LAUSR

Qarhan Salt Lake is rich in mineral resources, such as sodium chloride, potassium, and magnesium [1]. At present, liquid mine exploiting is the main exploitation form for the Qarhan Salt Lake. Salt mining ships with mining equipments are widely used to exploit carnallite which is located at the bottom of pools. Conventionally, workmen utilize rude ferric sampler to collect carnallite samples and estimate their thickness, providing guidance to the salt mining ship [2]. However, the turbid brine and uneven carnallite reduce the efficiency of exploitation, which could no longer meet the rapid mining requirements. Furthermore, the salt mining ship is equipped with the differential global positioning systems (DGPS) to achieve precise position and navigation. How to yield an optimal path rapidly is a real-world topic worthy of further study [3–5].