Abstract
In underwater localization systems several sources of error may impact in different ways the accuracy of the final position estimates. Through simulations and statistical analysis it is possible to identify and characterize such sources of error and their relative importance. This is especially of use when an accurate localization system has to be designed within required accuracy prescriptions. This approach allows one to also investigate how much these sources of error influence the final position estimates achieved by an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF). This paper presents the results of experiments designed in a virtual environment used to simulate real acoustic underwater localization systems. The paper intends to analyze the main parameters that significantly influence the position estimates achieved by a Short Baseline (SBL) system. Specifically, the results of this analysis are presented for a proprietary localization system constituted by a surface platform equipped with four acoustic transducers used for the localization of an underwater target. The simulator here presented has the purpose of simulating the hardware system and modifying some of its design parameters, such as the base-line length and the errors on the GPS and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) units, in order to understand which parameters have to modify for improving the accuracy of the entire positioning system. It is shown that statistical analysis techniques can be of help in determining the best values of these parameters that permit to improve the performance of a real hardware system.
Highlights
In the last few decades, interest in research on underwater systems has been large
Three simulation scenarios have been considered with the target moving along a defined path and with the platform moored in a geo-referenced point
The input for the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) are the measurements of the ranges and the depth according to a round-robin scheduling logic
Summary
Many advancements have been achieved on the electronic systems that support the localization of underwater vehicles and divers. Research on diver electronic support systems has focused on safety systems, like dive computers, and Underwater Augmented Reality (UWAR) systems that provide visual aids to increase the capability ofcommercial divers to detect, perceive, and understand elements in underwater environments [1]. UWAR systems are used for recreative applications such as underwater exploration of archaeological underwater parks [2,3]. In order to improve those tasks, accurate localization and navigation become extremely important to guarantee the correctness of the gathered data for these applications [4]
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