Offline experimental parameter identification using on-board sensors for an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

The aim of this work is to identify the unknown physical parameters of an underwater vehicle in 3 DOF (surge, sway and yaw) using on-board sensors. The identified dynamic model is used for analysing and understanding the vehicle which operates at low speeds. The identification method used here is based on an approach described by Indiveri [1] and similar methods have also been employed by Ridao, et al. [2]. Most of the work on parameter identification for underwater vehicles is done in simulation or using complex and expensive procedures based on experiments. We present a detailed description of the methods used and results obtained on the real vehicle.