Method for automatic docking and fixing of autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle to bottom mooring device
The method employs a robust three-degree-of-freedom manipulator with durable drives for precise AUV docking and fixation, addressing complexity and reliability issues in existing docking technologies, enabling versatile and efficient underwater operations.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- RU · RU
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- FEDERALNOE GOSUDARSTVENNOE BJUDZHETNOE UCHREZHDENIE NAUKI INST AVTOMATIKI I PROTSESSOV UPRAVLENIJA DALNEVOSTOCHNOGO OTDELENIJA ROSSIJSKOJ AKADI NAUK IAPU DVO RAN
- Filing Date
- 2026-03-10
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-07
AI Technical Summary
Existing methods for automatic docking of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) with bottom mooring units are complex, prone to deviation due to strong currents, limited to specific AUV shapes, require heavy and complex manipulators, and lack reliable fixation in aquatic environments, limiting versatility and operational reliability.
A method using a powerful three-degree-of-freedom manipulator on a remote control unit with durable mechanical transmissions and electric drives, combined with hydroacoustic and optical navigation, enables precise docking and fixation of AUVs, even in variable currents, allowing high-precision operations and versatile application.
Ensures rapid, reliable docking and fixation of AUVs in diverse aquatic conditions, enabling precise operations and battery recharging, while reducing weight and complexity, and applicable to a range of AUV designs.
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Abstract
Description
[0001] This invention relates to underwater technology and is designed for the precise automatic docking and securing of autonomous unmanned underwater vehicles (AUVs) using bottom mooring units (BMUs) to perform various technological tasks and operations. Furthermore, the modular design of the BMUs makes it possible to automatically dock one or a group of AUVs.
[0002] A method is known for the automatic docking of an autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle with a bottom mooring device, which consists in the fact that after a decision is made by the on-board control system of the underwater vehicle to land on the bottom mooring device or upon receiving a corresponding command from the operator through a hydroacoustic communication channel, the underwater vehicle, which is in an area close to the bottom mooring device, orienting itself with the help of a hydroacoustic navigation system, searches for this bottom mooring device and then aims at it, using a hydroacoustic beacon installed on it, then approaches it and occupies a certain starting point in front of it, from where it begins its landing approach, moving at low speed along a special landing trajectory in the form of a glide path to the hydroacoustic beacon installed on the said bottom mooring device,In this case, when approaching the landing site of the bottom mooring device, the underwater vehicle releases grippers (hooks), which grab the frame framework, which is previously raised above the plane of the landing site, after which the vertical thrusters are turned on on the underwater vehicle, which press it to the landing site of the bottom mooring device until the underwater vehicle is in full contact with the surface, and then the clamps are activated, holding this underwater vehicle in space under any external influences on it (Fukasawa T., Noguchi T., Kawasaki T., Baino M. “MARINE BIRD”, a new experimental AUV with underwater docking and recharging system / / Proceedings of Oceans 2003, Teaming Toward the Future. San Diego, CA, USA. 2003. P. 2195-2200).
[0003] The disadvantage of this method is the significant complexity of implementing the remote control unit itself, as well as the process of guiding the UUV, additionally equipped with various attachments (manipulators, samplers, etc.), to its landing site. The presence of these attachments will prevent the UUV itself from being securely locked onto the landing site by the hook of the landing frame on the remote control unit. Strong currents in the area of the remote control unit may cause the UUV to deviate significantly from its planned landing trajectory. Furthermore, if the landing attempt is unsuccessful, the UUV must perform additional, time-consuming and energy-consuming maneuvers to return to the initial glide path.
