Abstract
Self-localization is one of the most challenging problems for deploying micro autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) in confined underwater environments. This paper extends a recently-developed self-localization method that is based on the attenuation of electro-magnetic waves, to the AUV domain. We demonstrate a compact, low-cost architecture that is able to perform all signal processing steps present in the original method. The system is passive with one-way signal transmission and scales to possibly large AUV fleets. It is based on the spherical localization concept. We present results from static and dynamic position estimation experiments and discuss the tradeoffs of the system.
Highlights
Micro autonomous underwater vehicles are currently a prominent research topic and are expected to gain more importance in the future, especially for applications in confined liquid-filled tanks, e.g., in process engineering
We demonstrate that the most critical step in the signal processing chain, the computation of a ultra-high frequency (UHF) power density spectrum, can be performed on a digital video broadcasting-terrestrial (DVB-T) receiver that is of similar size as a standard USB dongle
We presented a compact, low-cost localization architecture based on the EM wave attenuation principle
Summary
Micro autonomous underwater vehicles (μAUVs) are currently a prominent research topic and are expected to gain more importance in the future, especially for applications in confined liquid-filled tanks, e.g., in process engineering. Advances in the area of microelectronics are continuously leading to the miniaturization and cost decrease of hardware, such as motor controllers and sensor suits This enables groundbreaking possibilities for the development of novel μAUVs. Underwater vehicles are usually termed μAUVs if their characteristic length is less than 50 cm. The approach provides a satisfactory solution for the localization problem in confined tanks; it is not of immediate use for μAUVs. The method utilizes a signal analyzer that is too large and expensive to be included in a μAUV. This paper presents an embedded low-cost version of the EM localization principle for global self-localization of μAUVs
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