Scenario: Autonomous Waypoint Navigation

Having the ROV autonomously navigating to a known point can reduce the workload on the operator. The DVL can assist by providing dead-reckoning position fixes.

What this requires in addition to the DVL: This requires the ROV software to be able to accept one of the DVL position output messages, such as $GPRMC, and then self-pilot toward a desired coordinate. Note that the dead reckoning accumulates error over time, so you should expect to have to pilot it the last 5% or so, or at least be watching to make sure the ROV doesn’t smash into the destination.

Additionally, you will need to initialize the ROV position to the coordinate system of your waypoints. So, if the waypoint is in lat/long, you need to set the ROV to its true starting lat/long position. See the GPS Emulation scenario for more detail. If the waypoint is relative to a fixed starting position, you need to be able to send a set-position command in the local coordinate system when the ROV is at the initial position. If you are using a GPS, you need to surface the ROV at some point to get a GPS fix, then dive straight down and begin using the DVL dead reckoning.