[0004] Also known is a method for docking an autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle with a bottom mooring device, which is fixedly installed on the bottom of a reservoir and consists of a mooring cone, the side surface of which is made of a flexible material, and is a guide surface, at the top of which, using a smooth transition, a base cylinder is fixed, the diameter of which slightly exceeds the diameter of the body of the underwater vehicle, and the central axes of these cone and cylinder, located horizontally, coincide, while after receiving a command to dock the underwater vehicle with the bottom mooring device, with the help of an on-board hydroacoustic navigation system and a control system for the underwater vehicle, they ensure the detection and guidance of this underwater vehicle to a hydroacoustic beacon installed in the upper part of the larger base of the mooring cone of the bottom mooring device,wherein the direction of entry of the underwater vehicle into the bottom mooring device is included in the mission program of the underwater vehicle before its launch or is directly measured using a compass installed on the bottom mooring device and transmitted via a hydroacoustic communication channel to the underwater vehicle, wherein the first stage of approaching the underwater vehicle to the bottom mooring device is ensured using the on-board control system of the underwater vehicle to a certain distance from the mooring cone with the launch of this underwater vehicle on a trajectory of movement in the direction of the bottom mooring device, wherein from the initial section of this trajectory the underwater vehicle is moved to the bottom mooring device using the hydroacoustic navigation system of the underwater vehicle with its guidance to a beacon installed on the mooring cone and ensuring continuous correction of the position of this underwater vehicle,wherein after the underwater vehicle approaches the bottom mooring device, the movement of the underwater vehicle is continued until it fully enters the cylindrical part of the bottom mooring device, which is controlled by contact sensors installed inside this cylindrical part, and after reaching the final position of the underwater vehicle inside the cylindrical part, the screw mechanism is turned on and moved, fixing the underwater vehicle in this part to ensure a high-quality process of its recharging and receiving new information with the help of a receiving device located in the bow of the underwater vehicle (Stokey R., Allen B., Austin T., Goldsborough R., Forrester N., Purcell M. Enabling technologies for REMUS docking: An integral component of an autonomous ocean-sampling network / / IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering. 2001. Vol. 26. No. 4. P. 487-497).
[0005] However, this method can only be implemented for torpedo-shaped AUVs with few protruding elements. Furthermore, placing the receivers in the bow of the AUV is often impossible, as this section typically houses forward-looking sonars or echolocation systems. Furthermore, the use of a complex screw-type AUV locking mechanism in this method dramatically reduces the reliability of the AUV's operation and its service life in a hostile marine environment. Using the described AUV in areas with strong currents requires its orientation on the bottom such that the AUV's approach course must always be parallel to the current direction, which is rarely, if ever, possible to achieve in real-world AUV operating conditions.
[0006] Also known is a method for the automatic docking and fixation of an autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle on a bottom mooring device, which involves bringing the underwater vehicle to the bottom mooring device using its navigation hydroacoustic system and an onboard technical vision system, wherein the approach of the underwater vehicle to the bottom mooring device and the recognition of a universal fastening of the rod type installed on the bottom mooring device are also carried out using the technical vision system, and the capture of this rod and the subsequent docking of the underwater vehicle with the landing platform are carried out using a multi-link manipulator installed on the underwater vehicle, due to the corresponding automatic change in the configuration of this manipulator and the coordinated formation of the thrusters of the underwater vehicle's propellers,in this case, taking into account the current relative position of the bottom mooring device and the underwater vehicle, the desired trajectories of the manipulator's movement are automatically generated, which ensure the required movements of the underwater vehicle's body in the direction of the landing platform of the bottom mooring device, while when the underwater vehicle is moved by the manipulator, the negative dynamic effects on the underwater vehicle are compensated for using the thrusters of its propellers (Konoplin A.Yu., Pyatavin P.A. Method of automatic docking of unmanned underwater vehicles with underwater platforms using onboard multi-link manipulators / / Underwater Research and Robotics. 2024. Vol. 48. No. 2. Pp. 38-47).
