Dubins-rrt path planning and heading-vector control guidance for a uuv recovery

Abstract

When a UUV (unmanned underwater vehicle) completes a specific mission, it needs to return to the recovery platform autonomously safely in an unknown environment. So the works of path planning and guidance control for a UUV are indispensable and significant. In this paper, first a smooth and practical Dubins path back to the recovery platform is planned. In particular, the combined Dubins-RRT path (rapidly exploring random tree based on Dubins path) is introduced with densely spread obstacles. Then the UUV is guided along the Dubins-RRT path to the target by heading-vector control. The algorithm is simple and subjects to the kinematics constraints of UUV. The effectiveness of the algorithm is proved by the simulation in real geographical condition.