Abstract

Abstract
This paper describes the initial design phase of the software control architecture for the AUV MARIUS. This research effort is part of a long term project that aims to enable the prototype vehicle to carry out environmental surveying missions in coastal waters, in a completely autonomous mode. Throughout the project, MARIUS will be used as an advanced testbed to test developments in the areas of Mission Planning and real-time Mission Execution Systems for AUV's.

Abstract
This paper describes the main design options of the PO-ROBOT project. The PO-ROBOT project consists in the design and the implementation of the Vehicle and Mission Management Systems of a mobile platform for autonomous transportation, surveillance and inspection in structured and semi-structured industrial environments. This project is funded by the NATO Programme Science for Stability and the Institute for Systems and Robotics. The Vehicle and Mission Management Systems are based in a hierarchical control structure organized linguistically permitting the parallel execution of tasks in real-time. This architecture is composed by the following three levels structured according to the IPDI (Increasing Precision with Decreasing Intelligence) Principle: Organization, Coordination and Functional Layer.

Abstract
This paper presents a tri-level hierarchic control architecture for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles AUVs. This hierarchic structure is composed of three levels: organization, coordination and functional layer, structured according to the principle of increasing precision with decreasing intelligence. These levels are organized linguistically. The main contribution is the concept of dynamically configurable architecture where the notion of architecture coordinator plays a crucial role. This system dynamically configures the connections among modules of the functional layer and maintains the state of this configuration so that the most adequate translation of planned actions into execution commands takes place. These coordination features are also used to incorporate the emergence of reactive behaviors in this hierarchic architecture. The architecture structure has provisions to support multi-modal operator interfaces and for integration in complex operational systems governing the operation of multiple AUVs, divers and other sensors and actuactors.

Abstract

Abstract