Waterway editing device, waterway editing method, and program

Abstract

To reduce an error to occur in a track control system even when an edited waterway is generated to be a new tracking waterway.SOLUTION: A waterway editing device includes: a position determination section for determining whether a position of an own vessel exists in a veering zone in a tracking waterway; and a way point generation section. The way point generation section performs: obtaining a new course where a center line along a course direction of the veering zone has contact with the new course at a contact point before the own vessel when determining the new course difference from a present course toward a second way point in a case where the own vessel exists in the veering zone and also it is determined that an editing waterway is generated; obtaining an intersection point of a new waterway straight line along the new course with a first zone straight line along the course direction in a first direct advance zone; generating a new first way point being the new first way point based on the position of the intersection point; and generating a new second way point at a position separated from the contact point when viewed from the own vessel on the new waterway straight line.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a route editing device, a route editing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a track control system (hereinafter referred to as "TCS") that automatically controls the ship's rudder to navigate the ship along a set route. To realize autonomous ships, the system has a function to edit the route that the TCS is following (hereinafter, "following route") into an appropriate route depending on the surrounding conditions. Then, by setting the edited route (hereinafter, "edited route") as the new following route, the ship can automatically continue to follow the appropriate route. This makes it possible to enhance the autonomous ship navigation function. As a system for generating a new route, for example, there is a system for generating a ship route based on an editing instruction from a user (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-191051 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a ship is sailing along a following route and is changing course, if an obstacle (another ship, drifting object, or an area where the ship's navigation is hindered due to weather and ocean conditions) is found on the route after the change and the route is edited, if various constraints are met, the ship can automatically follow the route along the following route based on the edited route. However, if the constraints are not met, an error occurs in the TCS, and the ship may not be able to automatically follow the route along the following route. Constraints include, for example: (1) Prevent sudden changes in the position of the following route that could cause the route to deviate. (2) Ensure that the shape of the channel behind the vessel is not abnormal. etc. Incidentally, Patent Document 1 does not disclose automatic editing of the route being followed by the track control system in the course alteration section.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a route editing device, a route editing method, and a program that can reduce errors that occur in the track control system, even when an edited route is generated as a new following route when an obstacle or the like is recognized. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the present invention includes a position determination unit that determines whether the position of the ship is in a alteration section set in response to a first waypoint, a first straight section connected to a first end indicating the start of alteration of the alteration section, and a second straight section connected to a second end indicating the end of alteration of the alteration section and a second waypoint, and an edit necessity determination unit that determines whether an edited route for the following route is to be generated, and when the ship is in the alteration section and it is determined that the edited route is to be generated, a current second waypoint determination unit that determines whether the ship is in the alteration section and the second straight section connected to a second end indicating the end of alteration of the alteration section and a second waypoint, a waypoint generation unit that, when determining a new course different from the course heading toward the first point, determines a new course at which a center line along the course direction of the changing course section and the new course meet at a tangent point forward of the ship, determines the intersection between a new course straight line along the new course and a first section straight line along the course direction of the first straight section, generates a new first waypoint that is a new first waypoint based on the position of the intersection, and generates a new second waypoint on the new course straight line at a position away from the tangent point as viewed from the ship.

[0007] In one aspect of the present invention, a following route including a veering section set corresponding to a first waypoint, a first straight section connected to a first end portion representing the start of veering of the veering section, and a second straight section connected to a second end portion representing the end of veering of the veering section and a second waypoint, includes a position determination unit that determines whether or not the position of the ship is between a position of a wheel-over line set corresponding to the veering section in the first straight section and a first connection point connected to the veering section, an edit necessity determination unit that determines whether or not to generate an edited route for the following route, and a position determination unit that determines whether or not to generate an edited route for the following route. and a waypoint generation unit which, when the ship's own ship is between the position of the guide line and the first connection point and it is determined that the edited route should be generated, generates a new second waypoint that is a new second waypoint different from the second waypoint, generates a new first waypoint corresponding to the new second waypoint according to the positional relationship between the ship's position and the new second waypoint, sets the new first waypoint as an edited second waypoint, and generates an edited first waypoint at any position that the ship has passed in the first straight section.

[0008] Another aspect of the present invention is a route editing method executed by a computer, in which a position determination unit determines whether the position of the ship is in a alteration section set corresponding to a first waypoint, a first straight section connected to a first end indicating the start of alteration of the alteration section, and a second straight section connected to a second end indicating the end of alteration of the alteration section and a second waypoint, and an editing necessity determination unit determines whether to generate an edited route for the following route, and a waypoint generation unit generates the edited route when the ship is in the alteration section. When it is determined that a new course will be created, a new course different from the course toward the second waypoint is determined by calculating a new course where a center line along the heading direction of the changing course section and the new course meet at a tangent point forward of the ship, and calculating an intersection between a new course straight line along the new course and a first section straight line along the heading direction of the first straight section, generating a new first waypoint that is a new first waypoint based on the position of the intersection, and generating a new second waypoint on the new course straight line at a position away from the ship from the tangent point.

[0009] Another aspect of the present invention is a route editing method executed by a computer, in which a position determination unit determines whether or not the position of the ship is between a position of a wheel-over line set corresponding to the veering section in a first straight section and a first connection point connected to the veering section in a following route including a veering section set corresponding to a first waypoint, a first straight section connected to a first end portion indicating the start of veering in the veering section, and a second straight section connected to a second end portion indicating the end of veering in the veering section and a second waypoint, and an edit necessity determination unit generates an edited route for the following route. a waypoint generation unit determines whether the ship is between the position of the wheel-over-line and the first connection point and, if it determines that the edited route should be generated, generates a new second waypoint that is a new second waypoint different from the second waypoint, generates a new first waypoint corresponding to the new second waypoint in accordance with the positional relationship between the ship's position and the new second waypoint, sets the new first waypoint as an edited second waypoint, and generates an edited first waypoint at any position that the ship has passed in the first straight section.

