Algorithm for constructing a route to pass a narrow fairway

Abstract

Modern navigation systems often employ the algorithms for plotting lines for the preliminary route construction. The current conditions of technological development imply the simplicity of constructing routes. However, the most important part was and remains the speed of the system that generates the route. The authors of the paper proposed a universal algorithm for constructing a navigation route in narrow channels of the sea. The presented algorithm identifies the middle of the fairway as the safest point at each narrow segment and connects them with track lines. The problem that can arise is smoothing, as the middle of the fairway can shift significantly. To solve this problem, new relative and absolute parameters that characterize plotting of turning points were introduced. In addition, a unified universal formula was proposed for finding the coordinates of these points on a line perpendicular to the current route of the vessel. It was experimentally proved that correctly selected empirical parameters enable the algorithm to quickly construct a route in any navigation area with a relatively low computational complexity. This approach is appropriate for clearly delineated zones of the fairway, and it is compatible with zone methods.