This study aims to solve the problems of poor exploration ability, single strategy, and high training cost in autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) motion planning tasks and to overcome certain difficulties, such as multiple constraints and a sparse reward environment. In this research, an end-to-end motion planning system based on deep reinforcement learning is proposed to solve the motion planning problem of an underactuated AUV. The system directly maps the state information of the AUV and the environment into the control instructions of the AUV. The system is based on the soft actor-critic (SAC) algorithm, which enhances the exploration ability and robustness to the AUV environment. We also use the method of generative adversarial imitation learning (GAIL) to assist its training to overcome the problem that learning a policy for the first time is difficult and time-consuming in reinforcement learning. A comprehensive external reward function is then designed to help the AUV smoothly reach the target point, and the distance and time are optimized as much as possible. Finally, the end-to-end motion planning algorithm proposed in this research is tested and compared on the basis of the Unity simulation platform. Results show that the algorithm has an optimal decision-making ability during navigation, a shorter route, less time consumption, and a smoother trajectory. Moreover, GAIL can speed up the AUV training speed and minimize the training time without affecting the planning effect of the SAC algorithm.
Keywords: autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV); deep reinforcement learning (DRL); generative adversarial imitation learning (GAIL); motion planning; soft actor–critic (SAC).