[0010] In one aspect of the present invention, a computer includes a step of determining whether or not the position of the ship is in a alteration section set in response to a first waypoint, a first straight section connected to a first end portion indicating the start of alteration of the alteration section, and a second straight section connected to a second end portion indicating the end of alteration of the alteration section and a second waypoint, a step of determining whether or not an edited route for the alteration section is to be generated, and a step of determining whether or not the ship is in the alteration section set in response to a first waypoint, a step of determining whether or not an edited route for the alteration section is to be generated, when the ship is in the alteration section and it is determined that the edited route is to be generated, The program executes the steps of: when determining a new course different from the course heading toward the point, determining a new course at which a center line along the course direction of the changing course section and the new course meet at a tangent point forward of the own ship; determining an intersection between a new course straight line along the new course and a first section straight line along the course direction of the first straight section; generating a new first waypoint that is a new first waypoint based on the position of the intersection; and generating a new second waypoint on the new course straight line at a position away from the tangent point as viewed from the own ship.

[0011] In one aspect of the present invention, a computer includes a step of determining whether or not the position of the ship is between a position of a wheel-over-line set corresponding to the veering section in the first straight section and a first connection point connected to the veering section, a step of determining whether or not an edited route is generated for the following route, and a step of determining whether or not an edited route is generated for the following route, and The program executes the steps of: when the ship is between the wheel-over-line position and the first connection point and it is determined that the edited route should be generated, generating a new second waypoint that is a new second waypoint different from the second waypoint, generating a new first waypoint corresponding to the new second waypoint based on the positional relationship between the ship's position and the new second waypoint, setting the new first waypoint as an edited second waypoint, and generating an edited first waypoint at any position that the ship has passed in the first straight section. Effect of the Invention

[0012] As described above, according to the present invention, even when an edited route is generated as a new following route upon recognition of an obstacle or the like, errors occurring in the track control system can be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration of a vessel control system S according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2A] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between a following route and an edited route. [Figure 2B] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between a following route and an edited route. [Figure 2C] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between a following route and an edited route. [Diagram 3]FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a function of following a route. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating reach length and wheel over line. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating reach length and wheel over line. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining constraints on route shapes. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example in which the own ship O is changing course in a course change section of the following route, and the edited route starts from that course change section. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example in which own ship O is changing course in a course change section of a normal route, and the edited route starts from that course change section. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an area allocated to a following route. [Figure 10] 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the route editing device 30. [Figure 11] 1 is a diagram showing the relationship between the following route TRa and the own ship O. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a case where a new second waypoint is set. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a route when a new second way point and a new first way point (way point WPT1c) are set. [Figure 14] 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the route editing device 30. [Figure 15] 1 is a diagram showing the relationship between the following route TRa and the own ship O. FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a waypoint. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a waypoint. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, a vessel control system S according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of a vessel control system S according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The ship control system S includes a navigation management system 10, a route control system 20, and a route editing device 30, and the navigation management system 10, the route control system 20, and the route editing device 30 are communicatively connected. The navigation management system 10 is, for example, a sensor such as a RADAR, an Automatic Identification System (AIS), a GYRO, a ship speedometer, etc. The navigation management system 10 supplies the results obtained from the various sensors to the route editing device 30. The navigation management system 10 may also include an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS), a ship radar device, etc.

[0015] The route control system 20 includes an automatic ship steering device, and controls the ship's rudder angle to make the ship position follow the monitored route. For example, one planned route is extracted as a route tracking target from among multiple possible planned routes, and the extracted route is set as the monitored route. The route control system 20 is, for example, a TCS (Track Control System). The route control system 20 generates a monitored route based on the waypoints. A waypoint indicates a position where the angle of the route changes. The waypoints are provided to the route control system 20 from the route editing device 30. In addition, the ship can be operated as an automatically operated ship by using the route control system 20. For example, the automatically operated ship may be operated along a following route (or an edited route) generated by the route control system 20.

[0016] The route editing device 30 generates various information for editing a route and supplies it to the route control system 20. For example, the route editing device 30 generates waypoints based on various data obtained from the navigation management system 10 and outputs them to the route control system 20. The various data obtained from the navigation management system 10 include, for example, various information related to the sea area in which the ship navigates, more specifically, meteorological and sea state information, water depth information, structure information, etc. The meteorological and sea state information is information related to weather and sea state, such as weather, waves (wave height, wave direction, period, etc.), tide level, etc. The water depth information is information indicating the water depth according to the topography of the seabed. The water depth information is obtained from a sensor (for example, a bathymetry instrument, a sonar) mounted on the ship. In addition to the method using a sensor, the water depth at the current position of the ship may be obtained from data of an electronic navigation chart. The data of an electronic navigation chart may be stored in advance in the environmental information acquisition device, or may be obtained from an external source.

[0017] The route editing device 30 supplies the route control system 20 with, for example, three waypoints.

[0018] The route editing device 30 may be a computer, or may be incorporated as a module in a radar or ECDIS, or may be incorporated in the route control system 20. The route editing device 30 may be communicably connected to the navigation management system 10 and the route control system 20 via a network at a remote location. In addition, the functions of the route editing device 30 may be realized by installing and executing application software on a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet. Such a route editing device 30 may be installed on a ship.

