Centralized AA-SIPP-based collision-avoidance path planning for multi-USV operations incorporating dynamic constraints

Abstract

With the growing deployment of multi-USV (unmanned surface vehicle) systems for complex maritime operations, coordinated path planning is critical for safety and efficiency in congested waterways. Classical multi-agent path finding (MAPF) methods, however, often neglect vessel kinematics and collision envelopes, yielding trajectories that are impractical or unsafe at sea. We present a centralized planning framework based on any-angle Safe Interval Path Planning (AA-SIPP) augmented with a vessel-specific maximum yaw- rate constraint. This yields smooth, kinematically feasible trajectories while preserving continuous-time separation. The approach is validated in high-fidelity Gazebo marina simulations involving up to 20 USVs based on the WAM-V platform. Compared with Conflict-Based Search (CBS), a representative grid-based MAPF algorithm, our framework maintained the prescribed safety distances and achieved zero collisions across all scenarios considered, whereas CBS exhibited separation violations in simulation. The method also scales well: mission makespan remained nearly constant as fleet size increased. These results support the applicability of dynamically constrained MAPF to maritime coordination in congested environments.