WO2016037444A1

WO2016037444A1 - Autonomous control method and device of sailboat and sailboat

Info

Publication number: WO2016037444A1
Application number: PCT/CN2014/095108
Authority: WO
Inventors: 王智锋; 林天麟
Original assignee: 智慧城市系统服务（中国）有限公司
Priority date: 2014-09-11
Filing date: 2014-12-26
Publication date: 2016-03-17
Also published as: CN104267736A; CN104267736B

Abstract

An autonomous control method and device of a sailboat, and sailboat, the method comprising: setting at least one waypoint; acquiring navigation information of a sailboat, and setting a next waypoint from the location of the sailboat as a target waypoint; determining a desired course vector according to a relative orientation of the sailboat to the target waypoint, and a real wind direction; controlling a state of a sail (2) of the sailboat according to relative wind direction information; according to the current course of the sailboat and the desired course vector, controlling a rudder angle to reach or follow a desired course; determining whether the sailboat has reached the target waypoint, and if so, then determining whether the target waypoint is a navigation destination, and if so, then finishing the navigation. In the sailboat autonomous navigation process, a set of overall sailboat autonomous navigation control methods is provided, thus systematically achieving autonomous sailboat control by dividing course regions, calculating a desired course vector, controlling a rudder angle, an open area and adjustment angle of the sail (2), auxiliary propelling of a propeller (5), and the like.

Description

Sailing self-control method, device and sailboat

This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201410462433.9, entitled "Autonomous Control Method, Device and Sailboat for Sailboats", filed on September 11, 2014, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference. In this application.

Technical field

The invention relates to the field of unmanned sailboats, in particular to a method and device for autonomous control of a sailboat and a sailboat.

Background technique

In the prior art, unmanned sailing is the latest product of the cross development of robotics and sailing technology. Unmanned sailing ships use wind power as the propulsion power, and can carry out security patrols, scientific investigations, environmental inspections and other tasks at sea for a long time, which can avoid problems such as safety and replenishment that humans may encounter when working long hours at sea.

As we all know, sailing ships on the sea need to face a variety of complex situations. However, in the prior art, the unmanned autonomous navigation technology including the sailboat is mainly focused on the autonomous control of the sail.

The control method using sail as an auxiliary navigation tool is only applicable to the heading control of large transport ships. Because the structure of large transport ships and small sailboats are quite different, the working principle and control principle are also quite different; therefore, large sailing boats The control scheme adopted is not well suited for small sailboats; on the other hand, the use of sails as an auxiliary navigation tool does not allow for autonomous control of the hull.

Moreover, through the analysis of the prior art achievements and related technical literature, the research and development results of the existing unmanned sailboats mainly focus on the realization of the hardware of the automatic control system of the sailboat, and there is no integrated control applied to the autonomous driving of the sail. In the method of sailing, the control of the navigation path, the control of the sail state, and the control of the rudder angle cannot be well realized.

Summary of the invention

The main object of the present invention is to provide a method and device for autonomous control of a sailboat, and aim to systematically realize automatic generation of a sailing route, automatic control of a sail state, and automatic control of a rudder angle to improve self-maneuverability.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for autonomous control of a sailboat, comprising the following steps:

Setting at least one waypoint in the navigation path;

Target waypoint determination step: obtaining navigation information of the sailboat, and setting the next waypoint of the position where the sailboat is located as the target waypoint;

Desired course determination step: determining a desired heading vector based on the relative orientation of the sailboat and the target waypoint, and the direction of the real wind;

Control step: controlling the sail state of the sailboat according to the relative wind direction information; controlling the rudder angle of the sailboat according to the current heading of the sailboat and the desired heading vector to achieve or track the desired heading;

Judgment step: judging whether the sailboat reaches the target waypoint; if not, returning to the desired heading determination step; if it has arrived, further determining whether the target waypoint is the sailing end point; if not, returning to the target waypoint determining step; if yes , then the process ends.

Preferably, the desired heading determining step comprises:

Get real wind information;

According to the wind direction information of the real wind, the heading area is divided by the sailboat, and the heading area includes at least the downwind area, the unwindable area in the wind, and the side wind area;

Calculating the relative azimuth of the target waypoint relative to the sailboat according to the relative position of the target waypoint and the sailboat;

The heading area where the target waypoint is located is determined according to the relative azimuth; and the desired heading vector is obtained according to the heading area where the target waypoint is located.

Preferably, the information of obtaining the real wind includes:

Obtaining wind speed information and wind direction information relative to the relative wind of the sailing hull;

Vector calculation is performed on the speed information, the heading information, the wind speed information of the relative wind, and the wind direction information of the relative wind, and the wind speed information and the wind direction letter of the real wind relative to the shore are obtained according to the result of the vector calculation. interest.

Preferably, depending on the current heading of the sailboat and the desired heading vector, controlling the rudder angle of the sailboat to achieve or track the desired heading includes:

Control the actual heading of the sailboat by the deflection of the rudder;

By controlling the rudder angle, the actual heading of the sailboat is achieved or tracked to the desired heading.

Preferably, controlling the sail state of the sailboat according to the relative wind direction information comprises:

The sail adjustment angle is controlled according to the wind direction information of the relative wind.

Preferably, the controlling step further comprises:

Obtaining a posture angle of the sailboat, wherein the attitude angle includes a heading angle, a pitch angle, and a roll angle;

When the pitch angle exceeds the first preset hazard value or when the roll angle exceeds the second preset hazard value, the distress signal of the sailboat tipping is issued, and the navigation is ended.

The invention also proposes a sailing autonomous control device, the device comprising:

a waypoint setting module, configured to set at least one waypoint in the navigation path;

a target waypoint determination module, configured to acquire navigation information of the sailboat, and set a next waypoint of the position where the sailboat is located as the target waypoint;

Determining a heading determination module for determining a desired heading vector based on a relative orientation of the sailboat and the target waypoint, and a direction of the real wind;

a control module for controlling the sail state of the sailboat according to the relative wind direction information; controlling the rudder angle of the sailboat according to the current heading of the sailboat and the desired heading vector to achieve or track the desired heading;

a judging module, comprising a first judging unit and a second judging unit, wherein

The first determining unit is configured to determine whether the sailing boat reaches the target waypoint; if not, return to the desired heading determining step, and if not, notify the second determining unit;

The second judging unit is configured to judge whether the target waypoint is the sailing end point; if not, return to the target waypoint determining step, and if yes, the end.

Preferably, the desired heading determination module comprises: a real wind information acquiring unit, a heading area dividing unit, a relative azimuth determining unit, and a heading area determining unit, wherein

The real wind information acquisition unit is used to obtain information of the real wind;

The heading area dividing unit is configured to divide the heading area centering on the sailboat according to the wind direction information of the real wind, and the heading area includes at least a downwind area, an unwindable area in the windward direction, and a side wind area;

The relative azimuth determining unit is configured to calculate a relative azimuth angle of the target waypoint relative to the sailboat according to the relative position of the target waypoint and the sailboat;

The heading area determining unit is configured to determine a heading area in which the target waypoint is located according to the relative azimuth.

Preferably, the real wind information acquisition unit is further configured to:

Performing vector calculation on the speed information, the heading information, the wind speed information of the relative wind, and the wind direction information of the relative wind, and obtaining the wind speed information and the wind direction information of the real wind relative to the shore according to the result of the vector calculation;

The control module includes a first actual navigation control unit and a second actual navigation control unit, wherein

The first actual navigation control unit is configured to control the actual heading of the sailboat by the deflection of the rudder;

The second actual navigation control unit is used to control the rudder angle to achieve or track the desired heading of the sailboat.

