An unmanned ship formation cooperative control method based on a path file

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of unmanned ship formation cooperative control, and particularly relates to an unmanned ship formation cooperative control method based on a path file, which generates a basic path file containing a phased center path, a formation role bias, a wake influence parameter, a task quality unit and a path patch rule, determines a public task phase through phase projection and state summary interaction, generates a path patch bound to the task phase and maintains consistency when performing online obstacle avoidance, adjusts cooperative control in combination with a wake influence correction and a task quality debt mechanism, and finally judges task completion according to the debt situation of the public task phase and the key task quality unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of unmanned vessel formation cooperative control technology, and more specifically, to a method for unmanned vessel formation cooperative control based on path files. Background Technology

[0002] Unmanned vessel formation collaborative control technology is the core support for unmanned surface systems to perform complex tasks. Its collaborative consistency and control accuracy directly determine the performance of tasks such as water area exploration, environmental monitoring, and waterway inspection.

[0003] Existing unmanned surface vessel (USV) formation collaborative control methods mostly adopt fixed waypoint allocation or centralized trajectory distribution modes, which are difficult to adapt to dynamically changing mission water environments. During online obstacle avoidance, each USV is prone to independently generating private detour trajectories, resulting in inconsistent formation states and increasing formation chaos and collision risks. The impact of ship wakes is not incorporated into the collaborative control framework, and wake disturbances not only affect the motion stability of adjacent USVs but also reduce the effectiveness of collected data. At the same time, the lack of a unified quality evaluation and dynamic compensation mechanism during mission execution can easily lead to incomplete mission area coverage or substandard data quality.

[0004] To address this, the present invention proposes a method for cooperative control of unmanned vessel formations based on path files. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, the present invention aims to provide a method for cooperative control of unmanned vessel formations based on path files.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0007] A method for cooperative control of unmanned surface vessels (USVs) based on path files includes the following steps:

[0008] Step S1: Generate a basic path file. The basic path file is formed based on the mission water area, unmanned vessel capabilities, and mission quality requirements, and records the mission phased center path, formation role offset, wake influence parameters, mission quality unit, path patching rules, and state consistency field.

[0009] Step S2: Based on the task phase, the progress synchronization is completed. Each unmanned vessel loads and verifies the basic path file, projects its current position onto the central path to determine its own task phase and phase position confidence, and determines the common task phase through state summary interaction.

[0010] Step S3: Generate path patches and maintain consistency during online obstacle avoidance. When an obstacle conflicts with the expected trajectory of the formation character, generate a path patch bound to the mission phase and propagate it to the unmanned ships in the formation to update the status of the valid path file.

[0011] Step S4: Based on the wake effect and task quality debt correction collaborative control, the reference state is corrected according to the wake effect status, and task quality debt and quality compensation patch are generated according to the correlation results between the collected records and the task quality unit.

[0012] Step S5: Generate a reference state based on the status of the valid path file and execute closed-loop control. Perform state alignment in case of anomalies, patch mismatches, or inconsistent task quality debts. Determine task completion based on the common task phase and the task quality debt of the critical task quality unit.

[0013] Furthermore, in step S1, generating the base path file includes:

[0014] A mission center path is generated based on the mission area, and the mission center path is divided into multiple continuous segments according to changes in path curvature, navigation width, mission type, formation change requirements, and wake sensitivity. Each segment is configured with a segment number and a mission phase interval. The mission phase is used to characterize the formation mission execution progress, and the center path serves as a common benchmark for generating reference states for each unmanned vessel.

[0015] Furthermore, the basic path file records the correspondence between formation roles and role offsets, task responsibilities, and sensor requirements; the role offset uses the tangent and normal of the center path as local coordinate references; each unmanned vessel determines its formation role based on its own sensor status, remaining battery power, positioning status, and propulsion status, and reads the corresponding role offset; when the formation role changes, the reference status is updated according to the path patching rules.

[0016] Furthermore, the base path file also records wake impact parameters, mission quality units, and state consistency fields; the wake impact parameters include effective wake length, wake lateral impact width, wake avoidance conditions, attitude stability conditions, and wake-sensitive mission identifiers; the mission quality units include spatial range, target quality value, applicable sensor type, data confidence conditions, debt triggering conditions, and debt recovery conditions; the state consistency fields include base path file identifier, file version, effective path patch number, current mission phase, current flight segment, wake status summary, and mission quality debt summary.

[0017] Furthermore, in step S2, each unmanned surface vessel (USV) verifies the file identifier, file version, segment continuity, role field integrity, wake field integrity, and mission quality unit field integrity of the basic path file. After the verification is passed, each USV determines its own mission phase based on the projection relationship between its current position and the center path of the current segment or adjacent segment, and determines the phase position confidence based on the positioning quality, lateral projection error, and the matching status between the current heading and the center path.

