High-speed multihull anti-pitching control based on heave velocity and pitch angular velocity estimation

Area of Science:

• Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
• Control Systems Engineering
• Ocean Engineering

Background:

• High-speed multihulls face challenges with pitching motion, impacting stability and performance.
• Direct measurement of heave and pitch velocities is often infeasible in real-world applications.
• Existing control strategies may not adequately address model uncertainties and complex motion couplings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel anti-pitching control algorithm for high-speed multihulls.
• To address the challenge of unmeasurable heave and pitch angular velocities.
• To enhance the robustness and reduce computational load of the control system.

Main Methods:

• Development of a multihull vertical control model incorporating anti-pitching appendages.
• Design of a novel kinematics-based Kalman filter for online estimation of unmeasurable states.
• Implementation of an algebraic model predictive control (AMPC) strategy with varying receding-horizon optimization.
• Design of a disturbance observer using second-order filter data for uncertainty estimation and feed-forward compensation.

Main Results:

• The kinematics-based Kalman filter effectively estimates unmeasurable heave and pitch angular velocities.
• The proposed AMPC strategy significantly reduces online computational requirements.
• The disturbance observer enhances system robustness by compensating for lumped uncertainties.
• Mathematical analysis confirms the convergence of the disturbance observer and the closed-loop system.

Conclusions:

• The novel anti-pitching control algorithm offers a robust and computationally efficient solution for high-speed multihulls.
• The integrated approach of state estimation and predictive control effectively manages complex dynamics and uncertainties.
• The demonstrated advantages in theory and simulation highlight the potential of this method for practical applications.