The control module further includes a sail adjustment angle control unit for controlling the sail adjustment angle according to the wind direction information of the relative wind.

The control module further includes a posture angle acquiring unit and a distress signal processing unit, wherein

The attitude angle acquiring unit is configured to acquire a posture angle of the sailing vessel, wherein the posture angle includes a heading angle, a pitch angle, and a roll angle;

The distress signal processing unit is configured to issue a salvage distress signal when the pitch angle exceeds the first preset hazard value or when the roll angle exceeds the second preset hazard value, and end the navigation.

The invention also proposes a sailing vessel comprising a hull, a sail, a rudder, a driving device and a propulsion device, the sailboat further comprising the above-mentioned sailing autonomous control device.

The method for autonomous control of a sailboat embodying the present invention provides a holistic control method for autonomous navigation of a sailboat by systematically calculating the division of the heading zone and the calculation of the desired heading vector during the autonomous navigation of the sailboat, and systematically realizing the sailing route of the sailboat. Automatic generation, automatic control of the sail state, automatic control of the rudder angle, and improved autonomous control.

At the same time, the autonomous control device for the sailboat embodying the invention provides the attitude information of the hull in the global inertial coordinate system through the control of the rudder angle, the control of the sail opening area and the adjustment angle, the auxiliary propulsion of the propeller, and the inertial measurement unit of the sailboat. , including heading angle, pitch angle and roll angle, obtain the latitude and longitude position data, speed and heading information of the sailboat through the global positioning system, and the wind sensor provides the wind speed and direction of the relative wind relative to the hull, and the wind is received by the controller. The sensor's signal, according to the autonomous control algorithm of the sailboat, calculates the control amount of the rudder and the sail, and performs the corresponding control action, systematically realizing the autonomous navigation of the sailboat.

DRAWINGS

The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments, in which:

1 is a flow chart of a method for autonomous control of a sailboat provided by the present invention;

2 is a flow chart of a method for autonomous control of a sailboat according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a detailed flow chart of the propulsion control of the autonomous control method of the sailboat of the present invention;

4 is a detailed flow chart of a desired heading vector calculation of the autonomous control method of the sailboat of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the structure of autonomous control device for a sailboat according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 6 is a hardware structural diagram of a sailboat provided by the present invention;

7a is a schematic diagram of relative orientation when the target waypoint of the sailing autonomous control method of the present invention is located in a navigation zone;

7b is a second schematic diagram of relative orientation when the target waypoint of the sailing autonomous control method of the present invention is located;

7c is a third schematic diagram of the relative orientation when the target waypoint of the sailing autonomous control method of the present invention is located in the navigation zone;

Figure 8a is a schematic diagram of a ship base plane coordinate system of the autonomous control method of the sailboat of the present invention;

Figure 8b is a second schematic diagram of the ship base plane coordinate system of the autonomous control method of the sailboat of the present invention;

Figure 8c is a third schematic view of the ship base plane coordinate system of the autonomous control method of the sailboat of the present invention;

Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing the vector relationship of the wind of the autonomous control method of the sailboat of the present invention;

Fig. 10 is a schematic view showing the calibration of the wind sensor of the autonomous control method of the sailboat of the present invention.

detailed description

Embodiment 1

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method for autonomous control of a sailboat according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The method includes the following steps:

S1. Set at least one waypoint in the navigation path.

Among them, the last waypoint is the sailing end of the sailboat.

Specifically, the system or the user of the unmanned sailboat determines a plurality of waypoints within the route range and sequentially numbers them, and sequentially sets the waypoint M1, the waypoint M2, the waypoint Mn, wherein the waypoint M1 is the first route Point, the waypoint Mn is the last waypoint, which is the end of the voyage. The location of the waypoint is described by the longitude and latitude values.

S2. Target waypoint determination step: obtain navigation information of the sailboat, and set the next waypoint of the position where the sailboat is located as the target waypoint.

Specifically, the current destination waypoint is set from the first waypoint; once the sailboat reaches the current target waypoint, the next waypoint is set to the current target waypoint to the last waypoint. When the sailboat sails, the waypoint M1 is set as the target waypoint; then, when the sailboat sails to the waypoint M1, the target waypoint is replaced with the waypoint M2; accordingly, the subsequent waypoints are sequentially set as the target waypoints Until the waypoint Mn is set as the target waypoint.

S3. Desired course determination step: determining a desired heading vector according to the relative orientation of the sailboat and the target waypoint and the direction of the real wind.

Firstly, the heading area is divided by the sailboat, the relative position of the target waypoint and the sailboat is calculated, and the heading area where the target waypoint is located is determined according to the relative orientation. In this step:

a. Division of heading area: According to the wind direction information, the 360-degree direction centered on the sailboat is divided into a heading area including at least a downwind area, an unwindable area in the wind, and a side wind area. In the present embodiment, the sailboat is centered into four heading zones, specifically, the windward unstoppable zone I, the right wind zone II, the left wind zone III, and the downwind zone IV. Among them, the unwindable area I in the wind is an angled area of 45 degrees to the right and left, and the sailboat cannot sail in this area. The downwind zone IV is an angled area of 30 degrees each of the right and left winds; Considering that the navigation efficiency is low and the stability is poor in the downwind zone IV, the downwind zone IV is considered to be an unsuitable angle of navigation in the present invention. The two angular regions between the unwindable area I and the downwind area IV are the right wind area II and the left side wind area III; when the sailor is facing the wind, the right side of the ship's side is the right side wind area II, left The angle of the side of the side ship is the left wind zone III; the right wind zone II and the left wind zone III are the navigable angle zones; the sailboat will be in the two angle zones of the right wind zone II and the left wind zone III Sailing, approaching and reaching the current target waypoint.

b. Calculate the relative orientation of the current target waypoint and the sailboat, and determine the heading zone where the current target waypoint is located according to the relative orientation. From the relative positional relationship between the current target waypoint and the sailboat, the relative azimuth of the current target waypoint relative to the sailboat is calculated, and the heading zone in which the current target waypoint is located is determined by the relative azimuth. Since the 360 degree of the sailboat has been divided into four heading zones, the relative azimuth of the current target waypoint is necessarily included in the angle zone of a certain heading zone, and the current target waypoint is considered to belong to the heading zone.

c. Obtain the desired heading vector according to the heading area where the current target waypoint is located, analyze and compare the current heading of the sailboat with the desired heading vector, and obtain the control amount for the rudder.

Wherein, obtaining the desired heading vector is specifically:

When the current target waypoint belongs to the right wind zone II or the left wind zone III, the unit vector from the current position of the sailboat to the current target waypoint is the desired heading vector. That is to say, when the current target waypoint belongs to the right wind zone II or the left wind zone III, the sailboat can sail directly toward the current target waypoint.