[0018] Furthermore, determining the phase of the common mission includes:

[0019] Each unmanned surface vessel (USV) periodically exchanges a status summary, which includes its current role, its own mission phase, phase position confidence, current segment, basic path file identifier, effective path patch number, wake status summary, and mission quality debt summary. The receiving party filters USVs in the same valid path file status based on the basic path file identifier and effective path patch number, and determines the phase weight based on formation role, phase position confidence, and health status to weight the calculation of its own mission phase. When the phase weight does not meet the common mission phase update conditions, the common mission phase of the previous control cycle is maintained and the reference speed is adjusted.

[0020] Furthermore, in step S3, generating the path patch includes:

[0021] When an obstacle is detected, the obstacle boundary is extended into an obstacle avoidance zone. Within the forward-looking mission phase determined by the common mission phase, the expected trajectory sweep area for each formation role is generated. When the obstacle avoidance zone intersects with the expected trajectory sweep area, the intersection position is mapped to the mission phase to determine the applicable mission phase range and affected roles of the path patch. The detour corridor, speed constraint, formation adjustment rules, role yielding rules, and mission quality debt update rules are written into the path patch.

[0022] Furthermore, the propagation and consistency maintenance of the path patches include:

[0023] The unmanned surface vessel (USV) that generates the path patch sends a path patch summary, which includes the base path file identifier, path patch number, applicable mission phase interval, affected roles, and patch verification information. The receiver receives the path patch content and writes it into the local patch sequence when the base path file identifier is consistent and the common mission phase has not yet crossed the applicable mission phase interval. When multiple path patches conflict in the same mission phase interval, the application order is determined according to the security level, the starting point of the applicable mission phase, the number of affected roles, and the path patch number. When the path patch failure condition is met, the corresponding path patch is marked as invalid.

[0024] Furthermore, in step S4, the coordinated control based on wake effect and task quality debt correction includes:

[0025] The wake influence status is determined based on the relative position, relative heading, speed, and wake influence parameters in the basic path file between adjacent unmanned surface vessels (USVs). When the wake influence status meets the wake correction conditions, the lateral offset, phase interval, or reference speed of the affected USV is corrected according to the mission type, or the corresponding mission is transferred to a formation role with matching sensor type that is not affected by the wake. The collected records are associated with the corresponding mission quality unit according to spatial range, collection time, sensor type, common mission phase, positioning information status, and collection validity status, and the mission quality debt is determined accordingly.

[0026] Furthermore, when the task quality debt meets the debt triggering conditions, a quality compensation patch is generated. The quality compensation patch includes the quality unit of the task to be compensated, the phase range of the compensated task, the compensation execution role, the compensation trajectory constraints, the acquisition quality requirements, the yielding rules of other roles, and the failure conditions.

[0027] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0028] 1. To address the issues of poor synchronicity in formation coordination and easy state splitting in online obstacle avoidance in existing technologies, this invention adopts a progress synchronization mechanism based on task phase. This mechanism unifies the execution progress of each unmanned vessel to the task phase dimension defined in the path file. By weighted calculation of the common task phase, the vessels can maintain coordination even if positional deviations occur due to differences in water flow and propulsion. At the same time, online obstacle avoidance is transformed into a runtime update of the path file, generating path patches bound to the task phase. Through standardized patch propagation, conflict handling, and failure mechanisms, the consistency of the formation state is maintained, which helps to improve the stability of formation coordination and the safety of the obstacle avoidance process.

[0029] 2. To address the issues of existing technologies not fully considering wake turbulence effects and lacking closed-loop control over mission quality, this invention pre-writes wake turbulence impact parameters into the basic path file. It dynamically corrects the lateral offset, phase interval, or reference speed of the unmanned surface vessel (USV) based on the real-time wake turbulence impact level, and adjusts mission allocation when necessary. This mitigates the adverse effects of wake turbulence on USV motion and the quality of collected data. Simultaneously, a mission quality debt mechanism is established, linking collected records with mission quality units to calculate quality debt. When the debt triggers a threshold, a quality compensation patch is generated, achieving dynamic compensation for mission quality and contributing to improved mission execution integrity. Attached Figure Description

[0030] Figure 1 A flowchart of a method for cooperative control of unmanned surface vessels based on path files;

[0031] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating the implementation steps of the task phase completion progress synchronization method of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the implementation steps of generating path patches and maintaining consistency during online obstacle avoidance in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0033] Example, refer to Figure 1 The unmanned vessel formation cooperative control method based on path files in this embodiment specifically includes the following steps:

[0034] Step S1: Generate the base path file.

[0035] The mission route is converted into a base path file with cooperative control semantics, and the fields of the base path file directly participate in the subsequent reference state generation.

