Configure Now
Items in Your Cart0
0Items in Your Cart
Start building your packageShop Now
When it comes to inspections in the maritime environment, the status quo has long been marked by challenges that impede efficiency and incur significant costs. Routine vessel inspections, vital for maintaining operational integrity, optimizing fuel efficiency, and ensuring safety underwater, have traditionally relied on divers or drydocking methods, both of which are inherently costly and time-consuming.
The emergence of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) promises a more accessible and cost-effective alternative, yet their usability has been hindered by the perennial problem of navigation beneath vessels' hulls.
This article provides a comprehensive exploration of Dead Reckoning and the seminal work undertaken by Deep Trekker in mini ROV technology, with a particular emphasis on its potential to transform routine vessel inspections. The focus is on highlighting the implications for fuel efficiency, defect detection, and the cost-effective optimization of vessel maintenance.
This innovative breakthrough was achieved by Deep Trekker’s pioneering work on Dead Reckoning technology. These latest achievements have the potential to advance underwater vessel inspections by providing a practical solution to the long-standing challenge of underwater navigation.
Applications of Dead Reckoning with Underwater Robotics
Beyond just hull inspections, Dead Reckoning finds widespread application in the field of underwater robotics, where autonomous vehicles and ROVs navigate complex underwater environments for various tasks, including oceanographic research, underwater surveys, pipeline maintenance, and search and recovery, to name a few.
In oceanographic research, ROVs equipped with Dead Reckoning systems can gather data on ocean currents, temperature gradients, water quality, and marine life distribution. By continuously updating their positions through Dead Reckoning calculations, ROVs can execute predefined survey patterns, enabling scientists to study ocean dynamics and ecosystem health.
Similarly, in underwater inspections and maintenance operations, ROVs rely on Dead Reckoning to navigate complex underwater structures, such as offshore oil rigs and submerged pipelines. By accurately estimating their positions relative to target objects, ROVs can perform tasks such as visual inspections, structural repairs, and equipment installations with minimal human intervention.
Dead Reckoning also plays a vital role in search and recovery (SAR) missions, where time-critical decisions depend on accurate positional information. Deep Trekker ROVs equipped with Dead Reckoning systems can systematically cover large search areas, narrowing down the search radius based on calculated positions and sensor feedback.
Overall, the integration of Dead Reckoning with underwater robotics facilitates more effective navigation in challenging underwater environments, enabling a wide range of scientific, commercial, industrial, and humanitarian applications.
Discover the power of Dead Reckoning for underwater navigation. Learn about its historical use and the promise it holds for the future of marine operations.
The Significance of Dead Reckoning in Maritime Inspections
Dead Reckoning is a key component in maritime operations, especially in underwater inspections, as it provides a fundamental means of tracking the position and movement of inspection equipment in underwater environments, such as ROVs. This enables inspectors to navigate, track, and collect data accurately in challenging subaquatic settings.
When combined with other navigation aids and sensors, Dead Reckoning contributes to the safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of maritime inspections, ensuring that they meet their intended objectives.
Here are some key points highlighting the significance of Dead Reckoning in maritime operations:
Navigating Underwater Without GPS or Electronic Aids
Dead Reckoning serves as a valuable alternative for navigation in GPS-denied environments like underwater regions where GPS signals may be obstructed or jammed. In underwater inspection scenarios, GPS signals are unavailable or unreliable due to the water's attenuation of satellite signals. Dead Reckoning can provide positional data when these systems are unavailable, allowing for underwater navigation without the assistance of GPS or optics in underwater environments.
By harnessing a combination of inertial sensors, gyroscopes, accelerometers, and sophisticated algorithms, Dead Reckoning enables ROV operators to maintain accurate spatial awareness and navigate with confidence, irrespective of GPS availability.
Operators can rely on Dead Reckoning’s positional data to guide the ROV along predetermined routes and conduct thorough inspections, all without the need for GPS or optics assistance.
Maximizing Inspection Efficiency with Position Tracking
Dead Reckoning enables inspectors to continuously estimate the position of Deep Trekker ROVs as they move underwater during inspections. This information is critical for ensuring that the inspection covers the intended area. When you know where you are, you know where you have already inspected, and you know where you need to go next. Up until now, there has not been an effective method for position tracking for underwater ROVs near ships.
