The autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) carry out inspection missions and intervention on known and unknown environments, where it is important to ensure their safety. The ability for obstacle detection and their avoidance during navigation is a requirement for safety. In this article is presented an obstacle detection system for the experimental vehicle Guanay II using mechanical scanning sonar, the Tritech Micron MK. Given that the Guanay II operates autonomously, a new software has been designed that allows adjustment, control, acquisition and processing of the sonar signals. Experimental tests done at sea have allowed us to verify the correct operation of the designed software, and to determine the optimal values of the fundamental parameters of sonar.

Peer Reviewed