Mechatronic design of autonomous underwater vehicles for confined spaces

Abstract

In utility piping and fluid transportation pipelines, it is often desired to have a robotic device that can navigate the complex structure to carry inspection to maintain the integrity of these infrastructures. In this work, an attempt to design an untethered micro autonomous underwater vehicle, mAUV, is conducted. The mechanical, electrical, control and perception system are developed through a proposed model-based mechatronic design approach. Key design tools are validated including the measurement of hydrodynamic drag and thruster performance, a visual dynamic software-in-the-loop simulation is developed that incorporates the validated vehicle model, a model-based quaternion error attitude controller is implemented and a structure light perception system and method is proposed.