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Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Docking

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Springer Handbook of Ocean Engineering

Part of the book series: Springer Handbooks ((SHB))

Abstract

This chapter describes the practical challenges of docking autonomous underwater vehicles (GlossaryTerm

AUV

s) in the ocean environment and approaches undertaken to create working docking systems. Early docking work was motivated by the desire to operate AUVs for multiple sorties without recovery or human servicing of the AUV. To accomplish this, the docking system provides a method for the AUV to find the dock, to physically attach, to recharge AUV batteries, to establish a communication link, to wait in a low power state for a new mission, and to undock. A variety of homing methods, dock configurations, power transfer approaches, and communications links have been employed to achieve these respective needs, and are described herein. While the original applications driving docking were oceanographic in nature, present interest is broader, driven by commercial and military applications as well. Docking has been demonstrated, but has not been deployed as an operational capability, in part because docking requires an infrastructure for the dock that provides physical mounting, a source of power, and communication connectivity. The advent of cabled and mooring-based observatories, and subsea infrastructure for oil and gas production, create a foundation supporting docking system deployment. Consequently, the prospects for operational docking systems seem promising.

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Abbreviations

AOSN:

autonomous ocean sampling network

AUV:

autonomous underwater vehicle

CAD:

computer-aided design

IRM:

inspection, repair, and maintenance

RF:

radio frequency

ROV:

remotely operated vehicle

SBL:

short baseline

TSL:

tunnel sea lion

USBL:

ultrashort baseline

UUV:

unmanned underwater vehicle

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Road, MA02543-1050, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA

    James G. Bellingham

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  1. James G. Bellingham
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Correspondence to James G. Bellingham .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Inst. for Ocean and Systems Engineering – SeaTech, Florida Atlantic University, 101 North Beach Road, FL 33004, Dania Beach, Florida, USA

    Manhar R. Dhanak

  2. School of Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering, University of New Orleans, 2000 Lakeshore Drive, LA 70148, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

    Nikolaos I. Xiros

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Bellingham, J.G. (2016). Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Docking. In: Dhanak, M.R., Xiros, N.I. (eds) Springer Handbook of Ocean Engineering. Springer Handbooks. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16649-0_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16649-0_16

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