Simulated Annealing-Based Optimization for the Coverage Path Planning of Multiple Unmanned Surface Vehicles in ECDIS

Yunwei Li, Nan Gu, Jiyang Jia, Zhouhua Peng, Dan Wang

Abstract: This paper addresses the coverage path planning of multiple unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) based on electronic chart displays and information system. An optimized coverage path planning method is proposed to improve the coverage percentages and the coverage area of each USV leaves an additional degree of freedom for the operator to adjust further. Specifically, a grid representation method is proposed to fully cover the polygonal work area where three kinds of grids, namely, ``Free'', ``Obstacle'', and ``Initial USV Position'' are obtained. Next, a simulated annealing-based optimization method is proposed to optimize the placement of the grid by moving and rotating such that a more ``Free'' grid can be obtained. Then, an improved divide area based on the robot's initial position method is proposed to achieve proportional area division. Finally, the coverage paths are generated by using a spanning tree coverage method. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed simulated annealing-based optimization for the coverage path planning of multiple USVs.

Submission Number: 33