Robust adaptive tracking control for dynamic positioning ships subject to dynamic safety constraints and actuator saturation

Abstract

This paper proposed a novel robust adaptive trajectory tracking control scheme for dynamic positioning (DP) ships subjected to unknown time-varying disturbances, unknown model parameters, dynamic safety constraints, and actuator saturation. The dynamic safety constraints were guaranteed based on the tan-type barrier Lyapunov function (BLF) technique, which ensured the position and velocity of the DP vessel within the given constraints. Moreover, the radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) was adopted to approximate the unknown parameters of the dynamics model, and an adaptive neural disturbance observer (ANDO) was designed to compensate for lumped disturbances. An anti-windup system was developed to handle the actuator saturation effect. By combining the above techniques and back-stepping method, the final control law was presented, and the semi-global asymptotic convergence was achieved via rigorous theoretical analysis and Lyapunov proof. The results of simulations demonstrated the superiority and robustness of this approach in resolving the trajectory tracking challenges of DP ships. Moreover, the proposed control scheme is highly effective in optimizing the trajectory tracking of DP ships, as it takes into account the multiple constraints that may arise during the process, which is a valuable contribution to the field of DP ship trajectory tracking, providing a more comprehensive and effective solution to this complex problem.