Design and Simulation Analysis of a Ship Heading Controller

With China's rising status in global maritime affairs, the safety of ship operations, as the primary means of maritime transportation, has become increasingly prominent. Given that ships face multiple degrees of freedom of external disturbances while navigating at sea, leading to poor stability during voyages, this study selects seafaring vessels as its research subject. Based on Backstepping design theory and leveraging the characteristics of nonlinear control algorithms, it employs a reverse recursive approach to design a nonlinear heading controller suitable for ships. Through simulation verification, the precise control of the ship’s direction demonstrates the controller’s superior performance in maintaining a predetermined course in complex marine environments, highlighting its effectiveness in controlling nonlinear motion trajectories.