Autonomous control and navigation of unmanned vehicles

A controller for autonomous control, navigation, and station-keeping of an unmanned vehicle, comprising:

• a processor that computes at least one control signal only from sensor data obtained in real time corresponding to at least geographical location and vertical position of the unmanned vehicle within the fluid environment;
• wherein the processor executes an algorithm that uses the sensor data to compute an instantaneous directional gradient of the unmanned vehicle movement, uses the gradient to estimate a vertical profile of a feature of the fluid environment that affects the gradient of the unmanned vehicle, implements a real-time optimizer that identifies a favourable position in the vertical profile where the feature of the fluid environment would transport the unmanned vehicle in a direction that minimizes a performance metric, computes the at least one control signal based on the favourable position in the vertical profile, and outputs the at least one control signal to the unmanned vehicle;
• wherein the at least one control signal manipulates at least one actuator that causes the unmanned vehicle to ascend or descend to the favourable position in the vertical profile.

Non-transitory computer readable storage media for use with a processor, comprising stored computer code containing instructions direct the processor to implement one or more processing steps of a controller for an unmanned vehicle, the one or more steps selected from:

• computing at least one control signal only from sensor data obtained in real time corresponding to at least geographical location and vertical position of the unmanned vehicle within the fluid environment, comprising:
• implementing an algorithm that uses the sensor data to compute an instantaneous directional gradient of the unmanned vehicle movement, uses the gradient to estimate a vertical profile of a feature of the fluid environment that affects the gradient of the unmanned vehicle, implements a real-time optimizer that identifies a favourable position in the vertical profile where the feature of the fluid environment would transport the unmanned vehicle in a direction that minimizes a performance metric, computes the at least one control signal based on the favourable position in the vertical profile, and outputs the at least one control signal to the unmanned vehicle;
• wherein the at least one control signal manipulates at least one actuator that causes the unmanned vehicle to ascend or descend to the favourable position in the vertical profile.