AURORA ASV OPERATION MANUAL

Victor Ferrari, Miguel Angel Hinostroza, Prasad Perera, Fernando Santos

- Version 1.0 -

This manual presents how to prepare the Aurora Autonomous Surface Vessel for sea trials, how to perform them and how to collect and analyze the resulting data.

INDEX
1 Before the trials ................................................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 1.2 Model particulars ...................................................................................................................................... 4 Technical description of the equipment .......................................................................................... 4 On board .............................................................................................................................................. 4 Propeller and Rudder DC Motors ......................................................................................... 4 Industrial WiFi Unit and Radio Antenna ........................................................................... 5 Analog CompactRIO ................................................................................................................... 5 RTK GPS Unit ............................................................................................................................. 6 Power sources .............................................................................................................................. 7 Inertial Measurement Unit with GPS Antenna ................................................................ 7 Digital CompactRIO .................................................................................................................... 7 Industrial Ethernet Unit ........................................................................................................... 8 Laptop or Touchpad................................................................................................................... 8 On ground ........................................................................................................................................... 8 Equipments used both on ground and on board ........................................................... 8 Main UPS ......................................................................................................................................... 9 Small UPS ........................................................................................................................................ 9 Battery chargers .......................................................................................................................... 9 Ground unit structure ............................................................................................................ 10 Other useful stuff to have .......................................................................................................... 10 1 1.2.1.1 1.2.1.2 1.2.1.3 1.2.1.4 1.2.1.5 1.2.1.6 1.2.1.7 1.2.1.8 1.2.1.9 1.2.2 1.2.2.1 1.2.2.2 1.2.2.3 1.2.2.4 1.2.2.5 1.2.3

1.2.1

1.3 1.4 2 2.1

Charging the batteries .......................................................................................................................... 10 Loading the model for transportation ........................................................................................... 11 On board ..................................................................................................................................................... 12 Industrial Wireless module ...................................................................................................... 12 RTK GPS ............................................................................................................................................ 12 Digital CompactRIO ...................................................................................................................... 13 Inertial Measurement Unit ........................................................................................................ 13 Ethernet unit ................................................................................................................................... 13 Analog Compact RIO .................................................................................................................... 14 Autosil Batteries ............................................................................................................................ 14 Ground unit connections ........................................................................................................... 15 Installation Recommendations ............................................................................................... 17 Future improvements ................................................................................................................. 17

Preparing the model ....................................................................................................................................... 12 2.1.1 2.1.2 2.1.3 2.1.4 2.1.5 2.1.6 2.1.7 2.2 2.2.1 2.2.2 2.2.3

On ground .................................................................................................................................................. 15

Performing the Trials ..................................................................................................................................... 18 3.1 Preparations on ground ....................................................................................................................... 18 Running the programs ................................................................................................................ 18 Calibrating the heading sensor ............................................................................................... 18 Remote desktop access............................................................................................................... 19 3.1.1 3.1.2 3.1.3 3.2 3.3

Trimming the model.............................................................................................................................. 19 Controlling the model ........................................................................................................................... 19 Control interface ........................................................................................................................... 19 Checking sensors data........................................................................................................... 19 Commanding the propeller and rudder .......................................................................... 20 Saving data .................................................................................................................................. 20 Other tabs .................................................................................................................................... 21 General guidelines for controlling the model.................................................................... 21 3.3.1.1 3.3.1.2 3.3.1.3 3.3.1.4

3.3.1

3.3.2 3.4 3.5

Other recommendations for the trials ........................................................................................... 21 Troubleshooting...................................................................................................................................... 22 Most common issues ................................................................................................................... 22 List of instructions for fixing base coordinates ................................................................ 24

3.5.1 3.5.2 4

Data analysis and post-processing............................................................................................................ 25 2

4.1 4.2 5

Data format ............................................................................................................................................... 25 Loading videos on the internet ......................................................................................................... 26

Small nautical lexicon ..................................................................................................................................... 27

1 BEFORE THE TRIALS

1.1 MODEL PARTICULARS
AURORA CHEMICAL TANKER MODEL Length: 2587.5 mm Breadth: 426.2 mm Depth: 197.8 mm Propeller diameter: 82.2 mm Design speed: 0.984 m/s Scaling coefficient: 65.7

1.2 TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE EQUIPMENT

Here is a checklist and a brief technical description of all the instruments and equipments needed for running a sea trial with the Aurora ASV.

