A low cost setup for underwater localisation

Abstract

Underwater vehicles are used in various applications such as deep sea exploration, salvage operations and to locate underwater structures. To enable autonomous operation, a positioning system must be used to accurately determine the location of the vehicle. A GPS will not work in an underwater environment due to the large attenuation of the signals when they penetrate the water, thus a different type of technique should be used. In this dissertation, the design and implementation of an underwater distance measurement is implemented. This includes the design of a transmitter and receiver prototype board along with the design of a waterproof housing to enable underwater measurements. The preliminary testing of the system was then carried out in air, in a water tank and also in a residential pool.