College of Electronics and Information, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China.
Zhejiang Provincial Key Lab of Equipment Electronics, Hangzhou 310018, China.
Sensors (Basel). 2019 Feb 7;19(3):682. doi: 10.3390/s19030682.
As important observational platforms for the Smart Ocean concept, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) that perform long-term observation in fleets are beneficial because they provide large-scale sampling data with a sufficient spatiotemporal resolution. Therefore, a large number of low-cost micro AUVs with docking capability for power recharge and data transmission are essential. This study designed a low-cost electromagnetic docking guidance (EMDG) system for micro AUVs. The EMDG system is composed of a transmitter coil located on the dock and a three-axial search coil magnetometer acting as a receiver. The search coil magnetometer was optimized for small sizes while maintaining sufficient sensitivity. The signal conditioning and processing subsystem was designed to calculate the deflection angle () for docking guidance. Underwater docking tests showed that the system can detect the electromagnetic signal and successfully guide AUV docking. The AUV can still perform docking in extreme positions, which cannot be realized through normal optical or acoustic guidance. This study is the first to focus on the EM guidance system for low-cost micro AUVs. The search coil sensor in the AUV is inexpensive and compact so that the system can be equipped on a wide range of AUVs.
作为“智慧海洋”概念的重要观测平台，能够进行编队长期观测的自主水下航行器（AUV）具有重要意义，因为它们可以提供具有足够时空分辨率的大规模采样数据。因此，大量具有对接能力的低成本、可充电和可传输数据的微型 AUV 是必不可少的。本研究设计了一种用于微型 AUV 的低成本电磁对接制导（EMDG）系统。该 EMDG 系统由位于码头的发射线圈和作为接收器的三轴搜索线圈磁强计组成。搜索线圈磁强计经过优化，尺寸小但灵敏度保持足够高。信号调理和处理子系统用于计算对接制导的偏转角（）。水下对接测试表明，该系统可以检测电磁信号并成功引导 AUV 对接。即使在无法通过正常光学或声学制导实现的极端位置，AUV 仍可进行对接。本研究首次专注于低成本微型 AUV 的电磁制导系统。AUV 中的搜索线圈传感器价格低廉且结构紧凑，因此系统可以安装在各种 AUV 上。
