Multi-Source Sensor Fusion Localization Method for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Based on Deep Learning

Xin Pan, Guoli Feng, Haiyan Zeng, Qunhong Tian

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are increasingly used in deep-sea exploration, environmental monitoring, and marine engineering. Their operational safety and mission performance rely heavily on accurate and long-endurance underwater localization. However, both single-sensor localization methods and existing multi-sensor fusion approaches have inherent limitations, making it difficult to achieve high-precision localization during long-duration missions. To address this issue, this study develops a deep-learning-based multi-source sensor fusion framework for AUV localization. In the proposed framework, high-frequency data from the Inertial navigation system (INS) and Doppler velocity log (DVL) are used for continuous position propagation, while low-frequency absolute position observations from the Ultra-short baseline (USBL) system and Sonar are used to periodically correct the propagated results. Based on this framework, three instantiated models are developed using a Deep neural network (DNN), a Long short-term memory (LSTM) network, and a Bayesian semi-supervised mixed shallow-layer neural network (BSsMSLNN), respectively. Comparative experiments are conducted against the Extended Kalman filter (EKF) and Simultaneous localization and mapping system using Sonar, Visual, Inertial, and Depth sensor (SVIn2). The results show that the proposed framework effectively suppresses long-term error accumulation and significantly improves localization accuracy. Among the evaluated models, the BSsMSLNN-based method achieves the best performance in terms of trajectory fitting, root mean square error (RMSE), and coefficient of determination (R2). The proposed method provides a feasible solution for high-precision autonomous navigation of AUVs in GPS-denied environments.