This paper proposes a novel methodology, based on Fermat's spiral (FS), for constructing curvaturecontinuous parametric paths in a plane. FS has a zero curvature at its origin, a property that allows it to be connected with a straight line smoothly, that is, without the curvature discontinuity which occurs at the transition point between a line and a circular arc when constructing Dubins paths. Furthermore, contrary to the computationally expensive clothoids, FS is described by very simple parametric equations that are trivial to compute. On the downside, computing the length of an FS arc involves a Gaussian hypergeometric function. However, this function is absolutely convergent and it is also shown that it poses no restrictions to the domain within which the length can be calculated. In addition, we present an alternative parametrization of FS which eliminates the parametric speed singularity at the origin, hence making the spiral suitable for path-tracking applications. A detailed description of how to construct curvature-continuous paths with FS is given.
Modern marine electric propulsion vessels have many systems. These interactions and integration aspects are essential when studying a system and subsystem behavior. This is especially important when considering fault scenarios, harsh weather, and complex marine operations. However, many simulators, including a selection presented here, study the positioning system and the power system separately. This paper proposes a simulator combining the two systems, as an extension to the marine systems simulator MATLAB/Simulink library. The intended use cases and the according design choices are presented. New subsystem models include a power-based electrical bus model and a simplified diesel engine model. Both are validated through the simulation against established models. In addition, established models for generators, electrical storage devices, thrusters, and a mean-value diesel engine model are summarized with rich references. Three case studies illustrate the multi-domain use of the simulator: 1) a semi-submersible drilling rig performing station keeping under environmental disturbances; 2) the same vessel subject to an electrical bus reconfiguration; and 3) a supply vessel with a hybrid power plant.INDEX TERMS Marine technology, marine vehicles, power system simulation, dynamic positioning.
This paper presents the implementation of a 2D-lidar to a model-scale surface vessel, and the design of a control system that makes the vessel able to perform autonomous exploration of a small-scale marine environment by the use of the lidar and SLAM. This includes a presentation and discussion of experimental results. The completion of this system has involved the development of a suitable control system that merges exploration strategies, path planners, a motion controller, and a strategy for generating controller setpoints. The system was implemented on the Robot Operating System platform, which made it possible to utilize open-source algorithms for state of the art SLAM.
A thruster-assisted position mooring (TAPM) system includes different control functions for stationkeeping and motion damping for a moored offshore vessel with assist from thrusters. It consists of a conventional mooring system and a dynamic positioning (DP) system. The thrusters are used to provide damping and some restoring to the vessel motion and compensate if line breakage occurs. The mooring system absorbs the main loads to keep the vessel in place. This paper presents a complete modeling, parameter identification, and control design for a 1:90 scaled TAPM model vessel. The numerical values for the different model parameters are identified from towing tests. State-of-the-art TAPM control algorithms have been tested on the vessel in the Marine Control Laboratory (MC Lab), to see the behavior resulting from the different control algorithms. The presented experiments focus on the setpoint chasing algorithm, where the position setpoint slowly moves to the equilibrium position where the environmental loads are balanced by the mooring loads. This avoids conflicts between the mooring system and the control actions. If the environmental loads are too large so that the setpoint exceeds a user-defined safety radius, the setpoint is set to this radius and thruster forces grow to support the mooring system in counteracting the environmental loads to avoid line breakage. The experiments show that the vessel and setpoint chasing control algorithm behaves as expected, minimizing thruster usage and maximizing utilization of mooring system.
In this paper, we present a system simulator of a marine vessel and power plant which contains the mechanical system with diesel engines, propellers, steering gear, and thrusters; the electrical system with generators, switchboards, breakers, and motors; and the plant level controllers with dynamic positioning controller, thrust control, and power management system. Interconnections are possible to simulate by using a multi domain simulator. This is important when evaluating system performance and fault handling. The simulator is implemented in Simulink and is modular, configurable and scalable. It can be extended to run on National Instruments' cRIO embedded control and acquisition system, for real-time simulation.
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