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Talk-10: Integration of Multiple Sensors and Robotic Systems Onboard a USV via MOOS

V. Djapic, S. Fioravanti, A. Grati, M. Paoli, NATO Undersea Research Centre (NURC)

The mine disposal programme of work at NURC is developing and testing a new system based on an USV and a simple underwater kamikaze vehicle with a sonar-aided navigation system. To reduce the cost associated with the underwater kamikaze vehicle (UV), all the expensive sensors used for navigation (e.g., DVL, inertial sensors, etc.) have been removed. The UV position is estimated automatically by the forward looking sonar onboard the USV. The range and bearing data, together with the x and y-axis position of the sonar head, are communicated acoustically from the USV to the UV. Using this information, and the z-axis position coming from onboard inexpensive pressure sensor, the UV can calculate its 3D position. In order to realize this experiment, one of the two USVs which were procured and moosified last year has been heavily modified to include the integration of multiple payloads: a forward looking sonar, an acoustic modem, an underwater pan and tilt unit, a variable depth system for the sonar, and a release mechanism for the autonomous underwater vehicle. All these devices have been integrated using MOOS for inter-process communications and new behaviors have been implemented in the back-seat driver to develop new strategies to support the disposal mission. Different approaches for sensor data communication has been discussed and considered. The new behaviors allow the possibility to keep an object in the field-of-view of the sonar by combining pan & tilt unit and USV control strategies, and give the ability to USV to circle around or keep the distance from an object detected in the sonar image. Compared to last year's implementation we have abandoned the ARM MOOS architecture due to the real-time image generation and processing requirements, and all the processes are now running on an embedded PC (core2Duo) which is connected via Ethernet to the front-seat controller and to the shore station. The new GUIs have been programmed to allow operator control of the mission and to allow real-time sonar data visualization. In addition, a new process has been implemented on the front-seat to manage the hand-over of control between the MOOS IvP-Helm, the factory OIS (Operator Interface from SeaRobotics), and a new remote control for recovery/deployment and emergency operations. In summary, the presentation provides an example of a complex system and a solution for the integration of multiple devices.

Categories:

  • Autonomy / Collaborative Autonomy
  • Mine Countermeasures
  • Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) / Autonomous Surface Craft (ASCs)
  • Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) / Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs)
  • MOOS-IvP
  • Mission Control / Mission Visualization