Collision Avoidance for Unmanned Surface Vehicles in Multi-Ship Encounters Based on Analytic Hierarchy Process–Adaptive Differential Evolution Algorithm

Path planning and collision avoidance issues are key to the autonomous navigation of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs). This study proposes an adaptive differential evolution algorithm model integrated with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP-ADE). The traditional differential evolution algorithm is enhanced by introducing an elite archive strategy and adaptively adjusting the scale factor F and the crossover factor CR to balance global and local search capabilities, preventing premature convergence and improving the search accuracy. Additionally, the collision risk index (CRI) model is optimized and combined with the quaternion ship domain, enhancing the precision of CRI calculations and USV autonomous collision avoidance capabilities. The improved CRI model, the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, and the optimal collision avoidance distance were incorporated as evaluation factors in a fitness function assessment, with weights determined through the AHP to enhance the rationality and accuracy of the fitness function. The proposed AHP-ADE algorithm was compared with the improved particle swarm algorithm, and the performance of the algorithm was comprehensively evaluated using safety, economy, and operational efficiency. Simulation experiments on the MATLAB platform demonstrated that the proposed AHP-ADE algorithm exhibited better performance in scenarios involving multiple ship encounters, thus proving its effectiveness.