Enhanced navigation and tether management of inspection class remotely operated vehicles
Date
2009-12-09T16:06:37Z
Authors
Zand, Jonathan
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Abstract
Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) provide access to underwater environments too deep and dangerous for commercial divers. A tether connects the ROV to a vessel on the surface, providing power and communication channels. During extended manoeuvres, hydrodynamic forces on the tether produce large tensions which hinder ROV manoeuvrability. The research presented in this thesis focuses on the design of new tether management strategies that alleviate the tether disturbance problem, and the implementation of a navigation suite for tracking the ROV position and velocity which are needed to close the loop on the tether management method. To improve the estimation of the ROV state, an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) is developed.
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Keywords
Underwater, Robotics, ROV, Tether, Kalman Filter, Navigation