Marine loading system with automatic motion control and related methods - Patents.com

Abstract

The invention relates to a marine loading system comprising an arm with a coupling system for connection to a target manifold for the transfer of a fluid, said manifold and a target arranged adjacent to said manifold each being provided with tracking means (35) designed to enable the determination of their relative position, an actuator for controlling the movement of said arm in space, optical means (24) supported by said coupling system and suitable for transmitting images of said tracking means, means for controlling said actuator provided on said arm, and computation means (22, 23) for calculating a movement trajectory of said arm towards the manifold based on images of the targets (28) and the tracking means of the manifold transmitted by said optical means (24), generating control commands determined based on the calculated trajectory and transmitting said commands to the control means.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] FIELD OF THEINVENTION The present invention relates generally to a marine loading system that includes an articulated arm for transferring fluid from one location to another and related methods.

[0002] "Fluid" means any liquid or gaseous product, particularly liquefied natural gas, low and high pressure natural gas, petroleum products, or chemical products, transferred between ship and quay, or between ships.

[0003] More specifically, the present invention relates to automated control of the movement of the arm towards a target manifold with which it is intended to be connected.

[0004] Typically, such an arm comprises an articulated pipe mounted on a support and connected to a fluid supply pipe, on which is attached, via a section of tubing bent by 90 degrees, a first pipe, called the inner pipe, one end of which can rotate about a vertical axis and the other end about a horizontal axis. At the opposite end of the inner pipe is attached a second pipe, called the outer pipe, which also rotates about a horizontal axis. At the end of the outer pipe is attached a coupling system.

[0005] The coupling system therefore has at least three spatial degrees of freedom relative to the support, and movement about each of these degrees of freedom is controlled by hydraulic, electric or pneumatic actuators, such as cylinders and motors.

[0006] Such arms are known, for example, from patents FR2813872, FR2854156, FR2931451, FR2964093 and FR3003855.

[0007] In the case of an automatic connection procedure, like the arm of patent application FR2931451, calculation of the movement trajectory of the arm towards the target manifold involves calculating the relative position of the coupling system with respect to the target manifold based on information provided by a position information providing means of the coupling system with respect to the target.

[0008] In one embodiment, these information providing means include a camera attached to the coupling system.

[0009] The target is placed at a predetermined location on the target manifold. A camera is designed to focus on the target and provide an image of it to a computer, based on which the computer can calculate the relative position of the coupling system with respect to the target manifold.

[0010] For performance reasons, the target is preferably a reflective sight. Alternatively, the free end of the target manifold itself can be used as the target.

[0011] In practice, one or more fiducial markers are used as targets. Each one contains an identifier, verifying that it is a marker. The computer then analyses the image and determines the position and orientation (6 degrees of freedom) of the marker relative to the camera. Preferably, there are multiple markers to increase redundancy and precision. It is necessary to know the position of the target with respect to the target manifold precisely, so that the position of the target manifold can be calculated based on the position measurements of the target. It is therefore necessary to know the position of the target with precision, so that the position of the target manifold can be calculated based on the position measurements of the target. It is therefore important to place the target very precisely on the target manifold to perform the connection procedure correctly.

[0012] This becomes even more important if the target is removable and can be used with different target manifolds, as it must be positioned by the operator for each connection step.

[0013] Furthermore, it is necessary to provide as many targets as there are target manifold models.

[0014] In addition, currently used visual systems are sensitive to ambient brightness, shadows, glare, and reflections.

[0015] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to overcome at least one of the above mentioned disadvantages.

[0016] In particular, it is an object to propose a marine loading system that provides a connection procedure that eliminates the need for precise positioning of the target relative to the target manifold. Summary of the Invention

[0017] To this end, the invention proposes a marine loading system comprising an articulated fluid transfer arm provided at one end corresponding to a free end with a fluid transfer line, the arm comprising a coupling system suitable for connecting to a target manifold for fluid transfer, the target manifold and a target arranged adjacent to the target manifold each having a tracking means designed to enable the determination of their relative position; an actuator for controlling the movement of the arm in space; optical means supported by the coupling system and suitable for transmitting images of the tracking means; means for controlling the actuator provided on the arm; and calculation means suitable for calculating, based on the images of the tracking means of the target and the target manifold transmitted by the optical means, a movement trajectory of the arm towards the target manifold, generating control commands determined on the basis of the calculated movement trajectory and transmitting said commands to the controlling means.

