# US 10,501,162 B2 · Method and system for optimising operation of vessel

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- Number: US 10,501,162 B2
- Document ID: US10501162B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/320,248
- Filed: 2017-08-02
- Published: 2019-09-05
- Granted: 2019-12-10
- Earliest claimed: 2016-08-09
- Assignees: Eniram Oy
- Applicants: Eniram Oy
- Inventors: Matti Antola; Antti Solonen; Jussi Pyörre
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10501162B2

## CPC

- B63J 99/00: Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
- B63B 57/00: Tank {or cargo hold} cleaning specially adapted for vessels (tank cleaning in general B08B9/08)
- B63B 79/10: using sensors, e.g. pressure sensors, strain gauges or accelerometers
- B63B 79/20: using models or simulation, e.g. statistical models or stochastic models
- B63H 1/28: Other means for improving propeller efficiency
- G01C 21/12: executed aboard the object being navigated; Dead reckoning
- G01C 21/203: {specially adapted for water-borne vessels}
- G01P 3/00: Measuring linear or angular speed; Measuring differences of linear or angular speeds (G01P5/00 - G01P11/00 take precedence; {direction and speed indication G01P13/045}; counting mechanisms G06M)
- G01P 5/00: Measuring speed of fluids, e.g. of air stream; Measuring speed of bodies relative to fluids, e.g. of ship, of aircraft (application of speed-measuring devices for measuring volume of fluid G01F)
- G05D 1/0206: {specially adapted to water vehicles}
- B63B 59/04: Preventing hull fouling (anti-fouling paints C09D5/16)
- Y02T 70/10: Measures concerning design or construction of watercraft hulls
- B63J: AUXILIARIES ON VESSELS
- B63B: SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING (arrangements of vessel ventilation, heating, cooling, or air-conditioning B63J2/00; floating substructures as supports of dredgers or soil-shifting machines E02F9/06)
- B63H: MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING (propulsion of air-cushion vehicles B60V1/14; specially adapted for submarines, other than nuclear propulsion, B63G; specially adapted for torpedoes F42B19/00)
- G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S)
- G01P: MEASURING LINEAR OR ANGULAR SPEED, ACCELERATION, DECELERATION, OR SHOCK; INDICATING PRESENCE, ABSENCE, OR DIRECTION, OF MOVEMENT (measuring or recording blood flow A61B5/02, A61B8/06; monitoring speed or deceleration of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L3/00; vehicle lighting systems adapted to indicate speed B60Q1/54; determining position or course in navigation, measuring ground distance in geodesy or surveying G01C; combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement G01C23/00; measuring velocity of sound G01H; measuring velocity of light G01J7/00; measuring direction or velocity of solid objects by reception or emission of radiowaves or other waves and based on propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effect, propagation time, direction of propagation, G01S; measuring speed of nuclear radiation G01T; measuring acceleration of gravity G01V; {measuring or recording the speed of trains B61L23/00; speed indicators incorporated in motor vehicles B60K35/00; measuring frequency or phase G01R; traffic control G08G})
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

Disclosed are a method and a virtual sensor system for determining the speed through water of a marine vessel. The method includes obtaining propeller revolutions per minute and at least one of torque at propeller, propulsion power, thrust and engine fuel flow, obtaining speed over ground of the vessel and using the obtained data and hydrodynamic modelling to determine the speed through water of the vessel.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for determining speed through water of a vessel for optimisation of vessel operation, using a sensor system, the method comprising:
obtaining data regarding propeller revolutions per minute and at least one of torque at propeller, propulsion power, thrust or engine fuel consumption;
obtaining data regarding speed over ground of the vessel; and
using the obtained data and hydrodynamic modeling to determine speed through water of the vessel.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the propeller revolutions per minute, torque at propeller, propulsion power, thrust or engine fuel consumption is a measurement value resulting from a corresponding indirect measurement based on vessel vibrations.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

A method according to claim 2, comprising:
obtaining logged data from one or more speed through water logs; and
using the obtained logged data in determining the speed through water of the vessel and for calibrating speed through water log data.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

