ABSTRACT

JAMSTEC has developed a cruising type autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to perform exploration in hydrothermal activity areas up to depth of 3,000 meters since 2011. This specified purpose AUV (5 m long, 2.7 tons in weight) has capability of high maneuverability for cruising in the forest of chimneys and is equipped with three major observation sonars: a synthetic aperture sonar (SAS), an interferometry sonar (IFS) and a sub-bottom profiler (SBP). The cruising AUV, named Yumeiruka, is equipped with canard rudders to maintain a fixed posture. It is linked with a support ship via an acoustic modem which has a multiple communication protocol for future multi-AUV operation. In March 2013 the 15-days sea trial of the vehicle will be carried out in the Sagami Bay and the Sunrise Submarine Caldera, Izu-Ogasawara Arc, Japan.

Keywords:
chimney, jamstec, sonar, hydrothermal deposit, rudder, canard rudder, synthetic aperture sonar, communication, auv, specification
Subjects:
Reservoir Characterization, Information Management and Systems
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2013. International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers
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