Simulation of a laser tracker system for relative positioning of autonomous underwater vehicles

In this paper we describe the simulative evaluation of a Multi Laser Tracking System (MLTS) to be used for relative position estimation of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV). Based on the parameters of an existing MLTS for land applications, we build up a simulation with two AUVs that perform range and bearing measurements between each other. On the base of these measurements that are disturbed by noise we perform position estimation, using different methods, and evaluate the accuracy against realistic requirements. Finally, we will provide an overview on the continuative research activities in order to realize a MLTS for underwater applications in reality.