Yiheng XUE (Billy)

Yiheng XUE (Billy)

Robotics & CV Engineer

USV-Tracker: A Novel USV Tracking System for Surface Investigation with Limited Resources

Published in Ocean Engineering, 2024

Figure: Overview of the USV-Tracker. The blue line represents the predicted trajectory of the target, while the red line indicates the planned path of the USV, both incorporating strategies for obstacle avoidance and FOV constraints, (a) depicts the actual tracking system in operation blue, (b) shows the obstacle map utilized in the path planning task, (c) illustrates a diagram of a USV dynamically tracking a moving target, adjusting its course and camera FOV to navigate around obstacles and maintain consistent focus on the target.

Abstract

This paper introduces USV-Tracker, a novel tracking system for Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) tailored for practical applications such as surface investigation and target tracking. The system tackles three pivotal challenges: perception robustness, tracking concealment, and planning efficiency. The contributions of this work are manifold: (1) A multi-sensor fusion framework utilizing an Extended Kalman Filter(EKF) to enhance target detection and positioning accuracy, integrating data from cameras, LiDAR, GPS, and IMU sensors. (2) A two-stage path planning algorithm that generates occlusion avoidance trajectories and employs a virtual elastic force constraint to maintain appropriate relative positioning. In dense obstacle environments, the algorithm tends to get closer to the target and incorporates FOV orientation constraints to ensure stable perception. (3) A visibility-aware control strategy that ensures continuous target observability through EKF-based trajectory prediction. Simulations in Gazebo and corresponding physical experiments validate the system’s effectiveness and robustness, demonstrating its applicability in real-world scenarios. The computational workload is managed on a constrained on-board computer, underscoring the system’s practicality.

Video

Physical Experimental Results 👇🏻

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Recommended citation: Huang, T.*, Xue, Y.*, Xue, Z., Zhang, Z., Miao, Z., & Liu, Y. (2024). USV-Tracker: A novel USV tracking system for surface investigation with limited resources. Ocean Engineering, 312, 119196.
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