When the current target waypoint is in the wind-tolerant non-sailing area I, in order to avoid this angle area, the sailboat is required to achieve the wind-stricken driving, and the "Z"-shaped sailing path reaches the current target waypoint. The right wind vector V _{II_I} is set at the boundary angle between the windward non-sailing area I and the right wind area II, and the left side wind vector V is set at the boundary angle between the windward non-sailing area I and the left side wind area III. _{III_I} , wherein the right wind vector V _{II_I} and the left wind vector V _{III_I} are unit vectors. In order to achieve the voyage of the sailboat, it is necessary to alternately set the right wind vector V _{II_I} and the left wind vector V _{III_I} as the desired heading vector. When the current target waypoint is in the downwind zone IV, in order to improve navigation efficiency and stability, it is necessary for the sailboat to avoid sailing in the downwind zone and to reach the current target waypoint by the "Z" shaped sailing path. Setting the wind vector _V II_IV right angles at the interface with the downwind region ΙV right wind zone II is set at the left side of the wind vector _V III_IV junction region IV and the wind angle at the left side of the wind zone III, wherein the right downwind _{Both the} vector V _{II_IV} and the left downwind vector V _{III_IV} are unit vectors. The right downwind vector V _{II_IV} and the left downwind vector V _{III_IV are alternately} set to a desired heading vector to achieve a "Z"-shaped navigation when the current target waypoint is in the downwind zone IV.

Analyze and compare the current heading of the sailboat with the desired heading vector and obtain the control of the rudder as follows:

The deflection of the rudder can control the actual heading of the sailboat, and the actual heading of the sailboat can be achieved or tracked by controlling the rudder angle. If the desired heading is to the right of the actual heading, the rudder angle is deflected to the right; if the heading is expected to be to the left of the actual heading, the rudder angle is deflected to the left.

Finally, the desired heading vector is obtained according to the heading area where the target waypoint is located.

S4. Control step: controlling the sail state of the sailboat according to the relative wind direction information; controlling the rudder angle of the sailboat according to the current heading of the sailboat and the desired heading vector to achieve or track the desired heading.

S5. The determining step: determining whether the sailing boat reaches the target waypoint; if not, returning to the desired heading determining step; if it has arrived, further determining whether the target waypoint is the sailing end point; if not, returning to the target waypoint determining step; If yes, the process ends.

In the above determining step, it is judged whether or not the target waypoint that is reached each time is the last waypoint, and if so, it is determined that the said sailing end point is reached. As mentioned in the above example, during the sailing process, any one of the waypoints can be set as the sailing end point, or when the sailing ship needs long-distance navigation, in order to meet the needs of sailing maintenance, task processing, etc., select more of the above-mentioned waypoints. The navigational stagnation point, therefore, according to the above requirements, the present embodiment can adaptively set one or more Mn (n is an arbitrary value) waypoint as a navigational stagnation point or a voyage end point.

The beneficial effect of the embodiment is that, in the autonomous navigation of the sailboat, by the division of the heading zone and the calculation of the desired heading vector, a set of integrated control methods for the autonomous navigation of the sailboat is provided, and the sailing route is automatically realized systematically. Generation, automatic control of the sail state, automatic control of the rudder angle. On the whole, on the one hand, it improves the controllability and accuracy of the autonomous control of the sailboat. On the other hand, the route planning adaptability is higher.

Embodiment 2

On the basis of the above embodiment, as shown in step S201 of FIG. 2, the longitude information and the latitude information of the sailing boat are acquired by the global positioning module built in the sailboat, and the sailing boat and the target waypoint are calculated according to the longitude information and the latitude information. The distance between the two, when the distance is less than the preset threshold, confirms that the sailboat reaches the target waypoint.

For example, the preset threshold is set to two hundred meters, and the longitude information and the latitude information of the sailboat are acquired in real time through the global positioning module (which can be understood as being acquired according to a preset period), and the current position of the sailboat is calculated, and at the same time, the data is stored in the background. The position of the current target waypoint is retrieved, and the two are compared in the same reference frame to determine whether the actual distance between the two is less than two hundred meters. If it is less than two hundred meters, it is considered that the target route has been reached. point.

Further, when the reached target waypoint is the sailing end point, if the preset threshold is set to a large distance, and at the same time, it is determined that the actual distance between the two is relatively far, further precise positioning is required. Let it sail to the exact end of the race.

The beneficial effects of the embodiment are that the positioning is performed by the global positioning device, and the positioning result is compared with the background pre-stored data, and the comparison analysis result is used to determine whether the sailing boat has reached the target waypoint. The manipulation instructions are concise and clear, and the accuracy of the data analysis results is high.

Further, from the existing navigational common knowledge, when the lateral drift of the sailboat is greater than a certain value during the sailing process, it is more accurate to use the global positioning module to obtain the navigation information of the sailboat. However, when the lateral drift of the sailboat is less than a certain value, since the amount of lateral drift is small, at this time, the navigation information acquired by the global positioning module is not accurate enough.

Therefore, if the lateral drift of the sailboat is small, if the global positioning module is still used to obtain the navigation information of the sailboat, it may cause the navigation information of the sailboat to be insufficiently accurate.

The solution proposed by the embodiment for the above problem is to preset a lateral drift amount of the sailboat. When the lateral drift of the sailboat is greater than the preset lateral drift magnitude, the above-mentioned global positioning module is used to obtain the navigation information of the sailboat, and when the lateral drift of the sailboat is less than the preset lateral drift magnitude, the inertial measurement built by the sailboat is adopted. The module obtains the above navigation information.

It can be understood that the beneficial effects of the embodiment are that the global positioning module and the inertial measurement module are adopted. The combination of blocks acquires navigation information, which avoids the drawback of large accumulation error caused by using the inertial measurement module for a long time.

Further, as shown in step S202 of FIG. 2, the pitch angle and the roll angle of the sailing hull are acquired by the inertial measurement module according to a preset period.

The inertial measurement module can be understood as a sensor that includes related measurement functions, and the pitch angle and roll angle of the sailing hull are sensed by the associated sensor at a preset period (for example, once per second).

It can be known from the existing navigation knowledge that when the pitch angle of the sailing hull is greater than a certain value, the sailing boat has the risk of tipping over. On the other hand, when the rolling angle of the sailing hull is greater than a certain value, the sailing boat may also be in danger of tipping over. .

Therefore, the technical solution adopted by the present embodiment to solve the above technical problem is to set a first preset danger value for the pitch angle of the sailing hull during the sailing of the sailing vessel, and set a second preset for the rolling angle of the sailing hull. Dangerous value.

During the sailing process, the pitch angle and the roll angle of the sailing hull are periodically sensed. When the pitch angle of the sailing hull exceeds the first predetermined dangerous value, it is determined that the sailing vessel is in a tipping state; when the rolling angle of the sailing hull exceeds the second preset dangerous value, it is determined that the sailing vessel is in a tipping state.

Further, if it is judged that the sailboat is in a tipping state, a distress signal is issued and the navigation is ended.

The beneficial effect of the embodiment is that in the process of autonomous sailing of the sailboat, the parameters of the sailing hull are obtained in real time, and whether the hull is tilted according to the parameters is determined, so that when the hull is tipped or critically tilted, the rescue can be promptly sent out. Signal or warning signal.

Further, in step S206 shown in FIG. 2, during the autonomous navigation of the sailboat, the open area of the sail is calculated based on the roll angle.

The specific implementation is as follows:

First, one end of the sail is placed on the mast and the other end is pulled by the sail rope;

Case 1: The sail can be completely wound on the mast, at which time the sail is not affected by the wind;

Scenario 2: The sail can be fully opened, and the area of the sail affected by the wind is the largest;

Case 3: It is also possible to partially wind the sail on the mast and partially open it. The product is affected by the wind.

