US-Japan Cooperative Research on Biology-Inspired Precision Maneuvering of Underwater Vehicles

摘要

The objective of this project was to numerically and experimentally evaluate the underwater precision maneuverability of a cylindrical body, in particular the STOP & HOVER motions, by using fore and aft pairs of pectoral fins, similar to their usage in a fish. We examined the hydrodynamic characteristics of a mechanical pectoral fin through experimental and numerical analyses and the optimal match of the fin motions to generate the maximum hydrodynamic forces. We constructed an underwater vehicle equipped with two pairs of mechanical pectoral fins and pectoral fin controllers to examine the swimming performance of the underwater vehicle in still water and its control performance both in still water and in waves. We developed automatic control algorithms for guidance and control of the test body In 3D underwater space. Fuzzy Algorithms were utilized as necessary to compensate for shortcomings in mathematical descriptions of 3MDMPF performance. We demonstrated the high maneuverability of the cylindrical underwater vehicle equipped with 3MDMPFs following a prearranged trajectory around undersea obstacles.