PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF AN INTEGRATED NAVIGATION SYSTEM ON INLAND SHIPS

摘要

This paper presents functionality, features and practical application of an integrated navigation system, developed at the Institute for System Dynamics and Control (ISR) at the University of Stuttgart. The tasks of this autonomous on-board system comprise on one hand the real-time determination of the ships current dynamic state, including its position, heading and velocity, with high precision and availability. On the other hand, the system guides the vessel automatically and with high accuracy along predefined tracks. The project is aimed at a substantial improvement of the safety on waterways. For this purpose, measurements of different independend sensor devices, like radar, GPS, and inertial systems, and a-priori knowledge about the waterway are combined to obtain reliable information on the ships dynamic state. In the course of the project the system has already been installed on various commercial vessels. The paper gives an overview about intention and results of the projects and concludes with an outlook on current research topics at the ISR.