Then, the wind receiving area of the sail is adjusted according to the calculation result. It can be understood that in the case of the same wind speed, wind direction, adjustment angle, etc., the size of the wind receiving area of the sail determines the magnitude of the propulsion force of the sailboat and the rolling moment of the sailboat, that is, the wind receiving area of the sail Large, the greater the propulsion of the sailboat, and the greater the rolling moment of the sailboat. Among them, the rolling moment determines the rolling angle of the sailboat, that is, the greater the rolling moment, the larger the rolling angle of the sailboat.

The safety angle of the sailboat is within a safe range (the safety range may be the safety range defined by the second preset danger value in the above embodiment, that is, the roll angle of the sailboat is less than the second preset danger value) Range of values) When the open area of the sail is large, a large thrust can be obtained, but the risk of the sailboat tipping is not caused.

Under the above circumstances, adjust the sail size during the autonomous sailing of the sailboat as follows:

For example, the size of a sail is represented by S_sail, and the mathematical expression of sail size control can be expressed as:

S_sail=f(|∠Roll|)∈[0,1]·S_full

Among them, ∠Roll is the horizontal angle of the sailboat, and ∠Roll∈[-R_max,R_max], R_max is the maximum safe roll angle allowed during the normal sailing of the sailboat. It can be understood that the maximum safe roll angle described here refers to the criticality. The second preset hazard value in the above embodiment, or the second preset hazard value is determined as the maximum safe roll angle allowed when the sailboat is normally sailing.

In the above expression, S_full is the maximum sail area when the sails are all open; f(·) is a monotonic decrease function. When the cross angle of the sailboat is large, the sail opening area is small, and when the cross angle of the sailboat is small, the sail sheet is The opening area is large.

The beneficial effect of this embodiment is that the sailboat obtains a large propulsive force by adjusting the windsurfing area of the sail and the sail during the autonomous sailing of the sailboat. At the same time, through the above mathematical expressions, the size of the sail during the autonomous navigation of the sailboat is calculated and adjusted, so that the sailboat can ensure the safe navigation while obtaining the optimal sail opening area and realize the open area of the sail. Precise regulation.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, step S207, step S208, step S209, and step S210, The above steps S207-S210 propose the following technical solutions for the manner of dividing the heading area during the autonomous navigation of the sailboat:

a. Divide the heading area according to the wind direction information of the above-mentioned real wind.

b. Calculate the relative azimuth of the current target waypoint relative to the sailboat based on the relative positional relationship between the current target waypoint and the sailboat.

c. Determine the heading zone in which the current target waypoint is located based on the relative azimuth described above.

The specific implementation is as follows:

According to the calculated true wind direction, the 360-degree direction centered on the sailboat is divided into four heading areas, namely, the wind-incompatible area I, the right side wind area II, the left side wind area III, and the downwind area IV.

Among them, the unwindable area I in the wind is an angled area of 45 degrees to the right and left, and the sailboat cannot sail in this area.

The downwind zone IV is an angular zone of 30 degrees each of the right and left winds.

Considering that the navigation efficiency is low and the stability is poor in the downwind zone IV, the downwind zone IV is considered to be an unsuitable angle of navigation in the present invention.

The two angular regions between the windward navigable zone I and the downwind zone IV are the right wind zone II and the left wind zone III, respectively.

Among them, when the sailboat is facing the wind, the angle area of the right side of the ship is the right side wind zone II, and the angle area of the left side of the ship's side is the left side wind zone III.

The right wind zone II and the left wind zone III are navigable angle zones.

The sailboat will sail in both the right wind zone II and the left wind zone III, approaching and reaching the current target waypoint.

Further, as shown in step S210 of FIG. 2, the heading area where the current target waypoint is located is determined as follows:

From the relative positional relationship between the current target waypoint and the sailboat, the relative azimuth angle ∠T _{B of the} current target waypoint relative to the sailboat is calculated, and the heading zone in which the current target waypoint is located is determined by the relative azimuth. Meanwhile, a schematic view of the relationship between the wind vector may be illustrated with reference to Figure 9, a schematic diagram of the wind vector relationship shown in FIG. 9, indicates Ws of the true wind, the wind is represented by ∠W _S true relative azimuthal sailing.

Specifically, in this embodiment, if (∠T _B -∠W _S )∈[0,π/4)∪(7π/4, 2π), the target waypoint is in the windward unsaved zone I, denoted as T∈ I;

If (∠T _B -∠W _S )∈[π/4,5π/6], the target waypoint is in the right wind zone II, denoted as T∈II;

If (∠T _B -∠W _S )∈[7π/6,7π/4], the target waypoint is in the left wind zone III, denoted as T∈III;

If (∠T _B -∠W _S )∈(5π/6,7π/6), the target waypoint is in the downwind zone IV, denoted as T∈IV; since the 360 degree of the sailboat has been divided into four heading zones, The relative azimuth of the current target waypoint is necessarily included in the angular zone of a certain heading zone, and the current target waypoint is considered to belong to the heading zone.

The beneficial effect of the embodiment is that the heading zone where the current target waypoint is located is determined by calculating the relative azimuth angle of the current target waypoint relative to the sailboat, and the accurate division of the heading zone during the autonomous navigation of the sailboat is realized.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, step S211, step S212, and step S213, the above steps S211-S213 are directed to determining a desired navigation vector, tracking the desired navigation vector, and adjusting the sail adjustment angle during the autonomous navigation of the sailboat. In the way, the following technical solutions are proposed:

a. Determine the desired heading vector based on the heading zone and the current target waypoint.

b. By controlling the rudder angle, the actual heading of the sailboat is achieved or tracked by the desired heading.

c. Control the sail adjustment angle according to the wind direction information of the relative wind described above.

Among them, determine the desired heading vector as follows:

When the current target waypoint belongs to the right wind zone II or the left wind zone III, the unit vector from the current position of the sailboat to the current target waypoint is the desired heading vector.

It can be understood that when the current target waypoint belongs to the right wind zone II or the left wind zone III, the sailboat can sail directly toward the current target waypoint.

Further, when the current target waypoint is in the windward unstoppable zone I, in order to avoid this angle zone, it is necessary to control the sailboat to achieve wind rushing. For example, when the current target waypoint is in the windy unsailable zone I, firstly, control the sailing Into the right wind zone II or the left wind zone III, then, when the sail When the ship is again in the right wind zone II or the left wind zone III, continue to select the non-windward unsold zone I to travel, repeat the above-mentioned way, so that the sailboat reaches the current target waypoint with a "Z" shaped sailing path.

Further, the right windward vector V _{II_I} is set at the boundary angle between the windward non-sailing area I and the right wind area II. It can be understood that when the sailboat travels according to the right side wind vector V _{II_I} set above, Under the shortest sailing conditions, the sailboats are prevented from entering the wind-tolerable area I, thus optimizing the route planning.

Similarly, the left side wind vector V _{III_I} is set at the boundary angle between the windward non-sailing area I and the left side wind area III, wherein the right side wind vector V _{II_I} and the left side wind vector V _{III_I} are both unit vectors.

Further, in order to achieve the voyage of the sailboat, it is necessary to alternately set the right wind vector V _{II_I} and the left wind vector V _{III_I} as the desired heading vector.

Further, when the current target waypoint is in the downwind zone IV, in order to improve the navigation efficiency and stability, the sailboat is required to avoid the downwind area and travel to the current target waypoint in a "Z" shaped sailing path.

