Adaptive Autopilot For Marine Vessels

Adaptive autopilot for marine vessels
Automatic control system used for automatic navigation. The system can sense the
difference between the ordered course of the ship and the actual course and will cause
the rudder to move to an angle proportional to this error. The autopilot keeps the vessel
on the correct heading without the helmsman’s intervention.
An adaptive autopilot automatically adjusts the sensitivity of a ship's steering

system to accommodate changes in speed as well as sea and wind conditions.
The autopilot utilizes heading error, speed and speed squared signals to
produce a rudder order signal for controlling rudder position.
The rudder order signal is developed in a heading keeping circuit unless a

heading change greater than a predetermined threshold is commanded, in
which event a programmer substitutes a heading change circuit for the heading
keeping circuit. The sensitivity of the heading change circuit is automatically
adjusted as an inverse function of vessel speed squared, and automatic rudder
order limits are established in the same circuit as an inverse function of speed.
The sensitivity of the heading keeping circuit is adjusted in accordance with a
signal from an automatic gain control circuit which derives a performance index
J from ship's speed, heading error and rudder order signals occurring during a
given measurement interval. The performance index derived during a given
measurement interval is compared with the index derived in the previous
interval and a counter register is set according to the results of this
comparison. The heading keeping circuit receives heading error signals which
are processed in a first proportional channel and also differentiated and
processed in a second or rate channel. The attenuation in each channel is
adjusted in accordance with the value stored in the counter register. The
attenuation in the rate channel is made equal to the square root of the
attenuation in the proportional channel. The modified rate and proportional
signals are added to obtain the final rudder order signal.
Important Alarms and signals
Apart from off course alarm, an auto pilot must be integrated with:
a. Failure or reduction in power alarm, which will sound in the event of auto
pilot failure or in case when there is reduction in the power supply to heading
control or monitoring system
b. Sensor status monitoring: If any of the sensors in the auto pilot system fails to
respond, it should be indicated by an audible alarm in the monitoring system
c. Heading monitor: If the ship is required to carry two independent compasses,
a heading monitor to track the current heading information by independent
heading sources must be provided. An audio-visual alarm both to be provided if
the heading information in use diverts from the second heading source beyond a
set limit. It should also be provided with clear indication of actual heading
source.
The operating efficiency of a marine vessel depends to a large extent on the propulsion
losses experienced during normal operation, therefore it becomes highly desirable to
reduce the total drag or resistance to forward motion of the ship. The total drag on a ship
may be considered to be equal to the sum of the drag on the hull and the rudder drag.
However, since the drag on the hull is determined by the ship's design and loading
conditions, only the rudder motion can be controlled in order to minimize drag.
Under given operating conditions, increased yaw serves to increase the drag experienced
by the ship, but increasing the rudder angle in an effort to reduce yaw also increases the
drag. Therefore, optimum efficiency requires a balance between the rudder angle and
yaw.
The problem is further complicated by the fact that optimum balance between rudder
angle and yaw varies with wind and sea conditions, speed, and the angle of attack of the
vessel with respect to the waves.
Various investigators have attacked the problem of reducing the propulsion losses by
postulating a performance criterion depending upon the sum of the square of the heading
error and a factor indicative of the square of the rudder order signal. However, the use of
this performance criterion provides only a partial solution in that it neglects the effect of
the vessel's speed.
For optimal adjustment and use of autopilot, best practice in shipboard procedures must be
implemented (including recommendation on optimal number of rudder movements and angles for
different sea conditions). The crew must be properly trained to achieve the saving potentials.

Adaptive Autopilot For Marine Vessels

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Adaptive autopilot for marine vessels

An adaptive autopilot automatically adjusts the sensitivity of a ship's steering

The rudder order signal is developed in a heading keeping circuit unless a

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