Dynamic Leveling Control of a Wireless Self-Balancing ROV Using Fuzzy Logic Controller

A remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is essentially an underwater mobile robot that is controlled and powered by an operator outside of the robot working environment. Like any other marine vehicle, ROV has to be designed to float in the water where its mass is supported by the buoyancy forces due to the displacement of water by its hull. Vertically positioning a mini ROV in centimeters resolution underwater and maintaining that state requires a distinctive technique partly because of the pressure and buoyance force exerted by the water towards the hull and partly because of the random waves produced by the water itself. That being said, the aim of the project is to design and develop a wireless self-balancing buoyancy system of a mini ROV using fuzzy logic controller. A liquid level sensor has been implemented to provide feedback to the controller. A user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) has been developed for real-time data monitoring as well as controlling the vertical position of the ROV. At the end of the project, the implemented fuzzy control system shows enhanced and better performance when compared with one without a controller, a proportional-derivative (PD) controller, and a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller.