Passive Arm Based Dynamic Positioning System for Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles

This paper describes the development and implementation of a dynamic positioning system for Remotely Operated underwater Vehicles (ROVs) which is based on a mechanical Passive Arm (PA) for position measurement. The system, named DPSROV, is suited for tasks which require precise positioning within a limited range around a working site. The DPSROV was conng-ured aiming at easy installation in most commercially available ROVs. The eeectiveness of the DPSROV was tested on real ROVs. Two diierent control strategies were adopted: a conventional linear controller and a robust Variable Structure Model-Reference Adaptive Control (VS{MRAC). Experimental results are presented to illustrate the DPSROV performance.