Journal of Robotics, Networking and Artificial Life, Vol. 1, No. 1 (June 2014), 90-96

Survey of Conventional UUV Navigation Mapping Technique in Development of AQUA-X
UUVS. Faiz Ahmed, D. Hazry, M. Hassan Tanveer, M. Kamran Joyo, Faizan. A. Warsi, Khairunizam Wan, Zuradzman M.
Razlan, Shahriman A.B, Zunaidi IB, A.T. Hussain

Centre of Excellence For Unmanned Aerial Systems (COEUAS) Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP),
Seriab, 01000, Kangar, Perlis, Malaysia.
E-mail: syedfaiz@unimap.edu.my, hazry@unimap.edu.my, hassantanveer@live.com,
sky_kamran12@hotmail.com, f_warsi128@hotmail.com, khairunizam@unimap.edu.my, abadal@unimap.edu.myzunaidi@tatiuc.edu.my, shahriman@unimap.edu.my, abadal@unimap.edu.my

Abstract
Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV) are devices that perform task with slight or no human interaction. Thesetasks are predefined set of commands called navigation methods, that are used to achieve desired mission goals.
The navigation control system plays an important role in maneuvering of UUV and without it UUV cannot perform
any mission task. In this research article a survey of different navigation techniques are presented for new designof Underwater mobile robot named as AQUA-X Robot, which uses four (4) propellers placed in cartesian
coordinate configuration with parallel arrangement which help it in batter navigation maneuvering. The detailworking principles, advantages and problems in different navigation techniques are thoroughly discussed. Besides
that, their implementation on UUV on a ranged mission situation are also briefly described. Finally the accuracy ofthe different navigation techniques are compared and based on this comparison a most suitable navigation method
is selected for developing AQUA-X UUV for better navigation.
Keywords: Underwater Vehicle, GPS, Acoustic, Navigation Technique

1. Introduction
Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV) are the vehicles
which can operate beneath the water with no or minor
intervention of any human. Due to the advancements insensor technologies the UUV’s are rapidly becoming
advanced and more reliable to be used in dangerous
operations. These autonomous systems provide most
likely option to fulfill the requirements of Navy
operations. Armed forces use these vehicles forsurveillance, intelligence and discovering underwater
mines. One of the most challenging tasks is thedevelopment of navigation system for UUV. Navigationis the indication of position, attitude [16] and velocity ofthe vehicle relative to the reference coordinates at agiven moment, it also encompasses plotting courses,
avoiding obstacles and act and it is also defined as themeasurement of the vehicle position within a prespecified grid [4]. This article is related to thenavigational techniques used in UUV’s which is thenimplemented in Aqua-X model.
Conventional UUV’s use only propeller to produce
thrust and actuated fins to navigate. The Aqua-X UUVconsists of four fixed pitch propellers mounted at thefour ends of an aerodynamic body frame as shown in
fig.1. It uses a differential method to navigate under thewater.

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D. Hazry, S. Faizz Ahmed, M. Hasssan Tanveer, M. Kamran Joyo, Fa
aizan. A. Warsi,
Khairunizam Waan, Zuradzman M.
M Razlan, Shahrim
man A.B, Zunaidii IB and A.T. Husssain

Fig.1. Aqqua-X Model

2. Navigatioon Techniquees
This section describes thee navigation teechnique for thenmetthod works. TheTUUV and foccus on how navigation
operation off UUV is actually deppending on its
navigation too do a misssion and operating. So thereliability of any UUV is depends
dup onn the accuracy
y ofthe navigattion system of that UUV. During
maneuvering of UUV in ana open sea eenvironment, thenis essential and should be goood
accuracy of navigation
enough to brring it back tot base stationn, otherwise thechance of losing the vehiicle become veryv
high. Frommresearccher works on
the last twoo decades, many
development of different accurateanaviggation techniquues
for UUV [144], they used Vision methood, Radar bassed,
time base, aacoustic, GPS and may more ways todeveloped mmore accurate navigation [15][method for
different misssion ranges. In this papeer four differrent
most famous techniques arre presented.
3. Dead Recckoning Naviigation
The most com
mmon approaach in navigattion techniquee isto implementt the vehicle velocityv
in timme to get the newnestimate posittion of the UU
UV[9].

