Micro-sized Doppler Velocity Log for Navigation of Small UUVs

Abstract

Navigation of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) is a challenging task because radio frequency signals, such as GPS, only propagate short distances in water. The most recent trend is miniaturization-a large number of the UUV manufacturers now offer man portable vehicles, enabling low-cost and rapid deployments in shallow water. Most UUVs requiring high-fidelity navigation use one of two methods: positioning through acoustic transponders, or through inertial navigation systems (INS) aided by a Doppler Velocity Log (DVL). Limited payload space and cost constraints of micro-sized UUVs can preclude the use of DVL-based navigation. Therefore, there is a current need to reduce the size and cost of DVLs, to enable man-portable UUVs with a high-fidelity navigation solution. The micro-sized Wayfinder DVL, the most recent instrument developed by Teledyne RDI, offers similar performance to existing DVL offerings at over 50% reduced size and cost. It utilizes a cost-reduced high-performance phased-array transducer and is the first instrument built from a brand new software-defined sonar electronics platform developed by Teledyne RDI.