High-level subsumption-based control architecture for sail-powered autonomous surface vehicles

This work proposes a high-level control architecture for an Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV) designed to overcome the challenges associated with executing missions under varying weather conditions and with energy autonomy. The project is built on the understanding that while a number of low-level con...

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Huvudupphovsman: Negreiros, Álvaro Pinto Fernandes de
Övriga upphovsmän: Gonçalves, Luiz Marcos Garcia
Materialtyp: doctoralThesis
Språk:English
Publicerad: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte
Ämnen:
USV
ROS
PPO
Länkar:https://repositorio.ufrn.br/handle/123456789/55159
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Sammanfattning:This work proposes a high-level control architecture for an Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV) designed to overcome the challenges associated with executing missions under varying weather conditions and with energy autonomy. The project is built on the understanding that while a number of low-level control techniques are readily available as open source, there remains a need for a high-level control architecture. This architecture would facilitate the creation of a resilient, versatile sailing vessel capable of handling any mission without requiring the user to master navigation specifics, naval procedures, or corner cases. The proposed solution involves developing a control architecture inspired by sub- sumption, and centered on hierarchical behaviors. This structure incorporates a variety of specialized behaviors adapted to different contexts, each of which is established using reinforcement learning techniques (PPO). A combination of Gazebo simulation environment with the ROS framework for training was used to validate the proposed architecture. This simulation enables the digital replication of the vessel’s behaviors, which simplifies the implementation process and mitigates the challenges and costs tied to real-world sailing operations. The simulation results of this study indicate that the high-level control architecture of the virtual sailing vessel was successful in passing both perimeter scanning and long-distance tests. This suggests that the ASV is equipped to navigate the several situations it might encounter in real-world missions