[0007] This method is technically closest to the proposed invention and has been adopted as a prototype. Its primary drawback is that when moving a UAV with a multi-link manipulator, given its large mass and dimensions, and therefore high hydrodynamic resistance to movement in a viscous medium, large torques must be generated in all joints of the manipulator, especially in strong underwater currents. If the manipulator is intended for performing technological operations with light-weight objects, it has multiple (up to six) degrees of freedom, including orientation ones, which are equipped with low-power drives with gearboxes designed to generate relatively small torques. The links of this manipulator located closer to the working element have relatively low bending strength.As a result, after the manipulator grasps the rod attached to the remote control unit, even in the presence of small underwater currents, the links or mechanisms of the manipulator's orienting degrees of freedom will inevitably fail. The same will occur in still water with the AUV's thrusters operating if their combined thrust vector does not precisely match the manipulator's programmed motion vector. This misalignment will always be present in the uncertain working environment. As a result, implementing this method will require installing a manipulator with powerful electric drives and thicker (stronger) links on the AUV, which will inevitably lead to an unacceptably significant increase in the weight and dimensions of not only the manipulator but also the AUV itself.
[0008] The second drawback of the described method is the need for precise, coordinated control of the AUV thrusters and the manipulator's electric drives, which have different time constants for processing control signals, typically differing by an order of magnitude. Any deviation from the coordinated operation of the AUV thrusters and all manipulator drives will inevitably result in additional torque effects at the point where the manipulator's gripper engages the remote control rod and in all manipulator joints (especially the orientation joints). This will inevitably cause a shift in the contact between the manipulator's gripper and the rod, which is unacceptable for precise AUV orientation using the manipulator, or even damage the manipulator.
[0009] The third drawback of the prototype is that it is only applicable to expensive AUVs equipped with multi-link manipulators, which significantly limits the versatility (scope of application) of these RPUs.
[0010] The fourth disadvantage of this method is the lack of the ability to rigidly fix the AUV at a given point in the aquatic environment near the RPU for further more precise execution of specified underwater operations using its manipulator, since it is already used to grip the RPU rod and hold the AUV.
[0011] The objective of the claimed invention is to eliminate these shortcomings. Furthermore, by improving the design of the remote control unit, it will be possible to ensure precise and rapid docking of the AUV with the charging device or with the device for its rapid recovery to the surface, as well as to ensure the AUV is firmly fixed at a given point in the water while its onboard equipment performs any required operational operations.
[0012] The technical result of the invention consists of implementing a new method for docking an AUV with a remote control unit, even in the presence of unknown and variable underwater currents in magnitude and direction, by using a powerful three-degree-of-freedom manipulator mounted on the remote control unit, rather than on the AUV. This invention can also be used to change and rigidly fix the position and orientation of an AUV equipped with a lighter manipulator, enabling the performance of arbitrary high-precision technological operations (including force-based ones) on underwater infrastructure facilities. This method can also be applied to a group of AUVs, if multiple landing pads are installed around the vertical axis of rotation of the robust remote control unit manipulator.
[0013] The stated problem is solved in that the method of automatic docking and fixing of an autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle on a bottom mooring device, consisting in the fact that the underwater vehicle is made with the possibility of detecting bottom mooring devices with the help of a hydroacoustic navigation system installed on it, is distinguished by the fact that after receiving a command for the approach of the underwater vehicle via a hydroacoustic communication channel, with the help of its on-board hydroacoustic navigation system, the distance and bearing from the underwater vehicle to a hydroacoustic beacon installed near the grip of a manipulator located on a bottom mooring device are determined, and this manipulator is made with the possibility of providing three portable degrees of mobility, controlled by means of durable mechanical transmissions and powerful electric drives installed in its base,after determining the said distance and bearing, using the on-board control system of the underwater vehicle, calculate the trajectory of its movement and move along it to the grip of the manipulator even in the presence of previously unknown underwater currents; during this movement, turn on the optical video camera or forward-looking sonar of the technical vision system of the underwater vehicle and continuously recognize the surrounding space; after detecting the grip of the manipulator by the said technical vision system, taking into account its working area, send a command to the control system of the underwater vehicle to stop its movement, and it continues this movement with a deceleration only by inertia; after this, using the on-board control system, transfer the underwater vehicle to the mode of stabilizing its position in the working