Drone Carrier: An Integrated Unmanned Surface Vehicle for Autonomous Inspection and Intervention in GNSS-Denied Maritime Environment

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Dong, Yihao, Din, Muhayyu Ud, Lagala, Francesco, Kuang, Hailiang, Sun, Jianjun, Yang, Siyuan, Hussain, Irfan, He, Shaoming
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Dong, Yihao
Din, Muhayyu Ud
Lagala, Francesco
Kuang, Hailiang
Sun, Jianjun
Yang, Siyuan
Hussain, Irfan
He, Shaoming
author_facet Dong, Yihao
Din, Muhayyu Ud
Lagala, Francesco
Kuang, Hailiang
Sun, Jianjun
Yang, Siyuan
Hussain, Irfan
He, Shaoming
contents This paper introduces an innovative drone carrier concept that is applied in maritime port security or offshore rescue. This system works with a heterogeneous system consisting of multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) to perform inspection and intervention tasks in GNSS-denied or interrupted environments. The carrier, an electric catamaran measuring 4m by 7m, features a 4m by 6m deck supporting automated takeoff and landing for four DJI M300 drones, along with a 10kg-payload manipulator operable in up to level 3 sea conditions. Utilizing an offshore gimbal camera for navigation, the carrier can autonomously navigate, approach and dock with non-cooperative vessels, guided by an onboard camera, LiDAR, and Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) over a 3 km$^2$ area. UAVs equipped with onboard Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology execute mapping, detection, and manipulation tasks using a versatile gripper designed for wet, saline conditions. Additionally, two UAVs can coordinate to transport large objects to the manipulator or interact directly with them. These procedures are fully automated and were successfully demonstrated at the Mohammed Bin Zayed International Robotic Competition (MBZIRC2024), where the drone carrier equipped with four UAVS and one manipulator, automatically accomplished the intervention tasks in sea-level-3 (wave height 1.25m) based on the rough target information.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_12869
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Drone Carrier: An Integrated Unmanned Surface Vehicle for Autonomous Inspection and Intervention in GNSS-Denied Maritime Environment
Dong, Yihao
Din, Muhayyu Ud
Lagala, Francesco
Kuang, Hailiang
Sun, Jianjun
Yang, Siyuan
Hussain, Irfan
He, Shaoming
Robotics
Artificial Intelligence
This paper introduces an innovative drone carrier concept that is applied in maritime port security or offshore rescue. This system works with a heterogeneous system consisting of multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) to perform inspection and intervention tasks in GNSS-denied or interrupted environments. The carrier, an electric catamaran measuring 4m by 7m, features a 4m by 6m deck supporting automated takeoff and landing for four DJI M300 drones, along with a 10kg-payload manipulator operable in up to level 3 sea conditions. Utilizing an offshore gimbal camera for navigation, the carrier can autonomously navigate, approach and dock with non-cooperative vessels, guided by an onboard camera, LiDAR, and Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) over a 3 km$^2$ area. UAVs equipped with onboard Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology execute mapping, detection, and manipulation tasks using a versatile gripper designed for wet, saline conditions. Additionally, two UAVs can coordinate to transport large objects to the manipulator or interact directly with them. These procedures are fully automated and were successfully demonstrated at the Mohammed Bin Zayed International Robotic Competition (MBZIRC2024), where the drone carrier equipped with four UAVS and one manipulator, automatically accomplished the intervention tasks in sea-level-3 (wave height 1.25m) based on the rough target information.
title Drone Carrier: An Integrated Unmanned Surface Vehicle for Autonomous Inspection and Intervention in GNSS-Denied Maritime Environment
topic Robotics
Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.12869