By integrating various sensors and algorithms, Dead Reckoning provides real-time feedback on the ROV's location, allowing inspectors to maintain control. By employing Dead Reckoning technology, inspectors can monitor the ROV's position relative to predefined waypoints or planned trajectories, ensuring that the inspection remains on course and covers all targeted areas effectively.
"Real-time position tracking enables inspectors to adapt to changing underwater conditions or unexpected obstacles, allowing for dynamic adjustments to the inspection strategy as needed."
By maintaining accurate spatial awareness throughout the inspection process, inspectors can assess underwater assets, identify potential issues, and make informed decisions to optimize maintenance and repair activities.
Enhancing Underwater Safety
When working underwater, safety is a primary concern, both for the ROV operators and any accompanying divers - and knowing the location of the ROV and divers is essential for safety.
Dead Reckoning helps inspectors ensure that ROVs or divers do not stray into hazardous areas, such as underwater structures, shipwrecks, or areas with strong currents. By utilizing Dead Reckoning for tracking the precise location of ROVs relative to underwater structures and currents, potential risks can be identified and avoided, minimizing the likelihood of accidents or damage to equipment.
Optimizing Maintenance Strategies through Data Driven Insights
Positional data obtained through Dead Reckoning improves the quality of inspection data, enabling inspectors to navigate ROVs to specific areas of interest. This targeted approach ensures that inspections focus on the most important areas, reducing the chance of missing essential details and improving data accuracy.
This includes data such as the location of underwater structures, defects, or anomalies, which must be precisely recorded for effective analysis. Higher quality data can lead to more informed decision-making, potentially reducing the need for follow-up inspections that consume additional fuel and resources.
The data collected by ROVs utilizing Dead Reckoning technology provides valuable insights that can optimize vessel maintenance strategies. By accurately documenting hull conditions and identifying areas requiring attention, ROVs allow maintenance teams to prioritize repairs, schedule cleaning operations, and implement proactive maintenance measures.
This data driven approach minimizes downtime, reduces operational costs, and extends the lifespan of vessels, ultimately raising the bar for operational efficiency and profitability.
Deploy a ROV to perform quick, safe and affordable hull inspections
Fuel Efficiency and Resource Management
Dead Reckoning assists in efficient resource management by helping inspectors monitor the progress of inspections. It helps ROVs identify the optimal times to clean the ship, to ensure that the hull remains clear of biofouling. Fuel efficiency in maritime operations can be dramatically improved by regular inspections and keeping the hull clear of marine growth - which can potentially reduce fuel efficiency by up to 40% by creating drag from the rough surface.
Minimizing fuel consumption not only saves money but also reduces the environmental impact of maritime operations. Dead Reckoning, by ensuring efficient maintenance schedules, contributes to sustainability efforts by reducing emissions associated with fuel burning.
Integration of Dead Reckoning with Advanced Sensor Technologies
Dead Reckoning technology is often integrated with advanced sensor technologies to further enhance the capabilities of ROVs during vessel inspections. Deep Trekker’s innovative Sensor Fusion algorithms is a great example of this.
Sensors such as acoustic positioning systems, imaging sonars, and 3D mapping cameras complement Dead Reckoning by providing additional spatial awareness and environmental data.
This integration enables ROVs to navigate complex underwater environments more effectively and capture comprehensive inspection data for thorough analysis and decision-making.
How Does Dead Reckoning Apply to Deep Trekker ROVs and Underwater Inspections
Dead Reckoning allows for better positional awareness and data accuracy, improving safety and efficiency in maritime operations. This contributes to optimized routes, reduced fuel consumption, and cost savings, while also aligning with environmental sustainability objectives.
This type of tracking can be accomplished using purely on-vehicle sensors without the need for a USBL setup. This creates navigation opportunities in environments where a USBL is less effective, such as spaces with surface reflections, net interference, or shadowing.
