AUV survey.

3.Applications
Until relatively recently, AUVs have been used for a limited number of tasks dictated by the technology available. With the development of more advanced processing capabilities and high yield power supplies, AUVs are now being used for more and more tasks with roles and missions constantly evolving.

3.1 Commercial
The oil and gas industry uses AUVs to make detailed maps of the seafloor before they start building subsea infrastructure; pipelines and subsea completions can be installed in the most cost effective manner with minimum disruption to the environment. The AUV allows survey companies to conduct precise surveys or areas where traditional bathymetric surveys would be less effective or too costly. Also, post-lay pipe surveys are now possible.

3.2 Military
A typical military mission for an AUV is to map an area to determine if there are any mines, or to monitor a protected area (such as a harbor) for new unidentified objects. AUVs are also employed in anti-submarine warfare, to aid in the detection of manned submarines. An example of this is the AN/BLQ-11.

3.3 Research
Scientists use AUVs to study lakes, the ocean, and the ocean floor. A variety of sensors can be affixed to AUVs to measure the concentration of various elements or compounds, the absorption or reflection of light, and the presence of microscopic life.

3.4 Hobby
Many roboticists construct AUVs as a hobby. Several competitions exist which allow these homemade AUVs to compete against each other while accomplishing objectives. Like their commercial brethren, these AUVs can be fitted with cameras, lights, or sonar. As a consequence of limited resources and inexperience, hobbiest AUVs can rarely compete with commercial models on operational depth, durability, or sophistication. Finally, these hobby

AUVs are usually not oceangoing, being operated most of the time in pools or lakebeds. A simple AUV can be constructed from a microcontroller, PVC pressure housing, automatic door lock actuator, syringes, and a DPDT relay.

4.Vehicle designs

Bluefin-12 AUV with a Buried Object Scanning Sonar (BOSS) integrated in two wings. This picture was taken in January 2005 off the coast of Florida during engineering trials. Hundreds of different AUVs have been designed over the past 50 or so years, but only a few companies sell vehicles in any significant numbers. There are about 10 companies that sell AUVs on the international market, including Kongsberg Maritime, Hydroid (now owned by Kongsberg), Bluefin Robotics, International Submarine Engineering Ltd. and Hafmynd. Vehicles range in size from man portable lightweight AUVs to large diameter vehicles of over 10 metres length. Once popular amongst the military and commercial sectors, the smaller vehicles are now losing popularity. It has been widely accepted by commercial organizations that to achieve the ranges and endurances required to optimize the efficiencies of operating AUVs a larger vehicle is required. However, smaller, lightweight and less expensive AUVs are still common as a budget option for universities. Some manufacturers have benefited from domestic government sponsorship including Bluefin and Kongsberg. The market is effectively split into three areas: scientific (including universities and research agencies), commercial offshore (oil and gas etc.) and military application (mine countermeasures, battle space preparation). The majority of these roles

utilize a similar design and operate in a cruise mode. They collect data while following a preplanned route at speeds between 1 and 4 knots. Commercially available AUVS include various designs such as the small REMUS 100 AUV developed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the US and now marketed by Hydroid, Inc.; the larger HUGIN 1000 and 3000 AUVs developed by Kongsberg Maritime and Norwegian Defence Research Establishment; the Bluefin Robotics 12-and-21-inchdiameter (300 and 530 mm) vehicles and the International Submarine Engineering Ltd. Explorer. Most AUVs follow the traditional torpedo shape as this is seen as the best compromise between size, usable volume, hydrodynamic efficiency and ease of handling. There are some vehicles that make use of a modular design, enabling components to be changed easily by the operators. The market is evolving and designs are now following commercial requirements rather than being purely developmental. The next stage is likely to be a hybrid AUV/ROV that is capable of surveys and light intervention tasks. This requires more control and the ability to hover. Again, the market will be driven by financial requirements and the aim to save money and expensive ship time. Today, while most AUVs are capable of unsupervised missions most operators remain within range of acoustic telemetry systems in order to maintain a close watch on their investment. This is not always possible. For example, Canada has recently taken delivery of two AUVs (ISE Explorers) to survey the sea floor underneath the Arctic ice in support of their claim under Article 76 of the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea. Also, ultra-lowpower, long-range variants such as underwater gliders are becoming capable of operating unattended for weeks or months in littoral and open ocean areas, periodically relaying data by satellite to shore, before returning to be picked up. As of 2008, a new class of AUVs are being developed, which mimic designs found in nature. Although most are currently in their experimental stages, these biomimetic (or bionic) vehicles are able to achieve higher degrees of efficiency in propulsion and maneuverability by copying successful designs in nature. Two such vehicles are Festo's AquaJelly and Evologics' Bionik Manta.

4.1 Sensors
Primarily oceanographic tools, AUVs carry sensors to navigate autonomously and map features of the ocean. Typical sensors include compasses, depth sensors, sidescan and other sonars, magnetometers, thermistors and conductivity probes. A demonstration at Monterey Bay in California in September 2006 showed that a 21-inch (530 mm) diameter AUV can tow a 400 feet (120 m) long hydrophone array while maintaining a 6-knot (11 km/h) cruising speed.

4.2 Navigation
AUVs can navigate using an underwater acoustic positioning system. When operating within a net of sea floor deployed baseline transponders this is known as LBL navigation. When a surface reference such as a support ship is available, ultra-short baseline (USBL) or shortbaseline (SBL) positioning is used to calculate where the subsea vehicle is relative to the known (GPS) position of the surface craft by means of acoustic range and bearing measurements. When it is operating completely autonomously, the AUV will surface and take its own GPS fix. Between position fixes and for precise maneuvering, an inertial navigation system on board the AUV measures the acceleration of the vehicle and Doppler velocity technology is used to measure rate of travel. A pressure sensor measures the vertical position. These observations are filtered to determine a final navigation solution. An emerging alternative is using an inertial navigation system in conjunction with either a GPS receiver, or an additional magnetic compass for Dead Reckoning whenever the GPS signal is lost.

