Heading Lock Maneuver Testing of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

TL;DR

This paper reports on the initial field testing of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle's heading lock maneuver, including laboratory and lake tests, to evaluate its control and response in natural conditions.

Contribution

It presents the first field testing of heading lock maneuver control for an autonomous underwater vehicle in a natural lake environment.

Findings

Vehicle successfully maintained heading lock in lake conditions

Data shows consistent response to heading commands

Testing demonstrates feasibility of control in natural environments

Abstract

In recent years, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (UAV) research and development at Bandung Institute of Technology in Indonesia has achieved the testing stage in the field. This testing was still being classified as the early testing, since some of the preliminary tests were carried out in the scale of the laboratory. The paper would discuss the laboratory test and several tests that were done in the field. Discussions were stressed in the procedure and the aim that will be achieved, along with several early results. The testing was carried out in the lake with the area around 8300 Ha and the maximum depth of 50 meters. The location of the testing was chosen with consideration of minimizing the effect of the current and the wave, as well as the location that was not too far from the Laboratory. The type of testing that will be discussed in paper was Heading Lock Maneuver Testing. The vehicle was tested to move with a certain cruising speed, afterwards it was commanded by an arbitrarily selected heading direction. The response and the behavior of the vehicle were recorded as the data produced by the testing.