On the Applications of the Principle of Optimal Evolution in Ship Routing

摘要

In this paper, time-front methods used for the computation of minimal-time ship routes are extended to problems involving more general criteria, such as minimization of fuel consumption. These methods are related to wave-front methods in geometrical optics based on Huygens' principle and the associated Huygens' construction, and can be considered applications of the principle of optimal evolution. In addition, the similarity of these time-front methods to a method using energy fronts for the computation of minimal fuel routes is elucidated.