Development of Control Algorithm for Ship Berthing and Unberthing Systems Using a Joystick

This study develops a control algorithm on berthing/unberthing system using a joystick for ships with thrusters and a rudder. A nonlinear mathematical model for low speed maneuvering of typical container ships is used to develop a MIMO(multi-input multi-output) nonlinear control algorithm for velocity feedback joystick control. Also a virtual HILS(hardware in the loop simulation) software program for berthing/unberthing is developed to test the performance of the nonlinear and a PID control algorithm. The program is developed using LabWindow/CVI, and a user can see current position and desired trajectory of ship in a monitor, then he can control forward and yaw velocities of a ship using a joystick. The simulation results show that the nonlinear mfd the PID controller have superior performance over a simple open loop joystick control algorithm.