RU-2861276-C1 - METHOD FOR CONTROLLING TRAJECTORY OF SMALL UNMANNED VESSEL AND DEVICE FOR IMPLEMENTATION THEREOF

RU2861276C1RU 2861276 C1RU2861276 C1RU 2861276C1RU-2861276-C1

Abstract

FIELD: shipbuilding. SUBSTANCE: operator of the small unmanned vessel (SUV) at the remote control centre sets only the coordinates of the start point of the approach manoeuvre to the berthing point, the course of the SUV at the start point of the manoeuvre, the coordinates of the berthing point and the course with which the SUV should approach the berthing point, and the required approach trajectory of the SUV to the berthing point, approximated by a third-order Bezier curve and consisting of waypoints in a number ensuring safe manoeuvring of the vessel in confined conditions, is generated automatically. The SUV operator has the ability, before sending the generated trajectory to the controlled vessel as a voyage task, to correct the trajectory by changing the distance between the first and second, between the third and fourth control points, as well as to monitor the movement of the SUV along the given trajectory and, if necessary, switch to manual remote control of the vessel. The number of waypoints determining the value of the Bezier curve parameter should be such that the distance between two adjacent waypoints is not more than the error in determining the position of the moving vessel in the horizontal plane using corrective information from a differential subsystem. EFFECT: improving the technical characteristics of trajectory control of a small unmanned vessel, in addition, minimal operator labour costs are ensured when forming a voyage task, with accuracy sufficient to ensure manoeuvring in confined conditions, which speeds up and simplifies the process of executing the voyage task. 3 cl, 8 dwg

Inventors

Gaiduk Evgenii Leonidovich
GRUVERMAN ALEKSANDR DAVIDOVICH
Vasilev Aleksei Anatolevich

Dates

Publication Date: 20260504
Application Date: 20251012

Claims (2)

1. A method for controlling the trajectory of a small unmanned vessel (SUS) based on the interaction of a shore-based remote control center (RCC) with an autonomous small vessel equipped with a propulsion and steering column (PSC) approaching a berthing point with the required course, characterized in that the SUS operator located in the RCC specifies only the coordinates of the starting point of the approach maneuver to the berthing point, the SUS course at the starting point of the maneuver, the coordinates of the berthing point and the course with which the SUS should approach the berthing point, and the required trajectory of the SUS approach to the berthing point, approximated by a third-order Bezier curve and consisting of waypoints in a quantity ensuring safe maneuvering of the vessel in cramped conditions, is generated automatically, the SUS operator has the ability, before sending the generated trajectory to the controlled vessel in the form of a voyage assignment, to correct the trajectory by changing the distance between the first and second, between the third and fourth control points, and also to control the movement MNS along a given trajectory and, if necessary, switch to manual remote control of the vessel, while the number of waypoints determining the value of the Bezier curve parameter must be such that the distance between two adjacent waypoints is no more than the error in determining the location of a moving vessel in a horizontal plane using the corrective information of the differential subsystem.
2. A device for implementing the method for controlling the trajectory of a marine navigation system (MNS) approaching a berthing point according to paragraph 1, which is a combination of on-board equipment and CDU equipment containing a remote control panel with a data entry console and a monitor, characterized in that the on-board equipment contains a voyage assignment receiving unit, a meteorological data receiving unit, a coordinated control system computer containing a unit for calculating the current value of the deviation of the vessel's position from the specified trajectory, a unit for calculating the angle of rotation of the propulsion system (PSC) ensuring the return of the MNS to the specified trajectory, and a unit for calculating the speed of rotation of the propeller of the PSC, ensuring the movement of the MNS at a specified speed, transmitted to the PSC control system, and the remote control panel as part of the CDU equipment provides the ability to set the coordinates of the starting point of the approach maneuver to the berthing point, the MNS course at the starting point of the maneuver, the coordinates of the berthing point and the course with which the MNS should approach the berthing point and additionally contains a unit for calculating the coordinates of the second control point and a unit for calculating the coordinates of the third control point, determined by the fraction of the distance between the first and fourth control points, as well as the course MNS at the maneuver start point and MNS course at the mooring point, a block for calculating the coordinates of waypoints, a block for generating a voyage assignment.