[0018] Through the use of tracking means, the relative positions of both the target manifold and the target can be determined, allowing the target to be placed close to the target manifold without the need to adhere to precise positioning.

[0019] More specifically, through these tracking means, the calculation means can determine both the relative position of the coupling system with respect to the target and the relative position of this coupling system with respect to the target manifold, and can infer the relative position of the target manifold with respect to the target.

[0020] These two positions are determined by computational means, so the exact positioning of the target relative to the target manifold is not an issue.

[0021] Furthermore, once the relative position of the target with respect to the target manifold is known, a movement trajectory can be calculated based solely on the target's position, allowing the attachment procedure to continue even when the target manifold is not within the field of view of the optical means.

[0022] Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, the tracking means need not be limited to a particular target manifold, and therefore the corresponding targets may be used with any type of target manifold.

[0023] According to other aspects of the invention, particularly for ease of manufacture or use, the following elements may be advantageously implemented, either individually or in combination: - the computing means are suitable for generating and transmitting predefined control commands for an initial approach of the arm towards the target manifold along a systematic trajectory intended to enable the optical means to detect the target and the target manifold, and possibly for interacting with a transponder arranged on the target; - for calculating the movement trajectory, the calculation means are adapted to successively calculate the relative position of the coupled system with respect to the target and then the relative position of the coupled system with respect to the target manifold; - the means for tracking the target includes one or more fiducial markers; the fiducial marker is a binary square fiducial marker designed to enable a relative position determination in three degrees of freedom or a relative position and a relative orientation determination in six degrees of freedom; - the tracking means of the target manifold includes one or more fiducial markers disposed on the flange of the target manifold or a figure formed of concentric circles that externally and internally bound the mating surface of the flange of the target manifold; - the free end of the arm includes a fiducial marker arranged to allow verification of the calibration of the optical means; - the target includes a retroreflective panel on which a means of tracking the target is located; - the optical means includes a digital camera; - the digital camera is equipped with a fixed or electronically variable neutral density (ND) filter and / or a polarizing filter; - the optical means is mounted at the free end of the arm below the coupling system; - the arm is provided with at least one, optionally dimmable, lighting projector mounted next to the optical means; The arm is provided with two illumination projectors which are arranged on either side of the optical means and which form upper and lower illumination cones in the field of view of the optical means.

[0024] The present invention also relates to a control method for moving and connecting at least one articulated fluid transfer arm towards a target manifold, comprising the steps of: - obtaining a view of a tracking means on a target manifold to which a coupling system of an articulated fluid transfer arm is to be connected and on a target disposed adjacent to the target manifold; - calculating a relative position of the target with respect to the target manifold based on images from the tracking means of the target and the target manifold; - calculating a movement trajectory of the arm towards the target manifold based on images from the tracking means of the target; -Generate and transmit control instructions capable of controlling the movement of the arm towards the target manifold.

[0025] According to another provision of the method, particularly for ease of manufacture or use, the following steps can be advantageously carried out, either independently or in combination: - before field of view acquisition, the movement of the arm is controlled by optical means along a systematic trajectory so as to detect pre-positioned targets adjacent to the target manifold; The systematic trajectory includes, at the end of the trajectory, in the case of the first fluid transfer arm, a substantially downward approaching movement of the coupling system towards a target associated with the first arm, and in the case of the second arm, a substantially lateral approach movement towards a target associated with the second arm.

[0026] The coupling system is pre-positioned at a predefined height above the target based on information transmitted by a transponder placed on the target. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0027] The invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view of a fluid transfer arm of a marine loading system according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the operation of the optical or computing means of the loading system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a target manifold to which the target of FIG. 2 and the loading arm of FIG. 1 are to be connected. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the free end of the loading arm of FIG. 1. [Diagram 5]4, showing the field of view of the optical means and the illumination cone of the illumination projector mounted on the loading arm of FIG. [Figures 6A-6D] 2A-2C are schematic elevational views showing successive steps of a connection procedure for a loading arm such as that of FIG. 1; Mobile phone for carrying out the invention

[0028] 1 shows very diagrammatically an articulated fluid transfer arm of a marine loading system according to the invention, the articulated fluid transfer arm being shown here in very simplified form, recalling in this respect that the invention applies to the fluid transfer arm system of the above mentioned patent application.