[0019] Next, route editing will be explained. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the following route and the edited route. As shown in Fig. 2A, the ship O navigates along the following route TR by the route control system 20. If an obstacle T is present on the course of the ship O on the following route TR, the navigation management system 10 detects the presence of the obstacle T. Here, the following route TR is a route followed by the route control system 20 (TCS). The obstacle T may be, for example, another ship, a drifting object, a static target, etc. When an obstacle T is detected, the navigation management system 10 supplies the detection result to the route editing device 30. Based on the detection result obtained from the route control system 20, the route editing device 30 generates new waypoints for avoiding the obstacle and supplies them to the route control system 20. The route control system 20 calculates an appropriate route that can avoid the obstacle T based on the waypoints, as shown in Fig. 2B, and generates an edited route ER.

[0020] When the edited route ER is generated, the route control system 20 combines the edited route ER with the original following route to update the following route TR. This allows the ship O to navigate so as to follow the following route TR, which navigates around the obstacle T. Such a function of editing the following route into an appropriate route depending on the surrounding conditions (obstacles T, etc.) of the ship O is installed in the route control system 20. Then, the route control system 20 sets this edited route as a new following route and makes the ship O follow the new following route. This makes it possible to automatically continue following an appropriate route, and also makes it possible to navigate the ship O as an automatically operated ship. In Figure 2, a case has been described in which an edited route ER is generated when an obstacle T is detected, but the generation of the edited route ER may be any route that is different from the following route TR, and the edited route ER may be generated according to weather and sea conditions.

[0021] <<Outline of route tracking function>> FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the function of following a route. The following route TR is a route generated based on waypoints WPT0, WPT1, and WPT2. Here, the following route TR is set to navigate in the order of waypoints WPT0, WPT1, and WPT2. The starting point of the following route TR is set based on waypoint WPT0, and the end point of the following route TR is generated based on waypoint WPT2, and the following route TR is generated so as to be in contact with these two waypoints and pass near waypoint WPT1.

[0022] Here, a case where there are three waypoints will be described, but there may be four or more waypoints. Such waypoints are supplied, for example, from the route editing device 30 to the route control system 20, and the route control system 20 generates the following route TR. The following route TR includes a first straight section Leg1, a veering section LegC, and a second straight section Leg2. The veering section LegC is a section set corresponding to a first waypoint (waypoint WPT1). The first straight section Leg1 is a section connected to a first end EG1 indicating the start of veering of the veering section LegC. The second straight section Leg2 is a section connected to a second end EG2 indicating the end of veering of the veering section LegC and a second waypoint (waypoint WPT2).

[0023] The veering section Leg C is generated along the arc of the veering circle based on the veering circle set so as to be tangent to the first straight section Leg 1 and the second straight section Leg 2, which are straight sections near the waypoint WPT1. This veering circle is a circle centered on the veering circle arc center coordinate C, and the arc based on this veering circle is the veering circle arc ARC, which is used as the center line of the route. In this way, the shape of the route represented by the veering section Leg C is a shape that follows the arc of the veering circle in the vicinity of the waypoint WPT1.

[0024] Here, the following route TR is set with a route width line RWr and a route width line RWl, which indicate the width of the route. The route width line RWr is set on the right side of the navigation direction of the following route TR, and the route width line RWl is set on the left side of the navigation direction of the following route TR. A route centerline is set at the center in the width direction of the following route TR. The route centerline CL1 represents the centerline in the first straight section Leg1. The route centerline CL2 represents the centerline in the second straight section Leg2. The veering circle arc ARC is also the centerline of the veering section Leg C. The route control system 20 controls the ship O to follow the route centerline of the following route TR. When own ship O crosses the route width line RWr or route width line RWl and is positioned outside the following route TR, it is determined that the ship is in a route deviation state. Route deviation is not a safe state.

[0025] About reach length and WOL Next, we will explain reach length and wheel over line. Figures 4 and 5 are diagrams explaining reach length and wheel over line. The Wheel Over Line (WOL) represents the location where a ship starts to turn its rudder. Ship O turns its rudder at the Wheel Over Line WOL, but it does not change course immediately. There is a section where the ship goes straight beyond the Wheel Over Line WOL. This section corresponds to the reach length. After traveling the distance of the reach length, ship O's course changes.

[0026] The wheel-over line is usually represented by a line segment whose inclination corresponds to the turning angle relative to the next straight section. The reach length RL represents the distance from the position where the ship starts turning (WOL) to the point where turning begins (=entering the turning section Leg C). A fixed length is determined for each ship for the reach length RL. The reach length may change depending on the ship's draft, turning angle, etc., but in this embodiment, a case where the reach length is constant will be described.

[0027] In FIG. 4, the ship O is in a position in the first straight section Leg1 before passing the wheel-over-line WOL. Here, the to-way point ToWPT indicates the next destination of the ship O. When the ship O is in a position before passing the wheel-over-line WOL, the route control system 20 uses the first way point WPT1 as the to-way point ToWPT.

[0028] In Fig. 5, the ship O is at a position after passing the wheel-over-line WOL in the first straight section Leg 1. When the ship O passes the wheel-over-line WOL in the first straight section Leg 1, the route control system 20 switches the to-way point ToWPT from the first way point WPT1 to the second way point WPT2. The route control system 20 determines the location of the waypoint to which the ship O is heading, and controls the course to head toward the second waypoint WPT2 by switching the to-way point ToWPT from the first waypoint WPT1 to the second waypoint WPT2.

