Simulation of Dynamic Tracking System for Rescue at Sea

In this paper, a time domain simulation is established to investigate the feasibility of a PID controller for rescue at sea. In the problem, the endangered ship loses its power and moves freely under environmental forces. The control target for Dynamic Tracking (DT) is to maintain a certain distance between the endangered and rescue ships. The time domain simulation includes multi-body hydrodynamics and Guidance Navigation Control (GNC) system. The multi-body hydrodynamics is modeled with the ship-ship interaction considered. The first and second order wave loads, added mass and damping in frequency domain is calculated using potential theory. Current and wind loads are estimated by empirical formulas summarized from experimental data. As for the design of the GNC system, PID control strategy is applied for the controller and the Kalman Filter for the observer. The time domain simulation in this research is performed in MATLAB.Copyright © 2015 by ASME