Orientation Tracking for Humans and Robots Using Inertial Sensors

Proc. of 1999 International Symposium on Computational Intelligence in Robotics and Automation, Monterey, CA, December, 1999, pp. 187-194.Accepted/Published Conference Pape

Recursive Goal Refinement and Iterative Task Abstraction for Top-Level Control of Autonomous Mobile Robots by Mission Execution Automata - A UUV Example"

This report describes NPS AUV progres

A Taxonomy of Turing Machines and Mission Execution Automata (MEA) with no Lisp/Prolog Implementation

This report describes NPS AUV progres

Testing and Evaluation of an Integrated GPS/INS System for Small AUV Navigation

A Small Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Navigation System (SANS) is being developed at the Naval Postgraduate School. The SANS is an integrated Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System (GPS/INS) navigation system composed of low-cost and small-size components. It is designed to demonstrate the feasibility of using a low-cost strap-down inertial measurement unit (IMU) to navigate between intermittent GPS fixes. The present hardware consists of a GPS/DGPS receiver, IMU, compass, water speed sensor, water depth sensor, and a data processing computer. The software is based on a 12-state complementary filter that combines measurement data from all sensors to derive a vehicle position/orientation estimate. This paper describes hardware and software design and testing results of the SANS. It is shown that results from tilt table testing and bench testing provide an effective means for tuning filter gains. Ground vehicle testing verifies the overall functioning of the SANS and exhibits an encouraging degree of accuracy.This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant CDA-9729814, by Florida Atlantic University under Agreement NP787, and by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency under ARPA Order C309/06.This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant CDA-9729814, by Florida Atlantic University under Agreement NP787, and by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency under ARPA Order C309/06

The Rational Behavior Software Architecture for Intelligent Ships : An Approach to Mission and Motion Control

Naval Engineers Journal, American Society of Naval Engineers, March 1996, pp.43-55The solutions to the power projection, transportation, and operational needs of the Navy as it faces the 21st century must account for reduced manning levels. This leads natu- rally to increased use of computers, automation, and intelligent systems in the concept and design of the next genera- tion of ships. In addition to the acknowledgedhardware needs, the prob- lem of autonomic and autonomous control of shipboard systems and missions are amenable to and will, in fact, require software solutions. Despite current tech- nolom, large, reliable software systems are difficult to achieve because correct- ness in requirements analysis, design, implementation, testing, modification, and maintenance of software are difficult. Software is also difficult to quantize and display; hence, the effort and costs involved in its development are easily underestimated. This paper describes an approach to the problem of providing structure, in the form of a software architecture, to the software performing autonomous control of missions and their related tasks. In concert with the need to reduce complexity, the architecture must support simple, rapid reconfigura- tion of code should vehicle capabilitiesor mission requirements change. Building upon recent efforts with control of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), we propose a tri-level control system architecture called the Rational Behavior Model (RBM) as an approach to autonomous and autonomic control of surface ship missions and systems

Control Systems Architecture, Navigation, and Communication Research Using the NPS Phoenix Underwater Vehicle

6th International Advanced Robotics Program Workshop on Underwater Robotics, Toulon, France, March 27-29, 1996

Evaluation of the NPS PHOENIX Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Hybrid Control System

This paper describes recent work with the NPS PHOENIX vehicle in the further development of the intelligent control software incorporating hover control behaviors. Of particular interest is the use of the TRITECH ST1000 and ST725 high frequency sonars to provide data about the environment. Vehicle positioning is proposed to be based in a local relative sense, augmenting global positioning by LBL transponders. Motion behaviors around a target area have been implemented including diving and pitch control under thruster power; heading control at zero speed; lateral and longitudinal positioning, as well as the automatic initiation of filters as needed for target tracking. A tri-level controller architecture is discussed as part of an ongoing evaluation for coordinating the task based control of vehicle robotic behaviors.The authors wish to recognize the financial support of the National Science Foundation under Grant No.BCS-930625'2 as well the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Annapolis Division, the Naval Explosive Ordnance Di!;posal Technology Center, and the Naval Postgraduate School Direct Research Foundation, all partly contributing to the conduct of this work

Incorporation of global positioning system into autonomous underwater vehicle navigation

The article of record may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/AUV.1992.225224Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Technology, 1992. AUV '92., Proceedings of the 1992 Symposium onThe authors provide a brief introduction to the global positioning system (GPS). In addition, the issues of incorporating GPS into autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) navigation are explored. Test results conducted on a stationary GPS receiver are analyzed for suitability in AUV navigation. These results meet the minimum criteria of AUV employment as established. It was demonstrated that small, low-cost, low-power GPS receivers, in general, are suitable for AUV applications. In addition, a system design that the Naval Postgraduate School is now pursuing to incorporate GPS into AUV navigation is presente