Obstacle detection and avoidance for an Autonomous Surface Vehicle using a profiling sonar

Abstract

Abstract-We present an experimental study of a mechanically scanned profiling sonar for Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV) obstacle detection and avoidance. We extract potential obstacles from echo returns and suggest a scanning strategy for sonar in this application. We demonstrate with simulations (driven by data collected in the field) the potential for an ASV to rely solely on sonar data to navigate and avoid obstacles in a lake and harbor environment.

Obstacle detection from overhead imagery using self-supervised learning for Autonomous Surface Vehicles

“…Many ASVs have been designed and developed in recent years, some are equipped with radar or cameras for obstacle sensing or mapping [7], [8], but none use sonar for this purpose until recently [6], [9]. ASV literature that specifically deals with the obstacle avoidance problem focuses on obstacle detection for above-surface obstacles.…”

“…The sonar data processing is a modified version of our previous work [6]. A sonar measurement consists of a vector where each element represents echo strength measured from a certain distance.…”

“…In our previous work [6] we explored the feasibility of using a forward mounted profiling sonar on an ASV for obstacle detection. We investigated the effective range and ability of this setup and found it to be a useful option for obstacle detection for ASVs.…”

Local reactive obstacle avoidance approach for high-speed unmanned surface vehicle

“…USVs are characterized by small size, good hiding capability, high mobility, and low price; these vehicles can also be used in many aspects of marine applications, such as oceanography, environmental monitoring, surveying, mapping and navigation, as well as communication support for unmanned underwater vehicles and general robotics research (Manley, 2008;Majohr and Buch, 2006;Caccia et al, 2007;Sutton et al, 2011;Corfield and Young, 2006;Motwani, 2012;Dunbabin et al, 2009;Steimle and Hall, 2006;Heidarsson and Sukhatme, 2011;Wang et al, 2009). The development of a fully autonomous system that can work under any unstructured or unpredictable environment is a challenging task that requires robust guidance and control strategies (Naeem et al, 2012).…”

Vision Based Obstacle Detection in Uav Imaging

“…Sensor-based techniques require sensor data for obstacle detection. Various sensors use laser beams (Shim, 2006), (Shang, 2014), radar (Ariyur, 2005), sonar and ultra-sound (Heidarsson, 2011), (Menezes, 2005). Several factors such as air density can influence sonar and ultra-sonic results (Zeng, 2016).…”