1.2.1 ON BOARD
1.2.1.1 Propeller and Rudder DC Motors
A Maxon graphite brushed DC motor Re-max 29, 22 W, with a gearbox of GP32C, 5.8:1 gear reduction and an encoder MR with 500 counts/turn are used in the propeller actuation sub-system. The DC motors is operating around supply voltage 24 V and continuous current of 10 A. A Maxon graphite brushed DC motor Re 25, 20 W, with a gearbox of GP32A, 4.8:1 gear reduction and an encoder HED 5540 with 500 counts/turn are used in the rudder actuation sub-system. The DC motors are operating around supply voltage 24 V and continuous current of 11 A that are powered by an onboard battery unit through fuse units. Note: the actual motors are for the moment different from the ones originally expected, because the metal tips for power input are broken and wait to be repaired. 4

1.2.1.2 Industrial WiFi Unit and Radio Antenna

ELPRO 240-E industrial WiFi (wireless Ethernet) unit is used for communication between the shore and the model. The unit consists of 2.4 GHz direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) wireless transceiver with 100 mW of RF power with the wireless data transmission up to 11 Mb/s. Temperature ratings range from 35C to 65C with humidity up to 99 percent. Data is secured with military grade 128-bit AES encryption, as well as WEP encryption to maintain WiFi compatibility. Firewall protection is provided via message filtering at MAC address level. The 240U-E includes RS232 and RS485 serial port connectivity and a discrete contact I/O channel for alarm transfer. It is powered from a 930VDC power supply. For internal installations, the unit has range of about 100 meters through buildings, factory walls and steelwork. The network topology in this system is considered as: the ashore based unit is a assess point and the on-board one is a client. The ashore based assess point unit acts as a master unit for the ground unit while the on-board client unit acts as its slave. Furthermore, both units are configured into a bride type Ethernet local area network (LAN), through an industrial Ethernet switch. The unit consists of an 8" tall radio antenna rated at 50 watts that can be operated around the range of 1 km. It is important to keep a direct line-of-sight between the two antennae.

1.2.1.3 Analog CompactRIO

The CompactRIOs are an integrated DAQ system that combines real-time processors with reconfigurable field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA). This facilitates swappable I/O connectors within a single unit for digital data acquisition with custom input/output (I/O) timing. The FPGA is a high performance chip that can reconfigure by the VHDL software platform, which is a hardware description language used in electronic design automation for custom timing, triggering, synchronization, control and signal processing in the analog and digital sensors, actuators and DAQs. In particular, the CompactRIO 9004 Analog consists of a 195 MHz industrial real-time processor with 64 MB of DRAM memory and 512 MB of a nonvolatile Compact-Flash storage for data logging. Furthermore, it has eight slots for NI C Series I/O modules with the operation power of 9 to 35 VDC. The I/O 5

modules actually used are only two NI 9505, although one NI 9239, one NI 9263 and a third NI 9505 would be available if needed. NI 9505 is a full H-bridge brushed DC servo drive module. Two modules of NI 9505 have been used to control the rudder and propeller actuation sub-systems that are associated with two DC motors. The NI 9505 module consists of the inputs of the quadrate encoder reading from DC motor and the power supply voltage and the output of DC motor control (i.e. current or torque). The encoder signal has been used for the velocity control loop in the propeller sub-system and the position control loop in the rudder subsystem. The NI 9505 module can generate pulse width module (PWM) signal that is proportional to the desired current or torque that is required for the control of the rudder and propeller actuation sub-systems. The PWM can also generate clockwise and counter clockwise motor rotational directions that is useful for both rudder and propeller control system. A digital PID controller is implemented in both rudder and propeller control systems in the real-time navigation platform. The I/O modules also have the signal attenuation and filter facilities as well as the digitizer and isolation facilities for better sensor measurements and actuator controls. The NI 9239 is a 4-channel, 24-Bit analog input module that could be used to collect data from a position sensor, powered around 10 V by the 4-Channel 16-bit, 10 V module NI 9263.

1.2.1.4 RTK GPS Unit

Novatel FlexPak G2 GPS unit is used for position estimation of the ASV. The unit consists of GNSS (global navigation satellite system) antenna to absorb the electromagnetic signals transmitted by the GNSS satellites into RF signals, an OEMV card enclosure, a Settop NiMH129 12V 9Ah battery and a Trimble PDL450 450 MHz radio modem data link antenna used for communicating with the base station to improve the position accuracy of the ASV.

