The experimental evaluatation of a DGPS Based Navigational System for the ARIES AUV

Abstract

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) currently use varying methods for navigation, but incorporating GPS into those methods is becoming a popular technique. This thesis experimentally evaluates the configuration and implementation of the Navigational Suite within the Naval Postgraduate School's AUV, the ARIES (Acoustic Radio Interactive Exploratory Server). Specific attention is given to the configuration of the vehicle's newly completed DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System). A brief discussion of DGPS and Extended Kalman Filter theory continues with a description of the make-up and applications of components within the Suite. Details of a series of experiments, which begins with evaluation of the DGPS setup, then qualifies the system in an open-water environment, and finally qualifies the DGPS in conjunction with newly configured ARIES Navigational Filter, provide an examination of the Suite's performance