Experimental Study on Propulsion Characteristic of Autonomous Intervention ROV

Abstract

In autonomous interventions using an underwater vehicle with a manipulator, grasping based on target detection and recognition is one of the core technologies. To complete an autonomous grasping task, the vehicle body approaches the target closely and then holds it through operating the end-effector of the manipulator, while the vehicle maintains its position and attitude without unstable motion. For vehicle motion control, it is very important to identify the hydrodynamic parameters of the underwater vehicle, including the propulsion force. This study examined the propulsion characteristics of the autonomous intervention ROV developed by KRISO, because there is a difference between the real exerted force and the expected force. First, the mapping between the input signal and thrusting force for each underwater thruster was obtained through a water tank experiment. Next, the real propulsion forces and moments of the ROV exerted by thrusting forces were directly measured using an F/T (force/torque) sensor attached to the ROV. Finally, the differences between the measured and expected values were confirmed.

Keywords

• remotely operated vehicle(rov)
• autonomous intervention
• thrusting force
• propulsion force
• underwater manipulator