Towards A Generalized Disturbance Model for Small UUVs: Concepts, Taxonomy, and Theoretical Foundations of Ocean Current and Wave Interactions

Udhayanila Chinnadurai, Sam Goundar

Abstract


Small Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) operate in highly dynamic and uncertain marine environments, where disturbances from ocean currents, waves, and turbulence significantly affect vehicle stability and control. This paper develops a generalized disturbance model tailored for small UUVs, introducing a taxonomy that categorizes disturbances into stochastic turbulence, deterministic wave-induced forces, and platform-specific internal perturbations such as thruster noise and buoyancy fluctuations. The model employs a “Disturbance Influence Matrix” that maps environmental energy states to force and moment perturbations in the vehicle’s body frame, accounting for hydrodynamic coefficients and vehicle geometry. The framework also explores disturbance observability, proposing methods to estimate environmental states from onboard inertial and acoustic sensors. By formalizing the mathematical representation of underwater disturbances, this work provides a benchmark for evaluating disturbance rejection and adaptive control strategies. The generalized model aims to enhance UUV resilience and autonomy in complex oceanographic missions, including environmental monitoring and subsea infrastructure inspection.

References


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