Localizing underwater targets using a cooperative AUV architecture

In this paper, we describe a cooperative architecture in which multiple Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) cooperate to locate underwater targets. Each AUV is endowed with a sensor that estimates its distance with respect to targets, and cooperate with others to explore an area with the help of an autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) that stores the gathered information map and acts as a communication hub between the AUVs. The communication constraints associated to this context preclude the re-use or adaptation of most of the existing approaches, and require dedicated strategies. In particular, rendezvous are required to exchange information between AUVs and the ASV and to monitor the mission execution. To provide the required autonomy to these vehicles, we build upon an existing system (T-REX), which provides an embedded planning and execution control framework. Simulation results are carried out to evaluate the proposed architecture and adaptive exploration strategy.