Path Planning in Threat Environment for UUV with Non-Uniform Radiation Pattern

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Ocean Engineering
• Acoustics

Background:

• Optimal trajectory planning is crucial for Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) operations.
• Minimizing detection risk from static sonar is a key challenge in UUV navigation.
• Previous research often assumes uniform acoustic radiation patterns, which is unrealistic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analytically solve the problem of optimal trajectory planning for UUVs.
• To minimize the probability of detection by a static sonar.
• To account for the non-uniform acoustic radiation pattern of the UUV.

Main Methods:

• Derivation of the probability of non-detection based on the UUV's acoustic field.
• Utilizing the non-detection probability as the optimization criterion.
• Analytical solution for the optimal trajectory and velocity profile.

Main Results:

• The probability of non-detection was mathematically derived.
• This probability was successfully used as an effective optimization criterion.
• The optimal trajectory and velocity law for the UUV were determined.

Conclusions:

• The study provides an analytical solution for UUV trajectory planning under sonar detection constraints.
• Incorporating a non-uniform radiation pattern leads to more realistic and effective evasion strategies.
• The findings enable UUVs to navigate more stealthily, minimizing detection risk.