Work

Improved USV formation control with adaptive disturbance compensation and dynamic artificial potential field

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Precise formation control and autonomous obstacle avoidance for underactuated unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) in dynamic marine environments remain challenging due to fixed guidance parameters and rigid potential fields. This paper proposes a multi-layer cooperative control framework featuring a Disturbance-Mediated Adaptive Artificial Potential Field (DMA-APF), integrated with an adaptive LOS guidance law and an adaptive sliding mode control (ASMC) scheme. The DMA-APF synchronizes its predictive horizon with USV surge velocity and dynamically scales repulsive gains according to real-time environmental threats. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed framework significantly improves tracking accuracy and actuator efficiency. Steady-state formation errors are reduced from 0.4 m to within 0.2 m, and in dense obstacle scenarios, peak repulsive forces are limited to below 9 N, well below the 20 N saturation threshold. The results indicate that the DMA-APF effectively balances formation maintenance with safe, smooth, and energy-efficient navigation in complex maritime conditions.

Source: Ocean Engineering

DOI: 10.1016/j.oceaneng.2026.124442

Authors: Zihan Ding, Wei Shen, Guzi Xu, Yu Wu

Institution: Shanghai Ocean University

Language: English

Topic: Distributed Control Multi-Agent Systems

Subfield: Computer Networks and Communications

Field: Computer Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,150

Funder: Shanghai Ocean University