Abstract
This paper presents the design and development of a funnel-shaped Sparus
Docking Station (SDS) intended for the non-holonomic torpedo-shaped
Sparus II Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV). The SDS is equipped with
sensors and batteries, allowing for a stand-alone long-term deployment
of the AUV. An inverted Ultra Short BaseLine (USBL) system is used to
locate the Docking Station (DS) as well as to provide long-term
drift-less AUV navigation. The SDS is able to observe the ocean currents
using a Doppler Velocity Log (DVL), being motorized to allow its
self-alignment with the current. Moreover, a docking algorithm
accounting for the current is used to guide the robot during the docking
maneuver. The paper reports experimental results of the docking maneuver
in sea trials.