Abstract

This paper addresses the problem of platooning control for a fleet of heterogeneous sailboats. The platooning maintains a constant time headway (CTH) between sailboats following a circular path, a complex problem for sailboats due to the influence of wind direction. First, the desired acceleration based on the CTH and the sailboat velocity needed to converge to the platooning is defined. Second, a control of sailboat orientation to manage the sailboat acceleration is proposed. The proposed platooning strategy adapts to the specific characteristics of sailboats, which are different from other motorized marine vehicles. Two tack strategies can be used for the method: the first is to regulate the sailboat velocity; the second is to go front of the wind while staying in a short corridor. The desired acceleration for fulfilling the platooning has been derived and validated. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in comparison with an optimal receding horizon control algorithm.

DOI

10.1109/tits.2019.2912389

Publication Date

2019-05-01

Publication Title

IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems

Publisher

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

ISSN

1558-0016

Embargo Period

2024-11-22

First Page

2078

Last Page

2089

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