[0036] S11. Obtain mission input and divide mission segments:

[0037] Acquire the mission water area boundaries, navigable areas, restricted areas, shallow water areas, areas with fixed obstacles, water flow direction, mission area, number of unmanned surface vessels, hull dimensions, maximum speed, minimum turning radius, propeller type, sensor type, communication capabilities, and mission quality requirements;

[0038] The mission center path is generated based on the mission area, using the A* algorithm, Dijkstra's algorithm, or a region coverage path planning algorithm. The path is divided into multiple continuous segments based on changes in path curvature, navigation width, mission type, formation requirements, and wake turbulence sensitivity. New segments are created when changes in path curvature exceed the curvature threshold corresponding to the minimum turning radius of the unmanned surface vessel, changes in navigation width exceed a preset multiple of the vessel's dimensions, mission type changes, formation adjustments are required, or wake turbulence sensitivity levels change. Each segment has a segment number and a mission phase interval. ; Mission phase Represents the progress of task execution, dimensionless, and its value ranges from... Internal; path file record number Center path function for each flight segment ,in Indicates the mission phase The corresponding center reference position is in the same unit as the unmanned vessel's positioning coordinates;

[0039] The discrete sampling points in the flight segment are determined by the mission water area scale, ship scale, minimum turning radius, and mission sensor coverage width; the spacing between sampling points does not exceed a preset proportion of the effective coverage width of the mission sensor to ensure that there are no blind spots in mission coverage; the sampling points are connected by polyline interpolation, circular arc connection, or continuous curvature curve connection so that the center path meets the turning constraints of the unmanned vessel; coordinate transformation, curve smoothing, and basic route generation can be completed using conventional methods in this field;

[0040] S12, Write the role bias and phase execution rules:

[0041] Path file records role bias function ;in, Indicates the formation role, Indicates role In mission phase The offset vector is relative to the center path; roles include center reference role, left sampling role, right sampling role, forward exploration role, and compensation role; the center reference role is responsible for maintaining the formation reference phase; the left and right sampling roles are responsible for performing task acquisition in the areas on both sides; the forward exploration role is responsible for detecting obstacles and environmental information in the water ahead in advance; the compensation role is responsible for performing task quality supplementary acquisition and handling abnormal situations; the role offset uses the tangent and normal of the center path as the local coordinate reference to avoid different interpretations of the same offset in straight segments and turning segments;

[0042] The path file does not directly bind a fixed vessel number to the entire trajectory. Instead, it records the relationship between roles, biases, mission responsibilities, and sensor requirements. Before the mission begins, the unmanned surface vessel (USV) determines its role based on its sensor status, remaining battery power, positioning status, and propulsion status. USVs with matching mission sensor types, sufficient remaining battery power, and satisfactory positioning accuracy are prioritized for assignment to core mission roles. After the role is determined, the corresponding data is read... When a role changes, the patch rules in the path file will still be followed to avoid temporarily rewriting the base path file.

[0043] S13, Write to the wake influence region and task quality unit:

[0044] The path file records the wake influence area parameters for each flight segment; the wake parameters include the effective wake length function. Wake lateral influence width function Wake avoidance threshold, attitude stability threshold, and wake-sensitive task identifier; subscript Indicates the foreship that generates the wake. Indicates the speed of the preceding ship. The above function represents the curvature of the flight segment. It is determined by the hull dimensions, propeller type, speed range, flight segment curvature, and calibration navigation data. When calibration is not performed, conservative parameters are determined based on the hull dimensions, propeller arrangement, and test records. The conservative value of the effective wake length is taken as a preset multiple of the hull length, and the conservative value of the lateral influence width of the wake is taken as a preset multiple of the hull width.

[0045] The path file also divides the task area into multiple task quality units; for coverage tasks, task quality units are divided according to the effective coverage width of the sensor and the target overlap requirements; for sampling tasks, task quality units are divided according to the target sampling interval, sampling frequency, and sampling area; for inspection tasks, task quality units are divided according to the shoreline to be inspected, facility boundaries, or target area segments; each task quality unit records the spatial range and target quality value. Applicable sensor types, data confidence thresholds, debt trigger thresholds, and debt recovery thresholds, among which... Indicates the task quality unit number; the debt trigger threshold can be a preset percentage range of the target quality value, and the debt recovery threshold can be a preset percentage range of the target quality value;

[0046] S14. Write path patch rules and consistency fields:

[0047] The base path file records the file hash, file version, segment connection relationship, patch numbering rules, patch activation conditions, patch deactivation conditions, patch conflict handling rules, and status summary field. The status summary field includes at least the base path file hash, activated patch number, current mission phase, current segment, wake state summary, and quality debt summary. Each unmanned surface vessel only needs to exchange status summaries to determine whether they are executing based on the same valid path file status.

[0048] Step S2: Synchronize progress based on task phase.

[0049] like Figure 2 As shown, the execution progress of each unmanned vessel is unified to the task phase defined in the path file. Even if the position deviation of each vessel is caused by water flow, wind and waves, local avoidance or propulsion differences, they can still maintain coordination through phase projection and common phase calculation.

[0050] S21. Load and verify the base path file:

[0051] After receiving the basic path file, each unmanned surface vessel (USV) first verifies the file hash, version, segment continuity, role field integrity, wake field integrity, and mission quality unit field integrity. USVs that fail the verification are not allowed to enter the formation cooperative control and can only perform safety waiting or return control. After the verification is passed, the USV reads the bias function, allowable speed range, allowable lateral error, patching rules, and quality debt rules corresponding to its own role.

