Simulation and prototype testing of a low-cost ultrasonic distance measurement device in underwater

This paper describes the development, simulation, and testing of a low-cost ultrasonic (LOCUS) sensing device for a short-range obstacle avoidance in underwater robotic vehicles (URVs). The LOCUS sensing device works on a classic pulse echo detection method to detect obstacle in close proximity. The proposed LOCUS sensing device provides an easy to use test-bed and simulation model for feasibility study of a typical ultrasonic sensor in underwater sensing application. It also allows any ultrasonic denoising algorithm to be tested in microprocessor before actual implementation. The proposed LOCUS sensing device was tested in water and the simulated results using LabVIEW show a reasonable agreement with the experiment results. Therefore, the proposed LOCUS sensing device will be useful for any testing of an underwater sensing system using LabVIEW as a simulation tool and microprocessor for signal processing.

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