Adaptive control techniques in ship autopilot design

Ship automatic pilot system design has captured the attention of many prominent control engineers with the increasing demand for accurate and more adequate pilots to keep a tighter control in more confined waterways and reduce fuel consumption by improving the course of navigation. Strategies for ship control involving both classical and modern schemes are examined. These include the pole-assignment controller which is an attractive scheme with a simple nature. Modern optimal techniques are also used to reduce the propulsion losses and minimise the travelled distance; the minimum variance controller is implemented for both course-keeping and course-changing requirements. The self-tuning (adaptive) approach which combines the controller design and the identification of system parameters is implemented and various parameter estimation algorithms are examined. Finally a dual-mode adaptive autopilot is designed that can be switched between course-keeping and course-changing with the helmsman taking over if the situation demands.