A method according to claim 3, comprising:
obtaining oceanographic current data and using said data in determining the speed through water of the vessel.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, comprising:
obtaining logged data from one or more speed through water logs; and
using the obtained logged data in determining the speed through water of the vessel and for calibrating speed through water log data.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, further comprising:
obtaining oceanographic current data and using said data in determining the speed through water of the vessel.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, comprising:
determining the speed through water using a statistical state-space model.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, comprising:
determining the speed through water in real time.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, comprising:
calculating the speed through water of the vessel using state space formulation:
Qt=ƒ({circumflex over (v)}w,tΔ{circumflex over (R)}t;α′,β′,γ)+ε1,t
nt=g({circumflex over (v)}w,t,Δ{circumflex over (R)}t;α′,β′,γ)+ε2,t
vg,t={circumflex over (v)}w,t+ĉt+ε3,t
{circumflex over (v)}w,t={circumflex over (v)}w,t-1+η1,t
ĉt=ĉt-1+η2,t
Δ{circumflex over (R)}t=Δ{circumflex over (R)}t-1+η3,t
wherein f and g are functions defined by relations:
K
Q
⁡
(
v
w
n
;
α
_
′
)
=
Q
n
2
K
T
⁡
(
v
w
n
;
β
_
′
)
=
R
cs
⁡
(
v
w
;
γ
_
)
+
Δ
⁢
⁢
R
n
2
and Q is torque of the propeller, vg is speed over ground, n is propeller revolution per minute, ε is a random variable describing measurement noise, and η is a random variable controlling evolution speed of the state, {circumflex over (v)}w is estimated speed through water, Rcs(vw; γ) is calm sea resistance as a function of the speed through water, Δ{circumflex over (R)} is estimated extra resistance on top of calm sea resistance, ĉ is estimated oceanographic current, and parameters α, β and γ are state variables estimated based on data.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

A method according to claim 9, wherein the relations KQ and KT are linear or quadratic functions.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

A method according to claim 9, comprising:
augmenting the state space formulation is augmented with equations which take into account measured speed through water data and calibrate it as follows:
{circumflex over (v)}w,t=e−{circumflex over (x)}t{circumflex over (v)}w,t+ε4,t
{circumflex over (x)}t={circumflex over (x)}t-1+η4,t
wherein vw is the speed through water and {circumflex over (x)} is a state variable related to calibrating the speed through water log data, ε is a random variable describing measurement noise, and η is a random variable controlling the evolution speed of the state.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

A method according to claim 9, comprising:
augmenting the state space formulation with an equation which takes into account a forecasted current as follows:
ct=ĉt+ε5,t
wherein c is an oceanographic current forecast, ĉ an estimated oceanographic current, and ε is a random variable describing measurement noise.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

A method according to claim 9, comprising:
estimating unknown parameters of a hydrodynamic model are estimated using at least one dynamical state-space estimation technique.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, comprising:
optimising with the determined speed through water, operation of the vessel, where the optimising is selected from a group comprising:
optimising time to clean a hull of the vessel;
optimisation of steering of the vessel;
optimising speed profile of a voyage; and
optimising voyage route.

### Claim 15

A sensor system for determining speed through water of a vessel, the sensor system comprising:
a first receiver configured to receive propeller revolutions per minute and at least one of torque at propeller, propulsion power, thrust or engine fuel consumption;
a second receiver configured to receive speed over ground of a vessel; and
at least one processor configured to determine a speed through water of a vessel, based on received data and hydrodynamic modeling.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

A sensor system according to claim 15, wherein the first receiver is configured to receive at least one of the propeller revolutions per minute, torque at propeller, propulsion power, thrust or engine fuel consumption from a corresponding indirect measurement based on vessel vibrations.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

A sensor system according to claim 15, comprising:
a third receiver configured to receive oceanographic current data related to course of a marine vessel, wherein the processor is configured to use received data in a calculation of speed through water of the marine vessel.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

A sensor system according to claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to render speed through water.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

A sensor system according to claim 15, comprising:
a fourth receiver configured to receive data from a speed through water log, the processor being configured to use obtained data for determining a speed through water of a vessel and calibrating the speed through water log data.

### Claim 20

The sensor system according 19, in combination with a vessel whose speed is to be determined by the sensor system.