[0029] <Route Shape Restrictions> Next, the constraints on route shape will be explained. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the constraints on the route shape. 6, a first straight section Leg1 is set between a veering section corresponding to waypoint WPT0 and a veering section corresponding to waypoint WPT1. In such a case, the route control system 20 has a constraint that the minimum distance of a straight section set before a certain veering section must be equal to or greater than the reach length. If the distance of the straight section is shorter than the reach length, the route control system 20 determines that the route has an abnormal shape. In this case, the route control system 20 cannot perform tracking control. Such an error, which occurs when it is determined that the distance of the straight section is not equal to or greater than the reach length, is generally called a "minimum leg length error."

[0030] Issues with updating following routes Here, the problems involved in updating the following route will be described. When updating a following route to an edited route, it is necessary to satisfy the requirement that the boundary between the original following route and the edited route is seamlessly connected from the viewpoints of vessel control and route shape. This requirement can be easily met if the ship O is sailing in a straight section (hereinafter also referred to as "straight ahead"). On the other hand, if the ship O is sailing in a section that changes course (hereinafter also referred to as "changing course") and the edited route starts from that section, the following two points must be considered.

[0031] (Issue 1) When the following route is updated to a new following route based on the edited route, the shape of the following route changes, but it is necessary to prevent the position of own ship O from deviating from the route due to this change in the shape of the following route. (Issue 2) Prevent the route shape behind ship O from becoming abnormal (a contradictory situation in which the two way points ahead are set as the two way points ToWPT but the wheel over line of the first way point is not crossed). Such problems do not arise when generating long-distance tracking control, but when changing waypoints instantly in response to surrounding conditions, and this embodiment solves such problems that can arise instantly.

[0032] Regarding assignment 1: FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example in which the own ship O is changing course in a course change section of the following route, and the edited route starts from the course change section. When the own ship O is sailing along the following route TRa and its position is in the alteration section LegCa of the following route TRa, if the following route TRa is updated to the following route TRb based on the edited route, the position of the own ship O may deviate from the route. Here, when the own ship O is navigating inside the route width of the alteration section LegCa and to the left of the alteration circle arc ARCa, which is the route centerline of the alteration section LegCa, and the following route is updated to the following route TRb, the own ship O will deviate from the route if it ends up being located outside the route width of the alteration section LegCb of the following route TRb.

[0033] Here, the following route TRa and the following route TRb are the same for the waypoint WPT1, but the waypoint WPT2 is changed to the waypoint WPT2b, which is a position where the change angle is smaller than that of the waypoint WPT2a. Accordingly, the change circle center coordinate is changed from the change circle center coordinate Ca to the change circle center coordinate Cb, and the change circle arc is changed from the change circle arc ARCa to the change circle arc ARCb. In this way, when own ship O is navigating in the change course section Leg C (changing course) and changes course, there is a possibility that it will deviate from the course.

[0034] Regarding assignment 2: FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example in which the own ship O is changing course in a course change section of a current route, and the edited route starts from that course change section. When the own ship O is sailing along the following route TRa and the position of the own ship O is in the changing course section LegCa of the following route TRa, if the following route TRa is updated to the following route TRb based on the edited route, the first straight section may not satisfy the reach length. Here, in the following route TRa, the first straight section is between the end EGa of the change course section LegCa and the end EG0 of the change course section LegC0, and is a distance equal to or greater than the reach length RL. However, when the waypoint WPT2 is changed to a position at which the change course angle is greater than the change course angle toward the waypoint WPT2a, the change course circle arc center coordinate is changed from the change course circle arc center coordinate Ca to the change course circle arc center coordinate Cb, so as to be closer to the ship O. Accordingly, the position at the end of the first straight section connected to the change course section moves to a position closer to the waypoint WPT0. For example, the position of the end of the route centerline of the first straight section is changed from position Pa to position Pb. Then, the first straight section was a section between the end EGa of the change course section LegCa and the end EG0 of the change course section LegC0, but is changed to a section between the end EGb of the change course section LegCb and the end EG0 of the change course section LegC0. In this case, the distance of the first straight section is less than the reach length RL. That is, the maneuver start point moves from position Pa to position Pb toward waypoint WPT0, and the distance of the straight section may become less than the reach length. That is, a minimum leg length error occurs, and the route control system 20 may not be able to perform tracking control.

[0035] How to change course by region When an edited route is generated and a following route is updated as described above, following control may become impossible. In this embodiment, the following control can be maintained by performing an editing process depending on which area of ​​the following route the ship O is in at the time of updating the route. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the area allocated to the following route. Area A corresponds to the section from waypoint WPTO to the wheel-over-line WOL. Area B corresponds to the section from the wheel-over-line WOL to the end of the straight section that is connected to the turning section. Area C corresponds to the turning section. Then, if the position of own ship O at the time of updating the route is in area A, normal processing is carried out. If the position of own ship O at the time of updating the route is in area B, a process is performed to plot the first waypoint of the edited route on an extension of the current leg (hereinafter also referred to as the process for area B). If the position of ship O at the time of updating the route is in area C, a process is performed to change the course-changing angle without moving the course-changing circle center coordinates of waypoint WPT1 (hereinafter also referred to as area C processing). However, when the position of the own ship O is in area A, processing for area B or processing for area C may be executed. Also, when the position of the own ship O is in area B, processing for area C may be executed.

[0036] Returning to FIG. 1, the route editing device 30 will be further described. The route editing device 30 includes a data acquisition unit 301 , a position determination unit 302 , an editing necessity determination unit 303 , a waypoint generation unit 304 , an output unit 305 , a memory unit 306 , and a control unit 307 . The data acquisition unit 301 acquires various data from the navigation management system 10. The data acquisition unit 301 also acquires various data from the route control system 20.

[0037] The position determination unit 302 determines whether the ship O is currently located in area A, area B, or area C.

