Design of a Roller-Collector Remotely Operated Vehicle

A Yandell, J Austin-Breneman, B Brett, H M Brundage, J Downey, S Fantone, T Pennington, S Sheppard, M J Stanway, T Stefanov-Wagner

Proceedings of MTS/IEEE OCEANS San Diego, CA, USA

2003-09-22

Abstract

The Roller-Collector Remotely Operated Vehicle (RC-ROV) was designed to compete in the interscholastic Marine Advanced Technology Education Center (MATE) ROC competition. The objective of the competition was to build an ROV which would enter a mock shipwreck and collect as many objects as possible within a time limit. The most prominent feature of the RC-ROV is the roller collection system. This collection system was chosen because of its simplicity, effectiveness, and ease of use. The system consists of two foam rollers that rotate into each other in order to catch and funnel objects into a collection basket. The vehicle utilizes a fast and easy drive-over collection method which eliminates the need for fine positioning of the vehicle or of the collection mechanism. The electronic controls of the RC-ROV are also designed for simplicity. Using a "brute-force" approach all of the motors are wired through a subsurface breakout box directly to a topside controller. Two cameras are wired directly through the tether to topside monitors. The RC-ROV has two thrusters in each of the vertical, forward, and lateral axes in order to maximize speed and maneuverability. These thrusters can be paired, such that a pair operating in unison provides directional movement along the axis it governs. By operating the motors in opposition, the ROV can be maneuvered to pivot and make directional turns. The RC-ROV has two cameras, one forward-looking and one back-looking. The forward camera aids in both steering and object collection. The rear camera aids in looking behind to see that no objects have been missed in a sweep over the room. The RC-ROV design concept could be expanded and improved upon to create an efficient and inexpensive vehicle for underwater use in fields such as mining and underwater archeology. The roller concept can be used as a substitute or in conjunction with other collection systems that are commonly used today. The RC-ROV is simple to operate and do not require much pilot training. Roller shape and positioning can be varied to fit specific jobs. The RC-ROV can also operate its rollers in reverse to shuttle cargo to underwater construction sites. Other improvements are likely to be found for the RC-ROV as its low cost, simplicity of design, and ease of use make it very attractive when compared to other, more complicated systems.