Design, Implementation and Navigation Test of Manta-type Unmanned Underwater Vehicle

Abstract

This paper describes the mathematical modeling, control algorithm, system design, hardware implementation and experimental test of a Manta-type Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (MUUV). The vehicle has one thruster for longitudinal propulsion, one rudder for heading angle control and two elevators for depth control. It is equipped with a pressure sensor for measuring water depth and Doppler Velocity Log for measuring position and angle. The vehicle is controlled by an on-board PC, which runs with the Windows XP operating system. The dynamic model of 6DOF is derived including the hydrodynamic forces and moments acting on the vehicle, while the hydrodynamic coefficients related to the forces and moments are obtained from experiments or estimated numerically. We also utilized the values obtained from PMM (Planar Motion Mechanism) tests found in the previous publications for numerical simulations. Various controllers such as PID, Sliding mode, Fuzzy and H∞ are designed for depth and heading angle control in order to compare the performance of each controller based on simulation. In addition, experimental tests are carried out in a towing tank for depth keeping and heading angle tracking.