A SIMULATION PACKAGE FOR COORDINATED MOTION CONTROL OF A FLEET OF UNDER-ACTUATED SURFACE VESSELS

Abstract. In this paper a simulation package for coordinated motion control of a fleet of under-actuated surface vessel is presented. The software has been implemented in the MATLAB/SIMULINK environment to allow the user to test different supervisory control approaches, single-ship maneuvering control schemes and dynamic models of the vessels in a large variety of missions. A graphical interface has been developed to dynamically select the main parameters of the mission, the initial configuration of the fleet and the environmental condition (obstacles and current). The relevant aspects of vessels dynamics have been taken in consideration: namely, inertial generalized forces, hydrodynamic effects, environmental disturbances, and actuation system.