@inproceedings{ Author = {Kottege, Navinda and Zimmer, Uwe R.}, Title = {Acoustical methods for azimuth, range and heading estimation in underwater swarms}, BookTitle = {Acoustics '08}, Address= {Paris, France}, Note = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18529348}, Abstract = {Robotic swarms and specifi cally schools of semi-autonomous underwater vehicles are becoming more and more of a reality. An essential feature required in most such systems is an effi cient and precise relative localisation system. Specifi c, common requirements include posture estimations of multiple neighbours, controllable sensing ranges, as well as high robustness and accuracy. The presented system is based on acoustically transmitted MLS (Maximum Length Sequence) -signals. Multiple receivers allow for precise azimuth and range measurements, while multiple transponders additionally allow for complete posture estimations of neighbouring vehicles. The short baselines (< 200 mm) given by the dimensions of the vehicles in the swarm make sub-sample interpolations in the post-cross-correlation phase necessary. Furthermore the deployment of low cost transducers and hydrophones in a broadband signal setup requires specifi c fi ltering methods. For the experimental setup as depicted in detail in the article, a mean error nDi in the bearing (azimuth) estimation i is less than 0.3º throughout all experiments, while the mean error nDa in the heading estimation a of a neighbouring vehicle is always less than 5.0º. Experiments have been performed in many confi gurations in a inter-vehicle distance of up to 5 m, while the mean range error nDr remains well below 10 mm. All experiments have been performed in fresh water.}, Keywords = {direction-of-arrival estimation distance measurement multi-agent systems multi-robot systems optical communication position control radiocommunication underwater acoustic communication underwater vehicles MLS signals Serafina project acoustic localization communication system high interference deployability high interference robustness information fusion longwave radio band low cost localization method maximum lengths sequence signals relative position information relative posture information small submersibles submersible azimuth estimates submersible heading estimates submersible range estimates submersible schools swarm coordination wideband acoustic readings}, Year = {2008} }