A Collision Avoidance Method for Intelligent Ship Based on the Improved Bacterial Foraging Optimization Algorithm

The bacterial foraging optimization algorithm (BFOA) is an intelligent population optimization algorithm widely used in collision avoidance problems; however, the BFOA is inappropriate for the intelligent ship collision avoidance planning with high safety requirements because BFOA converges slowly, optimizes inaccurately, and has low stability. To fix the above shortcomings of BFOA, an autonomous collision avoidance algorithm based on the improved bacterial foraging optimization algorithm (IBFOA) is demonstrated in this paper. An adaptive diminishing fractal dimension chemotactic step length is designed to replace the fixed step length to achieve the adaptive step length adjustment, an optimal swimming search method is proposed to solve the invalid searching and repeated searching problems of the traditional BFOA, and the adaptive migration probability is developed to take the place of the fixed migration probability to prevent elite individuals from being lost in BOFA. The simulation of benchmark tests shows that the IBFOA has a better convergence speed, optimized accuracy, and higher stability; according to a collision avoidance simulation of intelligent ships which applies the IBFOA, it can realize the autonomous collision avoidance of intelligent ships in dynamic obstacles environment is quick and safe. This research can also be used for intelligent collision avoidance of automatic driving ships.