An Acoustic Positioning Buoy

Real-time positioning for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) is an important but very complex problem. This article documents the overall process of creating a buoy system for AUV positioning. Similar to Global Positioning System (GPS) electromagnetic signals, the buoys were designed to transmit acoustic signals. These signals would be received and processed by the AUV, allowing the AUV to position itself in real time. This is a system-level report and does not go into any great detail on advanced topics. This project was led by Dr. Harold (Bud) Vincent, a professor at the University of Rhode Island and an expert in underwater acoustics.