A global path planning method for mobile docking AUV

In view of the multiple geometric constraints on the global path caused by the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV)under-actuation control characteristics when the AUV and the mother ship are dynamically docked, as well as the dynamic changes of the terminal constraints of the path caused by the dynamic changes of the intersection points caused by the mother ship movement, this paper proposes an autonomous docking path planning method for the AUV. The proposed method is mainly divided into three parts: constraint solving, motion planning and state estimation. Firstly, the motion constraints and terminal constraints in the docking process are analyzed using the AUV dynamics model; On the premise of motion constraints and terminal constraints, the global path planning algorithms under position constraints and attitude constraints are designed based on the idea of potential field method. At the same time, the position, speed and attitude estimation methods of the mother ship are proposed, and the simulation of the path planning method based on global prediction is carried out accordingly. The simulation results show that the method in this paper has fast operation speed, good robustness to the state of the mother ship, and meets the motion constraints and terminal constraints. It can obtain a path planning algorithm that satisfies the constraint conditions of a smooth path when testing and simulating the homing of a real AUV. © 2024 Editorial Board of Journal of Harbin Engineering. All rights reserved.