Research into the automatic berthing of underactuated unmanned ships under wind loads based on experiment and numerical analysis

Abstract

With the continuous improvement of unmanned ship automation requirements, research into the automatic berthing of underactuated unmanned ships has important theoretical significance and practical value. In order to determine the trajectory of unmanned ships, the line of sight (LOS) algorithm was applied due to the characteristics of underactuated unmanned ships without side thrusters. In order to resist wind disturbance, the active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) method was applied to keep the ship moving on its intended trajectory. Then, to carry out the simulation analysis before the tank experiment, a remote-control simulation system based on a user datagram protocol (UDP) communication was built, and the ability of the ADRC controller to make the ship perform completely automatic berthing in both wind and no wind conditions was verified in simulations. Combined with the simulation results, a tank experiment was accomplished at the Japanese National Research Institute of Fishery Engineering. The experimental results also showed that the ADRC controller has good robustness, that the problems of insufficient autonomous route determination and the disturbance rejection ability in the process of the automatic berthing of underactuated unmanned ships are solved, and the safety of ship navigation is improved, which lays a theoretical and experimental foundation for the further development of unmanned ship control.