Dynamic modeling of a hybrid autonomous underwater vehicle with efficient three dimensional path planning methods -

Abstract

This thesis presents the design of a hybrid autonomous underwater vehicle (HAUV), which combines the features of a propelled vehicle and those of an underwater glider. The mechanical design is briefly introduced, describing the main structure and specifications of the vehicle. We demonstrate its dynamic model and describe several simulations to showcase its locomotive capabilities. Sliding mode control techniques are implemented to control the heading and steering velocities. Results show the successful servoing of the vehicle under various modes. The main contribution of this work is in the proposed motion planning technique to solve for trajectories from a start to a goal configuration. Our method generates feasible trajectories by integrating two planar Dubins curves. In fact, the motion planning technique is devised to not only generate feasible trajectories but also to assess their optimality.