area of the manipulator with a given orientation to its grip,simultaneously with the last command, a signal is sent by the underwater vehicle's hydroacoustic navigation system about arrival in the area of the bottom mooring device; after receiving this hydroacoustic signal from the hydroacoustic navigation system, the machine vision system installed near the manipulator's gripper is turned on and with its help the spatial location of the clamp of the gripping device located in the bow part of the underwater vehicle's hull is detected; then, with the help of the machine vision system and the manipulator's control system, its opened gripper is smoothly moved toward the clamp until the contact sensor located inside the gripper jaws is triggered; upon the signal from the contact sensor, the gripper jaws are closed, fixing the underwater vehicle in the water space; after the gripper jaws are closed, the current rotation angles of all three joints of the manipulator are determined using encoders or resolvers and the direct kinematics problem of the manipulator is solved,by determining the current horizontal position of the underwater vehicle in the coordinate system of the bottom mooring device, rigidly connected to the base of the manipulator, then form a trajectory of movement of the manipulator grip with the fixed underwater vehicle from its current position to a specified point of the manipulator's working space with subsequent holding there until the specified work is performed using the on-board equipment of the underwater vehicle, or to one of the landing sites, the position of which in the coordinate system of the manipulator is known in advance, for this purpose, using the control system of the manipulator, send the corresponding control signals to the drives of the manipulator, smoothly moving the underwater vehicle to the site of the bottom mooring device, at the moment of this movement, the thrusters of the underwater vehicle maintain its horizontal position, the said movement of the underwater vehicle by the manipulator is completed after the operation of the locking devices located, respectively,on the underwater vehicle and the bottom mooring device, after the specified fixation, using contactless devices located inside the fixing devices and via a cable-rope, recharging of the batteries of the underwater vehicle is carried out, information is exchanged between this underwater vehicle and the accompanying vessel, or rapid lifting of the underwater vehicle onto this vessel using a winch.
[0014] A comparative analysis of the features of the claimed method with the features of analogues and the prototype indicates its compliance with the criterion of “novelty”.
[0015] At the same time, the distinctive features of the invention formula solve the following functional problems.
[0016] A feature indicating that “…after receiving a command via a hydroacoustic communication channel for the underwater vehicle to approach, using its onboard hydroacoustic navigation system, the distance and bearing from the underwater vehicle to the hydroacoustic beacon installed near the manipulator grip located on the bottom mooring device are determined…” ensures the ability to determine the distance and bearing from the AUV to the hydroacoustic beacon installed on the DPU manipulator.
[0017] The feature “…moreover, this manipulator is designed with the ability to provide three portable degrees of mobility, controlled by means of durable mechanical transmissions and powerful electric drives installed in its base…” indicates that the manipulator moving the AUV in the aquatic environment must have high strength and sufficiently high power, and the location of all its power drives in the base allows for a significant reduction in the weight of the multi-link structure itself.
[0018] Feature "...after determining the specified distance and bearing, using the on-board control system of the underwater vehicle, calculate the trajectory of its movement and move along it to the manipulator gripper even in the presence of previously unknown underwater currents; during this movement, turn on the optical video camera or forward-looking sonar of the technical vision system of the underwater vehicle and continuously recognize the surrounding space; after detecting the manipulator gripper by the said technical vision system, taking into account its working area, send a command to the control system of the underwater vehicle to stop its movement, and it continues this movement with a deceleration only by inertia; after this, using the on-board control system, transfer the underwater vehicle to the mode of stabilizing its position in the working area of the manipulator with a given orientation to its gripper",determines the essential details and features of the movement of the AUV to the grip of the underwater manipulator and its subsequent stop in the working area of the said manipulator.
[0019] A feature indicating that "... simultaneously with the last command, a signal is sent by the underwater vehicle's hydroacoustic navigation system about arrival in the area of the bottom mooring device, after receiving this hydroacoustic signal from the hydroacoustic navigation system, the technical vision system installed near the manipulator's gripper is turned on, and with its help the spatial location of the clamp of the gripping device located in the bow part of the underwater vehicle's hull is detected, and then, with the help of the technical vision system and the manipulator's control system, its opened gripper is smoothly moved towards the clamp until the contact sensor located inside the gripper jaws is triggered, upon the signal from the contact sensor the gripper jaws are closed, fixing the underwater vehicle in the water space, ..." defines the main features of the AUV capture by the manipulator's gripper.