1.2.1.5 Power sources

Two 24V Autosil batteries provide power to all instruments except the RTK-GPS unit and the laptop. A set of fuse boxes and switches for turning the power on or off are also used.

1.2.1.6 Inertial Measurement Unit with GPS Antenna

A Crossbow NAV440 Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) is used as the main measurement instrument on board, consisting of following sensors: magnetometer, accelerometer, rate gyro, GPS receiver. The magnetometer is capable of measuring the 3-axis angles of heading, roll, and pitch. The rate gyro is capable of measuring the 3-axis angular velocities of heading, roll, and pitch. The accelerometer is capable of measuring 3-axis linear accelerations of surge, sway and heave. The internal GPS receiver in the IMU is measuring the ASV position and is facilitated by the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) capabilities. A multi-state configurable extended Kalman filter (EKF) is utilized to estimate the sensor bias values and to correct the drift errors. The sensor data is observed by a highspeed A/D converter and a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) that are in-cooperated with a bank of programmable FIR filters. Finally, the processor outputs of navigation data are collected via the RS-232 port that is connected with the CompactRIO unit through NI 9870. The digital data output over the RS-232 port with a fixed rate of 100 Hz.

1.2.1.7 Digital CompactRIO

The CompactRIO 9074 Digital unit consists of a 400 MHz industrial real-time processor with a 2M gate FPGA and has eight slots for NI C Series I/O modules with the operation power of 19 to 30 VDC. The system also consists of 128 MB of DRAM for embedded operation and 256 MB of nonvolatile memory for data logging. It has one NI 9870, a 4-Port, RS232 serial interface module that is used to collect digital data from the IMS and GPS units. The module consists of four RJ-50 receptacles that provide connections for four RS232 serial ports and an additional input for an external power supply that provides 7

power for the RS232 transceivers around 8 V. There is also the possibility to use one NI 9802 consisting of two Secure Digital (SD) card slots with 2 GB cards for storing the data collected from the IMS and GPS units.

1.2.1.8 Industrial Ethernet Unit

NI UES-3880 industrial unmanaged Ethernet switch is used as a communication gateway among sensors, actuators, and DAQs. The Ethernet switch consists of 8-port unmanaged entry-level switch for the standard Ethernet networking protocol. That also consists of an operation range of 24 VDC that is supported by the on-board a battery unit through a fuse unit.

1.2.1.9 Laptop or Touchpad

A laptop (or a touchpad) should be present on board with all the necessary software programs already installed for controlling the ASV and collecting the sensors data. The orange Toshiba laptop with the Final ASV Labview project has been used so far. During the trials the laptop is remotely accessed by a second laptop (or touchpad) from ashore. The Orange Toshibas username and password are: Computer name: slidedesk2 Username: 3encontro Password: centec IP4 address: 10.0.36.014 Sub-net mask: 255.255.255.0

The Administrators username and password are saen in both cases.

1.2.2 ON GROUND
1.2.2.1 Equipments used both on ground and on board
The following equipments present on ground are the same ones used on board: Industrial WiFi Unit with Radio Antenna; RTK-GPS Unit: Flexipak OEMV box, NiMH129 Battery, Yellow Radio Antenna and GPS Antenna; 8

Laptop for accessing remotely the computer on board or a touchpad with measurement and control programs loaded. In the Black Toshiba there is an account for Prasad and one for Victor. Its IP4 address should be 10.0.36.005 with sub-net mask 255.255.255.0

1.2.2.2 Main UPS

An APC Smart-UPS SUA2200 (RT 2200VA 230V) tower un-interruptible power supply (UPS) unit that is associated with power capacity of 2200VA (1540W) and nominal input and output voltage of 230V is used for the overall power requirements in the CMU.

1.2.2.3 Small UPS

The units on ground are powered by the main UPS unit through the small UPS NI PS-17 DC power supply unit. This DC power supply unit consists of the power input of 86 to 276 VAC and the power output of 24 to 28 VCD with 20 A. One is always used for the WiFi unit and a second one only for providing energy to the touchpad, since the laptop can be attached directly to the main UPS.

1.2.2.4 Battery chargers

It is convenient to bring during the trials the battery chargers. These are the Settop, the Ctek and the laptops ones. Since the RTK-GPS could work also with only the on board part, although with reduced position accuracy, it is possible in case of emergency to put the ground NiMH129 battery on charge. The Settop Battery Charger is used for the NiMH129 batteries and the Ctek for the Autosil ones. The laptop batteries should be charged using a third Toshiba laptop so that there is always one laptop battery available for the on board computer.