Further, the wind vectors _V II_IV set right angles at the junction of the right region IV downwind wind zone II is set at the left side of the wind vector _V III_IV junction region IV and the wind angle at the left side of the wind zone III, wherein _{Both the} right downwind vector V _{II_IV} and the left downwind vector V _{III_IV} are unit vectors.

Further, the right downwind vector V _{II_IV} and the left downwind vector V _{III_IV are alternately} set as the desired heading vector to achieve a "Z"-shaped navigation when the current target waypoint is in the downwind zone IV.

In the present embodiment, after the desired navigation vector is determined, the deflection angle of the rudder is controlled to track the desired heading determined by the desired navigation vector. The specific implementation is as follows:

First of all, it can be understood that during the autonomous navigation of the sailboat, the deflection of the rudder can control the actual heading of the sailboat, and the actual heading of the sailboat can be achieved or tracked by controlling the rudder angle.

Case 1: If the desired heading is on the right side of the actual heading, the rudder angle is deflected to the right;

Case 2: If the desired heading is to the left of the actual heading, the rudder angle is deflected to the left.

In this embodiment, the angle between the desired heading vector and the actual heading vector of the sailboat is expressed as ∠Heading, and its value ranges from [0, 2π);

The rudder angle is expressed as δ, and the rudder angle δ is deflected to the starboard side to be positive and to the port side to be negative.

Therefore, the simplest proportional control method can be used to map the heading angle ∠Heading to the rudder angle δ. The mathematical description is:

When ∠Heading∈[0,π], δ=Kp·∠Heading

When ∠Heading∈(π, 2π), δ=-Kp·|∠Heading-2π|

Where Kp is the proportionality factor.

Further, the rudder angle control step may also adopt other existing control methods, for example, classic control methods such as PD control, PID control, fuzzy control, and neural network control. It should be understood that the above control methods such as PD control belong to The prior art means need not be described here.

When the rudder angle δ is calculated according to the above mathematical expression, the rudder is controlled by the driving and control system of the sailboat to rotate to the δ angle to complete the control of the rudder angle of the sailboat.

In the present embodiment, after the sailboat completes the control of the rudder angle according to the above steps, the sail adjustment angle is controlled according to the wind direction of the relative wind. The specific implementation is as follows:

First of all, it can be understood that the sailboat drive and control system cannot directly control the sail adjustment angle θ. The drive and control system needs to first loosen the sail rope connected to the end of the sail, and the sail can be blown to one side under the action of the wind. At this time, the angle between the sail and the midline of the sailboat is the sail adjustment angle θ.

Therefore, the relationship between the tightness of the sail and the sail adjustment angle is as follows:

The looser the sail is placed, the larger the sail adjustment angle;

The tighter the sail is pulled, the smaller the sail adjustment angle.

That is, the sail adjustment angle is formed by a passive wind-dependent blow, constrained to the length of the sail control rope, so the drive and control system directly controls the length L_rope of the sail rope to indirectly control the sail adjustment angle θ.

Further, the sail adjustment angle affects the propulsion efficiency of the sail. Generally, the sail adjustment angle is controlled to be about half of the wind direction ∠W _B of the wind (as shown in FIG. 6), and the mathematical expression is

θ=∠W _B /2

Wherein, the expression of the length of the sail rope that is directly controlled by the drive and control system is L_rope

L_rope=Ku·∠W _B

Where Ku is the proportionality factor.

It can be seen from the above embodiment that the sail control angle is calculated by the above mathematical expression, and at the same time, the length of the sail rope is calculated by directly calculating the length of the sail rope to realize the adjustment of the sail control angle.

Further, according to the above embodiment, during the autonomous navigation of the sailboat, the operation of determining the heading zone and the desired heading and controlling the rudder by the orientation of the wind and the target waypoint is cyclically performed to track the desired heading, adjust the sail adjustment angle, and the like until Arrive at the end of the flight.

It can be understood that the autonomous control method for the sailboat embodying the present invention is systematically completed during the autonomous navigation of the sailboat by the division of the heading zone, the calculation of the desired heading vector, the control of the rudder angle, the control of the sail opening area and the adjustment angle. The automatic generation of the course, the autonomous control of the rudder and the sail, thus achieving the autonomous control of the sailboat.

Embodiment 3

3 is a detailed flow chart of the propulsion control of the autonomous control method of the sailboat of the present invention.

During the autonomous sailing of the sailboat, if it is determined that the speed of the sailing vessel is too slow, the propeller is activated to assist the propulsion. In order to avoid frequent opening and stopping of the propeller, the step can be further refined as follows:

First, determine if the thruster is currently running.

If the above step determines that the propeller is not currently running, it continues to determine whether the speed is less than the set threshold Vmin.

If the above steps determine that the speed is less than Vmin, the propeller is operated and assisted.

If the above steps determine that the speed is less than Vmin, the thruster is still stopped.

If the above step determines that the propeller is currently running, it continues to determine whether the speed is greater than the set threshold Vmax.

If the above steps determine that the speed is greater than Vmax, the propeller stops operating.

If the above steps determine that the speed is greater than Vmax, the propeller continues to operate.

Among them, Vmin and Vmax are the speed thresholds set according to experience, and the inequality condition Vmin<Vmax needs to be satisfied during setting.

The meaning of the above steps can be explained as: when the speed is less than Vmin, the propeller starts; the speed is greater than At Vmax, the thruster stops; when the speed is between Vmin and Vmax, the thruster maintains the current operating state or the stopped state.

Embodiment 4

4 is a detailed flow chart of the desired heading vector calculation of the autonomous control method of the sailboat of the present invention.

Based on the above embodiment, determining the desired heading vector can be further refined into the following steps:

First, S210, judging the heading area where the current target waypoint is located.

If the current target waypoint is in the right wind zone II or the left wind zone III, the unit vector T _{B from} the current position of the sailboat to the current target waypoint is the desired heading vector. (Steps S2111-S2115)

The angle of the vector T _B can be expressed as ∠T _B .

If it is judged that the current target waypoint is in the windward unsaved area I, then the new desired heading vector needs to be determined as follows:

Determine the right wind vector V _{II_I} and the left wind vector V _{III_I} .

The angle _{∠V II_I} of the right wind vector is rotated clockwise 45 degrees in the direction of the upwind, the length of the vector is 1;

The angle _{∠V III_I} of the left wind vector is rotated 45 degrees counterclockwise in the forward wind direction, and the length of the vector is 1.

In step S2112, it is determined whether the current desired heading vector is the right wind vector V _{II_I} or the left wind vector V _{III_I} .

The current desired heading vector is the heading vector determined by the previous algorithm cycle. If the current heading vector is neither the right wind vector V _{II_I} nor the left wind vector V _{III_I} , the current heading vector is assumed to be the right wind vector. V _{II_I} . It can be understood that, according to different habits, if the current heading vector is neither the right wind vector V _{II_I} nor the left wind vector V _{III_I} , the current heading vector may be assumed to be the left wind vector V _{III_I} .

S21121, according to the determination of the above step, if the current heading vector is the right wind vector V _{II_I} , the direction index Vindex is set to 0.

S21123, A, attached to the right direction of the wind vector calculating _V II_I multiplier Multi0,

Multi0=1+Jfactor·|0-Vindex|

Meanwhile, the left stick is calculated wind direction vector _V III_I the Multi2 multiplier,

Multi2=1+Jfactor·|2-Vindex|

Among them, Jfactor is a step factor, which is a constant set according to experience, and Vindex is a direction indicator. The step factor affects the current heading between the right wind vector V _{II_I} and the left wind vector V _{III_I}

Switch.