[0020] The feature “… after the gripper jaws close, the current rotation angles of all three joints of the manipulator are determined using encoders or resolvers and the direct kinematics problem of the manipulator is solved, determining the current horizontal position of the underwater vehicle in the coordinate system of the bottom mooring device, rigidly connected to the base of the manipulator”, specifies the features of determining the upcoming movement of the captured AUV in the coordinate system of the power manipulator.
[0021] The feature “...then a trajectory is formed for the movement of the manipulator gripper with the fixed underwater vehicle from its current position to a specified point in the manipulator’s working space with subsequent holding there until the specified work is performed using the onboard equipment of the underwater vehicle, or to one of the landing sites, the position of which in the manipulator’s coordinate system is known in advance, for this purpose, using the manipulator control system, the corresponding control signals are sent to the manipulator’s drives, smoothly moving the underwater vehicle to the site of the bottom mooring device, at the moment of this movement, the underwater vehicle’s thrusters maintain its horizontal position, the said movement of the underwater vehicle by the manipulator is completed after the operation of the locking devices located, respectively, on the underwater vehicle and the bottom mooring device, after the said locking using contactless devices,located inside the fixing devices, and via the cable-rope, recharging of the underwater vehicle's batteries is carried out, information is exchanged between this underwater vehicle and the accompanying vessel, or rapid lifting of the underwater vehicle onto this vessel using a winch" indicates that, due to the formation of control signals to the electric drives of the manipulator, movements of the AUV, held by the grip of this manipulator, are ensured to one of the required positions in the working area of the manipulator: either to a specified area of space, where the AUV is fixed by the manipulator in the process of performing the specified works (operations), or to the DPU site, on which it is rigidly fixed using fixing devices for subsequent recharging of its batteries, for the exchange of information with the accompanying vessel or for its rapid lifting onto this vessel using a winch.
[0022] The operation of the claimed method is explained by the diagram shown in Fig. 1, in which the following designations are introduced: 1 - AUV; 2 - hydroacoustic navigation system of AUV 1; 3 - hydroacoustic beacon installed near gripper 4 of manipulator 5, which has three powerful portable degrees of freedom; 6 - base of manipulator 5, in which its three power actuator electric drives are installed; 7 - technical vision system (TVS) of AUV 1 (optical or hydroacoustic); 8 - TVS of manipulator 5, installed near gripper 4 of manipulator 5; 9 - bracket of gripping device, installed in the bow of AUV 1; 10 - contact sensor; 11 - one of the landing pads of the DPU; 12 - fixation device on AUV 1; 13 – device for fixing the DPU on the platform 11; 14 – cable-rope connecting the DPU with the service vessel 15 and intended for lifting the DPU to the surface using a winch 16, as well as for transmitting energy to the DPU.
[0023] The claimed method is implemented as follows.
[0024] After software activation or after receiving a command from the operator via a hydroacoustic communication channel to approach the UU, apparatus 1, using the onboard hydroacoustic navigation system 2, determines the distance and bearing to the hydroacoustic beacon 3 installed near the grip 4 of the manipulator 5 of this UU (see Dubrovin F.S. On one algorithm for guiding an autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle to a hydroacoustic beacon / / Technical Problems of Exploitation of the World Ocean. Vol. 4. 2011. pp. 420–425). The said manipulator 5 has three portable degrees of freedom, equipped with powerful drives and controlled by means of high-strength mechanical transmissions. To reduce the weight, the drives of all degrees of freedom of the manipulator 5 are installed in its base 6.