Fig.2. Dead Reeckoning Path
Deead reckoningg is the process of determ
mining currennt
poosition by proj
ojecting coursee and speed fromfa knownn
paast position, and predictiing a future position byy
proojecting courrse and speeed from a known
kcurrennt
poosition. The calculationcof distance in tthis method iss
doone by the com
mpass and water speed senssor’s feedbackk
daata. As this meethod is used,, the external disturbance iss
addded from thee presence off an ocean cuurrent and thaat
caan drift the veelocity compoonent of the UUVUand thissdeeflection cannnot be detecteed by water speed sensorr.
Figg. 2 shows the examplee of dead reeckoning pathh
caalculation andd it’s slightlyy different froom the actuaal
paath. For accurrate distance measurement INS (Inertiaal
Naavigation Syystem) is useed, which providesp
veryy
accurate directio
onal informattion. The INS start with theedoouble integratiion of accelerration sensed in the inertiaal
space frame, an
nd gives a rellative positionn according too
T quality ofo the data iss
thee start refereence point. The
deepend on thee precision of the INS sensor. Thee
coommercialize INSI
can updatte the positionn drift rates upp
to several kilommeter per houur. Beside thaat the cost andd
ption made thee INS system is not suitablee
poower consump
forr a small UUVV.
m of the seaa,
Duuring the opperation nearr the bottom
Dooppler Velocitty Sonar (DVVS) sensor is uuse to measuree
thee relative betw
ween vehicle velocity to the ground. TheeDA
ARPA UUB has
h achieved navigation peerformance of
0.001% of distan
nce traveled usinguintegrateed of INS anddDV
VS system [111]. Using thiis technique, the ultrasonicc
siggnals in downnward obliquee direction annd determiningg
byy the change ofo echo frequuency, usuallyy for the goodd
accuracy, four beamb
is use with
w angle near 30° in fourr
deeferential direction. The traade-off in Dooppler sonar’ss
beetween accuraacy, size and the maximum
m altitude, theehiggher frequen
ncy provide goodgaccuraccy and small
traansducer arrayy, but the maaximum latituude is slightlyy
deecreases. To increasing th
he accuracy the narrowerr
beeam width neeed to be use, but the size of the transducerr
is vice versa. The
T reference technique is use to get thee

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Survey of Conventional
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velocity relattive to the groound is the coorrelation son
nar,
the two dimeensional sonaar with a widde angle arrayy isused to meassure the refleection of the acoustic enerrgy
from the seea floor, thee advantage of using thistcorrelation soonar is focus ono the large beeam width.

3.1. Dead Reeckoning Adva
antage
The advantagge of this tecchnique is thaat it requires noexternal reference in order to determiine its position,o velocity onnce it has been initialized. Itorientation, or
also can deteect a change in its geograaphic positionn (amovement eaast or north forf example), a change in its
velocity (speeed and direection of moovement) andd achange in itss orientation (rotation about an axis). It’sI
also measure the linear andd angular acceeleration appllied
m for good accu
uracy.
to the system

4.

Acoustic Navigation
N

Thhe electromag
gnetic can be onlyopropagatte in the oceannat very low frrequencies, bu
ut acoustic energy can bee
proopagate well, so the researrch have madde the acousticc
traansponder thaat can be useu as beaconns to give a
guuidance for UU
UV without neednto be ressurfacing. Theeacoustic navig
gation systemm consist off two sensorr
meethod which is: long baseline (LBL) annd ultra shorrt
baaseline (USBL
L) the applicattion example shown in Fig
g.
4.

3.2. Dead Reeckoning Disaadvantage
All inertial navigation systems
are ssuffer from an
integration ddrift, for exam
mple refer thee Fig. 3 a sm
mallerrors in the measurementt of accelerattion and anguularvelocity are iintegrated intoo a progressivvely larger errrors
in velocity, w
which are com
mpounded intto a still greaater
errors in poosition. Otherwise, the newnposition is
calculated ffrom previouus calculatedd position andameasured accceleration andd angular vellocity, this errror
accumulate rooughly proporrtionally to thhe time since theinitial positioon was inputt. So, the poosition must be
periodically ccorrected by input
ifrom somme other typee ofnavigation.

ft that occur inn Inertial Navigation Systemm
Fig.3. Drift

Fig.4. Ultra Short Baselines(USBBBL)
uan exterrnal transducerr
In Fig. 4 both of the system usingL
navigatioon system, theearrrays to help navigation. In LBL
arrray of transpo
onders is depployed and suurvey into theepoosition. Then the vehicle seends out an aacoustic signaal
whhich is its later accept by bacon as receeiver just likee
thee ordinary forrmula of calcuulation using thet ultrasonicc,
thee actual locattion of UUV is determine by measuringg
thee traveler tim
me between th
he vehicle andd beacon, thissdaata can be manipulate relativer
distaance betweenn
veehicle and eaach array nod
de. This metthod facing a
diffficulty in acoustic environment, such as in shalloww
waater or in the arctic, the reejection becom
me difficult too
fillter betweenn the directt arrival annd multipathh
dissturbance, andd unacceptable of outliers .
Thhis system is hyperbolichnaavigation, wheere the vehiclee
dooes not activeely ping but instead listenns to an arrayy
beeacon where thhe geometry is known [12]. The beaconn
is ping in it seq
quence relativ
ve to other withw it specificc
b relocated wherew
it mustfreequency. The vehicle can bebee in space inn order to hear the ping sequence ass
reccorded. Thesse techniquess have greattly saved theepoower consump
ption of vehicle especiallyy for multiplee