S21125, judging inequality one:

Multi2·| _{∠V III_I} -∠T _B |≤Multi0·| _∠V II_I -∠T _B |

Whether it is established. Wherein, Multi2 is left attached to the wind direction vector _V III_I multiplier, ∠T _B T _B is the angle of a vector heading desired.

S21127, if the inequality in the above step is established, the new desired heading vector is set as the left side wind vector V _{III_I} .

S21128, if the inequality in the above step is not satisfied, the new desired heading vector is still the right wind vector V _{II_I} .

S21122, according to the above steps, if the current heading vector is the left side wind vector V _{III_I} , the direction indicator Vindex is set to 2.

S21124, B, attached to the right side is calculated wind vector direction _V II_I multiplier Multi0,

Multi0=1+Jfactor·|0-Vindex|

Multi2=1+Jfactor·|2-Vindex|

S21126, judging inequality two:

Multi2·| _{∠V III_I} -∠T _B |≥Multi0·| _∠V II_I -∠T _B

Whether it is established. Where Jfactor is the jump factor, which is a constant set according to experience, Vindex is the direction index, and ∠T _B is the angle of the desired heading vector T _B .

S21128, if the inequality in the above step is established, the new desired heading vector is set to the right wind vector V _{II_I} .

S21127, if the inequality in the above step is not satisfied, the new desired heading vector is still the left attached wind vector V _{III_I} .

When the current target waypoint is in the windward unsaved zone I, the desired heading vector is determined according to the above step S2111.

During the voyage, the current position of the sailboat points to the current target waypoint. The unit vector T _B will change _momentarily . The expected heading vector will also switch regularly between the right windward vector V _{II_I} and the left windward vector V _{III_I} . .

If it is determined that the current target waypoint is in the downwind zone IV when determining the heading zone where the current target waypoint is located, then the new desired heading vector needs to be determined as follows:

S2115, calculating the right downwind vector V _{II_IV} and the left downwind vector V _{III_IV} . The angle _{∠V II_IV} of the right downwind vector is 30 degrees counterclockwise in the forward direction (that is, the direction of the upwind is 150 degrees clockwise), the length of the vector is 1; the angle of the left downwind vector _{∠V III_IV} is rotated 30 degrees clockwise in the direction of the forward wind (that is, the direction of the upwind is _reversed by 150 degrees counterclockwise), and the length of the vector is 1.

S2116, determining whether the current desired heading vector is the right downwind vector V _{II_IV} or the left downwind vector V _{III_IV} . If the current heading vector is neither the right downwind vector V _{II_IV} nor the left downwind vector V _{III_IV} , then the current heading vector is assumed to be the right downwind vector V _{II_IV} . It can be understood that, according to different habits, if the current heading vector is neither the right downwind vector V _{II_IV} nor the left downwind vector V _{III_IV} , the current heading vector may be assumed to be the left downwind vector V _{III_IV} .

S21161, according to the determination of the above step, if the current heading vector is the right downwind vector V _{II_IV} , the direction indicator Vindex is set to 1.

S21163, A, is calculated right wind direction vector _V II_IV multiplier Multi1,

Multi1=1+Jfactor·|1-Vindex|

Where Jfactor is the jump factor, which is a constant set according to experience, Vindex is the direction index, and ∠T _B is the angle of the desired heading vector T _B .

Meanwhile, the left direction is calculated wind vector _V III_IV MULTI3 multiplier,

Multi3=1+Jfactor·|3-Vindex|

S21165, judge inequality three:

Multi3·| _{∠V III_IV} -∠T _B |≤Multi1·| _∠V II_IV -∠TB|

S21167, if the inequality in the above step is established, the new desired heading vector is set to the left downwind vector V _{III_IV} .

S21168, if the inequality does not hold in the above step, the new desired heading vector is still the right downwind vector V _{II_IV} .

S21162, according to the determination of the above steps, if the current heading vector is the left downwind vector V _{III_IV} , the direction indicator Vindex is set to 3.

S21164, B, calculates the wind direction vector _V II_IV right multiplier Multi1,

Multi1=1+Jfactor·|1-Vindex|

Multi3=1+Jfactor·|3-Vindex|

S21166, judging inequality four:

Multi3·| _{∠V III_IV} -∠TB|≥Multi1·| _∠V II_IV -∠T _B |

S21168, if the inequality is established in the above step, the new desired heading vector is set to the right downwind vector V _{II_IV} .

S21167, if the inequality does not hold in the above step, the new desired heading vector is still the left downwind vector V _{III_IV} .

When the current target waypoint is in the downwind zone IV, the desired heading vector is determined according to the above step S2115.

It can be understood that during the voyage, the current position of the sailboat pointing to the current target waypoint unit T _B will change _momentarily, and the desired heading vector will also be _regularly between the right downwind vector V _{II_IV} and the left downwind vector V _{III_IV} . Switching, the switching law is determined by the above calculation formula.

In the process of autonomous navigation, through the above algorithm steps, the current target route of the sailboat can be determined. The desired heading vector when points are in different heading zones.

Step S212, after calculating the desired heading vector of different heading zones, according to the control manner of the rudder angle in the above embodiment, the rudder angle is correspondingly adjusted, so that the actual heading vector tracks the determined desired heading vector.

The beneficial effect of this embodiment is that the detailed heading vector is determined by the above detailed algorithm to achieve precise control of the desired navigation vector.

Embodiment 5

FIG. 5 is a structural block diagram of a sailboat autonomous control device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The device includes a waypoint setting module 10, a target waypoint determining module 20, a desired heading determining module 30, a control module 40, and a determining module 50.

First, at least one waypoint is set in the navigation path by the waypoint setting module 10; after the setting operation of the waypoint is completed, the navigation information of the sailing boat is acquired by the target waypoint determining module 20, and the next waypoint of the position where the sailboat is located is set. For the target waypoint.

During the sailing of the sailboat to the target waypoint, the desired heading determination module 30 determines the desired heading vector based on the relative orientation of the sailboat and the target waypoint, and the direction of the real wind.

Then, the control module 40 controls the sail state of the sailboat according to the relative wind direction information, and controls the rudder angle of the sailboat according to the current heading of the sailboat and the desired heading vector to achieve or track the desired heading.

Finally, the judging module 50 judges whether the sailboat has reached the end of the sailing.

Specifically, the determining module 50 includes a first determining unit 51 and a second determining unit 52, where

Determining, by the first determining unit 51, whether the sailing boat reaches the target waypoint; if not, returning to the desired heading determining step, and if not, notifying the second determining unit;

Then, the second determining unit 52 determines whether the target waypoint is the sailing destination; if not, returns to the target waypoint determining step, and if so, ends.

Further, the desired heading determination module 30 includes a real wind information acquiring unit 31, a heading area dividing unit 32, a relative azimuth determining unit 33, and a heading area determining unit 34. Specifically, the module performs the corresponding functions as follows:

First, the information of the real wind is acquired by the real wind information acquiring unit 31;

Then, the heading area dividing unit 32 divides the heading area centering on the sailboat according to the wind direction information of the real wind;

The relative azimuth determining unit 33 calculates the relative azimuth angle of the target waypoint relative to the sailboat according to the relative position of the target waypoint and the sailboat;

Finally, the heading area determining unit 34 determines the heading area in which the target waypoint is located based on the relative azimuth.

