JPH0417838B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an automatic ship maneuvering device that automatically navigates a ship according to a planned route set on a nautical chart, and in particular, the set route is controlled by a combination of line control and point control. The present invention relates to an automatic ship maneuvering device that is held in place.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, the majority of ships are navigated by an automatic navigation system known as an autopilot. In other words, if you set the course (direction) of your ship on the autopilot based on the planned route on the nautical chart,
Automatic ship maneuvering is performed to maintain this set course at all times.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, although conventional autopilots have the function of maintaining the course, they do not have the function of maintaining the ship's position along the planned course, and the crew can easily track the planned course on the nautical chart. The autopilot determines the course to return to the planned route by determining the deviation from the original route.

For this reason, when setting a relatively complex and precise route, such as territorial sea patrols, rescue operations for marine accidents, or even operations in fishing waters, it is recommended to use a conventional autopilot, which only has the function of keeping the course. This is difficult and relies on the crew's judgment based on the ship's position.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and has the functions of maintaining both course and position of the ship, thereby automatically and accurately following the planned route. The purpose of this system is to provide an automatic ship maneuvering device that can navigate, and in particular maintains the course along the planned course by switching between point control and line control to minimize deviations from the planned course. The purpose is to provide automatic ship navigation equipment.

In order to achieve this purpose, in the present invention, a straight line connecting two waypoints in the planned route and its extension line are used as the control line, and calculations are made based on the route error between this control line and the ship's own position. A line control means that maintains a line control course heading toward the planned route, and a straight line connecting the next waypoint and own ship's position and its extension line as a control line, and maintains a point control course given by this control line. Switching between point control and line control is performed based on the magnitude of the deviation angle between the dotted line control course and the point control course with respect to the planned route.

In other words, when the yaw angle of point control is larger than the yaw angle of line control, it switches to point control, and conversely, when the yaw angle of point control is smaller than the yaw angle of line control, it switches to line control, and by switching the control method, the planned route is changed. This is to keep the deviation between the two to a minimum.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

First, to explain the configuration, 1 is a line control section,
2 given from preset scheduled route data
A straight line connecting the two waypoints and its extension are used as a control line for maintaining the course, and a line control course θl toward the planned course calculated based on the course error between this control line and the ship's own position is output.

2 is a point control unit, which uses a straight line connecting the next waypoint given as planned route data and the ship's position according to ship position data, and its extension line as a control line for maintaining the course, and controls the points given by this control line. Outputs the control course θp.

3a and 3b are changeover switches for changing over between line control and point control, and the changeover control is carried out by the declination detecting section 4 and the comparator 5.

The declination detection unit 4 is provided with the output of the line control unit 1, that is, the line control course θl, the output of the point control unit 2, that is, the point control course θp, and the planned course θo based on a preset planned route. . The deviation angles Δθ and Δθp of the line control course θl and the point control course θp with respect to the planned course θo are detected and output.

The comparator 5 compares and determines the magnitude of the declination angle Δθ obtained by the declination detection unit 4 and Δθp, and generates an output such that Δθl≧Δθp; H level; Δθl<Δθp; L level. The output of the comparator 5 is directly applied to the changeover switch 3a, and is also inverted by an inverter 6 and applied to the changeover switch 3b. The line control course θl is output as a command steering angle to the automatic steering system, which will be explained later. At this time, the changeover switch 3b is turned off by the L level output of the inverter 6. Conversely, when the comparator 5 produces an L level output, the changeover switch 3b is turned on and the point control course θp output from the point control section 2 is output as the command steering angle.

In summary, when the argument angle Δθp of point control is larger than the argument angle Δθl of line control, the control is switched to point control, and conversely, when the argument angle Δθp of point control is smaller than the argument angle Δθl of line control, it is switched to line control. become.

Next, each control principle in the line control section 1 and point control section 2 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be explained.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing route maintenance by line control for a scheduled route.

Now, for example, if the ship 7 sails between waypoints A and B, the planned route 8 will be a straight line connecting the two waypoints A and B. In line control, the planned course 8 connecting these waypoints A and B is defined as the control line as the control target, and the position of own ship 7 is directed to the control line given by the planned course 8. Control the course. Note that the control line in line control includes the straight line connecting the waypoints A and B and its extension.

Therefore, in line control, there are two waypoints A and B.
The line control course θl for which own ship 7 should be directed is determined for the control line given by the straight line connecting the It is obtained from calculations that incorporate each element of external force F due to wind and wind, and speed.

In other words, to maintain the course by line control, when there is a course error Δl or an external force F, the ship's heading is shifted from the planned course θl of the planned course 8, and a force is generated to return the ship to the planned course 8 as the control line. conduct,
Line control course θl for planned route 8 as a control line
The amount of azimuth deviation due to the setting is defined as the corrected course angle Δθl. This corrected course angle Δθl gives the deviation angle of the line control course θl with respect to the planned course θo.

