Experimental research on remote navigation and control technology for inland waterway ships

LI Meng-xia; XU Tu-yuan; ZOU Tian-yue; LIU Chen-guang; ZHENG Mao; CHU Xiu-min; YAN Xin-ping

doi:10.19818/j.cnki.1671-1637.2025.02.009

Volume 25 Issue 2

Apr. 2025

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Article Navigation > Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering > 2025 > 25(2): 141-155

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LI Meng-xia, XU Tu-yuan, ZOU Tian-yue, LIU Chen-guang, ZHENG Mao, CHU Xiu-min, YAN Xin-ping. Experimental research on remote navigation and control technology for inland waterway ships[J]. Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering, 2025, 25(2): 141-155. doi: 10.19818/j.cnki.1671-1637.2025.02.009

Citation:

LI Meng-xia, XU Tu-yuan, ZOU Tian-yue, LIU Chen-guang, ZHENG Mao, CHU Xiu-min, YAN Xin-ping. Experimental research on remote navigation and control technology for inland waterway ships[J]. Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering, 2025, 25(2): 141-155. doi: 10.19818/j.cnki.1671-1637.2025.02.009

Citation:

LI Meng-xia, XU Tu-yuan, ZOU Tian-yue, LIU Chen-guang, ZHENG Mao, CHU Xiu-min, YAN Xin-ping. Experimental research on remote navigation and control technology for inland waterway ships[J]. Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering, 2025, 25(2): 141-155. doi: 10.19818/j.cnki.1671-1637.2025.02.009

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Experimental research on remote navigation and control technology for inland waterway ships

doi: 10.19818/j.cnki.1671-1637.2025.02.009

LI Meng-xia^{1, 2, 3},
XU Tu-yuan^{1, 2, 3, 4},
ZOU Tian-yue^{1, 2, 3, 4},
LIU Chen-guang^{1, 2, 3},
ZHENG Mao^{1, 2, 3},
CHU Xiu-min^{1, 2, 3
,
,},
YAN Xin-ping^{1, 2, 3, 4}

1.
State Key Laboratory of Maritime Technology and Safety, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430063, Hubei, China
2.
Intelligent Transport System Research Center, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430063, Hubei, China
3.
National Engineering Research Center for Water Transport Safety, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430063, Hubei, China
4.
School of Transportation and Logistics Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430063, Hubei, China

Funds:

National Natural Science Foundation of China 52401422

State-Funded Postdoctoral Researcher Program GZC20241296

Hubei Provincial Youth Science and Technology Talent Project 2023DJC175

More Information

Corresponding author: CHU Xiu-min (1969-), male, research fellow, PhD, chuxm@whut.edu.cn
Received Date: 2024-01-25
Publish Date: 2025-04-28

Abstract

Abstract

To investigate the feasibility and reliability of remote navigation and control technology for inland waterway ships, a ship-shore collaboration remote navigation and control system was designed. By designing the 4G/5G dual-channel network architecture, efficient and stable ship-shore communication was established. A human-machine switching control strategy was adopted to physically implement mode transitions between manual navigation and remote navigation. Through retrofitting conventional inland waterway ships into remotely navigated ships, remote collision avoidance experiments were conducted in inland waters for typical encounter scenarios including heading-on, crossing, and overtaking. Risk evolution patterns were analyzed by using risk assessment models based on distance to closest point of approach (DCPA) and time to closest point of approach (TCPA), and existing challenges in remote navigation and control of ships were investigated. Experimental results show that the remote navigation and control technology proves applicable in narrow channel sections of inland waterways. However, the physical separation between remote operators and controlled ships leads to deficiencies in presence perception and situational awareness, hindering accurate assessment of traffic conditions and affecting operational decisions. Both perception and control links are affected by network performance during trials. The average communication delay is within one second, and the maximum delay reaches three seconds, significantly impacting collision avoidance decisions on inland waterway ships and elevating the risks of remote navigation. Remote navigation and control involve complex human-machine interaction and coordination, requiring advanced technologies including digital twins, high-precision ship motion modelling, real-time ship attitude monitoring and feedback, and communication compensation. Full-scale ship tests provide theoretical and technical support for system design. Advanced machine cognition and decision-making should be utilized in future to mitigate human-machine conflicts and improve intelligent operation.
- water transportation,
- inland waterway ship,
- new generation of navigation system,
- remote navigation and control,
- ship-shore collaboration,
- full-scale ship test

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References

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Experimental research on remote navigation and control technology for inland waterway ships

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