Automatic docking device

An automatic docking device comprising:

• an optical sensor including a light emitting part and a light receiving part, and receiving, at the light receiving part, light from the light emitting part reflected by an object, to thereby measure a distance to a surrounding object at each predetermined angle;
• a position information input unit to which position data of a ship based on satellite positioning information is input;
• and
• a control unit performing a control for automatically navigating and docking the ship to a docking position on a basis of the data acquired by the optical sensor and the position information input unit,
• wherein the control unit controls the optical sensor to perform a preparatory measurement to measure a distance to an object around the docking position at a stage before a position of the ship obtained on a basis of a measurement result of the optical sensor is used for automatic navigation,
• wherein the optical sensor is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to a hull of the ship, and
• wherein when the optical sensor performs the preparatory measurement, the control unit performs a control for rotating the optical sensor with respect to the hull in such a manner that light irradiated from the light emitting part of the optical sensor can be reflected by the object around the docking position and received by the light receiving part.