[0052] S22. Calculate the self-task phase and phase position reliability:

[0053] Within each control cycle, the first The unmanned ship is based on its current location Calculate the phase of your own task:

[0054] ;

[0055] In the formula, Indicates the first Unmanned boats at all times The phase of its own mission; Indicates the first Current location of the unmanned vessel; Indicates the first The center path function for each flight segment; Indicates the first The mission phase interval for each flight segment; Represents Euclidean distance; flight segment The segment number is determined by the segment from the previous control cycle, adjacent segments, and projection distance. When the projection distance from the current position to the center path of the adjacent segment is less than the projection distance to the center path of the current segment, and this state is maintained for multiple consecutive control cycles, the segment number is updated. When the phase projection is close to the segment boundary, the segment number is updated only after the conditions for entering the adjacent segment are met for multiple consecutive control cycles, thereby reducing segment jumps caused by positioning noise.

[0056] To avoid errors caused by large yaws affecting the common phase, phase position confidence is calculated for each unmanned vessel:

[0057] ;

[0058] In the formula, Indicates the first The relative position confidence of the unmanned vessel takes a value of... Inside; This indicates that the calculation result is limited to Inside; This represents the positioning quality coefficient, which is set to 1 when the satellite positioning accuracy, inertial navigation drift, or relative positioning stability meet the mission requirements, and decreases linearly as the positioning error increases. This represents the lateral projection error from the current position to the center path; Indicates the first The permissible lateral error for each segment is determined by the width of the waterway, the dimensions of the vessel, and the accuracy requirements of the mission. This represents the segment matching coefficient, with values ​​ranging from... Within, based on the connection relationship between the current segment and the segment of the previous control cycle, the consistency between the current heading and the tangential of the center path, and the consistency between the projection direction and the path forward direction, a comprehensive calculation is performed. The consistency of heading and the consistency of projection direction can be quantified by a preset angle threshold.

[0059] S23. Exchange state summaries and determine common task phases:

[0060] Each unmanned surface vessel (USV) periodically sends a status summary, which includes the USV ID, current role, mission phase, phase position confidence, current segment, base path file hash, effective patch number, mission sensor status, wake status summary, and quality debt summary. The receiver first compares the base path file hash and patch number, and only USVs in the same valid path file status participate in the common mission phase calculation.

[0061] The phase of a common task is determined by the following formula:

[0062] ;

[0063] In the formula, Indicates time The phase of the common task; This indicates the number of unmanned vessels participating in the common phase calculation; Indicates the first Phase weights of unmanned surface vessels; Indicates role The role weights are determined by the path file based on the importance of the role to navigation safety and mission quality. The central reference role has a higher weight than the sampled role, and the sampled role has a higher weight than the compensation role. Indicates the phase position confidence level; This represents the confidence level of health status, with values ​​ranging from... When the remaining power is sufficient, the thruster response is normal, the communication is stable, and the sensors are working properly, the value is 1. If any state is abnormal, the value is multiplied by the corresponding reduction factor. When the weight denominator is lower than the confidence threshold set in the path file, the common mission phase remains at the value of the previous cycle and the reference speed is reduced.

[0064] S24. Generate reference states for each unmanned vessel:

[0065] The status of a valid path file is determined by the following formula:

[0066] ;

[0067] In the formula, Indicates time Valid path file status; Indicates the base path file; Indicates the end time A sequence of path patches that are active and not yet expired; Represents the set of states affected by the wake; Represents the set of task quality debt states; This indicates the pre-defined application rules in the path file. These rules first filter out all valid patches within the current phase interval, sort them by security priority from high to low, and apply the patches in sequence. If there are conflicts between patches, the conflict handling rules will be followed.

[0068] No. The reference positions of the unmanned vessels are generated in the following order: first based on Read the center path position and path tangent direction; then read the character offset. ; then according to The path patch corrects the offset or phase; then, the phase interval or lateral offset is corrected according to the wake influence status; finally, the quality debt status is used to determine whether to enter the compensation trajectory; the reference heading is determined by the tangential of the corrected reference trajectory, and the reference speed is determined by the segment allowable speed, the common phase propulsion rate, the patch speed limit, and the wake speed limit.

[0069] Step S3: Generate path patches and maintain consistency during online obstacle avoidance.

[0070] like Figure 3 As shown, online obstacle avoidance is transformed into a runtime update of the path file. When any unmanned vessel discovers an obstacle, it generates a path patch bound to the mission phase, instead of executing a private detour trajectory controlled only by the vessel itself.

[0071] S31. Determine the obstacle collision phase interval:

[0072] When the When an unmanned surface vessel (USV) detects an obstacle, it first expands the obstacle boundary into an avoidance zone. The expansion distance can be the sum of half the width of the USV, the positioning error, the obstacle detection error, and the minimum safe distance. Then, the expected trajectory of each role is generated within the forward-looking phase window. The forward-looking phase window is determined by the current common task phase, the maximum braking distance, the communication delay, and the maximum speed. The window length can be obtained by dividing the sum of the travel distance corresponding to the maximum braking distance and the communication delay by the total length of the current segment to obtain the corresponding phase increment, so that the patch can be propagated and take effect before the USV reaches the obstacle.

