UUV Obstacle Avoidance System using Miniature Sonar Sensors

Research pertaining to the development of an OAS (Obstacle Avoidance System) for a highly autonomous UUV (Unmanned Underwater Vehicle) operating in shallow water is proposed. This technology will enable a UUV to operate autonomously in hazardousenvironments while navigating to a designated target without benefit of remote piloting or prior knowledge of the undersea geography. The overall objective is to define the obstacle avoidance technologies, including the system architecture, sonar sensorsand processing, obstacle avoidance algorithms, and autopilot structure together with control laws and interfaces. The research is facilitated by building on the results of the investigator?s previous work on OAS for miniature helicopters operating inurban areas, and experience in UUV and sonar engineering and development. The proposed effort will focus on the integration of an existing OAS, UUV autopilot, and miniature sonar sensors. Phase I models and tests the complete system in a high fidelity6-dof simulation environment, evaluating the ability of the system to detect and avoid undersea obstacles such as rocks, reefs, vegetation and mines. Testing of the proposed system in sea trials during Phase II is possible due to extremely low cost of theproposed hardware, $1000s (vs. $100,000s for commercial UUVs and sonars). This research will facilitate the development of low cost UUVs for autonomous operation in cluttered shallow water environments, which can perform hazardous missions such as minedetection and tagging with more speed and reduced personal risk versus sending a manned submersible. Commercial applications may include surveillance and mapping of hazardous or unreachable areas such as wrecks and caves.