1.2.2.5 Ground unit structure

It is necessary to have some kind of structure for supporting the ground antennae (WiFi, radio and GPS). For avoiding any electric hazard the antennae should be connected with an electric cable to a metal spike driven into the ground, and for improving GPS accuracy and WiFi reception the structure should be placed in an open air spot far from trees or walls.

1.2.3 OTHER USEFUL STUFF TO HAVE

Duct tape; Roll of string or rope; Foam; Scissors; Screwdrivers, Pincers, Wrenches, Cable Cutter; Multimeter; Welding Kit; Level; Weights and/or empty bottles; Tape-measure or ruler; Extension cables, multiple socket, electrical adapter ; Etc...

1.3 CHARGING THE BATTERIES

Before sea trials it is necessary to fully charge every battery and the Main UPS Unit. It takes up to 12h for a battery to be charged, so it is advisable to put them into charge at least two days before the tests. The Main UPS Unit and the laptop have their own internal chargers and need just to be plugged to a socket. The NiMH129 Batteries are charged with the Settop charger, using the special plug on their top. The Autosil Batteries are instead charged with the Ctek one. First the pole screws have to be loosened, then the charger's black pincer must be connected to the negative black pole marked Carga and the red pincer to the red positive pole. Batteries under charge should be handled with caution as there is a risk of explosion. All chargers have LEDs that indicate when the charging process is completed. Here is an approximate list of all the batteries involved with their respective autonomies and charging time [TO BE CHECKED!]: 10

Battery Main UPS Laptop: Orange Toshiba, Professor's Laptop: Orange Toshiba with Labview Laptop: Black Toshiba NiMH129 Autosil

Autonomy 8h 5h 1h 3h 3h 5h

Charging time 3h 3h 3h 3h 6h 12h

1.4 LOADING THE MODEL FOR TRANSPORTATION

If the model has to be transported from the laboratory to the trials place, for instance from Taguspark to Parque do Campo Grande, it may be necessary to rent in advance a small truck. The model should fit in a standard one like Fiat Ducato or similar, if put diagonally. Most of the instruments are already encased in plastic boxes, which should be kept during the transport in bigger cardboard boxes for convenience. These should be put first inside the truck piled up in one of the back corners and blocked with duct tape and string. Then the model can be loaded on board, diagonally, the bow towards the back corner, protected by foam. Once again strings and duct tape should block the model by pushing the stern towards the back of the truck, with the bow and the model's sides protected by foam. This procedure is traditionally called bonding the model.

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2 PREPARING THE MODEL

This chapter explains how to mount all the equipment and instruments on board and for the ground unit, assuming that all of them are already available on shore.

2.1 ON BOARD
2.1.1 INDUSTRIAL WIRELESS MODULE
The box containing the WiFi Unit is usually already present and fixed in the foremost hold, with all connections already prepared. Also the Radio Antenna should normally be already installed standing on the forecastle. If this is not the case, it must be mounted on top of the small black metallic support and fixed using a bolt below it. Wireless module connections, usually already done: Connection to Radio Antenna; Power supply, to fuses box; RJ45 cable, to Ethernet Unit.

2.1.2 RTK GPS

The plastic box containing the OEMV pack is usually already placed on the bottom of the second fore hold. The NiMH129 Battery, the Yellow Radio Antenna and the GPS Antenna however must be installed. The latter is normally kept inside the boat and just needs to be attached to the metal rack fixed to the aft bulkhead of the central hold. The radio instead is actually composed by the yellow radio module itself and a metal spike that must be screwed to it. It is important to take the yellow module labeled Mobile and not the ground unit one. The complete instrument is then screwed to the metal support with the big golden screw. The NiMH129 is installed simply in one of the fore bulkheads using its own hook. There are then in total five cables to be connected plus one used only during system configuration. Two of these connections are actually power supplies to the NiMH129 and should be plugged at the last minute, for saving energy. RTK GPS connections, all from OEMV box: Connection to GPS antenna; Power supply, to NiMH129 Battery;

12

Connection to Yellow Radio Antenna coupled with Radio's power supply, to NiMH129 Battery; RS232 connection to laptop, using RS232-USB converter; USB connection to laptop, used for configuring the system.