[0038] The editing necessity determining unit 303 determines whether or not to generate an edited route for the following route. For example, the editing necessity determination unit 303 determines to generate an edited route when it has acquired information that an obstacle T exists on the following route on the course of the ship O from the navigation management system 10 via the data acquisition unit 301. Also, the editing necessity determination unit 303 determines to generate an edited route when it has acquired information that meteorological and sea conditions corresponding to conditions that make it better to take avoidance have occurred on the following route on the course of the ship O from the navigation management system 10 via the data acquisition unit 301.

[0039] The waypoint generation unit 304 generates waypoints. The output unit 305 outputs the waypoints generated by the waypoint generation unit 304 to the route control system 20.

[0040] The storage unit 306 stores various data. For example, the storage unit 306 stores data received from the navigation management system 10, data for the route editing device 30 to perform various calculations, data received from the route control system 20, etc. The memory unit 306 is configured with a storage medium, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a flash memory, an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), a random access read / write memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), or any combination of these storage media. The storage unit 306 may be, for example, a non-volatile memory.

[0041] The control unit 307 controls each part of the route editing device 30 . The data acquisition unit 301, position determination unit 302, editing necessity determination unit 303, waypoint generation unit 304, output unit 305, and control unit 307 may be composed of a processing unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a dedicated electronic circuit.

[0042] Next, a description will be given of the operation of the above-mentioned route editing device 30. The route editing device 30 generates waypoints depending on whether the position of the ship O is in area B or area C. First, the case where the ship O is in area B will be described.

[0043] <<How to change course in Area B; Processing of Area B>> FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the route editing device 30. (Step S101) The data acquisition unit 301 of the route editing device 30 acquires various data from the navigation management system 10, and also acquires data from the route control system 20 indicating the following route that the ship O is currently navigating. (Step S102) The position determination unit 302 determines whether or not the position of the ship O is between the position of the wheel-over line set corresponding to the turning section in the first straight section and the first connection point connected to the turning section on the following route, based on the acquired following route and the current position of the ship O. In other words, the position determination unit 302 determines whether or not the position of the ship O is in the area B. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the following route TRa and the own ship O. When the own ship O is between the wheel-over-line WOL and the first connection point PC (area B), the own ship O is determined to be in area B.

[0044] (Step S103) If the ship O is between the position of the wheel over line and the first connection point (area B) based on the judgment result of the position judgment unit 302, the editing necessity judgment unit 303 judges whether to generate an edited route based on whether an obstacle T is present on the following route on the course of the ship O. For example, if there is an obstacle T on the following route on the course of the ship O, the editing necessity judgment unit 303 judges to generate an edited route and proceeds to step S104, and if no obstacle T is detected, the processing proceeds to step S101.

[0045] (Step S104) When it is determined based on the judgment result of the position judgment unit 302 that the own ship O is between the position of the wheel-over line and the first connection point (area B), and when it is determined based on the judgment result of the editing necessity judgment unit 303 that an edited route should be generated, the waypoint generation unit 304 generates a new second waypoint that is a new second waypoint different from the second waypoint.

[0046] (Step S105) FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a case where a second waypoint (waypoint WPT2a) has been set. Here, when it is determined in step S102 that the ship O is in area B, the second waypoint (waypoint WPT2a) is set as the to-way point ToWPT, and the ship O is navigating along the following route TRa toward the second waypoint WPT2a. When the ship O is navigating in this manner, the waypoint WPT2b is set as the new second waypoint.

[0047] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a case where a new second waypoint has been set. This waypoint WPT2b is generated by the waypoint generation unit 304. When an obstacle T is detected near the waypoint WPT2a on the following route TRa, the waypoint generation unit 304 generates a new second waypoint based on a route that is connected to any position on the following route TRa that is forward in the heading direction from the position of the own ship O and that allows the obstacle T to be avoided. For example, the waypoint WPT2a is on the port side of the own ship O, but here, the waypoint WPT2b is set to a position on the starboard side of the own ship O as the new second waypoint.

[0048] (Step S105) When the waypoint generation unit 304 generates the waypoint WPT2b (new second waypoint), it generates a new first waypoint corresponding to this waypoint WPT2b in accordance with the positional relationship between the position of the own ship O and the waypoint WPT2b. Here, for example, the new first waypoint is generated as the waypoint WPT1b between the waypoint WPT1a and the waypoint WPT2b.

[0049] (Step S106) When the waypoint WPT1b (new first waypoint) is generated, the waypoint generation unit 304 generates a wheel-over-line WOLb corresponding to the waypoint WPT1b. The wheel-over-line WOLb is generated, for example, at a position between the waypoint WPT1a and the own ship O.

[0050] (Step S107) Next, the waypoint generation unit 304 sets waypoint WPT1b (new first waypoint) as an edited second waypoint (waypoint WPT2c), and generates an edited first waypoint (waypoint WPT1c) at any position that the ship O has passed through in the first straight section Leg1. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the route when the new second way point and the new first way point (way point WPT1c) are set. Here, the edited first waypoint (waypoint WPT1c) is generated at a position immediately behind the own ship O.

[0051] (Step S108) Next, the waypoint generation unit 304 sets the new second waypoint (waypoint WPT2b in FIG. 12) as a new third waypoint (waypoint WPT3c).

[0052] (Step S109) In addition, the waypoint generation unit 304 sets the turning angle for the wheel-over-line WOLc for the edited first waypoint to 0 degrees.

[0053] (Step S110) The output unit 305 supplies the waypoints WPT1c and WPT2c generated by the waypoint generation unit 304 to the route control system 20. As a result, in the route control system 20, an edited route ER is generated based on the waypoints WPT1c and WPT2c, and this edited route ER is used as a new following route.

