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ICRA 2026
Optimal Path Planning for USV-AUV Docking under Various Marine Environmental Conditions
Daegil Park, Seungyeon Lee, Junwoo Park, Hyungwoo Kim, Bong Huan Jun
AI summary
Aligning docking headings to offset wind and current forces significantly increases USV-AUV docking success rates in open ocean conditions.
Problem
Reliable autonomous docking between underactuated USVs and AUVs is hindered by complex marine disturbances and kinematic constraints, leading to trajectory tracking failures and orientation misalignment.
Approach
The authors developed a high-fidelity simulation framework that integrates 6-DOF vehicle dynamics with stochastic environmental loads, using CRPS-based scoring to identify optimal docking headings that minimize or cancel out external forces.
Key results
- Lateral currents and crosswinds significantly degrade docking stability compared to head/tail currents
- Optimal docking headings (90° and 180°) maximize success by partially canceling opposing wind and current forces
- Incorporating minimum turning radii and ETA synchronization prevents kinematic instabilities and rendezvous failures
- Algorithm validated through ROS2 simulations and real-sea trials, demonstrating robust environmental compensation
Why it matters
Provides a practical, disturbance-aware docking framework that enhances the reliability and operational range of heterogeneous autonomous maritime systems.
Abstract
No abstract on file.