Multi-Objective Path Planning for USVs Considering Environmental Factors

This study investigates the multi-objective path planning problem for unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), aiming to optimize both travel distance and energy consumption in maritime environments with obstacles, sea winds, and ocean currents. The proposed method accounts for practical constraints, including collision avoidance, kinematic boundaries, and speed limitations. The problem is formulated as a nonlinear multi-objective optimization model with generalized constraints and is solved using an improved particle swarm optimization algorithm enhanced by a vector-weighted fusion strategy. The algorithm adaptively balances exploration and exploitation to obtain diverse Pareto-optimal solutions. Simulation results under varying environmental conditions, along with real-world sea trials, validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The outcomes demonstrate that the method enables USVs to generate energy-efficient, smooth trajectories while maintaining robustness and adaptability, offering practical value for intelligent marine navigation.