Ship Steering Apparatus Dynamic Zone Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ship steering systems face challenges in accurately positioning a ship at a target location due to the influence of inertial forces and disturbances like water current and wind, leading to complex steering operations and potential drift into dead zones.
Innovation Solution
A ship steering device that sets movement and turning control zones based on GPS and bearing sensor signals, adjusting thrust generation to account for inertial forces and disturbances, allowing for precise positioning and straight-line movement during turns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional positioning control is used with dead zones, then the ship can tolerate position fluctuations, but the ship may drift onto boundaries and require frequent on/off operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the control zone boundaries movable rather than fixed. The virtual boundary dynamically adjusts its position based on the ship's movement state, expanding when the ship is moving and contracting when stationary. This dynamic adjustment prevents the ship from repeatedly crossing fixed boundaries, eliminating frequent on/off operations while maintaining positioning stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a virtual boundary as an intermediary element between the control zone and the ship. This virtual boundary acts as a mediator that dynamically adjusts to the ship's motion state, preventing direct interaction between the ship and fixed boundaries that would cause frequent operations. The virtual boundary absorbs the impact of ship movement and disturbance forces.
2Measurement precision
If the ship is controlled to move precisely to target position, then positioning accuracy is improved, but inertial force and disturbances cause the hull to cannot be settled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by setting up compensatory measures in advance for the ship's inertial force and disturbance effects. When the ship approaches the target position, the control system preemptively adjusts the virtual boundary and control parameters to account for expected inertial overshoot and disturbance impacts. This prevents the hull from oscillating around the target position and ensures stable settlement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback control by continuously monitoring the ship's position, speed, and movement state, then using this information to adjust the virtual boundary position and control zone parameters in real-time. The feedback mechanism detects when the ship is approaching the target and when disturbance forces are acting on the hull, enabling the system to compensate for inertial effects and maintain stable positioning.
3Reliability
If movement control is continuously generated near target position, then the ship can counteract disturbances, but frequent on/off operations occur due to inertial force
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the movement control generation conditional and adaptive rather than continuous and fixed. The control system dynamically determines when to generate movement control based on the ship's distance from the target position, movement state, and virtual boundary position. This dynamic control generation reduces unnecessary on/off operations while maintaining the ability to counteract disturbances when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by generating movement control only when necessary rather than continuously. The control system selectively activates movement control when the ship is outside the control execution zone or when disturbance forces are detected, rather than maintaining continuous control near the target position. This reduces control operation time while maintaining sufficient disturbance counteraction capability.
Data Source
AI summary
For a vessel steering apparatus for performing a movement control to move a vessel to a target position on the basis of a signal of a GPS apparatus, a movement control stop area, a buffer area adjacent to the movement control stop area, and a movement-controlling area adjacent to the buffer area are set on the basis of the distance from the target position, wherein in the movement control stop area, thrust generation by a propulsion apparatus is stopped; in the movement-controlling area, thrust is generated by the propulsion apparatus; and in the buffer area, thrust is generated by the propulsion apparatus of the vessel for movement control only in the case where the vessel moves from the movement-controlling area to the buffer area, then stays in the buffer area, and moves in a direction away from the target position.