Automated marine navigation

Abstract

Autonomously piloting a sea-faring vessel traveling on a pre-defined course at a nominal speed includes: measuring a slamming parameter of the vessel; determining that the slamming parameter is outside an acceptable range; and autonomously decreasing the speed of the vessel until the slamming parameter is within the acceptable range, thereby causing the vessel to enter a reduced-speed mode.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of autonomously piloting a sea-faring vessel traveling on a pre-defined course at a nominal speed, the method comprising:
 measuring a slamming parameter of the vessel;   determining that the slamming parameter is outside an acceptable range; and   autonomously decreasing the speed of the vessel until the slamming parameter is within the acceptable range, thereby causing the vessel to enter a reduced-speed mode.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the slamming parameter includes a time rate of change of heave of the vessel. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the slamming parameter includes a pitch angle of the vessel. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the slamming parameter includes a slamming force experienced by the vessel. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising exiting the reduced-speed mode after expiration of a pre-determined time interval, wherein exiting the reduced-speed mode includes increasing speed of the vessel until either (a) the slamming parameter falls within the acceptable range, or (b) the vessel returns to its nominal speed. 
     
     
         6 . A method of autonomously piloting a sea-faring vessel traveling on a nominal course, the method comprising:
 measuring a roll parameter;   determining that the roll parameter is outside an acceptable range;   autonomously determining an updated course that includes one or more tacking legs, in which each tacking leg makes a corresponding tacking angle with respect to the nominal course; and   autonomously causing the vessel to traverse the updated course, thereby entering the vessel in a tacking mode.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , in which each tacking angle of each tacking leg is determined by incrementing an intermediate tacking angle of the vessel until either (a) a maximum tacking angle is reached, or (b) the roll parameter is within the acceptable range. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , in which the updated course includes at least one turning maneuver, in which the turning maneuver is initiated immediately following a peak in contact force of a wave on the vessel. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , in which the wave contacting the vessel is detected by an occurrence of a local extremum in a pitch angle of the vessel. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 6 , in which the roll parameter includes a roll angle of the vessel. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 6 , in which the roll parameter includes a time rate of change of a roll angle of the vessel. 
     
     
         12 . A system comprising:
 a sensor module in data communication with one or more processors, the sensor module operable to measure a slamming parameter of a sea-faring vessel traveling on a pre-defined course at a nominal speed; and   an actuation module in data communication with the one or more processors, the actuation module operable to effect a change in a course or a speed of the vessel;   in which the one or more processors are configured to:
 determine that the slamming parameter is outside an acceptable range; and 
 autonomously decrease the speed of the vessel until the slamming parameter is within the acceptable range, thereby causing the vessel to enter a reduced-speed mode. 
   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , in which the slamming parameter includes a time rate of change of heave of the vessel. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 12 , in which the slamming parameter includes a pitch angle of the vessel. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 12 , in which the slamming parameter includes a slamming force experienced by the vessel. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 12 , in which the one or more processors are further configured to exit reduced-speed navigation mode after expiration of a pre-determined time interval, wherein exiting reduced-speed mode includes increasing the speed of the vessel until either (a) the slamming parameter falls within the acceptable range, or (b) the vessel returns to its nominal speed. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 12 , further comprising the sea-faring vessel. 
     
     
         18 . A system comprising:
 a sensor module in data communication with one or more processors, the sensor module operable to measuring a roll parameter of a sea-faring vessel traveling on a nominal course; and   an actuation module in data communication with the one or more processors, the actuation module operable to effect a change in a course or a speed of the vessel upon a determination that the roll parameter is outside an acceptable range;   in which the one or more processors are configured to:
 autonomously determine an updated course that includes one or more tacking legs, in which each tacking leg makes a corresponding tacking angle with respect to the nominal course; and 
 autonomously cause the vessel to traverse the updated course, thereby entering the vessel in a tacking mode. 
   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , in which each tacking angle of each tacking leg is determined by incrementing an intermediate tacking angle of the vessel until either (a) a maximum tacking angle is reached, or (b) the roll parameter is within the acceptable range. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 18 , in which the updated course includes at least one turning maneuver, in which the at least one turning maneuver is initiated immediately following a peak in a contact force of a wave on the vessel. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 20 , in which the wave contacting the vessel is detected by occurrence of a local extremum in a pitch angle of the vessel. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 18 , in which the roll parameter includes a roll angle of the vessel. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 18 , in which the roll parameter includes a time rate of change of a roll angle of the vessel. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 18 , further comprising the sea-faring vessel.