Design and Implementation of an Autonomous Surface Vessel

Autonomous vehicles are only beginning to make the impact that they soon will have in a variety of applications. Research is ongoing to provide unmanned vehicles with higher cognitive abilities in order to simplify or eliminate the role of an operator. Advancing the understanding and development of Autonomous Surface Vessels ASVs, the objective of this research project, will be beneficial to not only the military, but also in many commercial and research applications. Multiple criteria were considered in selecting the type of vessel and maneuvering hardware most appropriate for the desired applications. A semi-planing monohull with an electric motor and single rudder was selected as the test bed for this research. In addition, sensors were chosen to provide the necessary data for an autonomous controller. These sensors were integrated onto a single circuit board which included a dedicated microprocessor for their operation and control. Different communication techniques were investigated to allow the primary microprocessor to pass information to a secondary microprocessor which produced the output for the control motors. Techniques for mathematically modeling the vessel were investigated, and physical experiments were conducted to determine the maneuvering parameters of the vessel, required for the models development. From this model, a control system was developed to guide the vessel to a desired position following waypoints based on the input of the sensors. These waypoints were automatically determined from information stored on an off-board computer. Data was collected in order to improve the functionality of the sensors and navigational techniques. During this research, numerous challenges specific to small, low-cost ASVs were encountered and investigated. In the end, a fully functional low-speed miniature ASV was developed and tested in the waters surrounding the U.S. Naval Academy.