A Propulsion-Enabled Control System for Precise Submarine Maneuvering

U.S. Navy submarines are now equipped with a number of actuators, including directional thrusters, that can enable an unprecedented level of maneuverability with a properly designed and executed control system. In this Phase I project, Impact Technologies has teamed with L-3 Communications and Virginia Tech to develop an automated submarine propulsion-enhanced control (ASPEC) system to achieve highly-precise control for autonomous execution of course-keeping, mooring/unmooring, mine avoidance, and collision avoidance. The ASPEC technology features an energy-shaping controller coupled with an optimal control allocation scheme, a nonlinear estimation scheme, and a guidance system. The system has guaranteed robust stability and is designed to minimize the effect of uncertainties, allowing the system to maintain precise control even with natural imprecision in the vehicle’s dynamics and obtained sensor signals. A comprehensive study of the control capability, the vehicle’s general arrangement, and subsystem interfaces (integrated bridge systems, navigation systems) will be performed in Phase I. The prototype system will then be evaluated in a representative simulation environment to determine control efficacy and justify insertion in Navy platforms. The project team is uniquely qualified to ensure a successful transition to a Phase II program that will include sea trials on a representative underwater vehicle platform.