[0073] The expected trajectory sweep area is determined by the character's reference trajectory, the ship's shape, the allowable lateral error, and the minimum turning radius. If the expanded obstacle area intersects with the expected trajectory sweep area of ​​any character, the intersection position is mapped to the mission phase to obtain the patch's applicable phase interval and the set of affected characters.

[0074] S32. Generate detour routes and patch content:

[0075] The detour corridor is generated according to the following process:

[0076] (1) Search for candidate channels in the navigable waters on both sides of the obstacle avoidance area. The navigable waters gridding method can be used to search for continuous grid areas with the required width as candidate channels, and channels whose width does not meet the requirements of the ship's dimensions and safety margin are eliminated.

[0077] (2) Select the channel from the candidate channels that has a smaller offset relative to the original trajectory, whose curvature meets the minimum turning radius, and does not enter the high wake influence zone of other unmanned vessels. The offset, curvature, and wake influence of each candidate channel can be normalized and then weighted and summed to select the channel with the lowest score.

[0078] (3) Generate entry points, transition points and exit points between the original trajectory and the candidate channel, and connect them using continuous curvature curves;

[0079] (4) Add detour curves, speed limits, and role yielding rules to the patch;

[0080] A path patch includes at least the following: base path file hash, patch number, generated ship identifier, obstacle avoidance zone, applicable mission phase interval, affected roles, detour corridor, speed constraints, formation adjustment rules, mission quality debt update rules, patch activation conditions, patch deactivation conditions, and patch conflict handling rules. The mission quality debt update rules are used to mark quality units that are not effectively covered or sampled due to detours.

[0081] S33. Distribute the patch and update the status of valid path files:

[0082] The patch-generating vessel first broadcasts a patch summary, which includes the base path file hash, patch number, applicable mission phase range, affected roles, and patch checksum. Other unmanned vessels, upon receiving the patch summary, first compare it with the base path file hash, then determine if their own common mission phase has not yet exceeded the patch's applicable phase range. If the check passes, they receive the complete patch content and write it into their local patch sequence according to the patch number. ;

[0083] If an unmanned vessel receives only a patch summary but not the complete patch content, it should reduce its reference speed before entering the patch's applicable phase zone and remain within the navigable safe zone. If communication interruption prevents patch confirmation, affected roles should handle the situation according to the risk level in the path file. Obstacles that are large, located in the core area of ​​the channel, and affect the main navigation route are considered high-risk obstacles. For these obstacles, affected roles are allowed to safely detour first, and the patch will be reissued after communication is restored. Obstacles that are small, located on the edge of the channel, and do not affect the main movement of the formation are considered low-risk obstacles. For these obstacles, confirmation should be prioritized to avoid unnecessary path state splits.

[0084] S34. Handling patch conflicts and rollbacks:

[0085] When multiple patches conflict within the same phase interval, the execution order is determined by safety level, applicable phase start point, number of affected characters, and patch number. The safety levels, from highest to lowest, are: high-risk obstacle avoidance patch, low-risk obstacle avoidance patch, quality compensation patch, and formation adjustment patch. When the safety levels are the same, the patch with the earlier applicable phase start point takes priority. If two patches modify the reference trajectory of the same character within the same phase interval, the trajectory with the larger safety distance is adopted, and the quality debt update rules in the other patch are retained.

[0086] When an obstacle leaves the avoidance area, the unmanned vessel passes through the phase interval applicable to the patch, the compensation task is completed, or the patch failure condition is met, the corresponding patch is marked as failed. Failed patches no longer participate in reference state generation, but the quality debt records they cause are retained until the corresponding quality unit is re-evaluated.

[0087] Step S4: Collaborative control based on wake effect and task quality debt correction.

[0088] By incorporating the hydrodynamic wake and mission completion quality into the same control closed loop, the wake's influence alters both the unmanned vessel's reference state and the contribution of the collected data to mission quality.

[0089] S41. Calculate the degree of wake effect:

[0090] Within each control cycle, the unmanned surface vessel (USV) calculates the wake impact based on the relative positions, relative headings, speeds, and wake parameters in the path file of adjacent vessels; for the preceding vessel... and the back ship The degree of wake impact is determined by the following formula:

[0091] ;

[0092] In the formula, Indicates time Back boat Affected by the previous ship The degree of wake impact, taking values ​​in Inside; Indicates the rear ship Located in the fore ship Longitudinal distance behind the heading; Indicates the rear ship Compared to the previous ship Lateral distance from the course centerline; Indicates the front ship speed The effective length of the wake; Indicates the front ship speed and segment curvature The width of the wake lateral impact; This represents a conditional function, which takes the value 1 if the condition is true and 0 otherwise.

