Robust vessel maneuvering modelling using set-membership identification

Journal Article (2026)
Author(s)

Abhishek Dhyani (TU Delft - Mechanical Engineering)

Anastasios Tsolakis (TU Delft - Mechanical Engineering)

Kasper van der El (Damen Research, Development and Innovation B.V.)

Rudy R. Negenborn (TU Delft - Mechanical Engineering)

Vasso Reppa (TU Delft - Mechanical Engineering)

Research Group
Transport Engineering and Logistics
DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conengprac.2026.106936 Final published version
More Info
expand_more
Publication Year
2026
Language
English
Research Group
Transport Engineering and Logistics
Journal title
Control Engineering Practice
Volume number
173
Article number
106936
Downloads counter
21
Reuse Rights

Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.

Abstract

System identification of full-scale surface vessels must address significant uncertainties arising from model mismatch, sensor noise, and environmental disturbances. To provide safety, robustness, and constraint satisfaction guarantees, especially for autonomous navigation applications, it is essential to quantify the bounds of parametric model uncertainty. This paper proposes a set-membership identification method for estimating key parameters of a nonlinear vessel maneuvering model, including inertia and added-mass terms, other hydrodynamic derivatives in the Coriolis-centripetal, damping matrices, and actuation-related parameters. The method provides a bounded-error characterisation of uncertainties, offering a reliable framework for modelling the effects of measurement noise, wind, and waves. It involves computing a data-driven parameter set (DDPS) using input-output measurements and model assumptions, which is further used to compute a feasible parameter set (FPS). The parameter estimates are then obtained by iteratively solving a quadratic program over the FPS polytope. Validation of the method using experimental data from a full-scale catamaran demonstrates improved accuracy of up to 26.5% as compared to existing approaches, significantly faster computational times, and its capability to provide bounded parameter estimates.