ecoSUB AUVs: Enhancing navigation with network localisation...Davide Fenucci James Fishwick Naomi Gold Alan Gould David Graham Pete Hanley Catherine Harris Nick Linton Andrea Munafo

Designed & developed in partnershipDesigned & developed in partnership

www.ecoSUB.uk

ecoSUB AUVs: Enhancing navigation with network localisationIain Vincent, Director, ecoSUB Robotics Limited

Background

Intro to ecoSUB AUVs

Why develop network localisation?

Project

Results

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Agenda

Designed & developed in partnership

www.ecoSUB.uk

Partners:


www.ecoSUB.uk

Background – ecoSUB AUVs

• 4 years of joint R&D effort

• Partnership between:• Planet Ocean

• National Oceanography Centre

• Two vehicle types, currently three variants

• Disruptive technology: designed to ‘democratise the AUV’

• Low cost, smart, easy to use – mission to increase access to AUVs


www.ecoSUB.uk


www.ecoSUB.uk

ecoSUBµ5 (micro)

DEPTH500M

ENDURANCE

8-20HSPEED1M/S

ACOUSTIC IRIDIUM

WIFIGPS

WEIGHT

4KG

Length (inc antenna):925 mm (body 660 mm)Diameter:111 mm

ecoSUBm5 & ecoSUBm25 (milli)

F B

ENDURANCE

8-18HSPEED1M/S

ACOUSTIC IRIDIUM

WIFIGPS

WEIGHT

12KG

Length1000 mmDiameter:146 mm

F BDEPTH

2500M

DEPTH500M


www.ecoSUB.uk

HermesCommand Control & Communications System

• WiFi hub for vehicles• Two-way Iridium for internet denied

environments• 3G/4G internet hub• GPS• Acoustic modem option• OEM version for USV’s, buoys

ecoSUB C3Graphical User Interface (GUI) software

• Vehicle dashboard • Pre and post deployment testing• Mission planning• Data recovery• Data storage• Vehicle recovery of ecoSUB AUVs


www.ecoSUB.uk

Early adopter customers include

• National Oceanography Centre, UK

• DSTL, MOD UK

• Scottish Association of Marine Science (SAMS),UK

• University of Southampton, UK

• University of Bath, UK

• Plextek, UK

• Dalhousie University, Canada

Production vehicles ready very soon…


www.ecoSUB.uk


www.ecoSUB.uk

Project rationale

• Dead reckoning +/- 10% error of distance travelled

• Adequate for many applications

• Not great for others…

Error = 10% distance travelled


www.ecoSUB.uk


www.ecoSUB.uk

Challenge

• Enhance navigation accuracy without adding high cost / high power demand payload

• Nano-modems + development of network to share position information between nodes

• EKF to fuse LBL position information with dead reckoner

• Navigation responsive to dynamics environments – currents

Solution


www.ecoSUB.uk


www.ecoSUB.uk

Ultra low power Nano-modems provided by project partner, Jeff Neasham (University of Newcastle)


www.ecoSUB.uk


www.ecoSUB.uk

Navigation SoftwareDevelopment in three main stages:

New system architecture → Adaptive behaviours → System refinements

9

Message encoding/decoding

Message queuing and dispatching

Encapsulation of localisation- oriented data

Message transmission / reception


www.ecoSUB.uk


www.ecoSUB.uk

+/-5-10m

LBL networkNodes on surface transmit GPS subsea

for triangulation

ecoSUB network localisation


www.ecoSUB.uk


www.ecoSUB.uk

How many nodes…?

• Ideally minimum of three surfaces nodes

• Network unlimited

• Nodes can drop in and out of network

• Network can extend over large area

• Nano-modem range 2kmDesigned & developed in partnershipDesigned & developed in partnership

www.ecoSUB.uk

Scalable network… we want to operate more than one AUV, right?!


www.ecoSUB.uk

How many nodes…?






www.ecoSUB.uk

Project highlights• Trials in July 2018 – confined water

• 3 x Fixed surface nodes

• 1 x Underwater unit localising

• Trials in January 2019 – Loch Ness• 3 x Station keeping surface nodes

• 3 x Underwater units localising

• Trials in July 2019 – 12km South of Plymouth – Open water (50m)• 3 x Station keeping surface nodes• 7 x Underwater units localising


www.ecoSUB.uk


www.ecoSUB.uk

We took 13 AUVs(!) to Plymouth

ecoSUBu5 using a station keeping behaviour to hold position. Receives GPS, broadcast to underwater vehicles

Although we operated six AUVs in the network, we had a few issues… Mostly not related to network localisation, but prevented a comprehensive and complete trials exercise to prove the workCroatia: September/October 2019

We went to Croatia with seven AUVs and worked to refine the network localisation and prove the system with multiple AUV operations


www.ecoSUB.uk

Experiment breakdown….

• Three ecoSUBu5’s operating station keeping behaviour and acting as surface nodes in a triangle

• Three ecoSUBm5’s simultaneously completing lawnmower surveys in the bay, all localising inside the network

• Our Hermes C3 box monitoring the network providing real time tracking of the vehicles underwater


www.ecoSUB.uk


www.ecoSUB.uk


www.ecoSUB.uk


www.ecoSUB.uk

Actual navigation with network localisation

Dead reckoner performance: navigation without network localisation

Multi-vehicle, multi-missionRapid environmental assessment

Mission plots – network localisation


www.ecoSUB.uk

How many nodes…?






www.ecoSUB.uk

Croatia missions• Three underwater vehicles

operated simultaneously at different depths within the network

• Enabled rapid data capture (45 mins)

• High resolution 3D assessment of fluorimetry, temperature, and bathymetry

• Very easy mission planning, launch and recovery, very limited infrastructure required


www.ecoSUB.uk


www.ecoSUB.uk

Bathymetry data from ecoSUBm5 AUVs


www.ecoSUB.uk


www.ecoSUB.uk

Mission duration (157): 3h 20 minFinal error (EKF): 25 m Final error (DR): 675 m

Final mission of the week

LaunchRecover• Extend network area

• Shore launch, shore recovery

• Lawnmower coast to coast with ecoSUBm5

• 3 hour mission

• Difficult conditions, significant currents expected

• Low probability of success


www.ecoSUB.uk

Thank you

Please visit ecoSUB.uk for more information

Roll of honourEdwin Anarcaya

Richard Austin-BerryJames Burris

Mark ChalmersPeter Collinson

Alex DownerDavide FenucciJames Fishwick

Naomi GoldAlan Gould

David GrahamPete Hanley

Catherine HarrisNick Linton

Andrea MunafoJeff Neasham

Martin PalmerAlex Phillips

Danny RobinsonFranck SitbonJeremy Sitbon

Terry SloaneGraham Sloane

Aidan ThornIain Vincent

Smart Sound Plymouth Team


www.ecoSUB.uk

Documents

ecoSUB AUVs: Enhancing navigation with network localisation...Davide Fenucci James Fishwick Naomi Gold Alan Gould David Graham Pete Hanley Catherine Harris Nick Linton Andrea Munafo