[0093] S42. Correct the reference state based on wake effect:

[0094] when When the wake avoidance threshold in the path file is greater than the threshold, first check the following ship. Is the current role undertaking a wake-sensitive task? If the following ship is undertaking a water quality sampling task, then select an offset that can reduce wake impact and has a small offset from the candidate lateral offsets allowed by the path file. The range of the candidate lateral offsets should not exceed the boundary of the navigable area and should not exceed a preset multiple of the ship's width. If the lateral offset is restricted by the navigable area, then select a phase interval from the candidate phase intervals that can avoid high wake areas and has a small phase change. The range of the candidate phase intervals should be controlled within the preset task phase unit. If the wake avoidance requirements still cannot be met, then reduce the common task phase propulsion rate, or transfer the sampling task in this phase interval to a role that is not affected by the wake and whose sensors are matched.

[0095] If the following vessel undertakes tasks such as depth sounding, image inspection, or attitude stability requirements, then when the wake influence exceeds the attitude threshold, the reference speed for that segment should be reduced and the phase interval between the following and preceding vessels should be increased; during recovery, the offset or phase adjustment amount should be reduced periodically according to the recovery rate recorded in the path file to avoid sudden changes in the reference target.

[0096] S43. Calculate task quality debt:

[0097] Data acquisition records are associated with task quality units based on spatial range, acquisition time, sensor type, common task phase, location reliability, and acquisition validity. Only data acquisition records whose acquisition location falls within the quality unit's range, whose acquisition time is within the corresponding task phase interval or compensation phase window of that quality unit, and whose sensor type meets the requirements of that quality unit are included in the record set of that quality unit. If multiple data acquisition records are spatially separated by a preset proportion of the sensor's effective coverage radius and their time interval is within a preset range, they are considered duplicate records, and the record with the higher quality value is retained to avoid duplicate counting.

[0098] No. The quality debt of each task quality unit is calculated using the following formula:

[0099] ;

[0100] In the formula, Indicates the first Each task quality unit at time Quality debt; Indicates the first The target quality value of each task quality unit is determined by the number of target samplings, target coverage requirements, target overlap requirements, or minimum data confidence. Indicates the end time It has been associated with the first The collection of data records for each task quality unit; Indicates the first The original quality contribution of each collection record is determined by the effective value of the sampling data for water quality sampling records, by the image inspection records for image sharpness and target recognition confidence, and by the echo signal strength and depth accuracy for depth sounding records. Indicates the sensor confidence level, with values ​​ranging from Internally, this is determined by the sensor's calibration status and operational stability; This represents the environmental reduction factor, with values ​​ranging from... The internal parameters are determined by wake effects, positional confidence, and attitude stability.

[0101] When the The first collection record is from the first When an unmanned surface vessel (USV) is acquired and is affected by the wakes of other USVs, the environmental reduction factor is determined by the following formula:

[0102] ;

[0103] In the formula, Indicates the first The collection time of each data entry record; Indicates the time of the first... The unmanned ship was affected by the first The extent of the wake impact of the unmanned vessel; This indicates that all other unmanned ships are in contact with the first... The maximum wake effect generated by the unmanned surface vessel; if not affected by the wake, and the positioning and attitude stability meet the path file threshold, then Approaching 1; if in a state of strong wake disturbance, then reduce;

[0104] S44. Generate a quality compensation patch:

[0105] When the quality debt of any task quality unit When the debt trigger threshold is exceeded, a quality compensation patch is generated in the valid path file; the quality compensation patch records the quality unit to be compensated, the compensation phase window, the compensation execution role, the compensation trajectory constraints, the acquisition quality requirements, the other role yielding rules, and the patch failure conditions;

[0106] The compensation for unmanned surface vessels is selected according to the following formula:

[0107] ;

[0108] In the formula, This indicates the selected unmanned vessel for compensation execution; This represents the set of candidate unmanned surface vessels that meet the requirements of sensor type, remaining battery power, health status, and safety constraints. Indicates candidate unmanned ships Reaching the Normalized value of phase distance of each mass unit; This represents the normalized value of energy consumption risk; This represents the normalized value of wake risk when entering the compensation zone; This represents the normalized value of the perturbation for the phase advancement of the common task; This represents the normalized value indicating insufficient sensor margin risk. The weights of each cost item are set by the path file according to the task type. Each weight is a dimensionless non-negative value. In water quality sampling tasks, wake risk and phase distance have a higher weight ratio, while in inspection tasks, common phase disturbance and energy consumption risk have a higher weight ratio.

[0109] Once the compensation execution UAV is determined, the mass compensation patch modifies the UAV's reference phase, reference offset, or local compensation trajectory within the compensation phase window. The compensation trajectory uses a straight line segment parallel to the original center path, with circular arc transitions at both ends that meet the minimum turning radius requirements. Other UAVs adjust their speed, lateral offset, or phase interval according to the yield rules in the patch. After the compensation data acquisition is completed, the corresponding mass debt is recalculated. If the mass debt is lower than the recovery threshold, the mass compensation patch becomes invalid, and the compensation execution UAV returns to its original role offset or enters the next phase interval according to the recovery rules recorded in the path file.

[0110] Step S5: Perform closed-loop control, state alignment, and task completion judgment.

