Precision stationkeeping with azimuthing thrusters

Precision positioning of an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) in a nautical environment is a difficult task. With a dual azimuthing thruster scheme, the optimization of thruster outputs uses an online method to minimize the amount of error. It simplifies necessary calculations by the assumption that the rotating thrusters are always parallel thus making the system holonomic. The scheme accommodates for limitations in actuator outputs, including rotation limits and time-lagged thrusts and was implemented in a MATLAB simulation that tested its response to step errors and disturbance forces, similar to what it would encounter in actual implementation. It successfully achieved commanded outputs in all three degrees of freedom, typically within 25 seconds. It also rejects constant and sinusoidal disturbance forces. However, specific configurations arise where the USV, at times, is uncontrollable and the system only recovers after being further perturbed into a controllable configuration.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2011

Author dc:creator

• Doroski, Adam D

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Franz Hover.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/68834

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/68834