System and method for testing a control system of a marine vessel

• US 20070250227A1
• Filed: 01/09/2007
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marine Cybernetics AS (Stiftelsen Det Norske Veritas)
• Original Assignee: Marine Cybernetics AS (Stiftelsen Det Norske Veritas)
• Inventors: Rysst, Jon, Egeland, Olav, Svensen, Tor, Fossen, Thor, Sorensen, Asgeir, Johansen, Tor
• Granted Patent: US 7,496,434 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/21
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 39/00 Equipment to decrease pitch, roll, or like unwanted vessel movements; Apparatus for indicating vessel attitude for amphibious vehicles B60F3/0038
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 49/00 Arrangements of nautical instruments or navigational aids nautical measuring instruments G01C; radio navigation, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 79/15 for monitoring environmental variables, e.g. wave height or weather data
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 79/20 using models or simulation, e.g. statistical models or stochastic models
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 79/30 for diagnosing, testing or predicting the integrity or performance of vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 79/40 for controlling the operation of vessels, e.g. monitoring their speed, routing or maintenance schedules
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 25/00 Steering; Slowing-down otherwise than by use of propulsive elements using movably-installed outboard propulsion units B63H20/00; Dynamic anchoring, i.e. positioning vessels by means of main or auxiliary propulsive elements
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0256 injecting test signals and analyzing monitored process response, e.g. injecting the test signal while interrupting the normal operation of the monitored system; superimposing the test signal onto a control signal during normal operation of the monitored system
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0206 specially adapted to water vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0875 specially adapted to water vehicles

Abstract

A system for testing a vessel control system includes sensors on board the vessel to send one or more sensor signals over a signal line to the control system; command input devices on board the vessel to send one or more of desired position, course, velocity, etc. over a command signal line to the control system; an algorithm in the control system to compute control signals to based on sensor data, communication lines for sending of one or more simulated signals and/or simulated command signals from a remote test laboratory to the control system; and a simulator including an algorithm for the simulation of the new dynamic state of a vessel model based on a previous state, the control signals, and the dynamic parameters of the vessel. The control system continues to compute the control signals to achieve at least one of desired position, course, velocity, etc. based on real and/or simulated sensor signals and real and/or simulated command signals.

Claims

1. In a control system for controlling and monitoring a vessel with control signals to one or more actuators, a method for testing the control system comprising the sequential steps:

one or more sensors sending one or more sensor signals in real time of over a sensor signal line to said control system;

a control algorithm in said control system computing said control signals based on one or more of said sensor signals and sending said control signals over a control signal line to said actuators;

disconnecting one or more of said sensor signals from one or more of said sensors so that the disconnected sensor signals do not flow to said control system;

replacing one or more of said disconnected sensor signals with corresponding simulated sensor signals generated in a test laboratory that is remote with respect to said vessel;

sending the simulated sensor signals over a communication line from the test laboratory to the vessel and over said sensor signal line to said control system;

continuing computation of control signals in said control system based on said real and/or said simulated sensor signals, and

sending said control signals over said communication line to said test laboratory.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising simulation by means of an algorithm and on the basis of said control signals, in a simulator in said test laboratory, of a new dynamic state of a vessel model.

3. The method of claim 1, in which said sensor signals comprise one or more sensor parameters selected from the group consisting of:

a position of said vessel determined from at least one of GPS receivers, hydroacoustic position sensors, or integrating acceleration sensors;

vessel course determined from at least one of a gyrocompass or a compass;

vessel velocity determined from at least one of a velocity sensor or an integrating acceleration sensor;

wind speed and a wind direction determined from an anemometer;

vessel roll angle determined from a roll angle sensor; and

vessel pitch angle determined from a pitch angle sensor.

4. The method of claim 1, in which said control signals comprise signals in the form of shaft speed for one or more propellers or thrusters and angles for rudder or thrusters or other control devices.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of sending command signals to said control system from a command input device over a command signal line to said control system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein computing said control signals are also based on said command signals.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said disconnecting step further includes disconnecting said command signals from said command input devices so that said command signals do not flow to said control system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the replacing step further includes replacing one or more disconnected command signals with corresponding simulated command signals that are generated in said test laboratory and sending the simulated command signals over said communication line from the test laboratory to the vessel and over said command signal line to said control system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein continuing computation of control signals is also based on said real and/or simulated command signals.

10. The method of claim 1, in which said command input device is adapted to give a command signal for one or more of a desired position, a desired course, or a desired velocity, and comprises one or more devices from the group consisting of at least one position specification device;

a velocity specification device;

or

a device for specification of at least one of a desired roll angle, pitch angle, or heave compensation.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

verifying at the test laboratory that the control signals sent to the test laboratory will lead to a desired state of the vessel; and

certifying said control system on the basis of said verifying.

