Self-tuning adaptive control of large ships in non-stationary conditions

Abstract

This paper describes a simulation study on the self-tuning adaptive control of a supertanker and a 2nd generation containership. The simulation covers the main operational navigation situations, i.e. course keeping and course changing in stationary as well as non-stationary conditions. The design of the adaptive autopilot is obtained by application of an extended self-tuning controller which minimizes a preset cost function, whose form depends on the operational situation and on the environmental conditions. The way the non-stationary conditions can be taken into account is discussed. For each type of ship a large number of runs were carried out. The results indicate that a self-tuning adaptive autopilot is a feasible and efficient solution for the automatic steering of the ship in all the considered situations.