Cooperative multi-agent control for autonomous ship towing under environmental disturbances

Among the promising application of autonomous surface vessels (ASVs) is the utilization of multiple autonomous tugs for manipulating a floating object such as an oil platform, a broken ship, or a ship in port areas. Considering the real conditions and operations of maritime practice, this paper proposes a multi-agent control algorithm to...

Model predictive trajectory tracking control and thrust allocation for autonomous vessels

The maneuvering control of autonomous vessels has been under extensive investigations by academic and industrial communities since it is one of the primary steps towards enabling unmanned shipping. In this paper, a model predictive control (MPC) approach is presented for trajectory tracking control of vessels which takes into account the...

Cooperative Multi-Vessel Systems for Waterborne Transport

This PhD thesis investigates V2V, V2I, and I2I cooperation of CMVSs for improving the safety and efficiency of waterborne transport. A predictive motion control framework and a generic negotiation framework are proposed to achieve consensus among controllers. Different applications provide insights into the impact of CMVSs on the performance of...

A systemic hazard analysis and management process for the concept design phase of an autonomous vessel

Autonomous vessels have become a topic of high interest for the maritime transport industry. Recent progress in the development of technologies enabling autonomous systems has fostered the idea that autonomous vessels will soon be a reality. However, before the first autonomous vessel can be released into her actual context of operation, it...

Adaptive control for autonomous ships with uncertain model and unknown propeller dynamics

Motion control is one of the most critical aspects in the design of autonomous ships. During maneuvering, the dynamics of propellers as well as the craft hydrodynamical specifications experience severe uncertainties. In this paper, an adaptive control approach is proposed to control the motion and trajectory tracking of an autonomous vessel...

Guidance, Navigation and Control of Autonomous Vessels: An Implementation using a Control-Based Framework

This thesis report proposes a framework to implement Navigation, Guidance and Control (GNC) systems, that enable point-to-point autonomy for displacement vessels. A model-based control approach is chosen as the basis of the GNC systems. The resulting algorithms are implemented for verification in a 1:25 scale model of a Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD)...