Systems and methods of controlling position of a trawl net

A position control system for a trawl net movable along a travel path, the system comprising:

• a memory storing processor-executable instructions;
• and
• at least one processor communicatively coupled with the memory, the at least one processor configured by the instructions to collectively:
• receive a control input, wherein the control input comprises:
• (i) a selection of one of a plurality of position control modes, and (ii) a position control setpoint for the trawl net;
• receive sensor data indicating a sensed position of the trawl net;
• and
• generate a trawl position control output based on the control input, the sensor data and predicted trawl net position data, wherein the predicted trawl net position data is generated by the processor by:
• defining a plurality of parameters, wherein each of the plurality of parameters describes at least one property associated with the trawl net;
• receiving input data comprising vessel speed data, tow line payout data, and a candidate drag coefficient value for the trawl net;
• determining a tow angle based on the plurality of parameters and the input data by iteratively determining line drag values for multiple candidate tow angle values;
• and
• generating the predicted trawl net position data based at least on the tow angle and the input data.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions executable by a processor, wherein the instructions when executed configure the processor to:

• receive a control input, wherein the control input comprises:
• (i) a selection of one of a plurality of position control modes, and (ii) a position control setpoint for the trawl net;
• receive sensor data indicating a sensed position of the trawl net;
• and
• generate a trawl position control output based on the control input, the sensor data and predicted trawl net position data, wherein the predicted trawl net position data is generated by the processor by:
• defining a plurality of parameters, wherein each of the plurality of parameters describes at least one property associated with the trawl net;
• receiving input data comprising vessel speed data, tow line payout data, and a candidate drag coefficient value for the trawl net;
• determining a tow angle based on the plurality of parameters and the input data by iteratively determining line drag values for multiple candidate tow angle values;
• and
• generating the predicted trawl net position data based at least on the tow angle and the input data.

A method of controlling position of a trawl net, the method comprising:

• receiving, by a processor, a control input, wherein the control input comprises:
• (i) a selection of one of a plurality of position control modes, and (ii) a position control setpoint for the trawl net;
• receiving, by the processor, sensor data indicating a sensed position of the trawl net;
• receiving, by the processor, vessel data including vessel speed data, vessel location data, and/or bathymetry chart data indicating bathymetry corresponding to a location of the vessel;
• generating, by the processor, predicted trawl net position data by inputting the sensor data and the vessel data into a machine learning model trained to generate the predicted trawl net position data based on the sensor data and the vessel data;
• and
• generating, by the processor, a trawl position control output based on the control input, the sensor data and the predicted trawl net position data.

A position control system for a trawl net movable along a travel path, the system comprising:

• a memory storing processor-executable instructions;
• and
• at least one processor communicatively coupled with the memory, the at least one processor configured by the instructions to collectively:
• receive a control input, wherein the control input comprises:
• (i) a selection of one of a plurality of position control modes, and (ii) a position control setpoint for the trawl net;
• receive sensor data indicating a sensed position of the trawl net;
• receive vessel data including vessel speed data, vessel location data, and/or bathymetry chart data indicating bathymetry corresponding to a location of the vessel;
• generate predicted trawl net position data by inputting the sensor data and the vessel data into a machine learning model trained to generate the predicted trawl net position data based on the sensor data and the vessel data;
• and
• generate a trawl position control output based on the control input, the sensor data and the predicted trawl net position data.