A D VA N C E D S Y S T E M T E C H N O L O G Y A S T
1 C-Watch is a highly
maneuverable underwater vehicle
REMOTELY OPERATED UNDERWATER VEHICLE: C-WATCH
Overview
Platform
C-Watch is a highly maneuverable remo-
C-Watch uses five or six propulsion units
Am Vogelherd 50
tely operated vehicle (ROV). In contrast to
for movement and attitude control. These
98693 Ilmenau
common ROVs the C-Watch vehicle is
units use the robust CAN bus for commu-
equipped with an internal energy storage
nication with the control computer inside
that allows to use lightweight fiber optic
the central pressure hull. This computer
cables between the robot and its control
also controls all sensors of the vehicle and
station.
observes the battery state. All collected
Advanced System Technology AST
Surface Water & Maritime Systems:
Dr Torsten Pftzenreuter
Phone +49 3677 461-143
information is presented to the vehicle
Fax +49 3677 461-100
The flexible design of the vehicle and
operator on different screens of the control
torsten.pfuetzenreuter@iosb-ast.fraunhofer.de
different interfacing options enables the
station (usually a laptop or stationary
C-Watch owner to fulfill numerous tasks
computer).
with this ROV. A number of sensor options
are available for underwater navigation or
A forward looking optical camera with
environmental sensing.
high power LED lighting is used by default
for navigation and visual inspection. The
www.iosb-ast.fraunhofer.de
A unique feature of C-Watch is the
optional forward looking sonar assists the
ability to convert it into a true autonomous
operator in long range navigation. The
underwater vehicle (AUV) - without the
main battery can be easily replaced in
need of a cable connection - provided
the field to extend the deployment time
that the required navigation sensors are
(additional battery modules are optional).
integrated.
Sensor interfaces
Technical characteristics
Standard sensor equipment
The C-Watch vehicle can easily be
tailored for individual monitoring or
intervention tasks. It is equipped with open
sensor interfaces allowing the integration
of different sensor or actuator modules.
Customers can select from a range of
field-tested sensors or order the installation
of own sensors.
Main Battery: 800 Wh (7 LiPo cells)
Weight: 45 kg
Dimensions: 850x550x450mm (LxWxH)
Diving depth: up to 100 meters
Deployment time: up to 4 hours
Pressure sensor (depth and temperature
measurement)
AHRS sensor (vehicle attitude)
GPS sensor (vehicle position at surface)
Forward looking camera with lighting
Fiber optic cable: 500 1200 meters
The sensor data are integrated into the user
interface for vehicle control. New protocol
specifications can be adopted with user
defined scripts.
The following standard interfaces are
available:
RS-232
RS-485 (multi-sensor capable)
CAN (multi-sensor capable)
USB
For other interfaces please contact
Fraunhofer AST.
2
Optionally, the following sensors are
available for integration:
DVL (Doppler velocity log,
Altimeter (height above
speed measurement)
ground measurement)
2 Vehicle control and
Forward looking sonar (obstacle
monitoring system
avoidance and object identification)
3 Construction of the C-Watch
Downward looking camera with
vehicle (with optional equipment)
lightning
3