Further, the real wind information acquiring unit 31 is further configured to:

Vector calculation is performed on the speed information, the heading information, the wind speed information of the relative wind, and the wind direction information of the relative wind, and the wind speed information and the wind direction information of the real wind relative to the shore are obtained according to the result of the vector calculation.

Further, the control module 40 includes a first actual navigation control unit 41 and a second actual navigation control unit 42, wherein

Controlling the deflection of the rudder by the first actual navigation control unit 41 to control the actual heading of the sailboat;

At the same time, the rudder angle is controlled by the second actual navigation control unit 42 so that the actual heading of the sailboat reaches or tracks the desired heading.

Further, the control module 40 further includes a sail adjustment angle control unit 43. The sail adjustment angle control unit 43 controls the sail adjustment angle based on the wind direction information of the relative wind.

Further, the control module 40 further includes a posture angle acquiring unit 44 and a help signal processing unit 45, specifically:

Acquiring the attitude angle of the sailboat by the attitude angle acquiring unit 44, wherein the posture angle includes a heading angle, a pitch angle, and a roll angle;

When the pitch angle exceeds the first preset danger value or when the roll angle exceeds the second preset danger value, the distress signal processing unit 45 issues a distress signal for the boat to tip over and ends the navigation.

The beneficial effect brought by the above modules is that in the process of autonomous navigation of the sailboat, a set of integrated navigational autonomous navigation control is provided by dividing the heading zone and calculating the desired heading vector. The method systematically realizes automatic generation of a sailing route, automatic control of a sail state, and automatic control of a rudder angle. On the whole, on the one hand, it improves the controllability and accuracy of the autonomous control of the sailboat. On the other hand, the route planning adaptability is higher.

Embodiment 6

FIG. 6 is a hardware structural diagram of a sailboat provided by the present invention.

The sailboat includes: hull 1, sail 2, rudder 3, controller 4, propeller 5, inertial measurement module 6, global positioning module 7, wind sensor 8.

Wherein, the hull 1, the sail 2, the rudder 3 constitute the body of the sailboat; the sail 2 is placed on the upper surface of the hull 1 and is movably connected with the hull 1; the rudder 3 is placed at the tail end of the hull 1 and electrically connected to the controller 4 The controller 4 is disposed in the casing of the hull 1, and it can be understood that the space for accommodating the controller 4 has a waterproof function; the propeller 5 is disposed at the bottom end of the hull 1; and the inertial measurement module 6 is disposed at the middle of the hull 1 It is understood that the positioning position of the module is set according to the maximum accuracy of obtaining the inertial measurement; the global positioning module 7 is disposed on the upper surface of the hull 1 for receiving the satellite signal; and the wind sensor 8 is fixedly connected to the upper surface of the hull 1 through the connecting rod. It can be understood that the controller 4 is electrically connected to the sail 2, the rudder 3, the propeller 5, the inertial measurement module 6, the global positioning module 7, and the wind sensor 8, respectively.

It can be understood that the autonomous control device for a sailboat provided in the above fifth embodiment can be used as the controller 4 of the present embodiment. The sailboat autonomous control device according to the preset functional requirements, the sail 2, the rudder 3, the propeller 5, and the inertia of the sailboat The measurement module 6, the global positioning module 7, and the wind sensor 8 send corresponding control commands to complete the corresponding operational actions.

Shown in Figure 6 is a trimaran. The hardware system of the present invention is not limited to a trimaran, but may also be a monohull or a catamaran.

The inertial measurement module 6 provides attitude information of the hull 1 in a global inertial coordinate system, including a heading angle, a pitch angle, and a roll angle.

The global positioning module 7 obtains the latitude and longitude position data, speed and heading information of the sailboat.

The wind sensor 8 provides the wind speed and direction of the wind relative to the hull.

The controller 4 receives each sensor signal and each data information, according to the autonomous control method of the sailboat, Calculate the control amount of the rudder 3 and the sail 2, and perform corresponding control actions to realize the autonomous navigation of the sailboat.

In another embodiment, the propeller 5 acts as an auxiliary push when the sailing speed is too slow.

Example 7

7a, 7b and 7c are each a schematic diagram of the relative orientation when the target waypoint of the sailing autonomous control method of the present invention is located in the navigation zone.

Among them, the {S} shown in Fig. 7a, Fig. 7b, and Fig. 7c is the shore-based plane coordinate system, the X-axis of the coordinate system points to the true north, the Y-axis points to the true east, and the X-axis as the starting axis is clockwise. Positive angle value. The shore-based planar coordinate system {S} is a fixed global coordinate system.

Example eight

8a, 8b and 8c are schematic views of the ship base plane coordinate system of the autonomous control method of the sailboat of the present invention.

Among them, {B} shown in Fig. 8a, Fig. 8b, Fig. 8c are the ship base plane coordinate system {B} established on the hull of the single sailboat, the catamaran and the trimaran. Among them, FIG. 8a, FIG. 8b, and FIG. 8c each take the center of mass B of the hull as the coordinate origin.

It can be understood that in the single-sailboat coordinate system shown in Fig. 8a, the coordinate system takes the center of mass B of the hull as its coordinate origin; from the center of mass to the bow and parallel to the base plane of the hull as the X-axis; It is the Y axis; the clockwise direction is the positive angle value with the X axis as the starting axis.

In the catamaran coordinate system shown in Fig. 8b, the catamaran comprises two subhulls with the X axis as the axis of symmetry.

In the three-hull sailboat coordinate system shown in Fig. 8c, the trimaran includes a main hull and two subhulls, wherein the main hull establishes coordinates in the manner of a single ship as shown in Fig. 8a, and the two subhulls are shown in Fig. 8b. The way of the catamaran is based on the X axis as the axis of symmetry.

It can be understood that the coordinate systems of the above three hulls are based on the center of mass of the hull; the center of gravity is directed to the bow and parallel to the base plane of the hull is the X-axis; the center of mass is directed to the starboard for the Y-axis; A positive angle value for the starting axis clockwise. The ship's base plane coordinate system {B} is a local coordinate system that moves with the hull.

The shore-based plane coordinate system {S} and the ship-base plane coordinate system {B} are established in the above manner, in order to be consistent with the calibration methods of the global positioning system, the wind sensor, and the inertial measurement unit.

In this embodiment, there are also the following preferred technical solutions:

As shown in Fig. 7a, Fig. 7b, Fig. 7c and Fig. 8a, Fig. 8b and Fig. 8c, the X-axis of the land-based plane coordinate system of the entire control algorithm points to the true north, and the Y-axis points to the true east, starting from the X-axis. The axis clockwise direction is a positive angle value.

The ship's base plane coordinate system is established on the hull of the ship, and the center of mass of the hull is its coordinate origin;

Starting from the center of mass, pointing to the bow and parallel to the base plane of the hull is the X axis;

Starting from the center of mass, pointing to the starboard side is the Y-axis;

The clockwise direction is a positive angle value with the X axis as the starting axis.

The coordinate system is established in the above manner to ensure consistency with the calibration methods of the global positioning module 7, the wind sensor 8, and the inertial measurement module 6.

Example nine

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the vector relationship of the wind of the autonomous control method of the sailboat of the present invention.