[0029] In general, loading arms of this type are known per se and will not be described in detail here.

[0030] The fluid transfer arm of FIG. 1 is a marine loading arm 1 having a base 11 housing a tube connected to a fluid supply pipe located below the surface of the structure to which the base 11 is fixed. It can be a floating structure such as a ship or a quay. At the top of the base 11 there is a rotationally articulated bent tube 13, on which is further articulated a first tube called inner tube 14 and at its opposite end a second tube called outer tube 15. The free end of the outer tube supports a coupling assembly 16 also capable of fluid transfer, whose coupling system 17 (also called coupler) is to be connected to a target manifold, such as a manifold located on a ship or the like (this will be described later). In the embodiment shown, in a known manner, the coupler 17 has three degrees of freedom of rotation with respect to the free end of the outer tube 15. These three rotational degrees are either free, allowing the operator to freely adjust the angle of the coupler to connect to the target manifold during the final approach stage, or one or more of these rotations can be controlled by actuators and connected to a PLC, allowing fully or partially automatic positioning.

[0031] Assemblies are used which are formed of rotary connections, joints and elbows and which allow these rotations, where the rotary joints of these assemblies are cryogenic. The articulated tubular parts 14, 15 have three rotary joints and the coupling assembly 16 also has three rotary joints, one of which (the intermediate joint) is motor-driven.

[0032] The arm is also provided with angle sensors (not shown in the figures) for measuring, in a manner known per se, the position of the arm at each instant (angle of the inner tube 14, angle of the outer tube 15, angle of the first rotation after the base and angle of the driven rotation of the coupling assembly 16 (if applicable)).

[0033] The articulated tubular sections 14, 15 are associated with a counterweight balancing system 18 and a balancing pantograph type mechanism 19.

[0034] At the end of the transfer line with the coupling assembly, an emergency release system (ERS) 20 and a quick connect and disconnect system (QCDC for Quick Connect-Disconnect) 21 for the coupler 17 are provided.

[0035] Although not shown in FIG. 1, three actuators are provided at each of the three joints of the loading arm (indicated by double arrows A, B, and C) to actuate the inner and outer tubes directly or through a transmission to generate rotation about a vertical axis.

[0036] Here, the three actuators and the actuators driving the rotary joints of the coupling assembly 16 are hydraulic cylinders. As an alternative, not shown, one or more of the hydraulic cylinders can be replaced with other types of hydraulic, pneumatic or electric actuators (motors, cylinders or any other type of actuator).

[0037] As shown in FIG. 2, the marine on-board system according to the present invention also includes a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) 22, which is actually located within an electrical control cabinet.

[0038] More precisely, it is a programmable logic controller (PLC), which is suitable for processing the signals received from the image processing unit 23 using preprogrammed algorithms. Alternatively, it may comprise a data acquisition and calculation center (such as an industrial computer) and more generally a data acquisition and calculation device (such as a computer).

[0039] The image processing unit 23, together with the PLC 22, forms part of the computational means of the marine on-board system according to the invention and is operatively connected to optical means 24 suitable for transmitting images of the tracking means which will be described in more detail below.

[0040] This processing unit is also suitable for controlling the optical means 24 and, in fact, two light projectors 25 .

[0041] In particular, they include real-time microprocessors combined where necessary with FPGA circuitry ("field programmable gate array"), a network of gates that can be programmed by the user, to manage the most time-consuming operations.

[0042] More specifically, the optical means 24 include a digital camera 26 equipped with an electronic variable ND filter 27, and the illumination projector is of the dimmable type, all three being controlled by the processing unit.

[0043] Digital camera 26 further includes a polarizing filter (not shown).

[0044] If the marine loading system according to the present invention includes multiple loading arms, the PLC 22 is configured to control all of them and either an image processing unit 23 common to each camera of the loading arms 1 is housed together with the PLC 22 in the electrical control cabinet, or one image processing unit 23 is located for each camera and is located close to the digital camera.

[0045] In a known manner, although not shown in the figures, there are upstream actuators connected to a hydraulic supply in order to provide the actuators with the required hydraulic energy. They are controlled by a PLC. Of course, this is only relevant if the actuators are hydraulic actuators.

