Combined energy storage and three-axis attitude control of a gyroscopically actuated AUV

Abstract

This research develops a system to combine energy storage and attitude control functions in control moment gyros (CMGs) for application onboard autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). This is proposed as part of a hybrid energy storage system to allow AUVs to perform their missions with no chemical battery at all. A geometric study of the interactions between the kinetic energy and angular momentum stored in a CMG pyramid is performed. This forms the basis of a control algorithm that allows the energy mechanically stored in the rotation of the CMG flywheels to power the electronics of the robot, whilst simultaneously controlling its three-axis attitude. The proposed system is implemented onboard the CMG actuated AUV 'IKURA' and underwater experiments are performed to demonstrate combined energy storage and three-axis attitude control.

Study for femto satellites using micro Control Moment Gyroscope

“…The CMG has been also used for space robotics, underwater vehicles, and on the International Space Station as well as for other large space missions [13] and [14], but Control Moment Gyroscopes are not often considered for use on small satellites [9], [10], [11] and [12]. The main reasons are due to the complexity of the mechanical and control system needed to implement an effective CMG.…”

Feasibility study of a new energy scavenging system for an autonomous underwater vehicle

“…2009;Bracco et al 2010Bracco et al , 2011Salcedo et al 2009;Townsend and Shenoi 2013) and energy storage and attitude control of underwater robots (Thornton et al 2005(Thornton et al , 2007a(Thornton et al , 2008 this paper specifically explores the feasibility of a new gyroscopic based energy scavenging system with; unrestricted precession motion (where the gyroscopic precession can take any angle and the gyroscopic equations cannot necessarily be regarded as linear), high flywheel rpm (thousands not hundreds) and a vertical precession axis (whereby the rolling and pitching motions contribute to the energy harvested). A theoretical description of the system and simulation results for a range of geometrically scaled, pitching, torpedo style AUVs (2-10 m in length) are presented including the AUV response, gyroscopic precession response, power and efficiency.…”

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Guidance, Navigation, and Control

“…Autonomous vehicle angular momentum control of rotational mechanics may be achieved using control moment gyroscopes, one potential momentum exchange actuator with a long, historic legacy actuating space vehicles, where mathematical singularities have just recently been overcome [17][18][19][20][21][22][23], permitting use of the actuator for underwater vehicles as done recently achieved by Thorton et al [24,25] including combined attitude and energy storage control. These developments suffice to reveal that attitude control is not controversial, and thus the remainder of this manuscript focuses on guidance and navigation with a residual necessity to implement nominal, effective pitch and yaw control.…”