[0054] According to the embodiment described above, when the own ship O passes the wheel-over-line WOLa in the state of the own ship O and the following route TRa as shown in FIG. 11, the to-way point ToWPT switches from waypoint WPT1a to waypoint WPT2a. 12, when generating an edited route ER, if a new waypoint (waypoint WPT1b) is set, waypoint WPT1a is deleted. Here, if the to-way point ToWPT is set as waypoint WPT2b, the old waypoint (waypoint WPT1a) is deleted, and the new waypoint (waypoint WPT1b) is set at a position ahead of the old waypoint (waypoint WPT1a) in the heading direction, then the wheel-over line WOLb is set at a position corresponding to the new waypoint (waypoint WPT1b) for the wheel-over line as well. That is, the position of the wheel-over line is changed from the wheel-over line WOLa to the position of the wheel-over line WOLb. In this case, even though the route control system 20 recognizes that the ship O has passed the wheel-over-line WOLa corresponding to the old waypoint (waypoint WPT1a), the new waypoint (waypoint WPT1b) is positioned further ahead in the heading direction, causing the WOLb corresponding to the new waypoint (waypoint WPT1b) to move ahead of the ship O.

[0055] In this case, even though the two-way point ToWPT is set as a new waypoint (waypoint WPT2b), a contradiction occurs in that it does not cross the wheel-over-line WOL. (After it is recognized that the wheel-over-line has been crossed, the new waypoint WPT2 should have been set as the two-way point ToWPT, but it is recognized that it has not crossed the wheel-over-line WOL. Therefore, the new waypoint WPT1b determined when generating the edited route ER is set as the edited second waypoint (waypoint WPT2c), and the edited first waypoint (waypoint WPT1c) is set behind the own ship O. The edited first waypoint (waypoint WPT1c) has a course change angle of 0 degrees. As a result, the edited first waypoint (waypoint WPT1c) is recognized by the route control system 20 as having already been passed. As a result, the new third waypoint (waypoint WPT3c) is set as the to-way point ToWPT.

[0056] In this way, when creating the edited route ER, the edited first waypoint (waypoint WPT1c) with a course change angle of 0° is placed behind the own ship O. Here, since it is sufficient for the route control system 20 to recognize that the edited first waypoint (waypoint WPT1c) has been passed, the position of the edited first waypoint (waypoint WPT1c) is arbitrary, but may be set, for example, slightly behind the own ship O. This causes the route control system 20 to recognize that the wheel over line has been passed.

[0057] This makes it possible to avoid a contradictory state in which the to-way point ToWPT is the second edited waypoint (waypoint WPT2c) but does not cross the wheel over line of the first edited waypoint (waypoint WPT1c), thereby making it possible to avoid a situation in which tracking control by the route control system 20 is no longer possible. TCS is a system with many restrictions due to international standards, etc., and it is not easy to change the specifications such as decrementing ToWPT. Therefore, there is an advantage in performing the above-mentioned processing on the system that creates the edited route ER.

[0058] <<How to change course in Area C; Processing of Area C>> FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the route editing device 30. (Step S201) The data acquisition unit 301 of the route editing device 30 acquires various data from the navigation management system 10, and also acquires data from the route control system 20 indicating the following route that the ship O is currently navigating. (Step S202) The position determination unit 302 determines whether the position of the ship O is in a course-changing section of the following route based on the acquired following route and the current position of the ship O. That is, the position determination unit 302 determines whether the position of the ship O is in the area C. 15 is a diagram showing the relationship between the following route TRa and the own ship O. When the own ship O is in a course-changing section, the own ship O is determined to be in the area C.

[0059] (Step S203) The editing necessity determination unit 303 determines whether to generate an edited route based on whether or not there is an obstacle T on the following route on the course of the own ship O, when the own ship O is in the course change section, based on the determination result of the position determination unit 302. For example, when there is an obstacle T on the following route on the course of the own ship O, the editing necessity determination unit 303 determines to generate an edited route and proceeds to step S204, and when no obstacle T is detected, proceeds to step S201.

[0060] When it is determined based on the determination result of the position determination unit 302 that the own ship O is in the course change section, and when it is determined based on the determination result of the editing necessity determination unit 303 that an edited route is to be generated, the waypoint generation unit 304 generates a new first waypoint different from the first waypoint, and a new second waypoint which is a new second waypoint different from the second waypoint. The process of generating the new first waypoint and the new second waypoint is performed as follows.

[0061] Fig. 16 is a diagram for explaining waypoints. Fig. 16 illustrates a case where an edited route is generated such that the turning angle is smaller than that of the following route. (Step S204) When the waypoint generation unit 304 determines that the own ship O is in the course change section and that an edited route should be generated, the waypoint generation unit 304 determines a new course different from the course toward the current second waypoint, waypoint WPT2a, by finding a new course (route centerline CL2) where the centerline along the course direction of the course change section (course change circle arc course centerline ARCa) and the new course meet at a tangent point PT forward of the own ship. (Step S205)

[0062] Furthermore, the waypoint generation unit 304 determines the intersection IS between the new route line Lnew, which is a straight line extended along the new course, and the first section line La, which is a straight line extended along the course direction of the first straight section Leg1, and generates a new first waypoint (waypoint WPT1b), which is a new first waypoint, based on the position of the intersection IS. (Step S206) Then, the waypoint generation unit 304 generates a new second waypoint (waypoint WPT2b) at a position on the new route straight line Lnew that is farther away from the own ship O than the tangent point PT.

[0063] (Step S207) The output unit 305 outputs the positions of the waypoints WPT1b and WPT2b to the route control system 20. As a result, in the route control system 20, an edited route ER is generated based on the waypoints WPT1b and WPT2b, and this edited route ER is used as a new following route. Here, a line connecting the waypoints WPT1b and WPT2b is generated as a new second straight section Leg2.