[0046] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a remote control interface for an operator is provided, where a joystick can be used to give connect or disconnect commands to the arm, and the motion trajectory of the loading arm 1 is designed to be automatically calculated by the PLC 22.

[0047] In order for the above-mentioned calculation means to be able to calculate the movement trajectory of the loading arm 1 towards the target manifold and to generate and send to the pre-actuator control commands determined as a function of the calculated trajectory, the digital camera 26 acquires a field of view of the tracking means present both at the target 28 and at the target manifold 29 to which the coupler 17 of the loading arm 1 is to be connected, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0048] The tracking means used in this embodiment are formed in a known manner from a combination of points and squares already used in the oil and gas field, or are fiducial markers such as binary square fiducial markers.

[0049] Also affixed to the target manifold 29 is a fiducial marker, a geometric figure comprised of a series of radial lines 30 arranged around a circular opening of the target manifold 29 .

[0050] In practice, these are attached to an annular plate 31 designed and sized to be fastened to the surface of a flange 32 of the target manifold 29, the annular plate 31 being located behind a raised mating surface 33 of the flange 30.

[0051] These markers can be used to measure six degrees of freedom (position and orientation), or for "onshore" applications where there is little motion, or for ships that are always docked, fiducial markers can be used that only measure three degrees of freedom (position).

[0052] The reference markers of the target manifold 29 may be replaced with detection of concentric circles that bound the flange 32 of the target manifold 29 from the outside and inside.

[0053] As also shown in FIG. 3, the target 28 is disposed near (below) the target manifold 29, for example, on the deck of a ship equipped with the target manifold 29.

[0054] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the target 28 includes a retroreflective panel 34 on which fiducial markers 35 are disposed.

[0055] Specifically, these are opaque fiducial markers fixed to a translucent support 36 that has been treated with an anti-reflection and / or anti-glare treatment.

[0056] Alternatively, the opaque fiducial markers 35 may be applied directly to a retroreflective panel that has been treated with an anti-glare coating, or the target 28 may be provided with retroreflective elements in lieu of a reflective panel.

[0057] The retroreflective panel 34 can reflect light from the illumination projector 25 directly back to the camera 26 .

[0058] With respect to the optical means used to capture images of these fiducial markers, neutral density filters can be used to control the amount of light reaching the CCD sensor of the digital camera 26, allowing for proper management of situations where the light is too bright for the camera 26.

[0059] In this regard, the power and beam of the illumination projector 25 is selected to provide sufficient illumination in the area of ​​the target 28 to counter the harmful effects of sunlight, such as shadows, reflections, glare, etc., on the one hand, and nighttime, on the other hand.

[0060] These light projectors 25 are of the dimmable type, allowing the light level to be controlled depending on the environmental conditions (rain, snow, fog, night, sunlight).

[0061] As shown in FIG. 4, the digital camera 26 is mounted to the coupling system 16, specifically to the rotary joint and elbow assembly 37 in front of the coupler 17, so that it is in an easily accessible position for maintenance and cleaning purposes.

[0062] The attachment is via an electrically insulating connection support 38 , and the digital camera 26 is itself housed in an explosion-proof enclosure fixed to this support 38 .

[0063] The digital camera 26 is located under the emergency release system so that a self-ejecting socket is used when it is connected to the image processing unit 23 by wired connection means.

[0064] The illumination projectors 25 are mounted on the same assembly 37 in front of and on either side of the digital camera 26 .

[0065] As shown in FIG. 5, here the digital camera 26 has a viewing angle bounded by a cone 39 and the two illumination projectors 25 form an upper illumination cone 40 and a lower illumination cone 41 of the field of view of the digital camera 26 .

[0066] In reality, these are two projectors with 30,000 lumens each.

[0067] Since the position of the digital camera 26 relative to the coupler 17 is determined in order to calculate the movement trajectory of the loading arm 1 and may be disturbed, for example by an impact, in this embodiment an additional reference marker 42 is provided to check proper calibration of the camera, ensuring that the automatic connection operation always starts with accurate calibration.

[0068] The marker 42 is attached to the assembly 37 via fasteners (not shown) and is positioned within the field of view of the camera 26 but so as not to interfere with the fiducial markers on the target 28 and target manifold 29 .

