Automatic collision avoidance system using the concept of blocking area

The authors propose an algorithm for automatic collision avoidance system for ships. The automatic collision avoidance system is one of important functions comprised in automatic navigation system. The concept of inherent blocking area is introduced as a parameter to evaluate collision risk among ships. Contents of blocking areas is defined with the parameters of ship length, breadth, relative speed and relative angle between courses. Numerical simulations using proposed algorithm were carried out with three types of ship such as container ship, VLCC and general cargo ship which have different principal particulars. Results of the simulation show that the proposed system works well for head-on, crossing and overtaking conditions for combination of these ships.