A fully autonomous docking strategy for Intervention AUVs

The development of effective control architectures for Intervention AUVs (I-AUV) is a very challenging task due to the inherent complexities of the environment and the necessity of the vehicle to come into contact with underwater structures without closed-loop supervision. Despite this, both the scientific and industrial communities are keen supporters of the development of I-AUV technology owing to the relevant cost saving opportunities they are potentially able to offer in a number of applications. In this article we describe a comprehensive control architecture designed to dock an I-AUV on a receiving structure, using sonar and video image processing alongside navigation data from conventional sensors. The approach is based on custom developed sonar and video processing algorithms and the results are validated in real-time conditions by means of Ifremer's experimental underwater vehicle VORTEX.