Control Allocation for Double-ended Ferries with Full-scale Experimental Results

Abstract

A novel control allocation algorithm for double-ended ferries with symmetrical thruster configuration is proposed. The allocation problem is formulated using the extended thrust representation, resulting in a four dimensional constrained optimization problem. Using the thrust configuration constraint, the optimization problem is reduced to a scalar bounded optimization problem, for which there exists fast solvers. We propose a cost function and bounds such that the allocation algorithm supports the standard way of performing manual thruster control on ferries. The real-time performance of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated in a simulation study, and in full-scale experiments.