A talk about the ROV Isis UKs scientific deep ocean Remotely Operated Vehicle

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A talk about the ROV IsisUKs scientific deep
ocean (Remotely Operated Vehicle)

• Pete Mason
• U.K. Deep ROV Facility
• Southampton Oceanography Centre

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Presentation content

• Brief History
• Technical Description
• Engineering Considerations
• Scientific Considerations
• Navigation
• Further Information

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Brief History

• Why the UKs scientific community needs a deep
  Ocean ROV.
• To conduct science in areas that until now have
  been inaccessible.
• To work at specific locations on the ocean floor.
• To return to previous sites for comparative
  studies.
• To deploy instruments in exact locations.
• To recover or service instruments.
• To conduct photographic or seismic surveys.

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Overview

• Isis is a scientific ROV system primarily for use
  by the British scientific community.
• This system belongs in the National Marine
  Equipment Pool (NMEP).
• The NMEP is managed by UKORS (UK Ocean Research
  Services) located at the Southampton Oceanography
  Centre (SOC).

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Overview

• The system is made up from the following items

• The vehicle and control room are virtually
• a clone of the WHOI ROV Jason 11.

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Overview

• The system is made up from the following items

• The vehicle and control room

• The LARS (Launch and recovery system)

• A TMS (Tether management system)

• Dock testing at the WHOI (Woods Hole
  Oceanographic Institute).

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Technical DescriptionView of Isis Equipment at
SOC.

• View of deck equipment
• Isis
• LARS (launch and recovery system).
• Winch
• Hydraulic power pack
• Control room.
• Workshop.

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Technical DescriptionIsis deployment
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Technical DescriptionControl Room
The Control Room is made up from two 20 foot
containers connected side by side.
Inside the control room are all the systems to
operate the vehicle from. Controls Displays Compu
ters Power supplies Interfaces
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Technical DescriptionCommunications

• 10 Km umbilical containing 3 electrical passes
  and 3 single mode fibres.
• One fibre links the ROV vehicle, another fibre
  links TMS, 3rd fibre spare
• Fibre optic multiplexor using Wave Division
  Frequency Modulation techniques to provide
  multiple data channels 2 Gigabits/sec
• Master computer with Linux operating system for
  house keeping functions and data parsing.
• High speed communications reduces latency so very
  little intelligence is required on the vehicle.

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Technical Description

• The vehicle Isis
• Size --- 2 x 2 x 3 metres
• Weight --- 3 tonne
• Depth rating --- 6,500 metres
• Driven by six electrical thrusters (5HP each)
• Two seven axis manipulators
• A suit of permanent instruments
• Several optional acoustic systems
• A range of cameras
• A removable tool sledge
• Spare serial data ports and one 10 base Ethernet
• Power sources for customers equipment
• Hydraulic power pack outputs

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Technical Description

• Permanent Instruments
• Depth sensor
• Altimeter
• Fluxgate compass
• Optical compass
• Acoustic Doppler log
• Homer system
• Iridium GPS beacon
• Navigation systems

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Technical DescriptionAcoustic Systems (optional)
Forward looking Profiling Sonars

• 200KHz Electronic scanning sonar
• Obstacle Avoidance
• Profiling
• Hydrothermal plume detection
• 400m range
• 20m altitude 70m swath

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Technical DescriptionAcoustic Systems (optional)
High Resolution 675KHz

• 360 deg profiling
• Mechanically scanning
• Windows sonar displays

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Technical DescriptionCamera Systems (optional)

• 3 Chip Broadcast Quality 800 Lines
• 3.34M Pixel Digital Still
• Colour video
• Low Light Level monochrome CCD video
• Miniature (inspection) Colour monochrome
• Photo-mosaicing camera. Monochrome with a Wide
  Dynamic Range (12 16 Bit dynamic range)

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Technical DescriptionCamera Systems (optional)
Photo-Mosaicing
Images credit WHOI
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Engineering Considerations

• Thin umbilical
• 17.8 mm dia.
• Breaking load 20 tonne.
• Loading on umbilical
• Weight of cable
• Mass of vehicle
• Entrapped water mass.

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Engineering Considerations

• Simple bottom side
• For reliability virtually all computing and
  intelligence is undertaken at the surface.

• Connectors
• Unreliable as much point to point wiring as
  possible.
• Electrical wiring
• Where ever possible oil filled (no moulded
  cables)

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Engineering Considerations

• Positive pressure compensation
• All oil systems kept about ½ - 1 bar
  (relative).
• Buoyancy
• Very dense and expensive.
• Limited power
• Size of conductors.
• Length of cable 10 km.
• Heating on the storage drum

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Scientific Considerations

• Versatile and easy to re-configure.
• To accommodate a wide range of very different
  equipment
• To easily and quickly re-configure the vehicle.

• Services for scientists / customers systems
• Additional serial ports.
• One base 10 ethernet port.
• One unused optical fibre.
• Video channels.
• Hydraulic power.
• Electrical power.
• Additional buoyancy.

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Scientific Considerations

• Services for scientists / customers systems
• Additional serial ports.
• One base 10 ethernet port.
• One unused optical fibre.
• Video channels.
• Hydraulic power.
• Electrical power.

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Scientific Considerations

• Versatile and easy to re-configure.
• The standard equipment sledge has
• A large extendable tool tray at the front.
• Two side tool trays that rotate around for
  front access.

• The equipment sledge is removable.