2.1.3 DIGITAL COMPACTRIO

The Digital CompactRIO box must be placed on top of the RTK GPS plastic box containing the OEMS pack. Three cables must be connected. When the unit is ready, using the plastic cover to close the box could cause high temperatures in it, especially during sunny days. Therefore, it may be advisable to use some ventilation system or to cover the box with foam instead of plastic. Digital CompactRIO connections: Blue RJ45 cable, from Inertial Measurement Unit to Ni 9870 module channel #1; Red RJ45 cable, from Ethernet Unit to CRIO's base channel #1; Power supply using tubular plug.

2.1.4 INERTIAL MEASUREMENT UNIT

The IMU box is usually already placed in the central hold, as close as possible to the model's centre of gravity for improving measurement accuracy. The IMU GPS antenna also is normally already present, if not it has to be placed in the metal rack in the bulkhead fore of the central hold. There is no need to connect cables to the unit, as all of them are already attached and instead only their other end must be connected to the other instruments. Inertial Measurement Unit connections, usually already done: Connection to IMU GPS Antenna; RS232 - RJ45 converter cable to Digital CompactRIO; Power supply from fuses box.

2.1.5 ETHERNET UNIT

The Ethernet unit is already mounted on the bulkhead fore of the last hold. Only one connection should be done. Ether Unit connections, most of them already done: Red RJ45 cable from Analog CompactRIO; Red RJ45 cable from Digital CompactRIO; 13

RJ45 cable to Wireless Unit; RJ45 cable to Laptop (the only connection to be done); Power supply from fuses box.

2.1.6 ANALOG COMPACT RIO

The Analog CompactRio is probably the most complex of all hardware components to install. There are seven connections to be done: four power supplies, two encoders and one network cable. These connections look alike and are all grouped close to each other and it is therefore easy to make mistakes. Besides, the encoder cables are very sensitive as are the power connecter of the two DC motors. As a consequence it is important to pay special attention when installing this unit. The box is placed in the stern hold, above the propellers DC motor. The Analog CRIO heats even more than the digital one, so it is very important to have an efficient ventilation system, for instance when bad weather is unlikely it is possible to cover the box only with foam. The CRIO base should be placed towards the bow, whereas the empty module spaces should point the stern. On the port side of the box are the plugs for receiving the base and modules power supplies, on the starboard side instead are present the plugs for providing power supplies to the propeller and rudder DC motors. The network cable is connected directly to the base and the encoder cables coming from the motor are to be connected with the cables coming from the modules. Here are the details of the connections, assuming that the CRIO base is oriented towards the bow: Tubular plug for base power supply, from fuses box to one of the port side plugs (any of the first two); Tubular plug for module power supply, from fuses box to one of the port side plugs (any of the first two); Tubular plug for propeller power supply, from Propeller DC Motor to the foremost plug on starboard side; Tubular plug for rudder power supply, from Rudder DC Motor to the second plug on starboard side; Encoder cable for propeller control, from Propeller DC Motor to the foremost modules encoder cable; Encoder cable for rudder control, from Rudder DC Motor to the second modules encoder cable; RJ45 network cable, from Ethernet unit to CRIO base.

2.1.7 AUTOSIL BATTERIES

14

The two Autosil batteries should be installed on the two holds fore and aft of the central one, on foam supports normally already present. Power cables are connected using the screws, red cables to the red pole and blue cable to the blue pole labeled descarga. Then two sockets, one for each battery, must be plugged in order to provide energy to all other instruments. Very important: a female plug's red cable side must always be attached correspondingly to a male's red cable side, and the black or blue female side to the corresponding black or blue male side! Finally two switches allow for easy disconnection of the system. Also in this case it is better to try to save energy and disconnect the batteries with these switches whenever the systems are not in use. Here are the connections for a single battery, the ones for the other being exactly the same: Two cables, one red and one black, ending with a washer, to be connected respectively to the red and blue poles; One male socket to be connected with a female one; One switch to turn on.

2.2 ON GROUND
2.2.1 GROUND UNIT CONNECTIONS
1.Find an ideal location for ground unit structure; 2.Assemble the GPS antenna on the structure; 3.Assemble the antenna of the Wi-Fi on the structure; 4.Fix the GPS Antenna Radio in the structure; 5.Plant the metal spike for the ground and connect it with the metallic parts of structure; 6.Fix the box containing the battery of the GPS and the GPS Module Enclosure in to the structure; 7.Connect the GPS antenna to the enclosure; 8.Connect the GPS Antenna Radio enclosure; 9.Connect the enclosure to the Industrial Wi-Fi unit; 10. Connect the Wi-Fi Radio Antenna to Industrial Wi-Fi unit; 11. Connect the Industrial Wi-Fi to the laptop with the RJ45; 12. Connect the power pins to power the GPS to the battery; 15

13. Connect the power supply of the Industrial Wi-Fi unit; 14. Verify the operability of equipment.

In the next scheme are shown all the parts and the correct connections of the ground unit components.