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D. Hazry, S. Faizz Ahmed, M. Hasssan Tanveer, M. Kamran Joyo, Fa
aizan. A. Warsi,
Khairunizam Waan, Zuradzman M.
M Razlan, Shahrim
man A.B, Zunaidii IB and A.T. Husssain

UUV operatiion. Almost alla LBL system work at thefrequency off 10kHz and alsoagive an accuracy in few
fmeter with a maximum rangeron the order for a few
fkilometer, alternatively syystem operatiing at 300 KHz
Khave been created thaat can provide positioningn arepeatability down to 1 centimeter resolution intriangular opeerating area thhat is 100 meter to a side.

opptimum measuurement of thee acoustic signnal, this calledd
thee echo range, where the error
eoccur ono timing, theeerrror occur on calibrationcmeethod. The rannge and offseet
anngel also one of the facto
or of the erroor. The Fig.66
beelow show th
he position error
ewhen distancedfrommtraansducer to thrruster is 15m and 25m for LBL
Larray.

Fig. 6. LBL
LGraph of accuracy vs depth
Fig. 5. Acou
ustic Navigatioon
al Navigation
5. Geophysica
Furthermore ,USBL naviigation in thee UUV havee amulti-elemennt receiver arraay that allow it
i to measure theangle as well as the range to an acousstic beacon, thistsystem is vvery popular and commeercially use fortracking UUVV from the shhip. By measuuring the interrval
thetime differennce of a pinng between hydrophone,hlocation of thhe vehicle too beacon is determined.
d
Itt isessential to kknowing the distance and direction to the
beacon to alllow for locall navigation . Both LBL anda
USBL arrayss com from various souurces. The mainmsources of error
ecome from two faactors: error inassumed arraay geometry and errors in the assum
medsound speed profile. For moremdescriptiion, Fig. 5 shhowhow its workss.

4.1. Acousticc Advantage
The advantagge using this technique is that there is noother in-wateer acoustic equuipment has tot deploy beffore
underwater operationsocaan commencce. Rather thhanordinary techhnique that need the tarrgets that being
tracked need to be equippeed with a transsponder

4.2. Acousticc Disadvantagge
The most coommon problem for acouustic navigation
comes from tthe position ofo thruster loccation on vehiicle
that produces noise. The thruster noisse, it effect thefocusedonn
usually
Navigation
Geeophysicalennvironmental map
m and its matchingmwithh priori sensorr
daata and the assumption
a
w
which
is consiidered in thissmaatching is to get accurate localization by measuringg
suufficient spatiaal variation in the parameterr. So in actuall,thee geophysical environm
ment is meaasurement ofgeeophysical parrameters, suchh as bathymeetry, magneticc
fieeld, or gravitattional anomally [17, 18].
F
the blacck bold line isi the vehiclee
Ass shown in Fig.4
paath, and the ouutline of Bottom Ocean is mapping basee
onn its altitude.
Thhe process isi very simpple: First, thhe real timee
infformation is collect to matchmthe envvironment onn
daatabase. Whenn the UUV matchmwith daatabase then it
knnows its locatiion on map.
In reality this methodm
is not a straightforwaard techniquebeecause the UU
UV is attemptin
ng to navigatee by matchinga sets of sensed datad with a priiori map, the mmain problem
mis the generationn of the priori maps and thee
coomputational complexityc
off searching a peak
pofcoorrelation surfaace.
Thhe geophysicaal navigation algorithm haas a techniquee
off navigation ata ocean using depth sounnding that hassbeeen in use for centuries. Thhe maps fromm the real timee
sennsor is matchhing with the data from thee database, theecoontour line thaat intercept wiith both data is
i consider thee

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Survey of Conventional
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V

correct matcching of com
mputer visionn latter it willw
determine thee extract locattion of UUV. The accuracyy ofthis techniquue is dependiing on the prioripmap. TheT
mapping techhnique is show
w in the Fig. 7.

Fig. 8. Rangee Base Error

6. Global Posiitioning Systeem (GPS) Navigation
Fig.7. Thhe mapping off terrain using geophysicalnavvigation

on Advantagee
5.1. Geophyssical Navigatio
The main bennefit of using the geophysical navigationn is
it’s have the large operating range whhere can be use.
upletely onbooard navigation
The techniqque is compcapability unrestricted by range to exterrnal sensor [113].
Furthermore, the navigatiion is only restrictedrby therange of its ssensor used forf geophysicaal measuremeent,
the operatingg range of thiss technique is also very larrge.
the navigatioon also can workw
on highlly unconstruccted
environment.
5.2. Geophyssical Navigatio
on Disadvanttage
The geophyssical navigatioon suffers froom several errror
that come ffrom the maapping technnique itself, themeasurementt are definedd to the terrrain map. The
T
approach of tthe vehicle neeed to be in a rightrsituationn toallow the mmap is mappping with a high precisioncondition. Onne of the errorrs is come from the differennce
between the map and ineertial referencce frame whhicharises in parrt from impeerfect navigatiion during mapmgeneration.