The vector relationship between the speed V _S , the relative wind W _B , and the real wind W _S is as shown in Fig. 9, and the vector expression can be written as W _S = W _B + V _S .

Further, since the controller 4 cannot directly control the sail adjustment angle θ, the controller 4 needs to first loosen the sail rope connected to the end of the sail, and the sail 2 can be blown to one side under the action of the wind, at this time the sail 2 and the sailboat The angle formed by the midline plane is the sail adjustment angle θ.

As shown in Fig. 9, the looser the sail is placed, the larger the sail adjustment angle is; the tighter the sail is pulled, the smaller the sail adjustment angle is. That is to say, the sail adjustment angle is formed by the passive wind-dependent blow, and is constrained to the length of the sail control rope, so the controller 4 directly controls the length L_rope of the sail rope to indirectly control the sail adjustment angle θ.

Example ten

Figure 10 shows the angle calibration of the wind sensor. The wind sensor 8 is mounted on the midline of the hull 1. The X-axis of the wind sensor 8 points to the bow. The wind direction ∠W _B of the wind is zero when the front of the bow is facing the wind. The wind direction is positive in a clockwise direction.

The core of the overall control method of the present invention is the division of the heading zone, the calculation of the desired heading vector, the control of the rudder angle, the control of the sail opening area and the adjustment angle, and the auxiliary propulsion of the propeller. At the same time, the autonomous control method of the sailboat of the invention can automatically generate the heading according to the relationship between the "target, the wind and the sailboat", and independently control the rudder and the sail to realize the unmanned navigation.

It can be considered that the present invention also enhances the autonomous handling and adaptability in the autonomous control of the sailboat.

It is to be understood that those skilled in the art will be able to make modifications and changes in accordance with the above description, and all such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

A method for autonomous control of a sailboat, comprising:

Setting at least one waypoint in the navigation path;

Target waypoint determination step: obtaining navigation information of the sailboat, and setting the next waypoint of the position where the sailboat is located as the target waypoint;

Desired course determining step: determining a desired heading vector according to a relative orientation of the sailboat and the target waypoint, and a direction of the real wind;

Control step: controlling the sail state of the sailboat according to the relative wind direction information; controlling the rudder angle of the sailboat according to the current heading of the sailboat and the desired heading vector to achieve or track the desired heading;

Determining step: judging whether the sailing boat reaches the target waypoint; if not, returning to the desired heading determining step; if it has arrived, further determining whether the target waypoint is a sailing end point; if not, returning to the The target waypoint determination step; if yes, the process ends.
The autonomous control method for a sailboat according to claim 1, wherein the desired heading determining step comprises:

Get real wind information;

According to the wind direction information of the real wind, the heading area is divided by the sailboat, and the heading area includes at least a downwind area, an unwindable area in the windward direction, and a side wind area;

Calculating a relative azimuth of the target waypoint relative to the sailboat according to the relative position of the target waypoint and the sailboat;

Determining, according to the relative azimuth, a heading zone in which the target waypoint is located; acquiring a desired heading vector according to a heading zone in which the target waypoint is located.
The autonomous control method for a sailboat according to claim 2, wherein the obtaining information of the real wind comprises:

Obtaining wind speed information and wind direction information relative to the relative wind of the sailing hull;

The speed information, the heading information, the wind speed information of the relative wind, and the wind direction information of the relative wind are vector-calculated, and the wind speed information and the wind direction information of the real wind relative to the shore are obtained according to the result of the vector calculation.
The autonomous control method for a sailboat according to claim 1, wherein the controlling the rudder angle of the sailboat to achieve or track the desired heading according to the current heading of the sailboat and the desired heading vector comprises:

Control the actual heading of the sailboat by the deflection of the rudder;

By controlling the rudder angle, the actual heading of the sailboat is achieved or tracked to the desired heading.
The autonomous control method for a sailboat according to claim 1, wherein the controlling the sail state of the sailboat according to the relative wind direction information comprises:

The sail adjustment angle is controlled based on the wind direction information of the relative wind.
The autonomous control method for a sailboat according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the controlling step further comprises:

Obtaining a posture angle of the sailboat, wherein the attitude angle includes a heading angle, a pitch angle, and a roll angle;

When the pitch angle exceeds the first preset danger value or when the roll angle exceeds the second preset danger value, the distress signal of the sailboat tipping is issued, and the navigation is ended.
A sailboat autonomous control device, characterized in that the device comprises:

a waypoint setting module, configured to set at least one waypoint in the navigation path;

a target waypoint determination module, configured to acquire navigation information of the sailboat, and set a next waypoint of the position where the sailboat is located as the target waypoint;

Determining a heading determination module for determining a desired heading vector according to a relative orientation of the sailboat and the target waypoint, and a direction of a real wind;

a control module, configured to control a sail state of the sailboat according to the relative wind direction information; and control a rudder angle of the sailboat according to the current heading of the sailboat and the desired heading vector to achieve or track the desired heading;

a judging module, comprising a first judging unit and a second judging unit, wherein

The first determining unit is configured to determine whether the sailing boat reaches the target waypoint; if not, return to the desired heading determining step, and if not, notify the second determining unit;

The second determining unit is configured to determine whether the target waypoint is a sailing end point; if not, return to the target waypoint determining step, and if yes, end.
The autonomous control device for a sailboat according to claim 7, wherein the desired heading determining module comprises: a real wind information acquiring unit, a heading area dividing unit, a relative azimuth determining unit, and a heading area determining unit, wherein

The real wind information acquiring unit is configured to acquire information of real winds;

The heading area dividing unit is configured to divide a heading area by using a sailboat as a center according to wind direction information of the real wind, and the heading area includes at least a downwind area, an unwindable area, and a side wind area;

The relative azimuth determining unit is configured to calculate a relative azimuth of the target waypoint relative to the sailboat according to the relative position of the target waypoint and the sailboat;

The heading area determining unit is configured to determine a heading area where the target waypoint is located according to the relative azimuth.
The autonomous control device for a sailboat according to claim 8, wherein the real wind information acquiring unit is further configured to:

Obtaining wind speed information and wind direction information relative to the relative wind of the sailing hull; performing vector calculation on the speed information, the heading information, the wind speed information of the relative wind, and the wind direction information of the relative wind, and obtaining the relative shore based on the result of the vector calculation Real wind speed information and wind direction information.
The autonomous control device for a sailboat according to claim 7, wherein the control module comprises a first actual navigation control unit and a second actual navigation control unit, wherein

The first actual navigation control unit is configured to control the actual heading of the sailboat by the deflection of the rudder;

The second actual navigation control unit is configured to achieve or track the desired heading of the sailboat by controlling the rudder angle.
The autonomous control device for a sailboat according to claim 7 or 10, wherein the control module further comprises a sail adjustment angle control unit, configured to control the sail adjustment angle according to the wind direction information of the relative wind;

The control module further includes a posture angle acquiring unit and a help signal processing unit, wherein

The attitude angle acquiring unit is configured to acquire a posture angle of the sailboat, wherein the posture angle includes a heading angle, a pitch angle, and a roll angle;

The distress signal processing unit is configured to issue a salvage distress signal when the pitch angle exceeds the first preset hazard value or when the roll angle exceeds the second preset hazard value, and end the navigation.
A sailboat comprising a hull, a sail, a rudder, a drive and a propulsion device, characterized in that the sailboat further comprises a sailboat autonomous control device according to any one of claims 7-11.