In the next photo it is possible to see the Ground Unit completely installed and working.

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2.2.2 INSTALLATION RECOMMENDATIONS

Here are some recommendations to consider when installing the ground unit: When connecting the Radio Antenna to the GPS, there should be a red dot in the connector cable: this would facilitate the connection. When making connections to the battery, press the connector and then begin to turn to find the ideal position. When looking for a position of the Ground unit, make sure there are no trees or other elements that come between the GPS antenna and satellites. Make sure also there are no elements between the Vessel and Ground Unit. To avoid effects of wind on the Structure of the Ground Unit, put some weights to help balance it. While using the laptop, it is recommended to put a battery into the battery charger so that it can be tested for more time.

2.2.3

FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS
Repair or replace the cable connector of the GPS Radio Antenna. Buy batteries that last longer. Buy Laptops with better features that do not freeze time when the Programs are running. Improve the stability of Ground unit structure.

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3 PERFORMING THE TRIALS

3.1 PREPARATIONS ON GROUND
It is obviously more convenient to do all the connections while the model is still ashore. It must always rest on foam and special care should be taken for protecting the rudder and the propeller. After all connections are made the two yellow radio antennae must be set to the same channel if this doesnt happen automatically. Very important: before turning on the models systems, the rudder must be manually set to 0 position! When all systems are on it is better to check if the rudder and propeller work correctly by giving them some commands via the on ground laptop. If everything is in order, the model can be put to water.

3.1.1 RUNNING THE PROGRAMS

When all is set, both on board and on ground, the on board laptop is turned on and the command programs are executed. They are usually found in the desktop/build/FinalASV directory, the main one being ASV Control/application.exe. The LabView files instead are in the desktop/FinalASV folder. Also Novatels program, found on the desktop ???, can be run to check the RTK-GPS accuracy. One of the two myproject projects using USB ports must be opened. A window should appear showing the satellite reception and the latitude, longitude and height together with their respective accuracy errors. These should be below 1 m, otherwise there is a problem (see Troubleshooting).

3.1.2 CALIBRATING THE HEADING SENSOR

Another procedure to be performed is to calibrate the IMU heading sensor for correcting iron magnetic interferences. This is done by opening the Na-View 2.x program on the n board laptop, then going to Configuration -> Mag Alignment -> Start, then the model must be perform a 360 turn on-the-spot until the calibration is completed, then click on Apply. The resulting X and Y hard iron offset should be < 0.1 and the soft iron ratio > 0.95.

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3.1.3 REMOTE DESKTOP ACCESS

The on ground laptop can then remotely access the on board one to check if the wireless connections works. This is done by going to Windows Help, searching for remote access, selecting Remote Desktop Access, and following the instructions. Orange Toshibas name is slidedesk2. Its username and password are respectively 3encontro and centec. Once the on board laptop is remotely accessed there is no need of keeping it and it can be put on board, better if covered by some bright cloth to protect it from sun exposure and thus preventing system shut downs due to overheating.

3.2 TRIMMING THE MODEL

When the focus of the trials is some naval architecture topic, for instance maneuverability, it is important that the model is correctly immersed and trimmed. The Aurora ASV has a black line around its sides indicating the design draught. However, since it may be quite hard to reach that level, at least the propeller should be completely immerged. Some weights can be added as well as bottles filled with water. During this process of adding ballast it is important to check also the trim, using for instance a level. The model should be perfectly horizontal or slightly inclined towards the stern, never towards the bow, and port/starboard side listing also should never occur. When the model is finally ready, the fore and aft draughts should be measured and noted down as well as the total weight of the ballast.

3.3 CONTROLLING THE MODEL

3.3.1 CONTROL INTERFACE
The FinalASV.exe interface uses different tabs for commanding and controlling the ASV. Each one deals with a different aspect of the trials such as controlling the rudder and the propeller, collecting and saving the data, performing automatic maneuvers. There is also a button bar above the tabs, where a red button allows stopping all the controls.