[0069] Also, an ultrasonic detector (not shown) may be arranged at the free end of the loading arm 1 in order to avoid collisions with the deck of the ship carrying the target manifold, etc., in case the optical means are unable to detect the target, said detector being operatively connected to the computing means.

[0070] In practice, the PLC 22 uses inter alia optical and tracking means to determine the relative position of the coupler 17 with respect to the target 28 and the target manifold 29, and possibly their relative orientation (yaw, roll, pitch), and then generates a motion trajectory for the coupler 17 towards the target manifold 29. It then calculates the control commands to be given to each actuator to control the movement of the arms of the coupler 17 from their stored positions towards the target manifold 29.

[0071] The PLC 22, particularly in the context of a fully automatic connection procedure, may also send control commands to a pre-actuator to tighten the coupler 17 to the target manifold 29, and then send commands to release the arm actuator to release the arm movement once the coupler 17 is connected and tightened to the target manifold 29.

[0072] When returning to the storage position, the camera 26 is no longer needed since the starting and destination points are known. The arm is driven using information from the angle sensor defined above.

[0073] More specifically, for this embodiment of the invention, the process of connecting the loading arm 1 to the target manifold 29 includes a first step of generating and transmitting predefined control instructions for the loading arm to initially approach the target manifold 29 (initial approach) along a systematic trajectory intended to enable the camera 26 to detect the target 28 and then the target manifold 29, or to simultaneously detect both if the target 28 is pre-positioned adjacent the target manifold 29. This step is illustrated in Figures 6A and 6B, where the systematic movement trajectory pre-programmed in the PLC 22 consists of moving the coupler 17 from a storage position A to a position B above the area where the target and the target manifold are located. This movement from the storage position A to position B actually consists substantially of moving the coupler 17 upwards and forwards, substantially vertically above the area where the target manifold 29 and the target 28 are located.

[0074] Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, coupler 17 begins its downward movement to acquire target 28 along with activation of camera 26 and illumination projector 25.

[0075] During this target acquisition phase, an angle sensor is also used to move the arm.

[0076] As the target 28 and target manifold 29 markers come within the camera's field of view, the PLC 22 continuously calculates the relative position of the coupler 17 with respect to the target 28 and target manifold 29, and from there infers the relative position of the target manifold 29 with respect to the target 28. As mentioned above, a relative orientation calculation is now also added to these calculations.

[0077] In practice, once the target 28 is detected, the loading arm is controlled to place the target 28 in a systematic position relative to the target 28. At this position, a calibration is performed, i.e. a calculation of the position of the target 28 relative to the target manifold 29.

[0078] The approach operation then continues, with the coupler being moved to face the target manifold (FIG. 6C). Once the coupler 17 reaches the height of the target manifold 29, the target manifold 29 is out of the field of view of the camera 26 (as shown in FIG. 6C), but the calculations described above allow the PLC 22 to continue the approach operation based on the detection of the single target 28.

[0079] An angle sensor can also be used for this approach movement if it is desired to drive an arm to move the coupler 17 directly in a linear manner, as described, for example, in patent application FR 2 931 451.

[0080] Finally, when coupler 17 is on the other side of target manifold 29, the connection between the two is automatically made as previously described.

[0081] If the loading system is of the type with multiple arms using a vapor return and multiple liquid transfer lines, the vapor return line connection process is performed first based on the procedure just described. If there is no vapor return, this procedure applies to the first arm in the series. Then, the connection of the liquid transfer line, such as liquefied natural gas, is performed by a more direct first systematic approach to the target manifold 29 using the target manifold height position information obtained during the first connection (see two positions before connection in Figure 6D).

[0082] In effect, this first approach moves the coupler 17 directly above and to the side of the target manifold 29, and then a lateral approach motion is applied to capture the target associated with this second arm. The connection procedure then continues in a similar manner as previously described.

[0083] More specifically, the first connected arm is the arm that serves as the reference for the ship's mooring. The ship is moored such that the target manifold 29 is on the opposite side of the arm. The target can therefore be detected by lowering the arm. For subsequent arms (and other arms), the target manifold 29 is not necessarily on the opposite side. In contrast, its height is known (via the first connected arm). The target 29 is therefore detected following a lateral displacement at the height provided via the first connected arm.

[0084] In addition, each arm is equipped with a sensor so that its position is known at any time, making it possible to avoid trajectories that could lead to collisions between the arms.

