This paper proposes a formation generation algorithm and formation obstacle avoidance strategy for multiple unmanned surface vehicles (USVs). The proposed formation generation algorithm implements an approach combining a virtual structure and artificial potential field (VSAPF), which provides a high accuracy of formation shape keeping and flexibility of formation shape change. To solve the obstacle avoidance problem of the multi-USV system, an improved dynamic window approach is applied to the formation reference point, which considers the movement ability of the USV. By applying this method, the USV formation can avoid obstacles while maintaining its shape. The combination of the virtual structure and artificial potential field has the advantage of less calculations, so that it can ensure the real-time performance of the algorithm and convenience for deployment on an actual USV. Various simulation results for a group of USVs are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.

The process of heading control system design for a kind of micro-unmanned surface vessel (micro-USV) is addressed in this paper and a novel adaptive expert S-PID algorithm is proposed. First, a motion control system for the micro-USV is designed based on STM32-ARM and the PC monitoring system is developed based on Labwindows/CVI. Second, by combining the expert control technology, S plane and PID control algorithms, an adaptive expert S-PID control algorithm is proposed for heading control of the micro-USV. Third, based on SL micro-USV developed in this paper, a large number of pool experiments and lake experiments are carried out, to verify the effectiveness and reliability of the motion control system designed and the heading control algorithm proposed. A great amount of comparative experiment results shows the superiority of the proposed adaptive expert S-PID algorithm in terms of heading control of the SL micro-USV.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract