Effect of rudder and roll control mechanism on path prediction of autonomous underwater gliders

Abstract

Autonomous underwater gliders are a class of AUVs that execute motions using change in buoyancy in conjunction with wings. Lack of conventional propeller restricts the speed of the vehicle. Speed of vehicle depends on operation of the buoyancy engine. Gliders follow a saw-tooth profile path and spiral path for undertaking motions in 2D and 3D planes. Traditionally, “legacy gliders” have been using roll and pitch correction mechanisms for conducting the 3D motion. This paper attempts to characterize the mass definitions of one laboratory-based AUG being developed at IIT Madras and predicts the path the glider will execute with participation of roll and pitch correction mechanisms that are being developed. The laboratory-scale gliding fish (small-scale glider) consists of a rudder and a roll control mechanism. The roll control mechanisms consist of movable mass, rotating and traversing about the principal axis of the glider. The effect of rudder and roll control mechanism on the path traversed by glider in 3D steady state is studied individually and in combination by solving the equations of motion using FSOLVE algorithm of MATLAB.