Frank Fan

Seabed resource exploration performed by AUV “Yumeiruka”

JAMSTEC has been developed underwater vehicles and observation equipments required for a variety of study about oceanography. Among the many research fields about deep-sea, in Japan there has been a growing interest in seabed resources from a few years ago. Then we had developed an AUV “Yumeiruka” to perform seabed resource survey. As one of the most significant feature of the shape of “Yumeiruka”, its equipped with two sets of X-rudders. Therefore, “Yumeiruka” can trace such an irregular sea bottom surface with controlled attitude. After sea trials, its conducted that observation cruise of “Yumeiruka” with equipped 3-axis fluxgate magnetometer. This cruise was conducted to study about origin of marine resources and the area of confirmed of exists of hydrothermal deposit. In this cruise we confirmed availability of attitude control for seabed resource survey. This paper shows a result of seabed resource exploration performed by “Yumeiruka”.

Summary of AUV Yumeiruka sea trial results

This paper presents the trajectory data obtained from recent sea trials of the AUV Yumeiruka. Two sets of trajectory data were recorded for seven dives. One set of the data was recorded by the AUVs inertial navigation system, the other set was obtained from an SSBL system onboard the research vessel. Significant differences exist between the two sets of data, especially when the DVL on the AUV cannot achieve bottom lock.

Underwater applications of light emitting diodes

This paper describes a conceptual system to assist an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) land on an underwater docking station, and transfer energy to the vehicle to enable underwater battery charging. The system consists of light emitting diodes (LEDs) mounted on the docking station, and optical sensors and photovoltaic (PV) cells onboard the vehicle. The combination of sensors onboard the AUV and the docking station LEDs will allow the vehicle to estimate the relative position of the intended docking location. Once the vehicle has landed on the docking station, the combination of the LEDs and the PV cells allows the battery onboard the vehicle to be charged without any physical contact.

An AUV Yumeiruka for Seabed Topography Survey

Japan Agency for Marine – Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) has been recently advanced the development of several underwater vehicles for the survey of mineral resources buried under Japan’s territorial sea. One of them is Yumeiruka. It has characteristic canard wings and rudders which are attached on its fore and rear parts. Since they cause good maneuverability, good survey results using acoustic observation devices can be obtained. And it has a high performance compact inertial navigation system which was developed as Japan’s first INS for an underwater vehicle by the cooperation between JAMSTEC and a Japanese manufacture. Yumeiruka has now conducted sea trials in order to improve its performance and functionality.Copyright

Multi-mission underwater vehicle “OTOHIME” and its control system

JAMSTEC developed some new underwater vehicles. One of them is “OTOHIME”. Because it was designed as a multi-mission type, it has not only the cruising ability but also the working ability through its skid is exchanged or desorbed. In order it to perform various missions, its control system was newly developed as a multi-CPU control unit. The control system is mainly composed of seven CPUs and they are connected to each other with an Ether-network. And each CPU executes some different processes and controls some different devices which are installed into it, respectively. Thus the control system can realize the load distribution of a CPU, the trouble detection of the system, the function compensation and the self-restoration owing to the information sharing applying the Ether-network. Now, sea trials were carried out in order to verify the performance of some new technologies which have been already applied into it. And then the utility of the control system was also confirmed.