# US 11,307,589 B2 · Vessel navigation system and navigation method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,307,589 B2 - Document ID: US11307589B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/371,106 - Filed: 2019-03-31 - Published: 2020-10-01 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2019-03-27 - Assignees: Ship and Ocean Industries R&D Center - Applicants: Ship and Ocean Industries R&D Center - Inventors: Feng-Yeang Chung; Ching-Chin Tu; Chun-Han Chu; Min-Hsiang Hsu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11307589B2 ## CPC - G05D 1/0206: {specially adapted to water vehicles} - B63B 49/00: Arrangements of nautical instruments or navigational aids (nautical measuring instruments G01C; radio navigation, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - G08G 3/02: Anti-collision systems - H04W 4/029: Location-based management or tracking services - H04W 4/80: Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - 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) - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract The present invention relates to a vessel navigation system and navigation method thereof, the method includes: (a) driving a vessel to sail along a sailing path including at least two nodes, the at least two nodes include a first node and a second node connected by a first line segment; (b) generating a first tracking point on the first line segment when a distance between the vessel and the first node being less than a first length, and driving the vessel to sail according to the first tracking point; (c) generating a second tracking point on the first line segment when a distance between the vessel and the first tracking point being less than the first length, and driving the vessel to sail according to the second tracking point; and then completing the navigation of the sailing path by repeating the step (b) and step (c) until the vessel passes through each node. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A navigation method, comprising: (a) driving a vessel to sail along a sailing path, the sailing path comprising at least two nodes, wherein the at least two nodes comprise a first node and a second node being connected by a first line segment; (b) generating a first tracking point on the first line segment when a distance between the vessel and the first node being less than a first length, and driving the vessel to sail according to the first tracking point, wherein the first tracking point is away from the first node by a second length; (c) generating a second tracking point on the first line segment when a distance between the vessel and the first tracking point being less than the first length, and driving the vessel to sail according to the second tracking point, wherein the second tracking point is away from the first tracking point by the second length; and (d) repeating the step (b) and step (c) until the vessel passes through each node; wherein the first length is twice as much as a length between perpendiculars (LPP) of the vessel, and the second length is triple as much as the perpendiculars (LPP) of the vessel. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The navigation method according to claim 1, wherein after the step (a), the navigation method further comprises: step (a1), driving the vessel to sail along the first line segment, wherein the vessel is deviated from the sailing path by an external factor. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The navigation method according to claim 2, wherein the external factor comprises wind, waves, ocean currents, obstacles or combinations thereof. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The navigation method according to claim 1, wherein the at least two nodes further comprise a third node, and the first node and the second node are connected by a first line segment, and the second node and the third node are connected by a second line segment. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The navigation method according to claim 4, wherein after the step (a), the navigation method further comprises: step (a1), driving the vessel to sail along the first line segment, wherein the vessel is deviated from the sailing path by an external factor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The navigation method according to claim 4, wherein the second tracking point generated on the second line segment when a distance between the vessel and the first tracking point being less than the first length and a distance between the first tracking point and the second node being less than the second length, driving the vessel to sail according to the second tracking point, and wherein the second tracking point is away from the first tracking point by the second length. ### Claim 7 A vessel navigation system, comprising: a data transceiver configured to receive a sailing path; a processor connected to the data transceiver, wherein the processor comprises a path navigator, the path navigator is configured to generate a course control command and a speed control command by configuring the sailing path in accordance with a navigation method; a direction controller connected to the processor, wherein the direction controller is configured to control a direction of a vessel according to the course control command; and a propeller module connected to the processor, wherein the propeller module is configured to control a speed of the vessel according to the speed control command; wherein the navigation method comprises: (a) driving a vessel to sail along a sailing path, the sailing path comprising at least two nodes, wherein the at least two nodes comprise a first node and a second node being connected by a first line segment; (b) generating a first tracking point on the first line segment when a distance between the vessel and the first node being less than a first length, and driving the vessel to sail according to the first tracking point, wherein the first tracking point is away from the first node by a second length; (c) generating a second tracking point on the first line segment when a distance between the vessel and the first tracking point being less than the first length, and driving the vessel to sail according to the second tracking point, wherein the second tracking point is away from the first tracking point by the second length; and (d) repeating the step (b) and step (c) until the vessel passes through each node; wherein the first length is twice as much as a length between perpendiculars (LPP) of the vessel, and the second length is triple as much as the perpendiculars (LPP) of the vessel. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The vessel navigation system according to claim 7, wherein the vessel navigation system further comprises a positioning module connected to the processor, and the positioning module is configured to obtain a current coordinate of the vessel. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The vessel navigation system according to claim 8, wherein the vessel navigation system further comprises a detecting module connected to the processor, and the detecting module is configured to detect at least one external environment data. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The vessel navigation system according to claim 9, wherein the external environment data comprises wind data, wave data, ocean current data, obstacle date or combinations thereof. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The vessel navigation system according to claim 9, wherein the vessel navigation system further comprises an automatic obstacle-avoiding module connected to the processor, the detecting module and the positioning module. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The vessel navigation system according to claim 9, wherein the detecting module comprises at least one environment detector and at least one vessel detector. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The vessel navigation system according to claim 12, wherein the at least one environment detector comprises an air pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a wind direction sensor, a humidity sensor, an optical sensor, an acoustic sensor, a radar sensor, a lidar sensor, a camera, an automatic identification system (AIS) or combinations thereof. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The vessel navigation system according to claim 12, wherein at least one vessel detector comprises a fuel sensor, a power sensor, a gyroscope, a speed sensor, a rudder sensor, a tilt angle sensor or combinations thereof. ### Claim 15 (depends on 8) The vessel navigation system according to claim 8, wherein the positioning module comprises global positioning system (GPS), global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), Beidou satellite navigation positioning system, or combinations thereof. ### Claim 16 (depends on 7) The vessel navigation system according to claim 7, wherein the vessel navigation system further comprises a wireless communicator connected to the data transceiver, and the wireless communicator is configured to remotely receive the sailing path. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The vessel navigation system according to claim 16, wherein a communication connection of the wireless communicator is established by Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular network, radio wave, satellite communication or combinations thereof. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The vessel navigation system according to claim 16, wherein the vessel navigation system further comprises an information security module connected to the processor and the wireless communicator. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The vessel navigation system according to claim 18, wherein the information security module comprises an intrusion-detection system (IDS), an authentication, an authorization and encryption system, a firewall system, a whitelisting system or combinations thereof. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The vessel navigation system according to claim 16, wherein the wireless communicator comprises an antenna, a Bluetooth communication module, a Wi-Fi communication module, a cellular network communication module, a radio wave communication module, a satellite communication module or combinations thereof. ### Claim 21 (depends on 7) The vessel navigation system according to claim 7, wherein the processor further comprises a digital ocean chart database connected to the path navigator, wherein the digital ocean chart database is configured to store historical sailing paths. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The vessel navigation system according to claim 21, wherein the digital ocean chart database is configured to store marine maps, a geographic information system (GIS), voyage data, international collision avoidance regulations (COLREGS) or combinations thereof. ### Claim 23 (depends on 7) The vessel navigation system according to claim 7, wherein the data transceiver is an industrial computer (IPC), a human machine interface (HMI), a single chip or combinations thereof. ### Claim 24 (depends on 7) The vessel navigation system according to claim 7, wherein the processor is a programmable logic controller (PLC), a microcontroller unit (MCU) or a combination thereof. ### Claim 25 (depends on 7) The vessel navigation system according to claim 7, wherein the direction controller comprises a rudder, an electronic steering system or a combination thereof. ### Claim 26 (depends on 7) The vessel navigation system according to claim 7, wherein the propeller module comprises a generator, an engine, a thruster, a throttle, a battery, a motor or combinations thereof.