[0111] The valid path file status is converted into actual control commands, and status alignment is performed in case of anomalies, patch mismatches, or insufficient mission quality. Mission completion is based not only on the sailing progress, but also on whether the critical mission quality units have met the standards.

[0112] S51. Perform motion control based on the reference state:

[0113] Each unmanned surface vessel (USV) calculates its current position error, heading error, and speed error based on its own reference position, reference heading, and reference speed. The motion control unit then generates rudder angle, thruster speed, differential thrust, or other execution commands. Path tracking employs line-of-sight guidance control, proportional control, model predictive control, or other conventional control methods suitable for USVs. The input to this conventional controller is the reference state generated in real time from the valid path file, rather than fixed waypoints.

[0114] S52. Perform exception handling and state alignment:

[0115] If the unmanned surface vessel (USV) is unable to track the reference state within the range of the maximum lateral error, maximum phase error, or maximum speed error specified in the path file, it will send an anomaly state summary. The maximum lateral error can be a preset multiple of the hull width, the maximum phase error can be a preset mission phase unit range, and the maximum speed error can be a preset ratio range of the current reference speed. The anomaly state summary includes the current position, current mission phase, phase position confidence, patch number, wake state summary, quality debt summary, and anomaly type.

[0116] After receiving the abnormal status summary, each unmanned surface vessel (USV) performs status alignment in the order of basic path file hash, patch number, common mission phase, quality debt summary, and wake status summary. If only the quality debt summary is inconsistent, the corresponding quality unit's debt update record is requested. If the patch number is inconsistent, the missing patch is requested. If the common mission phase deviation is too large, the reference speed is reduced and phase recovery control is performed. The phase recovery rate can be determined based on the ratio of the maximum speed to the total length of the current segment, and shall not exceed the preset phase recovery upper limit.

[0117] S53, roll back the patch and check if the task is complete:

[0118] When an obstacle leaves the avoidance area, the unmanned surface vessel passes through the applicable phase interval of the patch, the compensation mass unit meets the standard, or the wake effect is lower than the recovery threshold, the corresponding patch is marked as invalid. The invalid patch will no longer participate in the reference state generation, but the mass debt record generated by the patch will be retained until the corresponding mass unit is re-evaluated. Each unmanned surface vessel confirms that the patch rollback status is consistent by using the patch number and patch verification value.

[0119] When the common mission phase reaches the mission end phase, and the quality debt of all critical mission quality units is below the end threshold, the formation mission is considered complete. Critical mission quality units are the quality units corresponding to core sampling points, key inspection facilities, or high-risk waters within the mission area. If there are still critical quality units with quality debt exceeding the end threshold after the common mission phase reaches the mission end phase, a quality compensation patch is generated based on the remaining power, sensor availability, wake influence status, and quality unit location, so that at least one unmanned vessel can complete supplementary sampling, supplementary measurement, or supplementary inspection before the mission ends.

[0120] Through the detailed description of the above embodiments, the unmanned surface vessel (USV) formation cooperative control method of the present invention, based on path files, integrates mission planning, formation coordination, online obstacle avoidance, and quality control into a unified path file framework by constructing a basic path file with cooperative control semantics. This method uses the mission phase as the global benchmark for formation coordination, and achieves progress synchronization among USVs through phase projection and state summary weighted calculation, avoiding coordination desynchronization caused by individual differences. Online obstacle avoidance is transformed into the generation and application of path patches, and a standardized patch management mechanism ensures the consistency of formation state in dynamic environments. Simultaneously, real-time correction of wake effects and closed-loop control of mission quality debt are introduced, realizing joint optimization of motion coordination and mission quality, and providing a systematic cooperative control scheme for USV formations to perform various tasks in complex waters.

[0121] The preset parameters in the above formulas shall be set by those skilled in the art according to the actual situation.

[0122] The above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, by software, hardware, firmware, or any other combination thereof. When implemented using software, the above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer programs are loaded or executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more sets of available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium. A semiconductor medium can be a solid-state drive.

[0123] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the order of the above-mentioned processes does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0124] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0125] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0126] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0127] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0128] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for cooperative control of unmanned surface vessels (USVs) based on path files, characterized in that, The method flow is as follows: Step S1: Generate a basic path file. The basic path file is formed based on the mission water area, unmanned vessel capabilities, and mission quality requirements, and records the mission phased center path, formation role offset, wake influence parameters, mission quality unit, path patching rules, and state consistency field. Step S2: Based on the task phase, the progress synchronization is completed. Each unmanned vessel loads and verifies the basic path file, projects its current position onto the central path to determine its own task phase and phase position confidence, and determines the common task phase through state summary interaction. Step S3: Generate path patches and maintain consistency during online obstacle avoidance. When an obstacle conflicts with the expected trajectory of the formation character, generate a path patch bound to the mission phase and propagate it to the unmanned ships in the formation to update the status of the valid path file. Step S4: Based on the wake effect and task quality debt correction collaborative control, the reference state is corrected according to the wake effect status, and task quality debt and quality compensation patch are generated according to the correlation results between the collected records and the task quality unit. Step S5: Generate a reference state based on the status of the valid path file and execute closed-loop control. Perform state alignment in case of anomalies, patch mismatches, or inconsistent task quality debts. Determine task completion based on the common task phase and the task quality debt of the critical task quality unit.

