Dynamic Modeling and Computer Simulation for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles with Fins

Abstract—The application of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) is widespread with the development of the activities in deep sea. For low energy consumption, low resistance and excellent maneuverability, fins are usually used to modify AUV hydrodynamic forces. The AUV with fins can do gyratory motion by vertical fins and do diving and rising motion by horizontal fins. However, the modeling and motion control of the AUV with fins have not been solved well, which this paper concentrates on. Firstly, we build the motion equation in six degree of freedom and analyze the forces and hydrodynamic coefficients in detail, especially the fin effect. The feasibility and accuracy are verified by comparing the results between ocean experiments and simulation on WL-II mini-AUV. Index Terms—autonomous underwater vehicle, dynamic modeling, fins, simulation I