Let’s take a look at how Dead Reckoning applies to Deep Trekker ROVs and underwater inspections:
Initial Position and Data: The process begins with the ROV's known initial position, which is usually obtained from GPS or other navigation systems before submerging. Additionally, data about the vehicle's velocity, heading, and other relevant parameters are collected.
Estimating New Position: Using this initial information, the ROV can estimate its new position by integrating its velocity and heading information over time. Essentially, it tracks how far it has traveled in each direction (north, east, depth) based on its speed and direction of movement. The ROV's onboard software continually updates this estimated position as it moves.
Error Accumulation: Dead Reckoning is not perfect and can suffer from accumulated errors over time. Factors like water currents, turbulence, magnetic interference, and other environmental conditions can affect the ROV's actual path compared to its estimated path. These errors can accumulate, leading to a divergence between the estimated and actual positions.
Correction Methods: To mitigate error accumulation, Deep Trekker ROVs incorporate Sensor Fusion algorithms and technologies, utilizing sensors such as:
Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU): Measures and reports a vehicle's specific force, angular rate, and sometimes its magnetic field, typically used in navigation and orientation applications, and can help refine heading and altitude information.
Doppler Velocity Log (DVL): Utilized in underwater navigation systems to measure the velocity of a vehicle relative to the surrounding water by analyzing the Doppler shift in acoustic signals reflected off the seabed. This sensor measures the ROVs velocity relative to the water, helping to correct for drift caused by currents.
Sonar and Acoustic Systems: Sensor technologies that utilize sound waves, such as Sonar and USBL, to detect and interpret underwater objects, terrain features, and environmental conditions. These systems can be used for terrain mapping and localization. By comparing the acoustic signature of the environment with pre-existing maps, the ROV can correct its position estimate.
Explore advanced underwater navigation tech with Deep Trekker ROVs. Learn about MEMS and FOG IMU, Dead Reckoning, and USBL integration for precise positioning.
Required Deep Trekker Equipment for Dead Reckoning
Here's a breakdown of the necessary gear for successful navigation using Dead Reckoning with Deep Trekker ROVs:
Topside:
- BRIDGE Controller (major version 8 or above)
ROVs:
- PIVOT (3.0 or above)
- REVOLUTION (6.9 or above)
Required sensors:
Map Modes and Initializing ROV Position
To start tracking ROV position, first select a map mode through the hand controller. This will affect the map’s appearance along with what values are used to track position.
Local map: Uses a grid overlay with no map tiles. Tracks position through distance in meters from a starting point (0.0). This map can be useful when operating in indoor environments especially when the dimensions of the asset being inspected is known.
ROV: 5.8m, 2.0m
Global map: Uses real world map data and tracks position through latitude and longitude. This mode allows you to use different map styles such as street maps or satellite view.
ROV: 43.4056949, -80.4676221
On first boot, the hand controller will prompt a selection between which map mode to operate in. Otherwise, the Local map mode can be toggled in the Maps settings page.
Initializing ROV Position: The last step before being able to track ROV position is giving the vehicle an initial position to track from. This can always be set manually through the controller, however it will also be set automatically depending on the map mode or if a USBL is in use (see diagram below).
If using the local map: On startup, ROV position will be set automatically to 0.0 meters. Afterwards manual initialization is required.
If using the global map: Manual initialization is required, however if a USBL is in use its pings will correct the ROV position automatically. A latitude and longitude can be entered as well through the keypad.
In either scenario, the ROV position can be manually initialized simply by pressing FN + Camera Home when the mini or full-screen map is open:
Position Uncertainty: When Dead Reckoning, the ROV’s position uncertainty will continue to grow as time passes. This is represented by the uncertainty bubble seen on the navigation map.
10-20m uncertainty
Typically you will get 30 minutes of operation before reaching an uncertainty of 10 meters.
If the position uncertainty grows too high, it’s recommended to re-initialize your ROV’s position when possible using any of the methods stated above.
20m+ uncertainty
ROV Trail: Along with the other updates in Controller version 8, the ROV’s previous positions will be displayed on the map through a ghost trail. This will be drawn as long as there is an ROV position being provided (regardless of Data Logging).
The trail can also be cleared at any point by pressing FN + Pitch Lock or by pressing “Clear ROV trail” in the Maps settings page.