2. The unmanned vessel formation cooperative control method based on path files according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S1, generating the basic path file includes: A mission center path is generated based on the mission area, and the mission center path is divided into multiple continuous segments according to changes in path curvature, navigation width, mission type, formation change requirements, and wake sensitivity. Each segment is configured with a segment number and a mission phase interval. The mission phase is used to characterize the formation mission execution progress, and the center path serves as a common benchmark for generating reference states for each unmanned vessel.

3. The unmanned vessel formation cooperative control method based on path files according to claim 2, characterized in that, The basic path file records the correspondence between formation roles and role offsets, mission responsibilities, and sensor requirements; the role offset uses the tangent and normal directions of the center path as local coordinate references; each unmanned vessel determines its formation role based on its own sensor status, remaining battery power, positioning status, and propulsion status, and reads the corresponding role offset; when the formation role changes, the reference status is updated according to the path patching rules.

4. The unmanned vessel formation cooperative control method based on path files according to claim 1, characterized in that, The base path file also records wake impact parameters, mission quality units, and state consistency fields. The wake impact parameters include effective wake length, wake lateral impact width, wake avoidance conditions, attitude stability conditions, and wake-sensitive mission identifiers. The mission quality units include spatial range, target quality value, applicable sensor type, data confidence conditions, debt triggering conditions, and debt recovery conditions. The state consistency fields include base path file identifier, file version, effective path patch number, current mission phase, current segment, wake status summary, and mission quality debt summary.

5. The unmanned vessel formation cooperative control method based on path files according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S2, each unmanned vessel verifies the file identifier, file version, segment continuity, role field integrity, wake field integrity, and mission quality unit field integrity of the basic path file. After the verification is passed, each unmanned vessel determines its own mission phase based on the projection relationship between its current position and the center path of the current or adjacent segments, and determines the phase position reliability based on the positioning quality, lateral projection error, and the matching status between the current heading and the center path.

6. The unmanned vessel formation cooperative control method based on path files according to claim 5, characterized in that, Determining the phase of the common task includes: Each unmanned surface vessel (USV) periodically exchanges a status summary, which includes its current role, its own mission phase, phase position confidence, current segment, basic path file identifier, effective path patch number, wake status summary, and mission quality debt summary. The receiving party filters USVs in the same valid path file status based on the basic path file identifier and effective path patch number, and determines the phase weight based on formation role, phase position confidence, and health status to weight the calculation of its own mission phase. When the phase weight does not meet the common mission phase update conditions, the common mission phase of the previous control cycle is maintained and the reference speed is adjusted.

7. The unmanned vessel formation cooperative control method based on path files according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S3, generating the path patch includes: When an obstacle is detected, the obstacle boundary is extended into an obstacle avoidance zone. Within the forward-looking mission phase determined by the common mission phase, the expected trajectory sweep area for each formation role is generated. When the obstacle avoidance zone intersects with the expected trajectory sweep area, the intersection position is mapped to the mission phase to determine the applicable mission phase range and affected roles of the path patch. The detour corridor, speed constraint, formation adjustment rules, role yielding rules, and mission quality debt update rules are written into the path patch.

8. The unmanned vessel formation cooperative control method based on path files according to claim 7, characterized in that, The propagation and consistency maintenance of the path patch include: The unmanned surface vessel (USV) that generates the path patch sends a path patch summary, which includes the base path file identifier, path patch number, applicable mission phase interval, affected roles, and patch verification information. The receiver receives the path patch content and writes it into the local patch sequence when the base path file identifier is consistent and the common mission phase has not yet crossed the applicable mission phase interval. When multiple path patches conflict in the same mission phase interval, the application order is determined according to the security level, the starting point of the applicable mission phase, the number of affected roles, and the path patch number. When the path patch failure condition is met, the corresponding path patch is marked as invalid.

9. The unmanned vessel formation cooperative control method based on path files according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S4, the collaborative control based on wake effect and task quality debt correction includes: The wake influence status is determined based on the relative position, relative heading, speed, and wake influence parameters in the basic path file between adjacent unmanned surface vessels (USVs). When the wake influence status meets the wake correction conditions, the lateral offset, phase interval, or reference speed of the affected USV is corrected according to the mission type, or the corresponding mission is transferred to a formation role with matching sensor type that is not affected by the wake. The collected records are associated with the corresponding mission quality unit according to spatial range, collection time, sensor type, common mission phase, positioning information status, and collection validity status, and the mission quality debt is determined accordingly.

10. The unmanned vessel formation cooperative control method based on path files according to claim 9, characterized in that, When the task quality debt meets the debt triggering condition, a quality compensation patch is generated. The quality compensation patch includes the quality unit of the task to be compensated, the phase range of the compensated task, the compensation execution role, the compensation trajectory constraint, the acquisition quality requirement, the yielding rules of other roles, and the failure condition.

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