US 10,671,073 B2 · Station keeping system and method

Abstract

A method for maintaining a marine vessel at a global position and/or heading includes receiving measurements related to vessel attitude and estimating water roughness conditions based on the measurements. A difference between the vessel's actual global position and the target global position and/or a difference between the vessel's actual heading and the target heading are determined. The method includes calculating a desired linear velocity based on the position difference and/or a desired rotational velocity based on the heading difference. The vessel's actual linear velocity and/or actual rotational velocity are filtered based on the roughness conditions. The method includes determining a difference between the desired linear velocity and the filtered actual linear velocity and/or a difference between the desired rotational velocity and the filtered actual rotational velocity. The method also includes calculating vessel movements that will minimize the linear velocity difference and/or rotational velocity difference and carrying out the calculated movements.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for maintaining a marine vessel at a target global position and a target heading in a body of water, the method being carried out by a control module and comprising:

receiving measurements related to an attitude of the marine vessel;
estimating roughness conditions of the body of water based on the attitude measurements;
determining a difference between an actual global position of the marine vessel and the target global position and a difference between an actual heading of the marine vessel and the target heading;
calculating a desired linear velocity based on the position difference and a desired rotational velocity based on the heading difference;
based on the roughness conditions, filtering an actual linear velocity of the marine vessel and an actual rotational velocity of the marine vessel;
determining a difference between the desired linear velocity and the filtered actual linear velocity and a difference between the desired rotational velocity and the filtered actual rotational velocity;
calculating marine vessel movements that will minimize the linear velocity difference and the rotational velocity difference;
and
operating a propulsion system of the marine vessel to carry out the calculated marine vessel movements.

6 more elements

A system for maintaining a marine vessel at a preselected global position and a preselected heading, the system comprising:

a control module in signal communication with a propulsion system of the marine vessel;
a pitch sensor that provides vessel pitch measurements to the control module;
a roll sensor that provides vessel roll measurements to the control module;
a heading sensor that provides a measured heading of the marine vessel to the control module;
and
a position sensor that provides a measured global position of the marine vessel to the control module;
wherein the control module determines a difference between the measured global position and the preselected global position and a difference between the measured heading and the preselected heading;
wherein the control module calculates a desired linear velocity based on the position difference and a desired rotational velocity based on the heading difference;
wherein, based on at least one of the pitch measurements and the roll measurements, the control module filters an actual linear velocity of the marine vessel and an actual rotational velocity of the marine vessel;
wherein the control module determines a difference between the desired linear velocity and the filtered actual linear velocity and a difference between the desired rotational velocity and the filtered actual rotational velocity;
and
wherein the control module calculates marine vessel movements that will minimize the linear velocity difference and the rotational velocity difference and causes the propulsion system to operate to carry out the calculated marine vessel movements.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Station keeping system and method

Life of this patent

Station keeping system and method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20