4.3 Propulsion
AUVs can rely on a number of propulsion techniques, but propeller based thrusters or Kort nozzles are the most common by far. These thrusters are usually powered by electric motors and sometimes rely on a lip seal in order to protect the motor internals from corrosion. One

consideration which impacts this process of waterproofing is the decision to use brushed motors or brushless motors. This same consideration also impacts reliability, efficiency, and cost.

4.4 Power
Most AUVs in use today are powered by rechargeable batteries (lithium ion, lithium polymer, nickel metal hydride etc), and are implemented with some form of Battery Management System. Some vehicles use primary batteries which provide perhaps twice the enduranceat a substantial extra cost per mission. A few of the larger vehicles are powered by aluminum based semi-fuel cells, but these require substantial maintenance, require expensive refills and produce waste product that must be handled safely. An emerging trend is to combine different battery and power systems with Ultra-capacitors

5. State of the Art

The following provides a discussion of emerging capabilities that will directly benefit scientists who are interested in using AUVs. By far the most important considerations by which to assess a vehicles state of the art are: Does the system inspire confidence? Is it easy to use and reliable? Does it provide a complete solution, i.e., mission planning, execution, data analysis, and report generation? Does the vehicle provide access to a wide variety of sensors? Is there a safe and reliable means of launching and recovering the system? Can it be operated from ships of opportunity? Historically, AUVs navigate through the ocean under the assumption that the ocean is large and contains few obstacles that will impede the completion of their mission. They execute scripts that take them from objective to objective. They may react differently to a rising or falling seafloor based on the need to maintain a constant altitude above the bottom and not collide with the bottom, but in general they do use sensor data obtained during a mission to make them more successful and/or reliable. Sensor information is recorded. It is not processed and used to provide the vehicle with the ability to adapt, and change its current objective; it is simply recorded for future analysis. The ability to imbed software into a vehicle system that can alter the vehicles current mission, based on measurements from the sensor(s) it carries, and direct it toward a source or phenomena of interest will greatly reduce the time it takes to locate and study such phenomenon of interest. Following a plume of whatever to its source, detecting an obstacle ahead and maneuvering around it, and following a layer in the sea are all examples of how AUVs can be made more intelligent and useful. These capabilities are available in some systems today. The capability for one vehicle to pass information that it acquires from a sensor to another vehicle via an acoustic link, so that the second vehicle may then redirect its own mission based on the information, can be extended to multiple vehicles. These cooperative relationships exemplify the emerging potential of multiple vehicle operations; extension of this concept beyond two or three systems invokes the need for water space management- an underwater air traffic control system.

6.Future Possibilities
The trouble with our times is that the future is not what it used to be. Paul Valery Finding better ways of observing and reporting on the interior of the ocean, its seafloors and coastal boundaries remain principal objectives of the oceanographic community. Utilizing productive and affordable technologies that offer a new perspective of the ocean by providing sampling methodologies that merge the high spatial resolution of ship-based surveys with the endurance and temporal resolution of moorings may be one better way The broad use of this technology by the ocean science community is hopefully in our future. C&C Technologies, Inc.s AUV Hugin has proven that the cost of deep water survey operations can be reduced by 40% to 60% by using AUVs rather than conventional methods, while improving the quality of the data that is collected. Given the budgetary constraints that face the oceanographic community and the need for high quality data, it is unwise to ignore this potential.

7.References
[1] Ewart, T. E., Observations from Straight Line Isobaric Runs of SPURV, Joint Oceanography Assembly; Edinburgh (UK), 13 Sep. 1976. [2] Ewart, T. E., Bender, W. P., An Observation of the Horizontal and Vertical Diffusion of a Passive Tracer in the Deep Ocean, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 86, No. C11, Pages 10,974-10,982, November 20, 1981. [3] Michel, J. L., and Le Roux, H., Epulard: Deep bottom surveys now with acoustic remote controlled vehicle, first operational experience, Proceedings of Oceans 81 September 1618, 1981, Boston, MA Pp 99-103. [4] Busby Associates, Inc., Undersea Vehicles Directory -1987. [5] Endicott, D. L., Khul, G. R., The Fast Area Search System, Naval Command Control and Ocean Surveillance Center, Technical Report 1562, 1992. [6] Bellingham,, J., Goudey, C., Consi, T., Chryssostomidis, C., A small long range autonomous vehicle for deep ocean exploration, Proceedings of the 2nd International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference, San Francisco, CA, 1992, Pp 148-155. [7] Curtin, T. B., Bellingham, J. G., Catapovic, J., and Webb, D., Autonomous oceanographic sampling networks. Oceanographics 6 (3): 86 93, 1993. [8] Bradley, A., Yoerger, D. R., Design and Testing of the Autonomous Benthic Explorer, Proceedings of the 20th Annual Symposium of the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems, Washington DC, 1993, Pp 1044-1055. [9] Butler, B. and Black, M., "The Theseus Autonomous Underwater Vehicle - Two Successful Missions", Proceedings of the 10th International Symposium on Unmanned Untethered Submersible Technology, Autonomous Undersea Systems Institute, pp. 12-22, 1997. [10] von Alt, C. J., Allen, B., Austin, T., Stokey, R. (1994). Remote Environmental Measuring Units, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Conference 94, Cambridge, MA. [11] Griffiths, G., Birch, K., et al, Oceanographic surveys with a 50 hour endurance autonomous underwater vehicle , Proceeding of the Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, TX May 2000. [12] von Alt, C. J., Personal communication Thomas Chance, 2003.