Development of the &amp;#x201C;Seatrac&amp;#x201D; miniature acoustic modem and USBL positioning units for subsea robotics and diver applications

Neasham, Jeffrey; Goodfellow, Geraint M.; Sharphouse, Robin

doi:10.1109/oceans-genova.2015.7271578

Cited by 38 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Since the iUSBL range is limited by frequency—and thus ultimately by transducer size—it may be the component most difficult to miniaturize to fit on a small AUV. However, USBL units piggybacking low‐bandwidth communications capabilities on the positioning signal are becoming commonplace, and would provide some flexibility in placing the transducer on the dock and sending the position measurement from there (also providing a certain level of regular data communications and telemetry back from the AUV when nearby).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The ARTEMIS under‐ice AUV docking system

Kimball¹,

Clark²,

Scully³

et al. 2017

Journal of Field Robotics

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The ARTEMIS docking system demonstrates autonomous docking capability applicable to robotic exploration of sub‐ice oceans and sub‐glacial lakes on planetary bodies, as well as here on Earth. In these applications, melted or drilled vertical access shafts restrict vehicle geometry as well as the in‐water infrastructure that may be deployed. The ability of the vehicle to return reliably and precisely to the access point is critical for data return, battery charging, and/or vehicle recovery. This paper presents the mechanical, sensor, and software components that make up the ARTEMIS docking system, as well as results from field deployment of the system to McMurdo Sound, Antarctica in the austral spring of 2015. The mechanical design of the system allows the vehicle to approach the dock from any direction and to pitch up after docking for recovery through a vertical access shaft. It uses only a small volume of in‐water equipment and may be deployed through a narrow vertical access shaft. The software of the system reduces position estimation error with a hierarchical combination of dead reckoning, acoustic aiding, and machine vision. The system provides critical operational robustness, enabling the vehicle to return autonomously and precisely to the access shaft and latch to the dock with no operator input.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The ARTEMIS under‐ice AUV docking system

Kimball¹,

Clark²,

Scully³

et al. 2017

Journal of Field Robotics

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“…We include a synchronization header (a unique waveform for detection and correlation at the receiver) in our packet model to reflect a typical structure of the low cost underwater acoustic modems, e.g. [47] [48]. The duration of the data packet in our simulation model is calculated as follows:…”

Section: A Simulation Setupmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dual-Hop TDA-MAC and Routing for Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks

Morozs

Mitchell

Zakharov

2019

IEEE J. Oceanic Eng.

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This paper investigates the application of underwater acoustic sensor networks (UASNs) for large scale monitoring of the ocean environment. The low propagation speed of acoustic waves presents a fundamental challenge for Medium Access Control (MAC)-coordinating the access of multiple nodes to the shared acoustic communication medium. In this paper, we propose Sequential Dual-Hop TDA-MAC (SDH-TDA-MAC)-a centralized MAC and routing protocol that facilitates efficient dual-hop scheduling in UASNs without the need for clock synchronization among the sensor nodes. BELLHOP-based simulations of a 100 node network reveal that SDH-TDA-MAC can achieve full network connectivity with 16 dB lower transmit power, compared with the singlehop TDA-MAC protocol. This provides considerable energy savings, while still providing network goodput in excess of 50% of the channel capacity. We also present a method of incorporating routing redundancy into the SDH-TDA-MAC protocol that achieves a good trade-off between the network throughput and reliability. For example, in a channel with 10% probability of link outage, incorporating double routing redundancy into SDH-TDA-MAC increases the packet delivery ratio from 81% to 95%, a significant improvement in network reliability, while still achieving the network goodput of 22% of the channel capacity, considerably higher than typical MAC protocols designed for UASNs. In summary, the high network goodput, low transmit power compared with the single-hop approach, no requirement for clock synchronization, and robust packet delivery via route diversity make SDH-TDA-MAC an efficient, reliable and practical approach to data gathering in UASNs.

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“…Minimum area of the ROI can be set by adjusting measurement noise variance ], while the rate of ROI growth when there are no measurements available can be defined by adjusting process noise parameters, especially . [20]. The combined modem/USBL units are designed as a very compact assembly.…”

Section: Using the Tracking Filter Covariance For Region Of Interestmentioning

confidence: 99%

Underwater Object Tracking Using Sonar and USBL Measurements

et al. 2016

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In the scenario where an underwater vehicle tracks an underwater target, reliable estimation of the target position is required. While USBL measurements provide target position measurements at low but regular update rate, multibeam sonar imagery gives high precision measurements but in a limited field of view. This paper describes the development of the tracking filter that fuses USBL and processed sonar image measurements for tracking underwater targets for the purpose of obtaining reliable tracking estimates at steady rate, even in cases when either sonar or USBL measurements are not available or are faulty. The proposed algorithms significantly increase safety in scenarios where underwater vehicle has to maneuver in close vicinity to human diver who emits air bubbles that can deteriorate tracking performance. In addition to the tracking filter development, special attention is devoted to adaptation of the region of interest within the sonar image by using tracking filter covariance transformation for the purpose of improving detection and avoiding false sonar measurements. Developed algorithms are tested on real experimental data obtained in field conditions. Statistical analysis shows superior performance of the proposed filter compared to conventional tracking using pure USBL or sonar measurements.

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Development of the “Seatrac” miniature acoustic modem and USBL positioning units for subsea robotics and diver applications

Cited by 38 publications

References 4 publications

The ARTEMIS under‐ice AUV docking system

The ARTEMIS under‐ice AUV docking system

Dual-Hop TDA-MAC and Routing for Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks

Underwater Object Tracking Using Sonar and USBL Measurements

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