[0025] After determining the distance from AUV 1 to hydroacoustic beacon 3, as well as the bearing to it, using the standard onboard control system (CS) of AUV 1, the trajectory of the upcoming movement is calculated, for example, using parametric splines (see Gubankov A.S., Gornostaev I.V. Study of various types of parametric splines for specifying trajectories of movement of mechatronic objects / / Proceedings of the XIV All-Russian Conference on Control Problems (VSPU-2024). Moscow, June 17-20, 2024. pp. 1685-1689), and ensure the movement of AUV 1 towards it even in the presence of previously unknown underwater currents. During this movement, the optical (video camera) or acoustic (forward-looking sonar) STZ 7 ANPA 1 is turned on and the surrounding space is recognized (see Boreiko A.A., Vorontsov A.V., Kushnerik A.A., Shcherbatyuk A.F.Video image processing algorithms for solving some control and navigation problems of autonomous unmanned underwater vehicles / / Underwater research and robotics. 2010. Vol. 9. No. 1. Pp. 29-39). The specified movement of the AUV 1 to the hydroacoustic beacon 3 is carried out at a previously known distance from the bottom, taking into account the working area of the grip 4 of the manipulator 5. When the on-board STS 7 detects the grip 4, a command is given to the AUV 1 control system to stop its movement, performing a slow entry of the AUV 1 by inertia into the previously known working area of the manipulator 5, after which, with the help of the on-board control system, the AUV 1 is transferred to the mode of stabilizing its position in the specified area with a given orientation to the grip 4 (see Kostenko V.V., Pavin A.M. Automatic positioning of an unmanned underwater vehicle over seabed objects using photographic images / / Underwater research and robotics. 2014. Vol. 17. No. 1. pp. 39-47).Simultaneously with the last command, a signal of arrival is sent to the DPU using the hydroacoustic navigation system of the AUV-1.
[0026] Having received a signal from the navigation system 2, the STS 8 installed near the gripper 4 of the manipulator 5 is switched on at the RPU, and with its help the detection and determination of the spatial location of the clamp 9 of the gripping device, located in the bow part of the AUV 1 body, is performed. Then, with the help of the STS 8 and the control system of the manipulator 5, using the known algorithm of visual servo control (see Hashimoto K. Visual servoing: real-time control of robot manipulators based on visual sensory feedback / / World Scientific Publishing Company, 1993. 372 p.), a smooth movement of the opened gripper 4 to the clamp 9 is carried out until the contact sensor 10 located inside the jaws of the gripper 4 is triggered. After touching the sensor 10, the AUV 1 stops and the jaws of the gripper 4 close, fixing the clamp 9 in the gripper 4.
[0027] After closing the jaws 4, the current rotation angles of all three joints of the manipulator 5 are determined using encoders or resolvers and the direct kinematics problem of the manipulator 5 is solved (see Fu. K., Gonzalez R., Lee K. Robotics / / Moscow: Mir. 1989. pp. 29-69), determining the current horizontal position of the AUV 1 in the coordinate system of the DPU, rigidly connected to the base of the manipulator 5. Then, a trajectory is formed for the movement of the gripper 4 of the manipulator 5 with the fixed AUV 1 from the current position to a given area of the working space of the manipulator 5, with subsequent holding of the AUV 1 in this area until the specified working operations are performed using on-board equipment (for example, power operations using light manipulators installed on board the AUV 1), or to one of the landing pads 11, the position of which in the coordinate system of manipulator 5 is known in advance.When moving AUV 1, manipulator 5 sends appropriate control signals to its drives, smoothly moving AUV 1 toward the designated landing pad 11 of the remote control unit. While AUV 1 is moving, its thrusters maintain its horizontal position. Movement of AUV 1 by manipulator 5 toward pad 11 is completed after the activation of locking devices 12 and 13, located on AUV 1 and the remote control unit. During movement of AUV 1 toward pad 11 in strong underwater currents, additional thrusters of AUV 1 may be used.