Foor navigationn, the GPS is
i widely usse in variouss
appplication. Th
his navigationn is a type of satellitessinfformation thattprovidees world-wiide positionn
infformation. It does commo
only give acccuracy near too±1100 meter at 95% confidennce level. Unnfortunately inn
unnderwater vehhicle, this syystem cannot continuouslyy
givve an inform
mation becauuse this signnal cannot bee
caapture by recceiver becausse the there is no waterrpeenetrating cap
pability. To GPS fix its location, theeanntenna must beb out of waater, this by extending theeanntenna or byy moving thhe UUV to surface. Theeopperational aspect of this syystem is also not a popularr
chhoice for UU
UV because thetsurfacing operation inn
UU
UV will scarified the timee and power consumptionn,thee mission will also been interrupted, sometimesstheeopperation wheen surfacing need to consider theepoositioning erroor. It’s also noot very suitablle to surfacingg
at the busy areea such as harrbor that highhly possibilityyscaan cause a colllision betweenn the surface ships.

gation Advanttage
6.11. GPS Navig
Thhe Global Poositioning Syystem (GPS) is the mostwiidely use appllication in maany of autonoomous vehiclee,thee main advan
ntage of this teechnique; the accuracy is apinn point locatiion for high grade GPS, thet position iss
neear to actual value. This technique iss also use toocoorrection of other navigaation systemm, where theepoositioning of GPS will beb the main reference too

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D. Hazry, S. Faiz Ahmed, M. Hassan Tanveer, M. Kamran Joyo, Faizan. A. Warsi,
Khairunizam Wan, Zuradzman M. Razlan, Shahriman A.B, Zunaidi IB and A.T. Hussain

determine the extract location, the reliability of thistechnique is very robust.

Table 1. The Accuracy Table base on mission
range.
Navigation

Mission Range

Technique6.2. GPS Navigation Error
The typical problem of GPS navigation system is thesignal have no penetrating under water, so when thevehicle is submerged, the signal is lost, and the vehicle
is need a other technique to keep in mission, othersubject of this error is the GPS have their loading signal
where when resurfacing, usually its take times to detect
the signal, and sometime the signal is lost. The GPS also
have an error from the satellite position, which aredelusions of precision (DOP) where when this happen
the position is absolutely incorrect, the situation is show
in the Fig. 9.

SHORT

LARGE

VERY
LARGE

Dear Reckoning●●

Acoustic●●

Geophysical
●

GPS

●

●

●

●

7. The Comparison of Navigation Methods
In this section all four discussed navigation techniques
are compared with each other in different mission range
situations. For near costal or short ranged mission,inertial navigation system gives better results, regardlessof the path taken by the UUV, but when greater
accuracy is required, the acoustic navigation system are
more suitable. For long range navigation, acoustic
navigation method can be used with SLAM
(Simultaneous localization & mapping) technique tocorrect the inaccuracies in the UUV position. It
compares the UUV current position with Mappedcrossover points during maneuvering while crossing the
mapped points. In this method number of crossover
points determines the efficiency of navigation system
and limited up to sequential registration landmarks.
For the very long range mission, deployment of large
network of crossover point with mapping of theirlocation is difficult and the vehicle experiences thesignificant drift when used this method. Geophysicalnavigation system can be used in very long range
missions, however, the limited source of available maps
make this technique very difficult and not reliable forvery large area. GPS navigation gives better resultsover this range to determine the current position, but thevehicle need to constantly resurface to correct its
position, which this limitation compare to other method
GPS navigation system can work in all the mission
more accurately and efficiently. Table 1 is show thecomparison chart for all four navigation methods in
mission range conditions.

8. Conclusion
In this article different technique for underwaternavigation has been presented along with concise
comparison of their suitability for the difference mission
tasks. The current treads of UUV navigations have beenrecognized and throughly discussed their advantages
and disadavatages in different mission tasks. Finally thecomparison has been done for different navigation
techniques in range mission situations and found thatthe inertial navigation method, global positioning
system and acoustic routines navigation techniques are
more developed and better as compare to geophysicalroutine navigation method. We can conclude that for the
Aqua-X UUV application, GPS navigation method isbest suitable technique because it can work in all typesof mission tasks i.e. Short, Large as well as very large
missions.
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