Demonstration of Surf Zone Crawlers: Results from AUV Fest 01.

摘要

A key element in minimizing the risks of an amphibious assault is the ability to search and map the surf zone for mines and obstacles. The Office of Naval Research is sponsoring the development of an autonomous, bottom- crawling vehicle to investigate its applications in searching and clearing potential landing zones. In October 2001, AUV Fest 01 was held in Gulfport, Mississippi, where the current state of development of these vehicles was demonstrated. Two types of missions have been identified as objectives for the vehicles. One is known as Search-Classify-Map (SCM) and the other as Reacquire- Identify-Neutralize (RIN). For the SCM mission the vehicle is equipped with a suite of sensors, used to characterize any objects encountered. The vehicle proceeds to a given starting point and performs a raster (lawnmower) search over a specified area. When a sensor indicates a potential target, the location is noted and the vehicle performs a number of behaviors designed to optimize data collection. The vehicle then returns to the search pattern and continues with this process. The RIN mission calls for a vehicle that has been equipped to identify and neutralize a threat object. Its sensor suite includes a camera and an acoustic modem for transmitting the images back to an operator. In this scenario a potential target has been detected by another vehicle. The neutralization vehicle navigates to the reported location and performs an outward-spiral search pattern until the target is located. Positive identification of the target is accomplished by the operator, who would then either direct the vehicle to leave a neutralization charge by the object or move on to another potential target. Results from AUV Fest show that the crawlers are capable of demonstrating the RIN mission in the near future.