A distributed architecture for enabling autonomous underwater intervention missions

Abstract

This work introduces the main aspects related with a new architecture defined for an ongoing research project named RAUVI (i.e. Reconfigurable AUV for Intervention Missions). Two initially independent architectures for the underwater vehicle and the robotic arm have been combined into a new schema that allows for reactive and deliberative behaviours on both subsystems. Reactive actions are performed through a low-level control layer in communication with the robot hardware via an abstraction interface. On the other hand, the intervention mission is supervised at a high-level by a Mission Control System (MCS), implemented using the Petri net formalism. Both, the arm and vehicle perception and control modules communicate with the MCS by means of actions and events. They also share a centralized database where some sensor data is stored. The proposed architecture allows for the supervised execution of intervention missions requiring a tight coordination between the vehicle and the manipulator.