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Workshop Container
A containerised workshop enables modifications,
maintenance and repairs to be carried out
virtually anywhere.
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Navigation

• It is most important to know accurately where
  the vehicle is at all times.
• This is achieved by knowing the ships position.
• from DGPS or similar source)
• Measuring the vehicles position relative to the
  ship.
• Using acoustic systems.
• LBL (long base line)
• USBL (ultra short base line)

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Long Base Line (LBL)
Navigation
Long BaseLine (LBL)

• LBL navigation uses time to calculate the
  distance between the beacons and the ship or
  vehicle.
• The disadvantage with an LBL system is that it
  takes a long time to lay and calibrate in the
  position of each beacon.
• The big advantage with LBL navigation is its
  accuracy. Better than 1 metre, form the surface
  down to 6,500 m.

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Navigation
Ultra Short Base Line (USBL)

• USBL uses time to measure distance and the phase
  of the signal to calculate the direction.
• This method of navigation is self sufficient and
  does not rely on a network of beacons.
• USBL accuracy is better than 0.5 of the range.
• At 100 m it is accurate to 0.5 m.
• At 5,000 m it is accurate to 25 m.

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Long Base Line (LBL)
Long/Ultra Short Base Line (LUSBL)
Navigation
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Navigation
Inverted Short Base Line (iSBL)

• The iSBL system operates in a similar manner to
  the USBL except that the transducer array is
  located on the vehicle and is much larger.
• This system is at an early development stage but
  promises the best from both types of navigation.

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A Fusion USBL System
Navigation
Data Fusion Engine
GPS
Navigation Control
Navigation Computer
VRU
MUX
Gyro
MAHRS
Compatt 5 Array
8023 USBL Transceiver
DVL
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Navigation

• A Navigation towed fish under development. This
  fish contains the USBL transducer, OCTANS
  (optical compass with vertical reference unit)
  and a homer beacon.

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USBL Transceiver Design
A total of 6 elements makes for simplicity,
reliability and affordability By designing each
element for either Transmit OR Receive both can
be optimised for superior performance
5 Receive Elements
1 Transmit Element
The Beam shape is designed to reject vessel
generated noise rather than attempting to filter
it out later.
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New USBL Transceivers

• Key Features
• Improved phase measurement
• Improved noise analysis display
• Can synthesise any set of frequency channels
• Wideband processing capability
• Improved LBL capability e.g. simultaneous channel
  detection

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Transceiver Head Deployment System

• Type 8021Transceiver
• Truly Hemispherical
• Designed to reject vessel noise
• Proven repeatability in all water depths

• Type 8023Transceiver
• Larger Rx Elements
• Wider element spacing
• Improved Receive Sensitivity
• Greater Noise Rejection

• A stiff pole is essential for good performance
• Sonardyne have designed a deployment system, in
  conjunction with marine
• architects engineers, that provides a rigid
  platform for the transceiver

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Fusion Software

• Key Features
• USBL and LBL configurations
• 24 man years development to date
• Incorporates APS3 and USBL experience
• Easy operation, for example
• wizards
• tools
• configurable displays
• Fuses the different sensor data types
• Advance tracking software handles
• different sensor / transceiver types
• new tracking techniques
• multiple vehicles / transceivers
• Mk 4 technology compatible

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Navigation - Displays
The navigation systems provide various styles of
display and tables of numerical information as
required
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V1.05 - Day / Night Colour Schemes
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Noise Plot from a Noisy Survey Vessel FUSION
USBL
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What Dictates Range and Repeatability of a USBL
System?

• Noise
• Where is the Transceiver in relation to the
  propellers?
• Too close and the system will be adversely
  affected by noise.
• Transceiver
• Focused-Beam or Omni-Beam?
• Operation, Vessel, Water Depth
• Transponder
• Source Level
• Omni Directional
• Directional
• Mounting Arrangement (a directional beacon must
  point directly
  towards the the vessel mounted Transducer)
• Operating Frequency
• Trade off between range and precision
• Interrogation Method
• Transponder or Responder (always responder if
  possible)

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Super Sub-mini

• Type 7970 Directional Super Sub-Mini
• Depth telemetry capability with choice of 2,000
  metre or 4,000 metre rated sensors.
• Directional transducer with superior acoustic
  power output.
• Channel selection via dual external controls or
  serial data port.
• Long-life, fast charging NiMH battery.
• Compact and rugged design.

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The PGT

• Available in Omni, Semi Directional Super
  Directional guises
• Replaces 7823 Super Directional Beacon
• All Super Sub-Mini Frequencies
• Including Sonardyne sub-set
• Depth sensor operation - Pulse Position
• Auto depth update for USBL operations
• Proven to 3500m slope distance (1200m depth)
• Up to 212db source level
• Full ocean depth rated housing available
• Short housing (no battery) option available
• Releasable option

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8003 Directional Compatt

• Flexible construction survey tool for deepwater
• All standard Compatt functionality
• All Compatt optional sensors available
• Directional allowing baseline measurement to 1000
  metres
• 202db source level
• 4000 metre depth rated

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COMPATT 5 Features

• Stronger Guard
• Bump Stop
• Fast Battery Change
• Intelligent Battery Pack
• Easy-change Sensor Endcap with new sensor options
• Smaller, stronger Release Mechanism

• Lifting Eye, 250 kg
• Quick Release Clamp Rings
• New Electronics platform
• Depth rating 3000m
• Flangeless housing
• Connector for firmware download, self test,
  external power and sensors

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Mooring Recovery
Isis rescues 1,000,000 worth of American
moorings.
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Isis first dive
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Some interesting images
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Further Information

• Additional information about this ROV
• system can be found on our webb site.
• http//www.soc.soton.ac.uk/OED/ROV/index
  .php
• Or contact me, Pete Mason
• Head UK Deep ROV facility.
• Ocean Engineering Division
• Southampton Oceanography Centre
• Empress Dock
• Southampton SO14 3ZH
• Phone [phone]
• E-mail pjm_at_soc.soton.ac.uk