Task-Based Motion Control of an Autonomous Surface Vehicle Connected to a Remotely Operated Vehicle for Inspection Purposes

In the domain of underwater inspection and maintenance, autonomous robots are gaining traction due to their ability to operate in challenging environments and reduce operational costs. A widely used kind of underwater robot is the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), which can be equipped with many different sensors, grippers, and other tools. ROVs have an umbilical cable that provides reliable and fast data transmission. Connecting the ROV tether to an Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV) can extend the range of the ROV, but the physical cable connection couples the motion of the two vehicles. Consequently, a specific control strategy is required to coordinate the motion of the two robots. To this extent, the developed control strategy builds on a Task Priority Approach. The paper addresses the design of an ASV-ROV combined system, the autonomous control of the ASV, and finally the simulation results.