Internal model control with a predictive action for ship steering

The application of the internal model control (IMC) approach to the steering of a ship is described. The control algorithm is based on a prediction scheme and is designed to accomplish a desired course change in minimum steering time. Simulation results indicate that the algorithm is capable of achieving good tracking performance even in the case of large plant-model mismatches and unmodeled dynamics, better than what can be achieved with adaptive approaches with online identification. Prediction error feedback adds a high degree of robustness to the controller, enabling it to cope with uncertainties