Minimization of ships' passing path in the field of risks

The object of research is the processes of automatic optimal passing of ships in the field of risks. ARPA (automatic radar plotting aid) is used on modern ships to track targets and pass from them. ARPA is an automated system that assumes the presence of an operator in the loop of information processing and management. Today, operator interventions in control processes are quite significant and often lead to an increase in the number of accidents and disasters. Recently, specialists have been paying more and more attention to the automation of ship control processes. The most promising direction of automation is the use of automatic control modules in automated systems. In this case, the shipmaster only decides to use the automatic module and observes its operation. An example of an automatic module in an automated system is autosteering, which has been used on ships for over 100 years. The paper considers the method of automatic optimal passing of ships in the field of risks. The method allows to minimize the path of passing, provided that the given collision risk is not exceeded. The obtained results are explained by the use of an on-board computer for the calculation of controls. In the on-board computer, at each step of the calculation, a field of risks is built. For the position point of the ship in the field of risks, there is a field gradient and a direction of movement of the ship perpendicular to the gradient. The direction of movement of the ship at each point is tangent to the trajectory of passing – an ellipse of equal risk. The ellipse of equal risks is used as a motion program for the formation of controls that ensure the movement of the ship along the ellipse of a given risk during the passing process. The developed method can be used for the development of automatic modules for managing the passing of ships in the field of risks.