Perimeter Ranging Sensor for Mobile Structure Docking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional automated directional control systems for vehicles, including planes and watercraft, are inadequate for reliable docking or parking, especially in crowded conditions and with external disturbances like wind or water currents, due to the need for expensive and difficult-to-retrofit sensors and insufficient accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A perimeter ranging sensor system integrated with a navigation control system that includes a logic device, actuators, and user interfaces to provide accurate range and velocity data for navigation hazards, enabling improved docking assist and directional control through actuation of steering and propulsion systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional automated directional control systems are used, then the system is simpler and easier to implement, but the docking accuracy and reliability are insufficient especially in crowded conditions and with external disturbances
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the monitoring area into multiple sectors around the watercraft, with each sector monitored by dedicated sensor elements. This segmentation allows independent analysis of hazards in different directions, improving overall docking reliability while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular processing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a perimeter ranging sensor system as an intermediary between the watercraft and navigation hazards. This intermediary layer provides early detection and continuous monitoring of potential hazards, enabling proactive maneuvering decisions that improve docking reliability without requiring direct complex interactions between the watercraft control system and environmental disturbances
2Measurement precision
If expensive and sophisticated sensors are used, then the measurement accuracy of range and velocity data improves, but the cost and difficulty of retrofitting increase
Solution Approach 1:
The perimeter ranging sensor system is designed to perform multiple functions: detecting range to hazards, determining relative velocity, identifying navigation hazards, and providing data for both autonomous docking and assisted docking modes. This multi-functionality achieves high measurement precision while reducing overall system complexity and retrofit difficulty by consolidating multiple sensor functions into a single integrated system
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor system automatically performs calibration and hazard identification without requiring manual intervention or complex external equipment. The system self-adjusts to provide accurate range and velocity measurements, reducing the need for expensive external calibration equipment and simplifying the retrofit process while maintaining high measurement precision
3Reliability
If the monitoring perimeter is expanded to cover more area, then the detection of navigation hazards improves, but the data processing complexity and computational load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring perimeter is divided into multiple sectors, each processed independently by dedicated logic circuits. This segmentation allows the system to handle large amounts of sensor data from an expanded monitoring area without overwhelming the processing system, as each sector's data can be analyzed separately and then integrated for final hazard identification
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements selective monitoring where not all sectors require the same level of processing intensity at all times. Based on the docking phase and environmental conditions, the system can adjust the processing depth for different sectors, focusing computational resources on areas with higher hazard probability while maintaining surveillance of other areas with reduced processing, thereby managing computational load effectively
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to provide perimeter ranging for navigation of mobile structures. A navigation control system includes a logic device, a perimeter ranging sensor, one or more actuators/controllers, and modules to interface with users, sensors, actuators, and/or other elements of a mobile structure. The logic device is configured to receive perimeter sensor data from the perimeter ranging system. The logic device determines a range to and/or a relative velocity of a navigation hazard disposed within a monitoring perimeter of the perimeter ranging system based on the received perimeter sensor data. The logic device then generates a display view of the perimeter sensor data or determines navigation control signals based on the range and/or relative velocity of the navigation hazard. Control signals may be displayed to a user and/or used to adjust a steering actuator, a propulsion system thrust, and/or other operational systems of the mobile structure.