Modeling and Control of Tugboat-Assisted Operation for Marine Vessels
This paper introduces a novel approach to modeling and control system design for tugboat-assisted operations, such as the docking and rescue of marine vessels. In these scenarios, one or more tugboats push, pull, or guide large vessels to ensure precise and safe maneuvering. Their control systems en...
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/4/804 |
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| author | Jung-Suk Park Tan-Ngoc Nguyen Cao-Tri Dinh Thinh Huynh Young-Bok Kim |
| author_facet | Jung-Suk Park Tan-Ngoc Nguyen Cao-Tri Dinh Thinh Huynh Young-Bok Kim |
| author_sort | Jung-Suk Park |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper introduces a novel approach to modeling and control system design for tugboat-assisted operations, such as the docking and rescue of marine vessels. In these scenarios, one or more tugboats push, pull, or guide large vessels to ensure precise and safe maneuvering. Their control systems ensure accurate coordination, vessel positioning, and overall stability, even in the presence of system uncertainties, imperfect control allocation, and ocean disturbances. To address these challenges, a mathematical model of a general tugboat-assisted system is first derived. Then, a new vector of variables is introduced, leading to a modified model representation where the mismatches from the allocation and lower-level tugboat controllers can be realized in the vessel’s motion equation. Thus, the design of a controller can take this aspect into account to enhance the overall system’s performance and stability. Thirdly, a control system design method is proposed, employing a centralized control framework and ensuring a mixed <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi>H</mi><mo>₂</mo><mo>/</mo><msub><mrow><mi>H</mi></mrow><mrow><mo>∞</mo></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> performance criterion. Finally, a case study is conducted with a particular tugboat-assisted configuration and the results validate the effectiveness of the control solution. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7a02bafa025840aeb58dacda4ff94aaf |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2077-1312 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-7a02bafa025840aeb58dacda4ff94aaf2025-08-20T03:13:55ZengMDPI AGJournal of Marine Science and Engineering2077-13122025-04-0113480410.3390/jmse13040804Modeling and Control of Tugboat-Assisted Operation for Marine VesselsJung-Suk Park0Tan-Ngoc Nguyen1Cao-Tri Dinh2Thinh Huynh3Young-Bok Kim4Training Ship Baek-Kyung, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Republic of KoreaFaculty of Vehicle and Energy Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, VietnamFaculty of Vehicle and Energy Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, VietnamDepartment of Smart Mobility Engineering, College of Information Technology and Convergence, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Intelligent Robot Engineering, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Republic of KoreaThis paper introduces a novel approach to modeling and control system design for tugboat-assisted operations, such as the docking and rescue of marine vessels. In these scenarios, one or more tugboats push, pull, or guide large vessels to ensure precise and safe maneuvering. Their control systems ensure accurate coordination, vessel positioning, and overall stability, even in the presence of system uncertainties, imperfect control allocation, and ocean disturbances. To address these challenges, a mathematical model of a general tugboat-assisted system is first derived. Then, a new vector of variables is introduced, leading to a modified model representation where the mismatches from the allocation and lower-level tugboat controllers can be realized in the vessel’s motion equation. Thus, the design of a controller can take this aspect into account to enhance the overall system’s performance and stability. Thirdly, a control system design method is proposed, employing a centralized control framework and ensuring a mixed <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi>H</mi><mo>₂</mo><mo>/</mo><msub><mrow><mi>H</mi></mrow><mrow><mo>∞</mo></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> performance criterion. Finally, a case study is conducted with a particular tugboat-assisted configuration and the results validate the effectiveness of the control solution.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/4/804centralized controlmodelingmarine vessels<i>H</i><sub>2</sub>/<i>H</i><sub>∞</sub> controltugboat-assisted system |
| spellingShingle | Jung-Suk Park Tan-Ngoc Nguyen Cao-Tri Dinh Thinh Huynh Young-Bok Kim Modeling and Control of Tugboat-Assisted Operation for Marine Vessels Journal of Marine Science and Engineering centralized control modeling marine vessels <i>H</i><sub>2</sub>/<i>H</i><sub>∞</sub> control tugboat-assisted system |
| title | Modeling and Control of Tugboat-Assisted Operation for Marine Vessels |
| title_full | Modeling and Control of Tugboat-Assisted Operation for Marine Vessels |
| title_fullStr | Modeling and Control of Tugboat-Assisted Operation for Marine Vessels |
| title_full_unstemmed | Modeling and Control of Tugboat-Assisted Operation for Marine Vessels |
| title_short | Modeling and Control of Tugboat-Assisted Operation for Marine Vessels |
| title_sort | modeling and control of tugboat assisted operation for marine vessels |
| topic | centralized control modeling marine vessels <i>H</i><sub>2</sub>/<i>H</i><sub>∞</sub> control tugboat-assisted system |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/4/804 |
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