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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Ocean Solutions
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2024.1503482
This article is part of the Research Topic Data-Driven Ocean Environmental Perception with its Applications View all 9 articles

Path Planning for Unmanned Surface Vehicles in Anchorage Areas Based on the Risk-Aware Path Optimization Algorithm (RAPO)

Provisionally accepted
Hongbo Wang Hongbo Wang 1,2,3*Shuaiwei Mao Shuaiwei Mao 1Xiaoguang Mou Xiaoguang Mou 4*Jinfeng Zhang Jinfeng Zhang 2Ronghui Li Ronghui Li 1*
  • 1 Naval Architecture And Shipping College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China
  • 2 Hubei Key Laboratory of Inland Shipping Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, Hebei Province, China
  • 3 Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Ship Intelligence and Safety, Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, China
  • 4 School of Mechanical Engineering, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    In dense anchorage areas, the challenge of navigation for Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) is particularly pronounced, especially regarding path safety and economy. A Risk-Aware Path Optimization Algorithm (RAPO) is proposed to enhance the safety and efficiency of USV navigating in anchorage areas. The algorithm incorporates risk assessment based on the A* algorithm to generate an optimized path and employs a Dual-Phase Smoothing Strategy to ensure path smoothness. First, the anchorage area is spatially separated using a Voronoi polygon, the RAPO algorithm includes a grid risk function, derived from the ship domain and Gaussian influence function, in the path evaluation criteria, directing USV to successfully bypass high-risk areas and as a result. Then the DPSS is used to decrease path turning points and boost path continuity, which in turn improves path economy. Simulation results demonstrate that this method significantly reduces the path length and the number of turning points, enhancing USV navigation safety in anchorage areas.

    Keywords: Unmanned surface vehicles, Anchorage areas, Risk-Aware Path Optimization, Ship domain, Gaussian influence function, Dual-Phase Smoothing Strategy

    Received: 29 Sep 2024; Accepted: 23 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wang, Mao, Mou, Zhang and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Hongbo Wang, Naval Architecture And Shipping College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China
    Xiaoguang Mou, School of Mechanical Engineering, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, China
    Ronghui Li, Naval Architecture And Shipping College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China

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