3.3.1.1 Checking sensors data

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Three tabs show the information received by the IMU and the RTK-GPS. The first one show the roll, pitch and yaw angles in rad, their respective accelerations in rad/s 2 and the North, East and Down speeds in m/s. The second one shows the position according to the IMU GPS. The RTK GPS panel shows the model coordinates using instead the RTK-GPS antenna. In some programs there is also the possibility to see the trajectory so far in a Matlab plot.

3.3.1.2 Commanding the propeller and rudder

Two tabs are used to give orders to the propeller and rudder. The propellers one has a knob for setting the desired rpm and a Counterclockwise button for reversing the propeller rotation. It is possible also to set the rpm to 0 (Zero Propeller order) thus stopping the propeller. Usually the rpm are simply set constantly to 1500 or 2000 rpm and only the Counterclockwise button is used for simulating the crash stop maneuver or in case of an actual emergency stop. Although in theory any rpm value could be used according to the desired simulation speed, in practice if wind is present a rather high number of rpm (2000 to 2400) must be used in order for the model to have a minimal maneuver capability. The rudder panel also has a knob for setting the desired angle and a button for reversing the angle from starboard to port side and vice-versa. It is possible to set the rudder angle to the starting position called Zero Rudder. In case of a zigzag maneuver the direction and the accepted deviance from this heading can also be set, so that the rudder shifts automatically from port to starboard whenever the actual heading overshoots the limit.

3.3.1.3 Saving data

A tab manages the writing of the collected data on the laptop hard-disk. It is possible to choose the file name and its number of lines for avoiding files too large, and then the computer automatically adds the day and time at the end of the file names for distinguishing them. It is possible to choose as well the time interval between each recording, although there is a minimal speed of about 100 ms. It is advisable to check in the beginning if the Save Data button is activated so that the computer is actually saving the data, and saving different maneuvers data with different names so that it will be easier to recognize them. Once the name is changed a reset must be done in order for the computer to start using it, by pressing the red button on the button bar and then clicking again for turning again on all the controls. The saved files are by default in the D:\MNUDATA folder. 20

3.3.1.4 Other tabs

There may be some extra tabs specific for a particular mission, for instance testing some automatic control or collision avoidance algorithms.

3.3.2 GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR CONTROLLING THE MODEL

Avoid impacts with the shore! Take great care when the model is approaching the ground, use the rudder or reverse the propeller for avoiding collisions. If possible, someone should follow the vessel and hold it when it comes too close to the ground. When the ships sails away from the shore manually direct the bow towards the middle of the lake, to avoid that the sides hit the ground. Always consider that although the rudder is very quick to respond the orders, the model instead take some time to perform the maneuver so use the rudder gently. Wind and currents can greatly disturb the ships maneuver. Try to save as much energy as possible: turn off the batteries whenever they are not needed. Check from time to time the batteries levels and if the systems are working correctly. Remember to manually set the rudder to 0 before turning on the models systems. It may be difficult to control the ASV with the laptop and at the same time visually check the models maneuvers, so while one person uses the laptop a second one can watch the vessel and give instructions accordingly.

3.4 OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE TRIALS

Be sure to have all the permissions to run the trials. Check the weather forecast for avoiding strong winds or rain. Always keep duct tape, ropes and scissors at hand. When the model is in water but unused attach it with ropes to some spot ashore so that it will not drift away. Bring cameras, take pictures and make movies. Take notes of what is done. Take protections against the sun or the cold. Dont leave any trash.

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3.5 TROUBLESHOOTING
3.5.1 MOST COMMON ISSUES
Most common issues One of the components does not turn on Possible causes 1. Dead battery 2. Bad connection Solutions 1. If all components attached to a battery are not working check if the power sources are turned on or if the batteries are not already dead. For laptop batteries a warning message should have appear before though 2. Check if the connections are correct. Check the electric cables using the multimeter in short circuit acoustic mode to see where the current stops (it beeps if there is current). Try to use other cables or plugs or maybe to weld again the connections 1. As usual check all connections, especially all RJ45 cables. A green or yellow light should indicate whether the cables are transmitting or not. 2. Manually set the IP4 address of the laptops: the on board one should be 10.0.36.014 and the ground one 10.0.36.005. Sub-net mask is 255.255.255.0 in both cases. 3. Check if the two Wireless units are working properly, if the antennas are correctly mounted and within line-of-sight between each-other. 1. Both radios must have the same channel. There may be also some external radio interference, in which case it is necessary to move

The on board laptop is not communicating with the systems or the ground laptop cannot remotely access the on board one

1. Bad connection 2. IP address conflict 3. Lost wireless connection

The RTK-GPS is not transmitting or has low accuracy

1. Wrong radio connection 2. Bad satellite signal reception 22

3. Dead battery 4. On board unit is not taking bases fixed position as reference

2. 3.

