Polar Cooperative Navigation Algorithm for Multi-Unmanned Underwater Vehicles Considering Communication Delays

Area of Science:

• Marine robotics
• Navigation systems
• Polar exploration

Background:

• Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) are crucial for ocean engineering and marine development.
• Precise navigation is essential for UUV mission completion.
• Polar regions present unique navigation challenges due to meridian convergence and harsh environmental conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a polar cooperative navigation algorithm for multi-UUV systems considering communication delays.
• To address the navigation accuracy issues faced by multi-UUVs in polar environments.
• To enhance the operational capabilities of UUVs in challenging polar settings.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a polar grid navigation algorithm with a Strapdown Inertial Navigation System (SINS).
• Implemented a leader-follower system where a leader UUV assists follower UUVs.
• Modified an adaptive Kalman filter (AKF) to account for underwater acoustic communication delays.
• Incorporated ultra-short baseline (USBL) acoustic positioning for relative position measurements.

Main Results:

• The proposed algorithm effectively navigates multiple UUVs in polar regions.
• Cooperative navigation significantly improves accuracy compared to individual UUV navigation.
• The algorithm demonstrates robustness in managing communication delays inherent in underwater acoustic networks.

Conclusions:

• The developed polar cooperative navigation algorithm is effective for multi-UUV operations in polar regions.
• Accounting for communication delays is critical for successful cooperative navigation in underwater environments.
• This research contributes to the advancement of autonomous marine systems for polar exploration and oceanographic studies.