The corrected course angle in such line control, that is, the yaw angle Δθl, consists of a component Δθ1 to prevent the own ship 7 from being swept away by the external force F, and a component Δθ1 to pull the own ship 7 back to the planned route 8 when it deviates from the planned route 8. can be divided into components Δθ2 and Δθ2.

Here, the magnitude of the external force F can be estimated from the amount of change in the route error Δl. That is, when the amount of change in the route error is large, the external force F is also large, and the smaller the amount of change in the route error is, the smaller the external force F is.
When the magnitude of the external force F is estimated from this relationship, the component Δθ1 for preventing the ship from being swept away by the external force is determined.

On the other hand, the component Δθ2 that returns the ship to the planned route is proportional to the route error Δl, and is uniquely determined from the route error θl.

Furthermore, when the speed is high, a large force can be generated even with a small corrected course angle, so both components Δθ1 and Δθ2 are set to values inversely proportional to the speed.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the principle of course maintenance by point control in the present invention.

That is, point control uses a straight line connecting the current position of own ship 7 and the next waypoint B and its extension line as a control line, and maintains the course so that the point control course θp given by this control line is achieved. In other words, the point control is a course maintenance control that directs the ship's heading directly to the next waypoint B when it deviates from the planned course 8. Further, the deviation of the direction of the point control course θp from the planned course θo becomes the deviation angle Δθp.

Next, route maintenance control by switching between line control and point control will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in block 10, a commanded course θl by line control and a commanded course θp by point control are respectively calculated. Next, in block 11, the declination angles Δθl and Δθp with respect to the planned route are calculated, and in the next judgment block 12, the magnitude of the declination angles is determined. If the argument angle Δθp of point control is large in this comparison and judgment of the argument, block 13
Then, the ship maneuvers to maintain the course by point control, that is, to set the point control course θp directly to the next waypoint as the commanded rudder angle. On the other hand, when the deviation angle Δθl of line control is large, the process proceeds to block 14 and the course is maintained by line control. That is, the route error Δl of own ship 7 with respect to the planned route 8 is detected, the external force F is estimated from the amount of change in the route error Δl, the component Δθ1 that gives the corrected course angle Δθl is found, and the planned route is determined in proportion to the route error Δl. 8, find the component Δθ2 that pulls own ship 7 back, and then perform a correction calculation based on speed to generate a line control course θ that gives a corrected course angle Δθl from both components Δθ1 and Δθ2. By taking this line control course θl, the plan Maintain course returning to route 8.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of course keeping when the switching method between line control and point control shown in the flowchart of FIG.
On the other hand, since the deviation angle Δθl of the line control course θp is large, the line control course θp is selected as the command course.

On the other hand, when selecting point control, own ship 7 moves to the next waypoint B.
It will be done when you get closer. That is,
Assuming that the course difference of own ship 7 with respect to planned course 8 is the same, line control course θp remains constant even when approaching the next waypoint B. However, the deflection angle Δθp of the point control course θp increases as it approaches the waypoint B, and at a certain position, the deflection angle Δθp becomes larger than the deflection angle Δθl, and a switch to point control is performed. Of course, even in the middle of waypoints A and B, if the switching conditions based on the declination angles of both courses are satisfied, switching from line control to point control or from point control to line control is performed as appropriate.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of an automatic ship maneuvering device equipped with a route maintenance control means having a switching method between line control and point control shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1.

First, to explain the configuration, 15 is a gyro compass that detects the ship's heading, 16 is a sonic log that detects speed, 17 is a Loran receiver that detects the ship's position, and 18 is a navigation satellite receiver that also detects the ship's position. . Gyroscope compass 15, sonic log 16,
Detection data from the Loran receiver 17 and the navigation satellite receiver 18 are provided to a control unit 20. The control unit 20 is provided with a planned route setting section 21, a ship position calculation section 22, and a holding control section 23 having the functions shown in FIG. 1, which are specifically realized by program control of a microcomputer. A color graphic display 23, a data display 24 and an alarm indicator 25 are connected to the control unit 22 as external devices. Color graphic display 23
displays a planned route given by a straight line sequentially connecting a plurality of waypoints set in the planned route setting section 21 together with a nautical chart showing coastlines and latitude and longitude. It also displays the own ship's navigation trajectory along the planned route. Furthermore, radar images may be displayed superimposed on the nautical chart. The data display 24 displays numerical data of latitudes and longitudes indicating turning points on the set scheduled route.

The holding control section 23 of the control unit 20 outputs a commanded course θl based on line control or a commanded course θp based on line control to the automatic steering system 26.
The automatic steering system 26 is equipped with a PID controller 2 as is well known.
6a, a rudder servo amplifier 26b and a power unit 26c, the PID controller 26a calculates the deviation between the commanded course from the control unit 20, that is, the commanded rudder angle, and the heading from the gyro compass 15.
Also, the deviation between the commanded steering angle from the PID controller 26a and the actual steering angle from the power unit 26c is given to the rudder servo amplifier 26b.
The output of the automatic steering system 26 is applied to a steering gear 27, and the steering gear 27 is driven to create movement of the hull 28.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing automatic navigation control processing using the system configuration of FIG. 6.

