Abstract
The communication and control performance of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) relates directly to the tactical warfighting capability for force multiplication and improved effectiveness. The objective of this project is to develop a comprehensive design procedure for communication among, and decentralized control of, a fleet of AUVs. The vehicles will be capable of organizing themselves in specified geometric patterns and navigating between predetermined points and around obstacles. Communication and distributed control concepts for a fleet of cooperating AUVs will be investigated theoretically, by computer simulation, and through prototype testing in a controlled in-water environment. The in-water testing will performed at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division facilities at Bayview, Idaho. We intend to leverage our experience in the development of autonomous vehicles for land-based applications to facilitate this water-based application. We will investigate both fuzzy logic and system theoretic approaches to the control problem and seek to find appropriate synergies between them. Recognizing that communication among cooperating vehicles is an integral part of this combined communication and control problem, we will investigate, adapt, and develop communication strategies appropriate to the fleet-wide control problem. The resulting communication and control system design procedures will be made available to the Navy for use in developing communication and control systems for multi-vehicle fleets of AUVs.