Integrated Mooring Arm for Faster Ship Distance Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ship mooring systems, such as those described by Kim et al., are time-consuming and impractical for mooring vessels like cruise ships due to the need for fenders, which may not be sufficiently large, especially when outboard objects are suspended, and fail to maintain a safe distance effectively.
Innovation Solution
A mooring device with a movable arm integrated with a distance keeping system, allowing for efficient mooring by eliminating the need for fenders and maintaining a minimum distance using the arm, which can be extended to accommodate larger vessels, and incorporating actuators and a controller for precise force management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fenders are used to keep distance between ships, then the ship can be moored, but the mooring process becomes time-consuming and the fenders may not be sufficiently large when outboard objects are suspended
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the distance-keeping function from the traditional fender system and relocates it to the mooring arm. The arm is equipped with an actuator that actively controls the distance between the mooring device and the ship, eliminating the need for passive fenders. This allows the mooring process to be completed without the time-consuming placement and adjustment of fenders, while reliably maintaining the required safety distance even when outboard objects are suspended.
Solution Approach 2:
The mooring arm is made dynamically controllable through integration with an actuator system. The actuator can actively adjust the arm's position to maintain optimal distance from the ship, transforming the static, passive distance maintenance provided by fenders into an active, dynamic control system. This enables rapid response to changing conditions and eliminates the need for manual fender placement, significantly reducing mooring time while ensuring safe distance is maintained.
2Reliability
If fenders are used to maintain distance, then the ship can be moored safely, but the distance to the ship needs to be increased to approximately 8 meters or more when outboard objects are suspended, which becomes prohibitively impractical
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator-controlled arm provides dynamic distance adjustment, allowing the system to maintain the precise minimum safe distance without requiring the excessive clearance needed by static fender systems. The arm can be positioned exactly where needed, optimizing the distance to accommodate outboard objects while minimizing the overall mooring distance requirement.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the control parameter from fixed, passive mechanical contact (fenders) to active, adjustable positional control (actuator-controlled arm). This allows the distance parameter to be optimized dynamically, maintaining safety requirements while reducing the overall distance requirement from prohibitively large values (8 meters or more) to practical, minimal safe distances.
3Reliability
If traditional mooring systems with fenders are used, then the ship can be moored, but the placement of fenders is relatively difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the distance-keeping function from manual fender placement operations and transfers it to an automated actuator system. The arm with integrated actuator automatically maintains the required distance through controlled positioning, completely eliminating the manual placement and adjustment operations that make traditional fender systems difficult and time-consuming to operate.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator-controlled arm system is self-regulating, automatically adjusting its position to maintain the required safety distance without requiring manual intervention. The system monitors and controls its own position relative to the ship, providing autonomous distance maintenance that eliminates the need for operators to manually place and adjust fenders, significantly improving ease of operation while maintaining mooring stability.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a mooring device for mooring a ship, the mooring device having a moored state, in which it engages the ship, and a non-moored state in which it does not engage the ship, the mooring device comprising a base, a movable arm, which is extendable and retractable, a connector carried by the arm for engaging e.g. a ship, a winch, a tensile element having a first end engaged by the winch and a second, opposite end fixed with respect to the second end of the arm and/or the connector, and a distance keeping system configured for keeping a minimum and non-zero distance between the base and the object engaged by the connector. According to the invention, the distance keeping system is integrated with the movable arm. The invention also concerns a mooring system comprising two such mooring devices.