Hardware-in-the-Loop verification for 3D obstacle avoidance algorithm of an underactuated flat-fish type AUV

Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) simulations play a major role in the field of testing of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) well before the actual vehicle is developed and deployed in the water. This paper discusses the real-time verification of a 3D obstacle avoidance algorithm of an underactuated flat-fish type AUV using hardware-in-the-loop simulation tool. Software-In-the-Loop (SIL) models are developed in MATLAB/Simulink environment and the HIL simulation is performed using dSPACE environment. The development of HIL test bench and the simulation results are presented in this paper. The results show that the HIL simulation is an effective tool for the verification of control algorithms and the developed obstacle avoidance algorithm can be used in real-time for the flat-fish type AUV.