Close-range tracking of underwater vehicles using light beacons

This paper presents a new tracking system for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) navigating in a close formation, based on computer vision and the use of active light markers. While acoustic localization can be very effective from medium to long distances, it is not so advantageous in short dista...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Bosch Alay, Josep, Grácias, Nuno Ricardo Estrela, Ridao Rodríguez, Pere, Istenič, Klemen, Ribas Romagós, David
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2016
País:España
Institución:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:10256/12529
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10256/12529
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Vehicles submergibles
Submersibles
Robots submarins
Underwater robots
Visió artificial (Robòtica)
Robot vision
Descripción
Sumario:This paper presents a new tracking system for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) navigating in a close formation, based on computer vision and the use of active light markers. While acoustic localization can be very effective from medium to long distances, it is not so advantageous in short distances when the safety of the vehicles requires higher accuracy and update rates. The proposed system allows the estimation of the pose of a target vehicle at short ranges, with high accuracy and execution speed. To extend the field of view, an omnidirectional camera is used. This camera provides a full coverage of the lower hemisphere and enables the concurrent tracking of multiple vehicles in different positions. The system was evaluated in real sea conditions by tracking vehicles in mapping missions, where it demonstrated robust operation during extended periods of time