[0064] In this way, according to the route change method in area C, the edited route can be obtained by the following steps (1) to (6). (1) Determine any appropriate course (new course). Any method for determining the new course may be used, but the constraint that the tangent point determined in (3) below must be ahead of the current position of the ship O must be satisfied. (2) A straight line (new course) extending in the direction of the course calculated in (1) above is set so as to be tangent to the veering circle (veering circle arc course center line ARCa). Here, the waypoint generating unit 304 sets the veering circle by extracting a tangent point from any position of the veering circle arc without changing the position and radius of the veering circle arc along the veering section of the following course.

[0065] (3) Determine the point of contact PT between the straight line (new course) established in (2) above and the alternating course circle (arc course centerline ARCa). As described above, there is a constraint that this tangent point must be located ahead of the current position of the ship O. For example, if an edited route is generated such that the tangent point is set behind the ship O when the ship O has navigated a course close to the end of the course change section, the route behind the ship O (the route that has already been passed) on the currently traveling route will also be changed. If this happens, there may be cases where the ship O is not included in the changed route due to the change in the route behind the ship O, resulting in a deviation from the route. Therefore, by satisfying such a constraint, it is possible to prevent route deviation from occurring.

[0066] (4) Find the intersection IS of the line established in (2) above and the line that passes through the first line La, which is an extension of the first straight section Leg 1. This intersection is designated as the new first waypoint (waypoint WPT1b). By executing the process of (4), the new first waypoint (waypoint WPT1b) obtained can be said to be the waypoint WPT1a brought closer to waypoint WPT0 along a straight line. As a result, the position of the new first waypoint can be moved (changed) along the extension line of the first straight section Leg1 so as to approach or move away from the own ship O without changing the position and radius of the course change circle arc of the course change section. In this case, since the course change circle arc does not change, the edited route can be connected to the following route without changing the course centerline during the course change. As a result, the position of the edited route in the left-right direction of the course width can be made the same as the position of the following route in the left-right direction of the course width. Therefore, even if the edited route is joined to the following route during the course change, the position in the left-right direction defined as the course width is not changed. This prevents the position of the own ship from being located outside the course width line (route deviation) due to joining the edited route to the following route during the course change. This solves the above-mentioned "problem 1", and the course control by the course control system 20 can be continued. In addition, the starting point of the altered course section can be made to remain the same on both the original route and the updated route, so that there is no problem from the viewpoint of the route shape.

[0067] (5) Extend the straight line (new course) established in (2) above by any distance to establish a new second waypoint (waypoint WPT2b). (6) The line connecting waypoints WPT1b and WPT2b is set as a new second straight section Leg2.

[0068] Fig. 17 is a diagram for explaining waypoints. Fig. 17 illustrates a case where an edited route is generated such that the turning angle is large with respect to the following route. Even in such a case, the edited route can be obtained by the same processing as that of steps S201 to S207 (procedures (1) to (6)) described above. Here, in step (3), the point of contact between the straight line (new course) established in step (2) and the course change circle (course change circle arc course centerline ARCa) can be obtained as the point of contact PT. This point of contact PT is a position where the veering angle is larger than the course heading towards waypoint WPT2a, but is on the veering circle arc ARCa. Then, in step (4), the intersection IS of the line established in step (2) and the line passing through the first line La, which is an extension of the first straight section Leg1, is found. This intersection is designated as the new first waypoint (waypoint WPT1b). Then, a new second waypoint (waypoint WPT2b) is generated on the straight line of the new course, at a position farther away from the ship O than the point of contact PT.

[0069] Here, even if an edited route is generated in which the veering angle is larger than the following route, and the position is changed from waypoint WPT1a to new first waypoint (waypoint WPT1b), the ship O does not pass directly over the new first waypoint (waypoint WPT1b), so there is no effect on the following control in the route control system 20. Here, the ship O navigates on the arc of the veering circle, so if there is no change in the arc of the veering circle, no route deviation occurs. In this way, even if an edited route is generated so that the alteration angle is larger than the following route, a new second straight section leading to a new second waypoint is connected to any position on the route during the current alteration of course of own ship O, so that neither the radius nor the center position of the alteration circle arc during the alteration of course occurs, and therefore the route itself can be prevented from being altered to the starboard or starboard side of the own ship.

[0070] According to the above-described embodiment, it becomes possible for the track control system to automatically edit the route being followed in the alternating course section.

[0071] The route editing device 30 in the above-mentioned embodiment may be realized by a computer. In that case, a program for realizing this function may be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded in the recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed to realize the function. The term "computer system" as used herein includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. The term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into a computer system. The term "computer-readable recording medium" may also include a medium that dynamically holds a program for a short period of time, such as a communication line when a program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line, and a medium that holds a program for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory inside a computer system that is a server or client in such a case. The above-mentioned program may be a program for realizing a part of the above-mentioned function, or may be a program that can realize the above-mentioned function in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system, or may be a program that is realized using a programmable logic device such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0072] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and designs that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are also included. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 10... navigation management system, 20... route control system, 30... route editing device, 301... data acquisition unit, 302... position determination unit, 303... editing necessity determination unit, 304... waypoint generation unit, 305... output unit, 306... memory unit, 307... control unit, S... ship control system

Claims

1. a turning section set corresponding to the first waypoint; a first straight section connected to a first end portion that indicates a start of a course change in the course change section; a position determination unit that determines whether the ship is located in a alteration section of a following route that includes a second end portion indicating an end of alteration of the alteration section and a second straight section connected to a second waypoint; an editing necessity determination unit that determines whether or not to generate an edited route for the following route; a waypoint generation unit which, when the ship is in the course change section and it is determined that the edited route should be generated, determines a new course different from the course toward the current second waypoint, calculates a new course where a center line along the course direction of the course change section and the new course meet at a tangent point forward of the ship, and calculates an intersection between a new course straight line along the new course and a first section straight line along the course direction of the first straight section, generates a new first waypoint that is a new first waypoint based on the position of the intersection, and generates a new second waypoint on the new course straight line at a position away from the tangent point as viewed from the ship; A route editing device having the above structure.

