Neurofuzzy modelling and control of a six degree of freedom AUV

Underwater vehicles are employed to perform many tasks: structure inspection, recovery, geographic surveys, e.t.c. but most in current operation require constant human supervision. In an attempt to make these vehicles more autonomous, this research project aims to develop a multivariable, neurofuzzy network controller for application to an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). The vehicle being studied is Ocean Voyager, an AUV based at Florida Atlantic University. Ocean Voyager is a torpedo shaped, 22 feet long and 13 inches in diameter with a displacement of 2700 lb. The design speed is 10.1 ft/s, with an overall cruise time of 2 hours. A thruster provides the forward propulsion and the vehicle motion is controlled by two surfaces, the stern plane and rudder. A simulation of the vehicle dynamics has been made available to the ISIS research group but for the purposes of this project it has been treated as a black box. Simulation of the vehicle dynamics is achieved by using the standard submarine equations of motion defined by the David Taylor Naval Ship Research and Development Centre (DTNSRDC) 3.