Feasible Positions of Towing Point and Center of Gravity for Towfish Attitude Control

Most towfish systems do not have propulsive devices and cannot compensate for perturbation motion, which can affect the observation data. This paper discusses attitude control of a towfish with elevators on the left and right tail wings to improve the quality of the observational data. Specifically, we investigate the relationships between the towing point, the center of gravity, and the drag forces produced by the elevators to clarify whether the elevators can control the attitude of the towfish sufficiently for various positions of the towing point and center of gravity. The feasible positions of the towing point and center of gravity are defined by mechanical analyses, and simulations are conducted to verify that the elevators can provide attitude control in these positions. The simulation results show that at some positions, the elevators can control the attitude quickly and sufficiently even if disturbances exist.