A new hybrid path planning method for the sailboat architecture wave glider in the wind field environment

Abstract

To ensure efficient sailing of the SWG in complex marine environments and maintain its controllability in upwind or downwind conditions, a hybrid path planning method is proposed aiming at path time consumption and safety in this paper. The method includes a weight heuristic A* algorithm and a WAPF algorithm. The kinematic and dynamic models of the SWG are established, and the rotary diameter, velocity polar diagram, rotation constraint and dangerous wind angle constraint are obtained. To make better use of the fixed wind field environment and improve the efficiency of the algorithm, a weight heuristic A* algorithm is proposed for global path planning. The algorithm uses the form of weight-heuristic and reduces useless search directions. To ensure navigation safety and overcome the shortcomings of traditional APF algorithm, a WAPF algorithm for local path planning is proposed by introducing kinematic constraints and wind potential field into the algorithm model. Simulations are carried out and the results show that the proposed weight heuristic A* algorithm and WAPF algorithm are more suitable for the SWG navigation in the wind field environment than traditional path planning algorithms. The effectiveness of the WAPF algorithm is verified by sea trial and simulation comparison.