Description

The invention relates to the field of navigation and can be used for automatic control of a small unmanned vessel (SUS) equipped with a propulsion and steering column (PSC) when the vessel approaches a mooring point on a given course, for example, for the purpose of ensuring automatic mooring. Various technical solutions are known in the area under consideration. For example, Russian patent No. 2617144 (IPC G01C21/34, published April 21, 2017) is known. This method for simulating the trajectories of moving objects is based on a geometric representation of the object's trajectory in space by sequentially conjugated Bézier curve segments, constructed by manually entering the coordinates of the trajectory's reference points. Also known is Russian Federation Patent No. 2550236 (IPC B63H25/00, B63H25/02, published May 10, 2015), which, based on its essential features, is closest to the proposed solution and, accordingly, has been adopted as the prototype for the proposed method. The method for defining the vessel's trajectory and motion modes involves representing the vessel's trajectory as sigma-like functions with variable curvature coefficients. Also known is Russian Federation Patent for Invention No. 2741669 (IPC B63H25/04, G05D1/00, G08G3/00, G05B13/04, published 01/28/2021), which is taken as a prototype for the device. The system for coordinated control of vessel movement in automatic and remote control modes comprises a control and stabilization adaptation unit at low speeds, a control and stabilization unit at low speeds, a control and stabilization adaptation unit at a speed of more than four knots, a control and stabilization unit at a speed of more than four knots, a navigation information processing unit, a vessel movement simulation unit at low speeds, a vessel movement simulation unit at a speed of more than four knots, a control and management unit, a motion parameter measuring unit, a control object unit, an autonomous navigation system, a survey and search system and a shore post, connected in a certain way. According to the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping [1], a small vessel (SV) is a small vessel capable of navigating without a crew on board. The SV is controlled by an operator from a remote control center (RCC) equipped with a remote control panel (RCP). The SV operator controls the vessel in one of two modes: remote control and automatic control. In the first mode, the operator continuously sends control signals to the SV's navigation control system (RCS) using a communications system to adjust its course and speed. In automatic control, the SV operator predetermines the vessel's trajectory and desired speed and transmits this data for upload to the navigation system as a voyage assignment. Known methods of defining a trajectory using a set of waypoints or sigma-like functions require significant involvement from the MNS operator in the process of generating the desired trajectory for an autonomous vessel. Setting the trajectory during the vessel's approach to the berthing site is particularly labor-intensive, as the vessel must move at low speed during this section, constantly maintaining the required orientation to ensure safe maneuvering. For a small vessel approaching the berthing site at a speed that ensures safe maneuvering and equipped with a propulsion and steering system, the radius of curvature of the trajectory is not as critical as for a vessel equipped with other propulsion and steering devices. The main technical challenge is that to effectively control the vessel's course (orientation), ensuring safety during the approach maneuver to the berthing point, the distance between waypoints must be minimal, which requires a significant number of waypoints. Manually setting these waypoints requires significant labor input from the MNS operator during the voyage assignment creation stage. The proposed technical solution aims to address this issue. The assignment of a trajectory for a small-range maneuver is performed under conditions in which the initial and final orientation of the vessel are strictly regulated. It is known [2] that Bezier curves are preferable for this type of trajectory planning problem. The technical result of the proposed invention is that, thanks to the proposed method for controlling the trajectory of a small unmanned vessel and the device for implementing it, the technical characteristics of controlling the trajectory of a small unmanned vessel are improved, in addition, minimal labor costs for the operator are ensured when forming a voyage task, with an accuracy sufficient to ensure maneuvering in cramped conditions, which accelerates and simplifies the process of implementing a voyage task. The technical result is achieved in that, according to the invention, in the method for controlling the trajectory of a small unmanned vessel based on the interaction of a shore-based remote control center with an autonomous small vessel approaching a mooring point