Explicit Analytical Derivation of LSL and RSR Dubins' Paths for Intercepting a Uniformly Moving Target
Titouan Belier, Lionel Lapierre, Christophe Viel, Loick Degorre, Damien Massé
Abstract
Autonomous underwater robotics faces significant challenges, particularly in the reliable recovery of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) after mission completion. To address this, small AUVs can dock onto a moving mothership for safe transport to recovery sites, reducing operational risks. This paper presents an explicit analytical derivation of the LSL (Left-Straight-Left) and RSR (Right-Straight-Right) Dubins' Paths for intercepting an uniformly moving target, a critical problem for robust rendezvous in dynamic marine and underwater environments. The proposed approach leverages the classical Dubins' Path model to generate time optimal, real-time, curvature-constrained paths suitable for 2D AUVs. Experimental validation on an Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) demonstrates the effectiveness of the developed motion planning strategy.