A Distributed Artificial Potential Field Method for Ship Collision Avoidance Path Planning Under COLREGS

The traditional ship collision study shows a trend of focusing on more risk-based studies with support of uncertainty modeling methods. However, with the introduction of intelligent ships, the decision-making support systems used in the conventional ships will also become more comprehensive, detailed, and intelligent – changing from decision support to collaborative or augmented driving mode. The method proposed in this paper is designed to work as part of an intelligent navigation system for conventional ships as well as a collision avoidance (CA) function of intelligent ships. In order to achieve this goal, an improved artificial potential field (APF) method is developed for distributed multi-ship encounter situations under COLREGs. The method proposes a formalism to serve as the general form of information circulation of the decision-making process. On the base of this formalism, the ship encounter region is rebuilt with the APF model. The repulsive field is designed to include the ship risk field (SRF) and the compliance field (CF). SRF is established on the base of ship domain theory to form the collision risk around the moving ship. SRF has the highest priority in the CA decision-making process. Then, the CF is built based on the COLREGs, which define the general scope of navigation under current scenarios. The simulation results indicate that the method can be used successfully when all ships follow the COLREGs, even for occasional non-compliance with the rules. The experience gained during the development and application of this method will become a valuable resource of R&D of unmanned ships.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AW040 Standing Committee on Marine Safety and Human Factors.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  ,    
• Authors:
  • Wang, Tengfei
  • Wu, Qing
  • Diaconeasa, Mihai
  • Wang, Yang
  • Zhang, Mingyang
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 98th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2019-1-13 to 2019-1-17
• Date: 2019

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: 16p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automatic vessel control; Crash avoidance systems; Decision support systems; Intelligent vehicles; Maritime safety; Navigation systems; Ships; Water transportation crashes
• Identifier Terms: International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREG)
• Uncontrolled Terms: Artificial potential field
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Marine Transportation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01697480
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 19-05211
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 1 2019 3:51PM