In this paper, through the application research of underwater gliders, it is found that ocean currents are the major influencing factor in the practical application of gliders. The objective of this study is to solve the path planning of glider formation in time-varying ocean currents. Using the existing glider model, energy consumption model and time-varying ocean current model are established based on the existing data, and a model close to the practical application of glider formation is established as well. The existing RRT algorithms are improved to be OCi-RRT (Ocean current improved RRT) algorithms based on environmental ocean currents. the algorithms are used to solve the path planning problems encountered in the practical application of gliders. Through simulations that are close to the restrictions of reality and the ideal communication state, it indicates that the improved RRT algorithms are suitable for path planning of glider formation in real ocean current environments. Then, a large number of simulation experiments are conducted, the results show that OCi-RRT* can reduce the number of cycles and path length by up to 14%, and the unit energy utilization can increase by up to 25% comparing with the RRT algorithm.

A disc-type underwater glider (DTUG) has a highly symmetrical shape and is characterized by omnidirectional characteristics and high maneuverability in small bodies of water. To further explore the disc shape’s advantages and characteristics in steering motion, DTUG motion was simulated by Matlab/Simulink. Based on the structural characteristics of DTUG, the motion control equations were established. The simulation of DTUG’s steering motion is carried out and compared with a previous DTUG (LUNA). The sensitivity analysis and Lyapunov stability analysis were also conducted. The results showed that the in situ steering motion can be realized by controlling the position of the center of gravity (CG) of DTUG without moving vertically, which facilitates rapid adjustment of the yaw angle and flexible movement in small bodies of water. The in situ steering motion was significantly affected by the control parameters. The parameter that had the greatest effect on it can be obtained through sensitivity analysis, which can guide DTUG to better adjust the yaw angle under different conditions. The stability analysis showed that the DTUG can remain stable within the range of the control parameter.

In practical application studies of glider formations, ocean currents are a major influencing factor in their path planning. The purpose of this paper is to solve the path planning problem of glider formations in time‐varying ocean currents and establish gliders, glider formation, and ocean current models based on existing data. The Doc‐CNN architecture is tailored to conform to the operation and environment characteristics of gliders in practical application. After experiments, the algorithm of the improved architecture can be used in the path planning task of glider formation. The algorithm architecture is compared and tested on two datasets, grid maps and ocean maps. Doc‐CNN has an advantage over architecture without being tailored to glider characteristics and makes full use of known global information and local information collected by gliders themselves. The results show that the path planning problem of glider formation in ocean currents can be solved by using Doc‐CNN.