|
|
|
|
|
|
| Cruising
distance |
300
km |
| Total
length |
10
m |
| Maximum
operational Depth |
3,500
m |
| Total
Width |
1.5
m |
| Cruising
Speed |
3
kt |
| Total
Height |
1.5m |
| Maximum
Speed |
4
kt |
| Weight
in air |
7
tons |
| Power
source |
Fuel
Cell (PEFC) and Li-ion rechargeable batteries |
| Navigation
instrument |
INS
combining ring-laser gyro and Doppler sonar, and acoustic-homing,
obstacle avoidance, expendable optical fiber cable remote
control. |
| Sensors
instruments |
CTDO,
Multi Sea Beam, Water Sampler (200 samples), a digital camera. |
The constraction
project of AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) was started
in the 1998 fiscal year by JAMSTEC (Independent Administrative Institution, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology). The development code name of this AUV
that is now under construction is "AUV-EX1". AUV-EX1
uses a fuel cell (PEFC: Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell ) thet
used hydrogen and oxygen for energy source. Also, a newest-produced
oilfield and pressure-compensated lithium-ion rechargeable
battery is installed for the back-up power supply of AUV-EX1.
AUV-EX1 operation system has 3 following mode .
| 1) |
Autonomous
navigation mode. |
| 2) |
Acoustic
remote control mode. |
|
3)
|
UROV
mode, it is the method that used an expendable optical
fiber cable (1mm in diameter) for communication in order
to mainly make on discovery motion analysis of the body
simply. |
An Intertial navigation system (INS) has an optical ring
laser gyro as the main unit of autonomous navigation. Also
this INS is carried out long distance navigation by using
the hybrid navigation combined with Doppler current profiler
and this gyro system.
As for this AUV-EX1, various observations are possible.
For instance, it is said that the exhaust quantity of the
carbon dioxide associated with the activity of mankind increases
and global warming goes on as a result, and earth environment
had been changing. It is an important subject to solve this
mechanism. The quantity of the carbon dioxide of underwater
can conjecture by measuring  C
that is the isotope element of carbon. In recent years,
high-performance AMS (Accelerator Mass Spectrometer) system
appeared, and as a result the measurement of C
of carbon became possible with little seawater. An automatic
water sampler device that is composed of 200 water sampler
cells (capacity is 250cc each) has been installed to AUV
for this research, and be able to water-sample automatically
in accordance with a schedule that was programmed in an
advance.
This AUV-EX1 will carry out pol test and dock test during
the 1999 fiscal year. Then, the development is carried forward
with the purpose that this AUV-EX1 navigates 300km autonomously
several years later. Also the devalopment of next stage
of AUV that wil be able to cruise the thousands kilometers
in the future has be made to be a goal in JAMSTEC.
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