Automatic Docking Trajectory Design-Based Time-Varying-Radius Dubins for Unmanned Surface Vessel

Facing the demand of efficient automatic docking for USV, this paper proposes a new kind of iterative varying-radius Dubins curve design. Due to the special mobility of dockyards, one novel trajectory optimization problem considering time optimum is modeled first. Then, we use the ant colony optimiz...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Meiyan Zhang, Wenyu Cai, Hao Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-01-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/3/1583
Description
Summary:Facing the demand of efficient automatic docking for USV, this paper proposes a new kind of iterative varying-radius Dubins curve design. Due to the special mobility of dockyards, one novel trajectory optimization problem considering time optimum is modeled first. Then, we use the ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm to solve such a complex problem. In addition to the global exhaustive search algorithm and ACO-based solution, a novel distributed local path planning algorithm named ADTA-TRD is proposed to obtain the solution of the above optimization problem restricted by the local perception of the USV. In essence, this paper draws lessons from the idea of the circular arc segment and straight line segment in the traditional Dubins curve, and consequently, the smoothness of the derived automatic docking trajectory can be guaranteed. Finally, the performance of proposed automatic docking path planning method is verified through simulation results and an actual sea trial.
ISSN:2076-3417