In the pitch-black depths of the ocean, reefs, sunken ships, steep slopes, and even submarines can all be potential "terminators" for wave gliders. Traditional obstacle avoidance relies on pre-set routes or remote control, and once an unexpected obstacle is encountered, it often can only "leave it to fate." However, Zhongshan Beihuan Photonics' patented technology is endowing gliders with the ability to autonomously perceive, decide, and avoid obstacles, enabling deep-sea exploration to truly achieve intelligence.
I. Core Technology: Bionic "Eye-Brain-Hand-Foot" Collaborative Operations
1. "Eyes" - Sonar + Multi-Sensor Fusion
The sonar obstacle avoidance module in the patent continuously scans the direction of the glider's movement, integrating pressure depth sensors and inertial navigation systems to construct a three-dimensional environmental map within a 10-meter radius. Even when faced with a 0.5-meter-high underwater volcanic cone or suspended fishing nets, it can accurately identify them.
2. "Brain" - AI Dynamic Decision-Making Model
Using the Timestamp Collision Detection (TCD) algorithm, it predicts the future 30-second movement trajectories of itself and dynamic obstacles (such as fish schools or submarines). Once the collision risk index exceeds the threshold, it immediately activates the obstacle avoidance program, achieving a 5-fold improvement in reaction speed compared to traditional systems.
3. "Limbs" - Multi-Surface Precision Control
By controlling two wings, a tail fin, and four micro-propellers, it achieves "sharp turns + vertical movement" combined maneuvers:
o When encountering reefs, the wings deflect 45° for a sharp turn;
o When encountering underwater cliffs, the propellers provide reverse thrust to assist in ascending.
Analogy: Like a car's automatic parking system, but the scenario is the ever-changing deep sea - no GPS signals, water currents act like "crosswinds," and obstacles move on their own!
II. Why is this a disruptive breakthrough?
Traditional wave gliders have three major shortcomings in obstacle avoidance:
• "Blind man's buff": They rely solely on pre-set paths and cannot handle unknown obstacles;
• "Slow response": Remote control signal delays can reach minutes, making it impossible to respond in time to emergency sinking currents;
• "Poor maneuverability": Weakly powered gliders have a turning radius exceeding 50 meters, making it difficult to avoid obstacles at close range.
The new patent addresses these challenges through two innovations:
1. Real-time local path planning
Optimized artificial potential field algorithm (EAPF) generates a "repulsive field" for obstacles and a "gravitational field" for target points, enabling the glider to automatically move safely along the direction of the resultant force and avoid getting stuck in local dead zones.
2. Weak maneuverability enhancement compensation
The four propellers are retracted for energy efficiency during normal operation but deploy to provide instant thrust during obstacle avoidance, reducing the turning radius to within 10 meters-comparable to underwater "drifting."
As the researchers noted: "When gliders can perceive changes in water currents like fish, the boundaries of human exploration into the deep blue will be expanded once again. " This deep integration of AI and deep-sea equipment not only unlocks the "black box" of the ocean's unknown realms but also marks a technological milestone in humanity's advance into the "deep blue." In the dark currents of the thousand-meter-deep ocean, these intelligent towed bodies are writing a new chapter in marine exploration under the banner of technology.