[0028] After the specified fixation, with the help of special devices (RU Patent No. 2553598. Device for transmitting information to an autonomous underwater vehicle / Kulchin Yu.N., Filaretov V.F. Bulletin No. 17, 2015 and RU Patent No. 2554910. Device for transmitting energy to an autonomous underwater vehicle / Kulchin Yu.N., Filaretov V.F. Bulletin No. 18, 2015), located inside the fixing devices 12 and 13, the batteries of the AUV 1 are recharged via cable-rope 14 (see Gerasimov V.A., Komlev A.V., Remezkov A.V., Filozhenko A.Yu. Organization of energy and information interaction between the coastal control post and the GNPU during servicing underwater production complexes / / Underwater research and robotics. 2024. Vol. 47. No. 1. Pp. 43-58), exchange of information between the AUV 1 and the accompanying vessel 15 or rapid lifting of the AUV 1 onto the vessel 15 using a winch 16.
[0029] The technical implementation of this method does not present any significant difficulties, since it uses only well-known standard systems and devices.
Claims
A method for automatically docking and securing an autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle to a bottom mooring device, which consists in the underwater vehicle being designed with the ability to detect bottom mooring devices using a hydroacoustic navigation system installed thereon, characterized in that after receiving a command via a hydroacoustic communication channel for the underwater vehicle to approach, using its onboard hydroacoustic navigation system, the distance and bearing from the underwater vehicle to a hydroacoustic beacon installed near the grip of a manipulator located on the bottom mooring device is determined, wherein this manipulator is designed with the ability to provide three portable degrees of mobility, controlled by means of durable mechanical transmissions and powerful electric drives installed in its base,after determining the said distance and bearing, using the on-board control system of the underwater vehicle, calculate the trajectory of its movement and move along it to the grip of the manipulator even in the presence of previously unknown underwater currents; during this movement, turn on the optical video camera or forward-looking sonar of the technical vision system of the underwater vehicle and continuously recognize the surrounding space; after detecting the grip of the manipulator by the said technical vision system, taking into account its working area, send a command to the control system of the underwater vehicle to stop its movement, and it continues this movement with a deceleration only by inertia; after this, using the on-board control system, transfer the underwater vehicle to the mode of stabilizing its position in the working area of the manipulator with a given orientation to its grip,simultaneously with the last command, a signal is sent by the underwater vehicle's hydroacoustic navigation system about arrival in the area of the bottom mooring device; after receiving this hydroacoustic signal from the hydroacoustic navigation system, the machine vision system installed near the manipulator's gripper is turned on and with its help the spatial location of the clamp of the gripping device located in the bow part of the underwater vehicle's hull is detected; then, with the help of the machine vision system and the manipulator's control system, its opened gripper is smoothly moved toward the clamp until the contact sensor located inside the gripper jaws is triggered; upon the signal from the contact sensor, the gripper jaws are closed, fixing the underwater vehicle in the water space; after the gripper jaws are closed, the current rotation angles of all three joints of the manipulator are determined using encoders or resolvers and the direct problem of the manipulator's kinematics is solved,by determining the current horizontal position of the underwater vehicle in the coordinate system of the bottom mooring device, rigidly connected to the base of the manipulator, then form a trajectory of movement of the manipulator grip with the fixed underwater vehicle from its current position to a specified point of the manipulator's working space with subsequent holding there until the specified work is performed using the on-board equipment of the underwater vehicle or to one of the landing sites, the position of which in the coordinate system of the manipulator is known in advance, for this purpose, using the control system of the manipulator, send the corresponding control signals to the drives of the manipulator, smoothly moving the underwater vehicle to the site of the bottom mooring device, at the moment of this movement, the thrusters of the underwater vehicle maintain its horizontal position, the said movement of the underwater vehicle by the manipulator is completed after the operation of the locking devices located, respectively,on the underwater vehicle and the bottom mooring device, after the specified fixation, using contactless devices located inside the fixing devices, the batteries of the underwater vehicle are recharged via a cable-rope, information is exchanged between this underwater vehicle and the accompanying vessel, or the underwater vehicle is quickly lifted onto this vessel using a winch.