Experimental analysis and implementation of redundant thrusters for underwater robots

Abstract

This paper identifies the key issues in the empirical implementation of redundant marine thrusters for two different autonomous underwater vehicles of different designs, so as to maximize the effectiveness for fine motion control. A crucial factor in the development of a precision control scheme is the thorough understanding of the system geometry. Other critical elements include the contribution of the thruster amplifier gains to the steady state response of the thrusters, and the influence of the power source on system performance. These findings are proven through experimental analysis and verification.