Marine Vessel Vision Control for Wave-Aligned Heading Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Marine vessels are at risk of capsizing or swamping when waves exceed gunwale height, particularly when not actively operated, due to misalignment of the vessel's heading with the wave direction, which existing systems fail to address dynamically.
Innovation Solution
A vision system on the marine vessel uses cameras and processors to detect waves, adjust the vessel's heading to align with the wave direction, and monitor system calibration, employing propulsion devices and control surfaces for automatic alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the vessel heading is manually controlled without dynamic wave alignment, then the operation simplicity is maintained, but the safety risk increases when waves exceed gunwale height
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary wave detection and heading calculation before the vessel encounters dangerous wave conditions. The vision system continuously monitors wave patterns and pre-calculates optimal heading adjustments, allowing the vessel to proactively align with safe headings before waves exceed gunwale height, thereby preventing capsizing rather than reacting to it
Solution Approach 2:
The autonomous control system acts as an intermediary between the vessel operator and the vessel's propulsion devices. It processes wave data from the vision system, calculates optimal headings, and automatically adjusts propulsion device angles without requiring direct manual intervention, thus maintaining safety while preserving operational simplicity for the user
2Reliability
If the vessel automatically adjusts heading to align with wave direction, then the safety against capsizing improves, but the control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vision system serves multiple functions: it detects wave patterns, calculates wave direction, determines optimal vessel headings, and monitors system calibration. By consolidating these diverse functions into a single multi-functional system, the patent reduces overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive safety capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-calibration by automatically detecting wave patterns and verifying its own measurement accuracy against known wave characteristics. This self-service capability eliminates the need for external calibration equipment or manual intervention, reducing operational complexity while ensuring measurement reliability for autonomous heading control
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the system continuously monitors wave conditions and adjusts heading, then the protection against harmful waves improves, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic wave monitoring and heading adjustment cycles rather than continuous operation. It detects wave patterns at regular intervals, calculates optimal headings periodically, and adjusts propulsion devices in discrete steps. This periodic approach maintains adequate safety protection while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous monitoring and adjustment
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes operational parameters based on wave conditions: it adjusts the frequency of wave detection, the aggressiveness of heading changes, and the propulsion device power output. By adapting parameters to match actual sea state severity, the system provides strong protection during dangerous conditions while conserving energy during calm periods
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively reduces the risk of capsizing or swamping by automatically adjusting the vessel's heading to safer positions and provides real-time calibration alerts, enhancing safety and stability in dynamic marine conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a camera, wherein the camera is configured to be mounted to the marine vessel with an associated field of view of an environment of the marine vessel; one or more hardware processors configured to: receive image data from the camera; identify a wave in the environment of the marine vessel based on the image data
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a vision system camera mounted to a marine vessel with an associated field of view of the vessel's environment. The system receives image data from the camera and identifies waves in the marine vessel's environment based on the image data. When the system determines that a wave's height exceeds a threshold and that the current heading of the marine vessel is misaligned with the wave's heading, the system automatically adjusts the vessel's heading to align more closely with the wave's heading.