Follow-the-Leader Guidance, Navigation, and Control of Surface Vessels: Design and Experiments

A novel follow-the-leader approach for azimuth-driven vessels is devised and experimentally tested in a model-scale outdoor scenario. The vessels are equipped with global navigation satellite and inertial navigation systems. A line-of-sight algorithm ensures the yaw-check ability of the follower vessel along the leader's path, while a speed-regulation allows to track its velocity. Track generation, guidance, navigation, and control modules are designed and assembled to be executed on-board in real time. The results of an outdoor experimental campaign are illustrated to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.