Underwater Localization for Autonomous Inspection of Ship Hulls by Sensor Fusion of Data from a Small-Scale ASV and ROV

Digitalization and the use of unmanned systems are the future backbone of maritime services. Advances in robotics and autonomous surface vehicles are enabling new approaches to ship inspection services in the port of the future. A crucial element in performing an autonomous inspection with an ROV is the underwater localization of the vehicle. This paper introduces the concept of combining the sensors of an overwater and underwater vehicle to determine the relative position of the ROV with respect to the hull of the vessel. Based on an introduction to the concept and its components, the paper will focus on the tests performed for different identified concepts.