First, in block 30, a planned route is set. The planned route can be set by displaying a nautical chart of the target sea area on the color graphic display 23 and inputting data on waypoints of the planned route while looking at the screen.

When the setting of the planned route is completed, judgment block 3
In block 1, whether or not automatic navigation is to be started is checked, and when the crew member performs a switching operation to automatic navigation, the automatic navigation processing from block 32 onwards is started.

In block 32, this automatic navigation process first performs course maintenance by line control at a fixed time cycle, for example every 4 minutes, outputs a line control course θl heading toward the planned route, and then outputs a line control command course. Each time, the next judgment block 33 checks whether the next waypoint has passed the approach line. The way point approach line is
This is the position a certain amount of time before reaching the next waypoint, for example, 3 minutes before, and the waypoint approach line is set as (speed x 3 minutes), and whether or not the waypoint approach line is reached is determined. Check.

When it is determined that the waypoint approach line has been passed, the process proceeds to block 34, where a waypoint approach warning is output to notify the occupants that they are approaching the next waypoint.

When the waypoint approach warning is output, the process proceeds to the next block 35, where course maintenance by switching between line control and point control according to the present invention is started. For this reason,
Even after passing the way point approach line, the line control does not immediately switch to point control, but when the yaw angle Δθp due to point control becomes larger than the yaw angle Δθ due to line control, it switches to point control. Take a course that will take your ship straight to the waypoint.

To be more specific, if we simply switch from line control to point control when it is determined that the waypoint approach line has passed, point control will not be affected by external forces due to currents or winds like line control. Because this is not taken into account, the ship veers far from the planned course and heads toward the waypoint, resulting in a time delay in reaching the waypoint. However, in the present invention, since line control is switched to point control depending on the magnitude of the declination angle, even if the line control is switched to point control, it is not possible to take a more desirable course than line control and reliably head to the waypoint. It becomes possible.

Arrival at the way-way point is checked in a judgment block 36, and when the way-way point is reached, the next judgment block 37 checks whether the way-way point approach warning has been confirmed. If the way-point approach warning is confirmed by the crew, the next judgment block 38 checks whether the destination has been reached, and if it is not the destination, the process proceeds to block 39 and the next way-point that has passed the way-point is checked. Automatic course change control is performed toward the new planned route given by the straight line between
The ship returned to the station and maintained the course through line control.

On the other hand, if the waypoint approach warning is not confirmed or the destination has been reached, the process proceeds to block 40 where an automatic navigation failure warning is output, and in block 41 automatic navigation is stopped to keep the vessel going straight. Make manual maneuvering possible.

In the flowchart in Figure 7, line control and point control are switched after the waypoint approach warning is issued, but it is also possible to maintain the course by switching between line control and point control before approaching the waypoint. You can do it.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, there are two control methods for maintaining the course using line control and point control, and the deviation angle of the commanded course obtained by line control with respect to the planned course is determined by point control. When the yaw angle is larger than the commanded course, the control switches to line control and maneuvers the ship for automatic navigation along the planned course.On the other hand, when the yaw angle for point control becomes larger due to approaching a waypoint, etc. Since the system switches to control and takes the commanded course directly toward the waypoint, the course is maintained along the planned course by position control with the planned course as the target position, taking into account the influence of external forces due to line control, until the course approaches the waypoint. By switching to point control when approaching the waypoint, you can take the shortest course towards the waypoint, and maintain accurate course with less error due to automatic navigation along the preset planned route. can be done.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a diagram explaining the principle of line control, Fig. 3 is a diagram explaining the principle of point control, and Fig. 4 is a control diagram of the embodiment of Fig. 1. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the switching state between line control and point control, FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an automatic vessel maneuvering system equipped with course keeping control of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the process. 7 is a flowchart showing control processing by the system in FIG. 6; 1... Line control section, 2... Point control section, 3a, 3b
...Selector switch, 4...Declination angle detection section, 5...Comparator, 6...Inverter, 7...Own ship, 8
...Scheduled route, 15...Gyroscope compass, 16
...Sonic wave log, 17...Loran receiver, 18...
Navigation satellite receiver, 20... Control unit, 21... Planned route setting unit, 22... Ship position calculation unit, 23... Holding control unit, 23... Color graphic display, 24... Data display, 25... Alarm indicator, 26...Automatic steering device, 26a...PID controller, 26b...Rudder servo amplifier, 26c...Power unit, 27...
...steering gear, 28...hull.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In an automatic ship maneuvering device that controls the ship to automatically navigate along a preset scheduled route, a straight line connecting two waypoints in the scheduled route and its extension line is defined as a control line. A line control means that maintains a line control course toward the planned route calculated based on the route error between the control line and own ship's position, and a straight line connecting the next waypoint and own ship's position and its extension line. a point control means for maintaining a point control course given by the control line as a control line; detecting the declination angle between each of the line control course and the point control course and the planned course; When the declination is larger than
1. An automatic ship maneuvering device comprising: switching means for switching to the line control when the yaw angle of the point control is smaller than the yaw angle of the line control.