COLREGs-compliant unmanned surface vehicles collision avoidance based on improved differential evolution algorithm

Unmanned surface vessel (USV) has a wide range of applications in oceanographic research, resource development, environment detection, and security rescue due to its advantages of maneuverability, flexibility, fast response, and intelligence. The ability of USVs to autonomously and effectively avoid obstacles in highly dynamic and uncertain marine environments is a prerequisite for the successful completion of their tasks. Therefore, in this article, a USV collision avoidance based on International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea and the Collision Risk Model with the Improved Differential Evolution Algorithm (CRI-DE) has been considered. Based on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs) and common practices of seafarers, an improved ship collision risk model is proposed. Specifically, the model is innovatively combined with the differential evolution algorithm (DE) as a constraint condition to further realize path planning in complex situations. Moreover, chaotic multi-population parallel optimization, parameter adaptive adjustment strategy, and the construction of fitness function based on individual path points are added to the DE. In this way, the ability to escape from local optima and enrich population diversity can be guaranteed. Finally, experiments based on the proposed CRI-DE are conducted and the results indicate the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed method.