A novel crane-like launch and recovery system for multiple USVs: mechanism design, control strategy, and experimental validation
<p>To enhance safety in offshore operations and minimize modifications to the mother ship, an autonomous crane-like launch and recovery (LAR) system is essential for deploying and retrieving uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs). Traditional crane-like LAR systems are typically designed for handlin...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Mechanical Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://ms.copernicus.org/articles/16/273/2025/ms-16-273-2025.pdf |
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| _version_ | 1850115948853329920 |
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| author | D.-J. Zhang X.-H. Xiao G. Li C.-X. Li Y. Yang |
| author_facet | D.-J. Zhang X.-H. Xiao G. Li C.-X. Li Y. Yang |
| author_sort | D.-J. Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>To enhance safety in offshore operations and minimize modifications to the mother ship, an autonomous crane-like launch and recovery (LAR) system is essential for deploying and retrieving uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs). Traditional crane-like LAR systems are typically designed for handling a single USV, limiting operational efficiency. This paper proposes a novel crane-like LAR system capable of launching and recovering multiple USVs, improving efficiency and convenience. The system consists of a foldable crane arm, three floating brackets, two configuration control mechanisms (CCMs), and a lifting and lowering mechanism. The design and analysis of the foldable crane arm and CCMs are presented in detail. Furthermore, a vision-guided autonomous docking and recovery control strategy is proposed to enable autonomous docking operations. To validate the system, a prototype was developed, and comprehensive experiments were conducted. The results demonstrate that the system successfully recovers three USVs with smooth and stable motion.</p> |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ea458f94e7fa47d0ac580844ed9d08cf |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2191-9151 2191-916X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Mechanical Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-ea458f94e7fa47d0ac580844ed9d08cf2025-08-20T02:36:27ZengCopernicus PublicationsMechanical Sciences2191-91512191-916X2025-06-011627328910.5194/ms-16-273-2025A novel crane-like launch and recovery system for multiple USVs: mechanism design, control strategy, and experimental validationD.-J. Zhang0X.-H. Xiao1G. Li2C.-X. Li3Y. Yang4Jiangyinshi Beihai LSA Co., Ltd., Jiangyin, Jiangsu, 214400, ChinaNantong Cellulose Fibers Co., Ltd., Nantong, Jiangsu, 226007, ChinaShanghai Space Appliance Co., Ltd., Shanghai, 200331, ChinaSchool of Mechatronic Engineering and Automation, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, ChinaSchool of Mechatronic Engineering and Automation, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China<p>To enhance safety in offshore operations and minimize modifications to the mother ship, an autonomous crane-like launch and recovery (LAR) system is essential for deploying and retrieving uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs). Traditional crane-like LAR systems are typically designed for handling a single USV, limiting operational efficiency. This paper proposes a novel crane-like LAR system capable of launching and recovering multiple USVs, improving efficiency and convenience. The system consists of a foldable crane arm, three floating brackets, two configuration control mechanisms (CCMs), and a lifting and lowering mechanism. The design and analysis of the foldable crane arm and CCMs are presented in detail. Furthermore, a vision-guided autonomous docking and recovery control strategy is proposed to enable autonomous docking operations. To validate the system, a prototype was developed, and comprehensive experiments were conducted. The results demonstrate that the system successfully recovers three USVs with smooth and stable motion.</p>https://ms.copernicus.org/articles/16/273/2025/ms-16-273-2025.pdf |
| spellingShingle | D.-J. Zhang X.-H. Xiao G. Li C.-X. Li Y. Yang A novel crane-like launch and recovery system for multiple USVs: mechanism design, control strategy, and experimental validation Mechanical Sciences |
| title | A novel crane-like launch and recovery system for multiple USVs: mechanism design, control strategy, and experimental validation |
| title_full | A novel crane-like launch and recovery system for multiple USVs: mechanism design, control strategy, and experimental validation |
| title_fullStr | A novel crane-like launch and recovery system for multiple USVs: mechanism design, control strategy, and experimental validation |
| title_full_unstemmed | A novel crane-like launch and recovery system for multiple USVs: mechanism design, control strategy, and experimental validation |
| title_short | A novel crane-like launch and recovery system for multiple USVs: mechanism design, control strategy, and experimental validation |
| title_sort | novel crane like launch and recovery system for multiple usvs mechanism design control strategy and experimental validation |
| url | https://ms.copernicus.org/articles/16/273/2025/ms-16-273-2025.pdf |
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