METHOD FOR CALCULATING THE SURFACE SPEED OF AT LEAST ONE VESSEL AND METHOD FOR DEDUCING EACH DRIFT VECTOR AT EVERY POINT ON THE PATH OF SAID VESSEL

• US 20160290812A1
• Filed: 11/12/2014
• Published: 10/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: e-Odyn SAS
• Original Assignee: Yann Ghichoux
• Inventors: GUICHOUX, YANN
• Granted Patent: US 9,958,276 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 71/00 Designing vessels; Predicting their performance
• 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: B63J 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/203 Specially adapted for sailing ships
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 5/00 Measuring speed of fluids, e.g. of air stream; Measuring speed of bodies relative to fluids, e.g. of ship, of aircraft application of speed-measuring devices for measuring volume of fluid G01F

Abstract

A method for calculating the surface vector of at least one vessel progressing under engine at cruising speed. When the vessel is in a defined position, the parameters of the vessel, including its position, its heading, its speed over ground and its course over ground, are obtained. Wind and/or current measurements in the proximity of the vessel are obtained using a device external to the vessel. The drift vector is determined from wind and/or current measurements. The over-ground vector is determined from the parameters selected from the position, the speed over ground and the course over ground of the vessel. The magnitude and the direction of the surface vector of the vessel is calculated.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A method for calculating a surface vector of at least one vessel progressing under an engine at a cruising speed, in response to said vessel in a predefined position, further comprising the steps:

obtaining parameters of said vessel including its position, its heading, its speed over ground and its course over ground;

obtaining at least one of wind and current measurements in proximity to said vessel using a device external to said vessel;

determining a drift vector from said at least one of wind and current measurements;

determining an over-ground vector from at least one parameter selected from the position, the speed over ground and the course over ground of said vessel; and

calculating a magnitude and a direction of the surface vector of said vessel.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the parameters or said at least one of wind and current measurements are acquired in real time.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said at least one of wind and current measurements are acquired in non-real time.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising the step of obtaining the parameters or said at least one of wind and current measurements during a time interval of at least two seconds.

18. The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising the step of obtaining the parameters or said at least one of wind and current measurements during a time interval of at least two seconds.

19. The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising the step of obtaining the parameters by a remote-sensing device external to said vessel

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the remote-sensing device is an optical system or a radar system.

21. The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising the step of receiving the parameters transmitted by said vessel over a telecommunication system by a receiver.

22. The method as claimed in claim 21, wherein the telecommunication system is AIS, Iridium, Inmarsat or Argos.

23. The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising the step of determining the over-ground vector by a system not located on said vessel.

24. The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising the step of calculating the magnitude and the direction of the surface vector of the vessel by summing the drift vector and the over-ground vector.

25. The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

obtaining a series of values of the speed over ground of said vessel at various instants, said values being calculated from at least two positions of said vessel;

processing the series of values obtained at the various instants using a signal processing element to filter components of a signal due to a surface current or wind; and

calculating a value of a surface speed of said vessel from the series of processed values.

26. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the series of values of the speed over ground of said vessel consists of values corresponding to the various instants at which the surface vector of the vessel is collinear with the over-ground vector.

27. The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising the step of representing the drift vector of said vessel or its components due to a wind or current in real time or in non-real time in a predefined space.

28. A method for calculating each drift vector at every point on a path of said vessel progressing under the engine at the cruising speed, comprising the steps of:

calculating the surface vector of said vessel according to method as claimed in claim 14;

obtaining, at said every point on the path of said vessel, the parameters including its position, its heading, its speed over ground and its course over ground; and

calculating the drift vector at every point on the path of said vessel by summing a norm of the surface vector and the over-ground vector calculated from the parameters.

29. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a series of instructions to calculate a surface vector of at least one vessel progressing under an engine at a cruising speed, in response to said vessel in a predefined position, said series of instructions executed by a computer causes the computer to:

obtain parameters of a vessel including its position, its heading, its speed over ground and its course over ground;

obtain at least one of wind and current measurements in proximity to said vessel using a device external to said vessel;

determine a drift vector from said at least one of wind and current measurements;

determine an over-ground vector from at least one parameter selected from the position, the speed over ground and the course over ground of said vessel; and

calculate a magnitude and a direction of a surface vector of said vessel.

30. The computer readable storage medium as claimed in claim 29, wherein said series of instructions executed by a computer further causes the computer to calculate each drift vector at every point on a path of the vessel progressing under the engine at the cruising speed by:

obtaining, at said every point on the path of said vessel, the parameters including its position, its heading, its speed over ground and its course over ground; and

calculating the drift vector at every point on the path of said vessel by summing a norm of the surface vector and the over-ground vector calculated from the parameters.