Session: RA4.1: Robotics & Automation-Specialized Navigation & Control

Paper Number: 188997

188997 - Guidance and Navigation Control of Unmanned Surface Vehicle 

The study presents the modeling, control design, and simulation of a 3-DOF Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) for autonomous waypoint-based navigation in the horizontal plane. A nonlinear maneuvering model including surge, sway, and yaw dynamics was developed from rigid-body equations and reduced using standard marine craft assumptions. The model incorporates hydrodynamic added-mass effects, nonlinear damping terms, and external disturbances such as environmental forces. A complete control architecture was implemented in Python. Surge speed was regulated using a PID controller, while heading control was achieved through a separate PID loop based on the Nomoto first-order yaw model. For trajectory tracking, a Line-of-Sight (LOS) guidance algorithm was integrated to generate real-time heading references from waypoint geometry and cross-track error. Thruster force allocation was performed with actuator constraints and saturation limits explicitly enforced. The system was simulated using a time-stepping algorithm with numerical integration of the nonlinear equations of motion. Performance metrics such as speed tracking error, heading deviation, thrust utilization, and sway velocity were evaluated over a 1200-second mission. Results demonstrate accurate waypoint tracking with low steady-state speed error, minimal cross-track drift, and efficient thrust usage without actuator saturation. The project validates a structured guidance–navigation–control based framework for USV path following under realistic dynamic conditions.

Presenting Author: Ashok Kumar Pandey Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad

Presenting Author Biography: Ashok Kumar Pandey is currently a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. His research interest includes vibration, MEMS and vehicle dynamics.