Collapsible Underwater Docking Station Design and Evaluation

Persistent undersea operation is dependent on effective and accessible underwater docking and charging mechanisms for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Existing docking stations are able to support extended operations with one specific AUV and generally require extensive modification to the AUV to function. This paper presents a new underwater docking station that can support a wide range of AUVs with minimal modification required. Key aspects of the docking station design are the simplified funnel design that reduces manufacturing and deployment complexity and the docking adapter. The adapter can be used as a drop-in replacement for a more traditional AUV antenna with the addition of recharging electronics. It is the only component that contacts the docking station meaning that one station can support AUVs over a wide range of designs and sizes. This work is focused on optimization of the terminal homing stage for docking. Specifically, the effect of impact velocity relative to capture envelope and impact force is studied. Based on the initial optimization of the docking system, a target impact velocity of 1.0m/sresults in the largest effective capture envelope and the minimum impact force when using a Dolphin II AUV.