Design of an Autonomous Surface Vehicle Used for Marine Environment Monitoring

This paper presents the design of an autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) used for marine environment monitoring or hydrologic survey. A catamaran is used to improve stability against waves, and the shape of high-speed ship is exploited to reduce the resistance. The characteristics of resistance, electric motor and propeller are optimally matched, so that the battery power is saved and the endurance is improved. By using wireless local loop based on IP, the reliability of remotely operated system is increased and distance of effective communication is extended. All the compartmentalized cabins are modularized and configured with universal data interfaces to facilitate connecting various instruments. Tests on near sea show that the ASV can do both fixed-spot observation as a moored buoy and cruise observation as a survey vessel. In addition, it can reach shallow areas where a survey vessel cannot access. Therefore, it can be widely used on water surface of river, lake and ocean for environment monitoring, survey and exploration.