Multiple marine vehicle deconicted path planning with currents and communication constraints

Recent research in multiple autonomous marine vehicle (AMV) applications shows that versatile path planning algorithms are of crucial importance to cooperative control scenarios. These algorithms need to be lightweight in terms of running time and capable of incorporating different factors inuencing a given mission, like AMV dynamic constraints and environmental conditions. In addition, the path planner needs to take into account requirements imposed by multiple vehicle scenarios (of which collision avoidance is an important issue), and inter-vehicle communication constraints. Mission-related measures have to be incorporated additionally, such as minimization of energy usage over all participating AMVs, and simultaneous arrival of the AMVs at their designated target destinations, to name but a few. These aspects pose considerable challenges both from a theoretical and practical implementation standpoint. This paper presents a versatile path planning algorithm for deconicted multiple AMV missions at sea, incorporating single vehicle dynamical constraints as well as an inter-vehicle communication constraint. Additionally, it takes into account unknown constant ocean currents, and gives an overview on time-coordinated path following, a a closed-loop methodology to execute the planned mission, reducing the need for replanning in the presence of disturbances. The paper finishes with an outlook on important future directions to advance the algorithm.