2. The waypoint generation unit, The point of contact is extracted from any position of the veering circle arc without changing the position and radius of the veering circle arc along the veering section of the following course.

2. The route editing device according to claim 1.

3. The waypoint generation unit, The point of contact is extracted from a position forward of the ship's current position on the course change arc.

3. The route editing device according to claim 2.

4. a turning section set corresponding to the first waypoint; a first straight section connected to a first end portion that indicates a start of a course change in the course change section; a position determination unit that determines whether or not the position of the ship is between a position of a wheel-over line that is set corresponding to the veering section in the first straight section and a first connection point that is connected to the veering section, in a following route that includes a second end portion that indicates the end of the veering section and a second straight section that is connected to a second waypoint; an editing necessity determination unit that determines whether or not to generate an edited route for the following route; When it is determined that the ship is between the position of the wheel-over-line and the first connection point and the edited route is to be generated, a waypoint generation unit that generates a new second waypoint that is a new second waypoint different from the second waypoint, generates a new first waypoint corresponding to the new second waypoint according to a positional relationship between the position of the ship and the new second waypoint, sets the new first waypoint as an edited second waypoint, and generates an edited first waypoint at any position that the ship has passed in the first straight section; A route editing device having the above structure.

5. The waypoint generation unit, In response to the new first waypoint being edited as the second waypoint, the new second waypoint is set as a new third waypoint.

5. The route editing device according to claim 4.

6. The waypoint generation unit, For the edited first waypoint, set the turning angle to 0 degrees.

6. The route editing device according to claim 5.

7. 1. A computer-implemented method for editing a route, comprising the steps of: The position determination unit: a turning section set corresponding to the first waypoint; a first straight section connected to a first end portion that indicates a start of a course change in the course change section; determining whether or not the ship is located in a course change section of a following route including a second end portion indicating the end of the course change in the course change section and a second straight section connected to a second waypoint; an editing necessity determination unit determines whether or not to generate an edited route for the following route; When the waypoint generation unit determines that the own ship is in the course change section and that the edited course is to be generated, the waypoint generation unit determines a new course different from the course toward the current second waypoint by determining a new course where a center line along the course direction of the course change section and the new course meet at a tangent point forward of the own ship, and by determining an intersection point between a new course straight line along the new course and a first section straight line along the course direction of the first straight section, generating a new first waypoint as a new first waypoint based on the position of the intersection point, and generating a new second waypoint on the new course straight line at a position away from the tangent point as viewed from the own ship. How to edit a route.

8. 1. A computer-implemented method for editing a route, comprising the steps of: The position determination unit: a turning section set corresponding to the first waypoint; a first straight section connected to a first end portion that indicates a start of a course change in the course change section; determining whether or not the position of the ship is between a position of a wheel-over line set corresponding to the veering section in the first straight section and a first connection point connected to the veering section in a following route including a second end portion indicating the end of the veering section and a second straight section connected to a second waypoint; an editing necessity determination unit determines whether or not to generate an edited route for the following route; A waypoint generation unit, when it is determined that the ship is between the position of the wheel-over-line and the first connection point and that the edited route is to be generated, generates a new second waypoint that is a new second waypoint different from the second waypoint, generates a new first waypoint corresponding to the new second waypoint according to a positional relationship between the ship's position and the new second waypoint, sets the new first waypoint as an edited second waypoint, and generates an edited first waypoint at any position that the ship has passed in the first straight section. How to edit a route.

9. On the computer, a turning section set corresponding to the first waypoint; a first straight section connected to a first end portion that indicates a start of a course change in the course change section; determining whether or not the ship is located in a course change section of a following route including a second end portion indicating an end of the course change in the course change section and a second straight section connected to a second waypoint; determining whether to generate an edited route for the following route; When the ship is in the course change section and it is determined that the edited course should be generated, a new course different from the course heading toward the current second waypoint is determined by finding a new course where a center line along the course direction of the course change section and the new course meet at a tangent point forward of the ship, and finding an intersection between a new course straight line along the new course and a first section straight line along the course direction of the first straight section, generating a new first waypoint that is a new first waypoint based on the position of the intersection, and generating a new second waypoint on the new course straight line at a position away from the tangent point as viewed from the ship. A program that executes the following.

10. On the computer, a turning section set corresponding to the first waypoint; a first straight section connected to a first end portion that indicates a start of a course change in the course change section; a step of determining whether or not the position of the ship is between a position of a wheel-over line set corresponding to the veering section in the first straight section and a first connection point connected to the veering section in a following route including a second end portion indicating the end of the veering section and a second straight section connected to a second waypoint; determining whether to generate an edited route for the following route; generating a new second waypoint which is a new second waypoint different from the second waypoint when the ship is located between the position of the wheel-over-line and the first connection point and it is determined that the edited route should be generated, generating a new first waypoint corresponding to the new second waypoint according to the positional relationship between the ship's position and the new second waypoint, setting the new first waypoint as an edited second waypoint, and generating an edited first waypoint at any position that the ship has passed in the first straight section; A program that executes the following.

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