Hydrophysics

Hydrophysics

Motion Control of an Unmanned Sailing Boat Subject to Surface Disturbances Based on an Integrated Optimal Feedback Linearization Algorithm

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mohammad reza Jalili 1
Ahmadreza Vali 1
Mohammadali Alirezapouri 1
Hossein Nourmohammadi 2
1 Department of Electrical, Forestry and Cybernetic Engineering, Malek Ashtar University of Technology, Iran
2 Department of Northern Research Center & Technology, Malek Ashtar University of Technology, Iran
Abstract
This article presents the design of heading and speed controllers for an unmanned sailing boat that effectively utilizes natural wind power to navigate maritime paths. Considering the nonlinear dynamics governing the sailboat and the disturbances caused by water currents, two separate controllers are employed to manage the heading and speed under these perturbations. The proposed method uses an input-output feedback linearization controller to track the desired heading angle, while an innovative optimal controller regulates the sail angle to maximize speed. In the feedback linearization approach, nonlinear terms are canceled to linearize the system, enabling the design of a heading controller that ensures the output accurately follows the desired input. The sail angle controller is designed to achieve maximum speed based on the actual wind direction and speed. Simulation results, compared with a conventional PID control method, show that the optimal feedback linearization controller tracks the reference heading faster—by approximately 20 seconds in some cases—and achieves an average speed increase of about 20% over the PID controller.
Keywords
Unmanned sailboat
Sail angle
Rudder angle
Feedback Linearization

Subjects

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  • Receive Date 20 January 2025
  • Revise Date 13 April 2025
  • Accept Date 14 April 2025