Motion simulation for propeller-driven USM underwater glider with controllable wings and rudder

Abstract

This paper describes the dynamic model and motion simulation for propeller-driven USM underwater glider with independently controllable wings and rudder. The underwater glider is a highly efficient autonomous underwater vehicle which glides through the ocean water column in saw-tooth pattern. It uses buoyancy for propulsion by controlling ballast pump and internal moving mass. However, in our research work, we attempt to design an underwater glider which can be driven by buoyancy or propeller, and the external actuators (wings and rudder) can be controlled independently. We have designed the mathematical model and studied the dynamic characteristics of USM underwater glider. The simulation results demonstrate the motion of propeller-driven USM underwater glider based on different angles of wings and rudder. The results show the position of glider, linear and angular velocities of the glider, angle of attack and glider speed. With the resulting glider behavior in this open loop control output, we will extend the control approach in order to create an efficient biologically inspired control algorithm for an optimized hybrid-driven USM underwater glider.