Systems Engineering and Electronics ›› 2026, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (7): 2457-2468.doi: 10.12305/j.issn.1001-506X.2026.07.29

• Guidance, Navigation and Control • Previous Articles    

Cooperative navigation method for UAV/ USV based on the improved PPO algorithm

Wei GUAN, Tongbo HU, Xianku ZHANG, Chunqi LUO, Sheng QU, Zhewen CUI   

  1. Navigation Academy,Dalian Maritime University,Dalian 116026,China
  • Received:2025-04-29 Revised:2025-08-19 Online:2025-11-06 Published:2025-11-06
  • Contact: Wei GUAN

Abstract:

Aiming at the problems of the perception limitations of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensing system in “U-shaped” obstacle and occlusion scenarios, as well as the insufficient autonomous navigation efficiency of unmanned surface vessel (USV) in complex water environments, a cooperative unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)/USV navigation method based on an improved proximal policy optimization algorithm is proposed. By integrating the high-altitude visual perception capability of UAVs with the surface execution function of USVs, the proposed method compensates for the perceptual deficiencies of LiDAR in specific scenarios, thereby enhancing the navigation performance of USVs in complex environments. In terms of algorithm design, a long short-term memory network is adopted to model the temporal dependency features of the USV’s motion state, while incorporating Ornstein-Uhlenbeck noise and generalized advantage estimation to enhance policy exploration efficiency and improve the stability of value estimation. Furthermore, by designing a set of auxiliary reward functions, the method optimizes path length while constraining rudder angle fluctuations, resulting in smoother navigation trajectories. This study provides a theoretical foundation for UAV/USV navigation in complex water environments.

Key words: unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), unmanned surface vessel (USV), cooperative navigation, proximal policy optimization (PPO)

CLC Number: 

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