Volume 26 Issue 4
Apr.  2026
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MA Yong, WANG Wen-qi, HAN Meng-ru, ZHAO Yu-jiao, YAN Xin-ping. Progress in software-defined intelligent ship navigation control for the new generation of waterborne transportation system[J]. Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering, 2026, 26(4): 184-199. doi: 10.19818/j.cnki.1671-1637.2026.209
Citation: MA Yong, WANG Wen-qi, HAN Meng-ru, ZHAO Yu-jiao, YAN Xin-ping. Progress in software-defined intelligent ship navigation control for the new generation of waterborne transportation system[J]. Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering, 2026, 26(4): 184-199. doi: 10.19818/j.cnki.1671-1637.2026.209
shu

Progress in software-defined intelligent ship navigation control for the new generation of waterborne transportation system

doi: 10.19818/j.cnki.1671-1637.2026.209
  • 1.

    State Key Laboratory of Maritime Technology and Safety, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430063, Hubei, China

  • 2.

    School of Navigation, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430063, Hubei, China

  • 3.

    National Engineering Research Center for Water Transport Safety, Wuhan 430063, Hubei, China

  • 4.

    School of Information Science and Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, Shandong, China

  • 5.

    Intelligent Transportation Systems Research Center, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430063, Hubei, China

  • 6.

    School of Transportation and Logistics Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430063, Hubei, China

Funds:

National Key R&D Program of China 2023YFB4302300

National Natural Science Foundation of China 52261160383

Key R&D Program of Hubei Province 2024BCB099

More Information
  • Corresponding author: YAN Xin-ping, academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, PhD, E-mail: xpyan@whut.edu.cn
  • Received Date: 2025-10-30
  • Accepted Date: 2026-01-23
  • Rev Recd Date: 2025-12-14
  • Publish Date: 2026-04-28
    Abstract
  • To meet the development needs of the new generation of waterborne transportation systems and intelligent ships, the current status of software-defined technology and its application in intelligent ship navigation control were reviewed. A centralized software-defined intelligent ship navigation control architecture was constructed, featuring a four-end, three-layer structure, composed of user, cloud-control, ship, and shore-based terminals, as well as application, control, and device layers. This architecture migrates decision-making and control functions to software modules deployed on a cloud-control terminal or a local server, thus enabling software-based, modular, and service-oriented implementation of these functions. The results indicate that this architecture offers significant advantages. At the system level, the architecture achieves high structural flexibility, reconfigurability, and scalability, which substantially reduce system maintenance costs. At the functional level, the architecture supports rapid iteration of control algorithms, online upgrades, and on-demand deployment. At the operational level, the architecture supports flexible switching among multiple control modes, including assisted driving, remote control, and autonomous navigation. A case study of an intelligent navigation control system for an unmanned surface vehicle validated the architecture's ability to effectively support navigation tasks ranging from basic to complex, demonstrating comprehensive capabilities in high-precision control, scalable formation collaboration, and network-resilience defense. The proposed software-defined intelligent ship navigation control framework provides an open, intelligent, and sustainably evolving paradigm, offering critical support for a new-generation shipping system to realize an operating model where shore-based control serves as the primary mode, supplemented by onboard watchkeeping.

     

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