Heavy‐UUV Docking System for a Fixed Seabed Station Based on Differential Optical‐Guidance Beacons

ABSTRACT Heavy unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) with high‐capacity batteries and various payloads demand advanced energy replenishment and data retrieval technologies. Conventional suspended docking stations are unable to effectively counteract the impact forces of heavy UUVs, making seabed docking a more feasible solution. This study presents a seabed docking system for heavy UUVs that utilizes innovative differentiated optical‐guidance beacons, significantly enhancing the effective docking range to 35 m. Through the study of underwater optical characteristics, an effective‐workspace index for underwater optical guidance was proposed, guiding the design of differential beacons. Upon successful docking, the system enables high‐power magnetic‐coupling wireless power transfer (MC‐WPT) and high‐speed underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC). The MC‐WPT system operates at a power level of 6.6 kW, representing a high‐power level for underwater wireless charging and achieving an efficiency of 88.6%. A maximum data rate of 27 Mbps was attained by the UWOC system by employing a “wide‐angle transmission and wide‐field‐of‐view reception” technique. Validation tests conducted at a depth of 60 m in Qiandao Lake, using a UUV with a diameter of 533 mm, demonstrated a 100% successful docking rate. The results validate the feasibility and robustness of the proposed docking system in real‐world underwater conditions.