RI: Small: Fast, Cheap, and In Control: New Methods for Precision Navigation of Low-Cost Autonomous Underwater Vehicles for Ocean Science

一种新型的小型低成本无人水下航行器（uuv）开始执行海洋、环境评估和国家安全任务，它比以前的方法（如大型高成本的uuv、人类驾驶的车辆和人类潜水员）更快、更便宜。小型低成本无人潜航器的一个重要限制是它们的低成本导航系统，这目前限制了它们用于需要相对低精度导航的任务。该项目正在开发利用低成本传感器进行高精度导航的新方法，以大幅提高低成本无人潜航器的导航精度。三部分方法(1)采用多普勒声纳测速和低成本低功率惯性测量单元进行姿态估计；(2)利用车辆二阶系统动力学的全非线性模型，开发了基于非线性模型的状态估计器；(3)利用水声调制解调器网络提供同步的水声通信和水声距离和距离速率数据，并将这些数据用于改进的水下航行器导航。这些方法的实验验证包括在两个不同的测试平台水下航行器上进行全面的实验试验。结果的传播包括研究出版物和更广泛的公众宣传。该项目包括对本科生和研究生进行实践培训和指导。这些本科生将参与这项研究，并将在一个项目中担任导师，该项目通过约翰霍普金斯大学校园内半天的周末项目，为巴尔的摩地区的中学女生提供入门工程经验。这项研究将使uuv能够执行需要高导航精度的任务，目前认为这些任务对于现有的低成本uuv来说是不切实际或不可行的。

A novel class of small low-cost unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) is beginning to perform oceanographic, environmental assessment, and national security missions that are faster and less expensive than previous methods such as large high-cost UUVs, human-piloted vehicles, and human divers. A significant limitation of small low-cost UUVs is their low-cost navigation systems which presently limit them to missions requiring comparatively low-precision navigation. This project is developing new methods for high-accuracy navigation with low-cost sensors to provide dramatically improved navigation accuracy for low-cost UUVs. The three-part approach (1) employs Doppler sonar velocity measurement and low-cost low-power inertial measurement units to estimate attitude; (2) develops nonlinear model-based state estimators employing a full nonlinear model of the vehicle's second order plant dynamics; and (3) utilizes underwater acoustic modem networks to provide simultaneous acoustic communication and acoustic range and range-rate data, and employ these data for improved underwater vehicle navigation. Experimental validation of these methods includes full-scale experimental trials with two disparate testbed underwater vehicles. Dissemination of the results includes research publications and more general public outreach. This project involves hands-on training and mentoring of undergraduate students and graduate students. The undergraduates will be involved in the research, and will also serve as mentors in a program which provides introductory engineering experiences for middle school girls in the Baltimore area through half-day weekend programs on the Johns Hopkins University campus. This research will enable UUVs to perform missions requiring high navigation accuracy that are presently considered either impractical or infeasible with existing low-cost UUVs.