Game Changing Navigation in Robotics
At the heart of Deep Trekker's innovation lies the ability to equip mini ROVs with the capability to rapidly and accurately track their position during inspections. This development is a watershed moment for the maritime industry, as it promises to make routine inspections of vessels more accessible and efficient than ever before.
By facilitating precise positioning and navigation of mini ROVs beneath vessels, Deep Trekker's Dead Reckoning technology ensures that inspections are thorough, reliable, and yield comprehensive data. This, in turn, allows for the optimization of cleaning schedules, leading to improved fuel efficiency and substantial cost savings for vessel operators.
The ability to quickly and easily track the ROV's position enhances the early detection of defects through regular corrosion monitoring. By pinpointing the exact locations of notable defects, Deep Trekker's technology enables maritime professionals to address issues promptly, reducing the risk of costly repairs down the line.
Deep Trekker's Mission Planner feature is also incredibly powerful and beneficial, with the ability to track where the ROV has gone and collect data from specific waypoints. It utilizes advanced algorithms for intelligent pathfinding for precise navigation as the ROV autonomously follows designated waypoints, optimizing efficiency and reducing operator workload.
Equipped with IMUs, DVL, and USBL sensors, Deep Trekker ROVs can interpret live positional data, enabling seamless autonomous navigation. Simply set waypoints by dragging and dropping or uploading preset coordinates, and watch as the ROV follows the designated path, recording data along the way.
Once calibrated and deployed, the ROV can begin routing in seconds, ready to begin navigating between waypoints, with options to change speed and depth, while simultaneously recording data along the way.
Perhaps most notably, advancements in underwater camera technologies have made it increasingly cost-effective to deploy ROVs equipped with the capability to build 3D photogrammetric models of vessels and key components such as propellers, rudders, and sea chests. Deep Trekker's system promises to be an invaluable tool for precise measurements and assessments, thereby bolstering the overall accuracy of inspections.
Discover how to find the best footage for your photogrammetry projects to create 3D models of underwater assets and environments.
Future Prospects and Innovations in ROV-based Vessel Inspections
Dead Reckoning is a fundamental navigation technique that ROVs and underwater vehicles use to estimate their position and navigate in GPS-denied or challenging environments. While it provides continuous position estimates, it's important to combine with other sensor data and correction methods to maintain accuracy, especially in dynamic underwater conditions.
In the maritime industry where efficiency, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness are critical to operations, Deep Trekker's Dead Reckoning technology stands as an example of this innovation's potential to reshape long standing industry practices and overcome the historical challenges of underwater navigation.
"The ongoing advancements in ROV technology, coupled with the continued refinement of Dead Reckoning algorithms, point to an exciting future for vessel inspections."
Innovations such as autonomous navigation, machine learning algorithms, and advanced sensor fusion techniques promise to further enhance the capabilities of ROVs for conducting comprehensive and efficient inspections.
As these technologies continue to evolve, ROVs equipped with Dead Reckoning will play an increasingly prominent role in maintaining vessel integrity and ensuring maritime safety in the years to come.
The Deep Trekker Advantage
Deep Trekker ROVs, engineered with rugged industrial-grade materials, are designed for versatility and durability. They offer immediate deployment and a comprehensive variety of advanced features. These ROVs are highly portable and quick to set up, featuring powerful LED lighting, a live 4K video feed, and up to 360-degree field of view, imaging sonar, and flexible sampling tools.
Our experienced team is at your service to offer expert guidance for a wide spectrum of applications, ranging from inspecting hull vessels to water tanks to conducting underwater assessments across various industries. We ensure tailor-made solutions that precisely match your specific requirements. When you're prepared to acquire your Deep Trekker ROV, don't hesitate to get in touch with us for a personalized quote.
Industry Related Articles
ROV Pilot 101: All You Need to Know
July 30th, 2021
Learn all about remotely operated vehicle pilots: how to become one,...
Sonar Systems: All You Need to Know
April 6th, 2021
Learn more about what sonar is and its many uses. Read...
Using Sonar for Tunnel and Infrastructure Inspections
December 23rd, 2021
ROVs and sonar can be used to inspect underwater structures such...
