Evaluation of hydrodynamics parameters of a UUV. A preliminary study

In this paper we address the problem of evaluating some of the hydrodynamics parameters that characterize the behavior of an unmanned underwater vehicle. To this aim, we propose a procedure that can be implemented by an automatic guidance system during normal operation (e. g. at the beginning of a mission or at any time the configuration of the vehicle is modified), provided it is possible to exert a known force on the vehicle (in particular, by means of the thrusters) and to measure the resulting acceleration (e. g. by an inertial measuring sensor). Preliminary experimental work for validating this procedure on a small, work class ROV is described.