[0085] Of course, this starts from the assumption that the vessel's manifold targets to which the arms are connected are located at substantially the same height relative to the vessel's deck.

[0086] If not, or to speed up the connection process, the PLC 22 can pre-position the coupler 17 at a predefined (predetermined) height above the target 28 based on information from a transponder placed in the target. This measure allows the coupler 17 to be moved directly to the acquisition position of the target 28, i.e., a position lower than position B in FIG. 6B.

[0087] Many other variations are possible depending on the circumstances, and it should be remembered in this respect that the invention is not limited to the examples described and shown.

[0088] For example, the loading arm may include one or more transfer lines having two or more sections interconnected by the sealed joints described above.

[0089] It should also be envisioned that the control of the present invention may be adapted to any articulating load arm, and that adaptation of the control of the present invention to other types of load systems is within the skill of the art.

Claims

1. 1. A marine loading system comprising: an articulated fluid transfer arm (1) provided with a fluid transfer line at one end corresponding to a free end, the arm comprising a coupling system (16) suitable for connection to a target manifold (29) for the transfer of a fluid, the target manifold (29) and a target (28) arranged adjacent to the target manifold (29) each having tracking means (30, 35) designed to enable the determination of their relative positions; an actuator for controlling the movement of the arm in space; optical means (24) supported by said coupling system and suitable for transmitting an image of said tracking means; a means for controlling the actuator provided on the arm; calculation means (22, 23) suitable for calculating a movement trajectory of the arm towards the target manifold (29) based on the images of the tracking means of the target (28) and of the target manifold (29) transmitted by the optical means (24), generating control commands determined based on the calculated movement trajectory and transmitting said commands to the controlling means; A marine loading system comprising:

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing means is adapted to generate and transmit predefined control commands for generating and transmitting an initial approach of the arm towards the target manifold along a systematic trajectory that enables the optical means to detect the target and the target manifold.

3. 3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, to calculate the movement trajectory, the calculation means is adapted to successively calculate the relative position of the coupled system to the target and then the relative position of the coupled system to the target manifold.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the means for tracking the target comprises one or more fiducial markers.

5. A system as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the tracking means of the target manifold includes one or more reference markers disposed on a flange of the target manifold, or a figure formed of concentric circles that bound the mating surface of the flange of the target manifold on the outside and inside.

6. 6. A system according to claim 1, wherein a fiducial marker is arranged at the free end of the arm to enable verification of the calibration of the optical means.

7. 7. The system of claim 4, wherein the fiducial markers are binary square fiducial markers enabling determination of relative position in three degrees of freedom or determination of relative position and relative orientation in six degrees of freedom.

8. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the target comprises a retroreflective panel (34) on which the tracking means for the target is disposed.

9. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the optical means comprises a digital camera (26).

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the digital camera is equipped with a fixed or electronically variable ND (neutral density) filter and / or a polarizing filter.

11. 11. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the optical means is mounted at a free end of the arm below the coupling system.

12. 12. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the arm is provided with at least one, optionally dimmable, light projector (25) mounted on the arm next to the optical means.

13. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein said arm is provided with two illumination projectors positioned on either side of said optical means to form upper and lower illumination cones of the field of view of said optical means.

14. 1. A method for moving and connecting at least one articulated fluid transfer arm towards a target manifold, comprising: acquiring a field of view of a tracking means present on the target manifold to which the articulated fluid transfer arm coupling system is to be connected and on targets located adjacent to the target manifold; calculating a relative position of the target with respect to the target manifold based on tracker images of the target and the target manifold; calculating a movement trajectory of the arm towards the target manifold based on images from a tracking means of the target; generating and transmitting control commands capable of controlling movement of the arm towards the target manifold; A method comprising:

15. 15. The method of claim 14, including, prior to the step of acquiring the field of view, a control step of moving the arm along a systematic trajectory that enables optical means to detect the targets previously positioned adjacent the target manifold.

16. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the systematic trajectory includes, at an end of the trajectory, for a first fluid transfer arm, a substantially downward approach motion from the coupling system toward a target associated with the first fluid transfer arm, and for a second arm, a substantially lateral approach motion toward a target associated with the second arm.

17. 17. The method of any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the coupling system is pre-positioned at a predetermined height above the target based on information from a transponder located on the target.

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