Hybrid Tracking Controller for an ASV Providing Mission Support for an AUV

Abstract

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) rely on surface support for communication with operators and position fixes to bound inertial navigation errors. By installing an acoustic modem on an autonomous surface vehicle (ASV), the ASV can carry out these tasks, replacing more expensive and less flexible manned research vessels. This paper proposes a hybrid tracking controller for an ASV providing mission support for an AUV. The proposed controller keeps the ASV in a donut-shaped safety domain about the AUV defined by the risk of collision (inner boundary) and the risk of communication loss (outer boundary). At the same time, the hybrid controller reduces power consumption and acoustic signal noise by going into standby mode when it is within the safety domain. Results from a simulation study and field trials are presented to demonstrate and validate the controller's performance. The results show that the controller performed well in the tested cases.