Integrated maneuver and control design for ROV operations

The integrated maneuver and control structures for a Remotely Operated Vehicle are presented in the context of the developments of "IES - Inspection of Underwater Structures" project. The project concerns the design and implementation of an advanced low cost system for the inspection of underwater structures based on a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). First, the subsystems of the IES system are described. Second, an example of a mission is outlined. Third, the control architecture is briefly sketched and formalized. Fourth, the design of the regulation and tracking controllers for this architecture are discussed. The design uses a nonlinear dynamic surface controller (DSC). This controller is coupled with a trajectory generation system for optimal performance. The ROV model is differentially flat under mild assumptions. The trajectory generation system uses this property to produce optimal trajectories. Finally, simulation runs of DSC and PID are compared in light of model parameters uncertainty. Extensions of the work are discussed as conclusions.