An obstacle avoidance system for an autonomous underwater vehicle

This paper describes an Obstacle Avoidance System for an AUV. The specific requirements of the underwater world, the computational capacity and the sensors of the vehicle as well as its manoeuvrability was considered by the choice and the development of strategies used. Such requirements include the sea current information, the consideration of moving objects, the evasion in 3D and the constrained view of sonar. The system consists of a hierarchical two-level architecture. In the upper level is the course planning, which generates a route for the vehicle to follow. In the lower level a reactive control system is installed, which guide the vehicle by sudden emergence of obstacles or deactivated course-planning module.