Passive arm based dynamic positioning system for remotely operated underwater vehicles

Describes the development and implementation of a dynamic positioning system for remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) which is based on a mechanical passive arm (PA) for position measurement. The system, named DPSROV, is suited for tasks which require precise positioning within a limited range around a working site. The DPSROV was configured aiming at easy installation in most commercially available ROVs. The effectiveness of the DPSROV was tested on real ROVs. Two different control strategies were adopted: a conventional linear controller and a robust variable structure model-reference adaptive control. Experimental results are presented to illustrate the DPSROV performance