Florida Atlantic University (FAU) is in the process of developing a docking system for a new class of 12.75-inch autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) that provide marine researchers low-cost solution for oceanographic data collection. The four main areas of design that address the interface between the station and payload of a docking system are navigation, mechanical capture, power transfer, and data transfer. FAU decided to use ultra-short-baseline (USBL) sonar for homing and docking navigation, whilst considering other options such as short-base-line acoustic systems, optical and magnetic system, and global positioning system (GPS)-assisted dead reckoning. Design considerations for mechanical capture include docking window size and required navigation accuracy, vehicle capture and release actuation, size of the docking payload and necessary vehicle appendages, and versatility. Three different design options were considered for power transfer, which include direct electrical contact, inductive transfer, and a motor generator. For data transfer, FAU decided to use an independent high-frequency radio frequency (RF) local area network (LAN) that would be less prone to interference and provide a communications back-up during power transfer system failure. Various tests demonstrate that the docking station can successfully detect the presence of the vehicle in its correct position before raising the charging probe.
A modular docking system for 12.75-inch class AUVs
Modulare Basisstation für autonome Unterwasserfahrzeuge der 12,75-Zoll-Klasse
Sea Technology ; 46 , 4 ; 49-54
2005
6 Seiten
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Englisch
A MODULAR DOCKING SYSTEM FOR 12.75-INCH CLASS AUVS
British Library Online Contents | 2005
|Efficiency of radial-flow exhaust-gas turbosupercharger turbine with 12.75-inch tip diameter
Engineering Index Backfile | 1946
|Docking and Tracking Technologies for AUVs
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2002
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