A hybrid control architecture for an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV)

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are designed to operate in environments that are unsuitable for human divers or remotely operated vehicles. Various autonomous underwater vehicles and their control systems are reviewed in this dissertation.; This dissertation describes the theoretical foundations for a Hybrid Control Architecture suitable for the real-time operation and control of an AUV. The proposed hybrid control architecture utilizes a combination of the hierarchical and heterarchical control architecture principles. The proposed control architecture consists of a supervisory control level and a functional control level. Each level is further divided into modules. Each module performs a specific function that is required for the control of the AUV. The proposed control architecture is a multiprocessing system that utilizes a shared memory system for communications between the modules. The proposed control architecture follows the state configured control system that only activates modules that are needed for a specific part of the whole operation. All other modules remain inactive.; The actual hardware and software of the proposed control architecture of the AUV are also reviewed. The proposed control architecture is based on Single Board Computers (SBCs) and on a real-time operating system.; The proposed hybrid control architecture was simulated and evaluated using Petri nets. Petri net models were developed for each of the modules and peripherals of the control architecture. Various case studies were simulated and evaluated using these Petri net models.