Design of a Twin Hull Based USV with Enhanced Maneuverability

This paper provides an overview of the development of a catamaran-like autonomous surface vessel. The vessel is intended to serve as an experimental platform to study algorithms for control, sensor data fusion as well as path planning and collision avoidance. The mechanical design, the electronics and software architecture is described together with the sensor and actuator setup. The propulsion system comprises of two azimuth thrusters with limited azimuth angles. This concept provides additional degrees of freedom resulting in an overactuated control system. A mathematical model of the vessel has been adapted and implemented for model based control strategies, simulation and hardware in the loop testing. In this paper some results of the parameter identification process are presented. For the overactuated system a control allocation algorithm has been developed.