Inspection-Class Remotely Operated Vehicles—A Review

This paper presents a review of inspection-class Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs). The review divides the classification of inspection-class ROVs; categorising the vehicles in order of size and capability. A state of the art technology review is undertaken, discussing various common subsystems of t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of marine science and engineering Vol. 5; no. 1; p. 13
Main Authors Capocci, Romano, Dooly, Gerard, Omerdić, Edin, Coleman, Joseph, Newe, Thomas, Toal, Daniel
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.03.2017
Subjects
20th century
Batteries
Buoyancy
Classification
Data transmission
Fluid dynamics
Fluid flow
Gas industry
Hydrodynamics
Inertial navigation
Inspection
marine robotics
Navigation systems
R&D
Remote control
remotely operated vehicle
Remotely operated vehicles
Research & development
Reviews
Robotics
ROV
Sensors
subsea vehicle
Telemetry
underwater navigation
underwater robot
Unmanned vehicles
Vehicles
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:This paper presents a review of inspection-class Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs). The review divides the classification of inspection-class ROVs; categorising the vehicles in order of size and capability. A state of the art technology review is undertaken, discussing various common subsystems of the ROV. Standard and novel ROV shapes and designs are reviewed, with emphasis on buoyancy, frame materials and hydrodynamics. Several power considerations and designs are discussed, accounting for battery fed and mains fed systems. ROV telemetry is split into a discussion on the various transmission hardware systems and the communication protocols that are most widely used in industry and research today. A range of thruster technologies is then introduced with consideration taken of the various thruster architectures available. Finally, the navigation and positioning sensors employed for ROV navigation and control are reviewed. The author has also created a number of comparison tables throughout the review; tables include comparison of wired data transmission technology, comparison of common ROV communication protocols and comparisons of various inertial navigation systems. By the end of the review the reader will have clearer understanding on the fundamentals of inspection-class ROV technologies and can use this as an introduction to further paper investigation.
ISSN:2077-1312
2077-1312
DOI:10.3390/jmse5010013