Ship Navigation Support Using Point-Cloud Quay Shape Estimation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional berthing support devices are unable to accurately estimate the shape of a quay or pier, which is crucial for safe and efficient ship navigation.
Innovation Solution
A navigation supporting device equipped with processing circuitry that generates candidate line segments from point cloud data and selects the most accurate estimated line segments based on the positional relationship between the ship and the candidate line segments, thereby estimating the shape of the target with high precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple candidate line segments are generated from point cloud data, then shape estimation accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-generating multiple candidate line segments from point cloud data before final shape determination. This allows the system to evaluate multiple potential shape representations and select the best match based on positional relationships with the ship, rather than attempting to determine the shape in a single step, thereby improving accuracy while managing processing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback by evaluating the positional relationships between the ship and multiple candidate line segments to select the most accurate estimated line segment. This feedback mechanism allows the processing circuitry to iteratively refine the shape estimation by comparing candidate segments against observed positional data and selecting those that best conform to the actual quay geometry.
2Measurement precision
If line segments are selected based on positional relationship with ship, then shape estimation accuracy is improved, but calculation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by focusing the selection process on the local positional relationships between the ship and candidate line segments in the immediate vicinity of the ship. Rather than considering all possible line segments globally, the system evaluates segments based on their local spatial relationship to the ship's position and orientation, improving efficiency and accuracy by concentrating computational resources on locally relevant candidates.
Data Source
AI summary
The navigation supporting device is provided with processing circuitry configured to: generate a plurality of candidate line segments for constituting a target based on point cloud data including a plurality of point clouds obtained by detecting surroundings of a ship. Based on a positional relationship between the ship and the plurality of candidate line segments, the processing circuitry selects an estimated line segment constituting the target from the plurality of candidate line segments. Further, the processing circuitry estimates the shape of the target based on the selected estimated line segment.