4.

The ground laptop says Connection lost

1. Dead battery 2. Sudden shut down 3. Lost wireless connection

1.

2.

3.

The vessel is difficult to control or the rudder/propeller are not responding

1. Strong winds 2. Communication problem 3. Software or mechanical problem 4. Operators inability to control the vessel

1. 2.

3.

4.

the base unit Move the base unit to a spot far from trees, walls, roofs etc. Check if both radios show the channel number, if one appears to be turned off the battery is probably dead Connect the laptop with Novatels software to base unit, write the instructions for fixing base coordinates in the command line (see below), connect the laptop again to the on board unit and write the instructions for the rover unit Change the battery (a warning message should have appeared before though) May be because of overheating: protect the laptop from the sun with bright covers. Check if WiFi unit is still working, otherwise if the line-of-sight between the antennae is blocked then there is other solution than bringing back the vessel manually No miracle, check winds direction try to anticipate its effects There may be some problems in the communications between ground and model, see above Try to bring back the vessel to the shore, check the connections and if the systems are responding correctly to the orders. The software may show values different from the actual ones for angles and rpm. Be sure to set 0 as rudder starting position. The shaft may be not properly fixed to the propeller motor. Leave the vessels control to someone else

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3.5.2 LIST OF INSTRUCTIONS FOR FIXING BASE COORDINATES

Base station configuration: copy the Latitude, Longitude and Height then insert the following commands: FIX POSITION latitude longitude height COM COM2 9600 N 8 1 N OFF INTERFACEMODE COM2 NONE RTCA OFF LOG COM2 RTCAREF ONTIME 10 LOG COM2 RTCAOBS2 ONTIME 1 LOG COM2 RTCA1 ONTIME 5 SAVECONFIG

Rover station configuration: COM COM2 9600 N 8 1 N OFF INTERFACEMODE COM2 RTCA NONE OFF LOG COM1 BESTPOSA ONTIME 1 SAVECONFIG

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4 DATA ANALYSIS AND POST-PROCESSING

As said previously the data files are saved in the MNUDATA folder. The name format is the chosen file name followed by the day and time. It is good practice after a trial day to copy the files into a folder with the date and/or a brief description of what has been done.

4.1 DATA FORMAT

Within every file there are 30 data columns that containing the following information: 1. 2. 3. 4. Hour of the day Minutes Seconds Fraction of second

From the IMU: 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. Roll [rad] Pitch [rad] Yaw [rad], between and + X-rate (i.e. roll rate) [rad/s] Y-rate [rad/s] Z-rate [rad/s] X-acceleration (i.e. roll acceleration) [g] Y-acceleration [g] Z-acceleration [g] North velocity [m/s] East velocity [m/s] Down velocity [m/s] Longitude [rad] Latitude [rad] Altitude [m]

From the RTK-GPS: 20. 21. 22. 23. Longitude [] Latitude [] Altitude [m] Unknown 25

24. Unknown From the Analog CompactRio: 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. Rudder position command [encoder position] Rudder position command [] Actual rudder position [encoder position] Actual rudder position [] Rpm command [rpm] Actual rpm [rpm]

4.2 LOADING VIDEOS ON THE INTERNET

Videos filmed during the trials can be loaded on the Youtube channel thecentec

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5 SMALL NAUTICAL LEXICON

Aft: adjective meaning in the direction of the stern. Ballast: extra weight loaded on a ship to improve her hydrodynamic performances. Bow: the front of the ship, her foremost part. Bulkhead: structural elements that divide the hull into compartments. Depth: vertical distance between the bottom and the top end of the sides. Draught: the ships immersion in water. Fore: adjective meaning in the direction of the bow. Hold: internal space delimited by bulkheads and/or the ships sides, where normally the cargo is stored. List: a permanent transversal inclination. Port side: When looking the ship from behind, the side on the left. Starboard side: When looking the ship from behind, the side on the right. Stern: the rear of a ship, where are usually located the propeller(s) and rudder(s). Trim: the longitudinal inclination of a ship, the difference between the draught at the bow and at the stern.

Note: in English ship is a feminine word and therefore should be referred to as she, her, etc.

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