Design And Development Of An RS232-Based ROV Controller System.

The overall design of an underwater robot which includes the design of electro-mechanical components and the control circuit diagrams are introduced

Selection of UUV Type ROV Equipment and Cooperation System with USV "Edredon" in Protection Tasks of Ports and Critical Objects

The article presents some of the problems associated with the use of an unmanned underwater vehicle type ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) to cooperate with the USV (Unmanned Surface Vehicle) "Edredon" carrying out tasks related to the perimetric protection of seaports infrastructure and critical objects. The system remote control of the underwater vehicle, requires the appropriate structure of the system ensuring the cooperation of both vehicles and the selection of the special apparatus mounted on the ROV. The tasks carried out by the both vehicles have a very high impact on the hardware solutions and cooperation of USV with an unmanned underwater vehicle

The dynamic modelling and development of a controller for a general purpose remotely operated underwater vehicle

A preliminary mathematical model for the UCT SEAHOG Remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) is developed, including estimation of the rigid body, hydrodynamic and hydrostatic properties of the robot. A single state thruster model is developed and verified according to real life test data. A closed-loop speed controller is developed for the thruster module using a standard PI scheme and is implemented on an MSP430 microcontroller using software fixed-point algorithms. The complete ROV system is simulated in Simulink® in an open-loop configuration to gain insight into the expected motion from the vehicle. Controllers for depth and heading holding are designed using standard PID linearized control methods with gain scheduling and are then assessed within the complete system in a simulation environment. In addition, upgrades and maintenance are performed on the Power Pod, light and camera modules. Redesign, manufacture and testing of the SEAHOG junction box is performed, including a design solution to connect the tether power and fibre-optic lines at the surface and on the ROV. An extensive overhaul of the SEAHOG GUI is performed, utilising multicore processing architecture in LabVIEW and resulting in a user-orientated interface capable of controlling and monitoring all existing system data from the robot

Deep Sea Underwater Robotic Exploration in the Ice-Covered Arctic Ocean with AUVs

The Arctic seafloor remains one of the last unexplored areas on Earth. Exploration of this unique environment using standard remotely operated oceanographic tools has been obstructed by the dense Arctic ice cover. In the summer of 2007 the Arctic Gakkel Vents Expedition (AGAVE) was conducted with the express intention of understanding aspects of the marine biology, chemistry and geology associated with hydrothermal venting on the section of the mid-ocean ridge known as the Gakkel Ridge. Unlike previous research expeditions to the Arctic the focus was on high resolution imaging and sampling of the deep seafloor. To accomplish our goals we designed two new Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) named Jaguar and Puma, which performed a total of nine dives at depths of up to 4062m. These AUVs were used in combination with a towed vehicle and a conventional CTD (conductivity, temperature and depth) program to characterize the seafloor. This paper describes the design decisions and operational changes required to ensure useful service, and facilitate deployment, operation, and recovery in the unique Arctic environment.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/86060/1/ckunz-17.pd

Monitoring of sea-ice-atmosphere interface in the proximity of arctic tidewater glaciers: The contribution of marine robotics

The Svalbard archipelago, with its partially closed waters influenced by both oceanic conditions and large tidal glaciers, represents a prime target for understanding the effects of ongoing climate change on glaciers, oceans, and ecosystems. An understanding of the role played by tidewater glaciers in marine primary production is still affected by a lack of data from close proximity to glacier fronts, to which, for safety reasons, manned surface vessels cannot get too close. In this context, autonomous marine vehicles can play a key role in collecting high quality data in dangerous interface areas. In particular, the contribution given by light, portable, and modular marine robots is discussed in this paper. The state-of-the-art of technology and of operating procedures is established on the basis of the experience gained in campaigns carried out by Italian National Research Council (CNR) robotic researchers in Ny-Alesund, Svalbard Islands, in 2015, 2017, and 2018 respectively. The aim was to demonstrate the capability of an Unmanned Semi-Submersible Vehicle (USSV): (i) To collect water samples in contact with the front of a tidewater glacier; (ii) to work in cooperation with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for sea surface and air column characterisation in the proximity of the fronts of the glaciers; and (iii) to perform, when equipped with suitable tools and instruments, repetitive sampling of water surface as well as profiling the parameters of the water and air column close to the fronts of the tidewater glaciers. The article also reports the issues encountered in navigating in the middle of bergy bits and growlers as well as the problems faced in using some sensors at high latitudes

The characterisation of magnetic couplings and the development of a thruster module for an ROV

