The experimental results about maneuverability and survey ability of AUV “URASHIMA”

In late years, deep-sea investigation becomes important for a study about the global warming, study about ocean earthquake and so on. Recently the vehicle has begun to use for scientific applications. These applications require precise maneuvering of the vehicle for detailed investigations. For high performance maneuvering of the vehicle, it is necessary to design a control system based on a mathematical model for the vehicle. Since the vehicle was built, PI control has been adopted. In order to improve control performance, the motion controller can be designed by means of a model-based approach. An accurate mathematical model based on vehicle dynamics is needed for designing of the high-performance controller. It is necessary for the mathematical model to express the actual motions of the vehicle precisely. The paper reported that maneuverability test results and survey ability test results of autonomous underwater vehicle “URASHIMA” at sea trial.