Multi-USV system for oil spill cleaning: Complete coverage path planning and path following

This paper addresses the problem of oil spill cleanup using a multiple Unmanned Surface Vehicle (multi-USV) system, which is decomposed into two subproblems: complete coverage path planning and path following. In addressing the complete coverage path planning subproblem for an energy-constrained multi-USV system with a minimum turning radius, the problem is reformulated as a multi-USV Dubins coverage path planning problem, which is then solved using a simulated annealing algorithm for path generation. For the path following subproblem, considering the fact that the velocity state of underactuated USVs is subject to measurement noise, a finite-time observer combining an Extended State Observer (ESO) and a Kalman Filter (KF) is constructed to estimate both the velocity states and lumped disturbances. A finite-time Line-of-Sight (FTLOS) guidance law is designed based on the estimated velocity, and a finite-time feedback controller is constructed using both the estimated disturbance and velocity. Through the designed guidance and controller, each USV successfully tracks the planned path and navigates at the specified speed within a finite-time interval.