Dynamic Calibration of a Magnetic Heading Sensor Using an Acoustic Net.

摘要

Heading sensors remain the weak link in AUV navigation. Developers are left to chose between the size and expense of a gyro compass (and its variants) or the performance limitations of a magnetic reference. While the performance of a magnetic reference can be improved with a deviation table, implementing them is cumbersome and time consuming. A method has been developed for the REMUS vehicle that dynamically learns the compass errors using acoustic information as part of a regular mission. The approach is automatic, and applicable to any AUV operating in an acoustic net. This paper discusses test results, and future areas for development.