This dissertation focuses on the development of thruster modules and the characterisation of magnetic couplings for a Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle (ROV). The dissertation begins with an introduction to the Seahog ROV developed at the University of Cape Town's Robotics and Agents Research Laboratory (RARL). The history, relevance and features of commercial ROVs are discussed in chapter two to introduce the reader to this form of underwater robotics. After this the dissertation is divided into two separate sections. The first section, chapters three to eight, detail the mechanical and electrical modifications made to an existing, magnetically coupled, thruster module design. The objective of this section was to improve the thruster module in order to achieve performances that are similar to commercially available thrusters. The modifications included changes to the drivetrain, the design of new electronics and motor drivers and a reduction in weight of the module's housing. A fundamental analysis of the thruster module is presented, no Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is provided as the propeller and kort-nozzle designs remained unchanged. Even though the improvements produced a reliable and efficient thruster module a greater understanding of magnetic couplings was required to produce a design that was as lightweight as commercial modules. Therefore the second section of this dissertation, chapters nine to twelve, implement and validate an analytical model to calculate the torque and slip characteristics of magnetic couplings. The dissertation is concluded in chapter thirteen with recommendations that incorporate the knowledge gained in magnetic coupling design with the modifications made to the thruster module to produce a thruster design that is both efficient and light

EM 2000 Microbathymetric and HYDROSWEEP DS-2 Bathymetric Surveying – a Comparison of Seafloor Topography at Porcupine Bank, west of Ireland

One of the latest discoveries in the world oceans are carbonate structures in the North-East Atlantic. In the frameworks of several European projects, the research vessel POLARSTERN and underwater robot VICTOR 6000 were engaged to explore these areas. The data described in this thesis were collected during the expedition ARK XIX/3 between 16 - 19th June 2003. Bathymetric and microbathymetric data in parts of the Pelagia Province, located on the northern Porcupine Bank, west of Ireland, were measured with two multibeam sonar systems deployed at different distances from the bottom. The four compared models come from a KONGSBERG SIMRAD EM 2000 multibeam sonar system and an ATLAS ELEKTRONIK HYDROSWEEP DS-2 multibeam sonar system. After necessary corrections of the data, digital terrain models were created, subtracted and correlated using appropriate software. This thesis begins with a description of the historical background of bathymetry, followed by a description of the principles of navigation and underwater navigation, inertial navigation systems, and the calibration of these systems. Systematic errors will be pointed out. It examines the measurement principles of the echo sounders used on the ARK XIX/3a expedition and accompanying necessary procedures, such as CTD measurements. A discussion of how the data are processed from raw data to edited results, and the effects of the errors, follows. One chapter is dedicated to a comparison and interpretation of the data. Sidescan, mosaic and PARASOUND data from the Hedge and Scarp Mounds are introduced as complementary information

Distributed Control Architecture

This document describes the development and testing of a novel Distributed Control Architecture (DCA). The DCA developed during the study is an attempt to turn the components used to construct unmanned vehicles into a network of intelligent devices, connected using standard networking protocols. The architecture exists at both a hardware and software level and provides a communication channel between control modules, actuators and sensors. A single unified mechanism for connecting sensors and actuators to the control software will reduce the technical knowledge required by platform integrators and allow control systems to be rapidly constructed in a Plug and Play manner. DCA uses standard networking hardware to connect components, removing the need for custom communication channels between individual sensors and actuators. The use of a common architecture for the communication between components should make it easier for software to dynamically determine the vehicle s current capabilities and increase the range of processing platforms that can be utilised. Implementations of the architecture currently exist for Microsoft Windows, Windows Mobile 5, Linux and Microchip dsPIC30 microcontrollers. Conceptually, DCA exposes the functionality of each networked device as objects with interfaces and associated methods. Allowing each object to expose multiple interfaces allows for future upgrades without breaking existing code. In addition, the use of common interfaces should help facilitate component reuse, unit testing and make it easier to write generic reusable software

WORKING GROUP ON NEPHROPS SURVEYS (WGNEPS ; outputs from 2020)

The Working Group on Nephrops Surveys (WGNEPS) is the international coordination group for Nephrops underwater television and trawl surveys within ICES. This report summarizes the na-tional contributions on the results of the surveys conducted in 2020 together with time series covering all survey years, problems encountered, data quality checks and technological improve-ments as well as the planning for survey activities for 2021.ICE

Perencanaan Sistem Catu Daya Pada Rov Tipe Free Swimming System

Melalui kabel umbilical suplai daya dari atas permukaan ]aut ke ROV yang ada di bawah laut menjadi tak terbatas, hanya s~ja seberapa besar daya yang diberikan, tentunya sangat bergantung pada misi ROV, begitu juga akan berpengaruh pada ukuran diameter kabel umbilical supaya distribusi daya listrik dapat berjalan dengan baik. Jika suplai daya listrik ke ROV besar, maka diameter kabel umbilical yang dibutuhkan menjadi lebih besar dan penambahan ukuran pada diameter kabel akan berpengaruh pada peningkatan gaya drag kabel. Dalam perencanaan ROV tipe Free Swimming System, mencoba untuk mengetahui sistem distribusi daya listrik dari ruang kontrol yang ada di permukaan ke ROV yang ada di bawah I aut termasuk jumlah kebutuhan daya listrik pada sistem ROV, jurnlah dan kapasitas generator yang diperlukan, ukuran diameter kabel umbilical, serta hubungan antara kebutuhan daya listrik, diameter kabel dan gaya drag pada kabel