Study On GPS/SINS Integrated Navigation System Of Underwater Glider

More and more people realize the importance to explore the deep ocean using underwater intelligent robot. Underwater glider is a kind of relatively cheap carrier platform of underwater detective sensors that boasts the advantages of independence, long range, low cost, small volume, big diving depth and long navigation time, thereby an appropriate device for deep sea exploration.The objective of this paper is to establish a low-cost and high-precision underwater navigation positioning system for underwater glider, providing technical support to deep ocean exploration. After an analysis of motion features, working environment and other major performance indexes of underwater glider, strap-down inertial navigation system is chosen. It's found through simulation that the error accumulation of SINS could spoil navigation parameters.The navigation system discussed in this paper is tailored to underwater glider which moves in a zigzag way when no force other than self-buoyancy force is in place. After a simplification of the motion experiment, GPS/SINS integrated navigation system is adopted to reach the navigation and location targets of underwater glider.An integrated navigation system for underwater glider is designed after a careful study of underwater navigation theory. When the glider is on the surface, GPS is used to acquire the position coordinates and at the same time correction and initialization of data processing system is completed. When underwater, SINS and depth gauge are used to acquire the motion attitudes of the glider. Combining with information fusion theory, GPS/SINS integrated navigation Kalman filter is designed. Simulation results show that the navigation system's precision could satisfy the positioning requirements of underwater glider.