12. The method of claim 1, in which the computation in said control algorithm of said control system uses dynamic parameters of the vessel, including mass of the vessel, the axial moments of inertia of the vessel, the mass distribution of the vessel, and hull parameters of the vessel that determine the geometry of the hull.

13. The method of claim 1, in which the disconnecting of said sensor signals is done by means of a switch on said sensor signal line.

14. The method of claim 7, in which the disconnecting of said command signals is done by means of a switch on said command signal line.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said remote test laboratory is located on land and the vessel is located between 1 and 20000 km from said test laboratory, and wherein the vessel is in a harbour, in a dock or a yard, moored, or at the open sea.

16. The method of claim 9, in which failure situations are tested by disconnecting one or more sensor signals or command signals at a time to simulate breakdown of components.

17. The method of claim 1, in which a response of the control system in the form of said control signals and status signals are logged on a logger in said test laboratory.

18. The method of claim 1 in which failure situations are tested by changing or generating disturbances in a selection of said simulated sensor signals or by generating external disturbances to said simulated sensor signals including weather, wind, and electrical noise.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending new software for said control system from said test laboratory to said vessel over said communication line.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising using said test laboratory to approve said control system and certify said control system for regular use in said vessel based on a test of said control system and the test result.

21. In a control system for controlling and monitoring a vessel, a system for testing the control system, comprising:

one or more sensors on board said vessel adapted to send one or more sensor signals over a sensor signal line to said control system;

a control algorithm in said control system adapted to compute control signals to vessel actuators based on said sensor signals and to send said control signals over a control signal line to said actuators; and

a simulator located at a test laboratory that is remote with respect to the vessel and including a simulation algorithm adapted to generate simulated sensor signals of a vessel model based on a previous state, said control signals, and dynamic parameters for said vessel and to send said simulated sensor signals over a communication line from the test laboratory to said control system for continued computation in said control system of the control signals to achieve at least one of a desired position, course, and velocity on the basis of the real and/or simulated sensor signals,

wherein said communication line is adapted to send the control signals computed by said control system to the test laboratory.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising a first switch adapted to selectively connect or disconnect one or more of said sensor signals from said sensor signal line to said control system.

23. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

command input devices on board said vessel adapted to send command signals comprising one or more of desired position, course, or velocity over a command signal line to said control system,

wherein said control algorithm is further adapted to compute the control signals based on said command signals,

wherein said communication line is further adapted to send simulated command signals, and wherein the continued computation of control signals in said control system is also based on real or simulated values of said command signals.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising a second switch adapted to disconnect one or more of said command signals from said command signal line to said control system.

25. The system of claim 21, comprising a third switch adapted to disconnect one or more of said control signals from said control signal line from said control system.

26. The system of claim 21, in which said dynamic parameters of said vessel enter into said control algorithm of said control system for the computation of said control signals to said actuators.

27. The system of claim 21, further comprising a first real-time interface adapted to selectively connect or disconnect the test laboratory to said communication line.

28. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

a first switch adapted to selectively connect or disconnect one or more of said sensor signals from said sensor signal line to said control system; and

a second real-time interface adapted to selectively connect or disconnect the vessel to said communication line, wherein said second real-time interface is arranged to be connected, via said sensor signal line, to said control system through said first switch.

29. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

a second real-time interface adapted to selectively connect or disconnect the vessel to said communication line; and

a simulated command input device adapted to send simulated command signals from said test laboratory through said first real-time interface, over said communication line, and through said second real-time interface to said control system.

30. The system of claim 21, in which all or one or more portions of said control algorithm in said control system is arranged to be modified, calibrated, or replaced over said communication line from said test laboratory.

31. The system of claim 21, in which said control signals include shaft speed control signals in the form of shaft speed control signals for one or more propellers or thrusters, and angle control signals for rudders or thrusters or other control devices.

32. The system of claim 21, wherein said sensors include one or more sensors selected from the group consisting of:

one or more vessel position sensors comprising least one of GPS receivers, hydroacoustic position sensors, or integrating acceleration sensors;

vessel course sensors comprising at least one of a gyrocompass or a compass;

vessel velocity sensors comprising at least one of a velocity sensor or an integrating acceleration sensor;

an anemometer to give relative wind speed and wind direction;

a roll angle sensor to provide a roll angle; and

a pitch angle sensor to provide a pitch angle.

33. The system of claim 21, wherein said test laboratory includes a data logger for logging the response to said sensor signals in the form of said control signals and status signals from said control system.