Watercraft with automatic control, method for controlling an anchored watercraft, and control system for a watercraft

Abstract

The invention relates to a watercraft (1) with automatic control, where, automatically, a force, in particular, a pulling force on a fastening rope is measured and a controlling of the drive and/or a steering means is provided to counteract the force or, e.g., to limit the same.

1 .- 31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . A watercraft with automatic control, the watercraft comprising:
 a boat hull,   a drive and steering means for driving and steering the watercraft,   a controller means for putting out control signals to the drive and steering means,   an attachment point received via a fastening rope,   a measuring means provided between the boat hull and the attachment point, including the boat hull and attachment point, which is designed to measure a measurand acting on the attachment point or the fastening rope,   the measuring means putting out at least one measuring signal, and the controller means being designed, depending on the at least one measuring signal, to carry out one or more of the following control actions or regulations by controlling both the drive and the steering means:
 an adjustment of a range of inclination of the boat hull relative to the fastening rope, 
 an adjustment of a position of the watercraft relative to the attachment point, 
 a limitation of the pulling force, 
 an adjustment of a minimum pulling force on the fastening rope, for tightening the fastening rope and preventing the watercraft from drifting away and/or drifting across the attachment point. 
   
     
     
         33 . The watercraft of  claim 32 , wherein the measuring means is designed to measure one or more of the following measurands: a pulling force acting on the fastening rope, a lateral force acting on the fastening rope, and/or a position of the fastening rope relative to the fastening rope receptacle. 
     
     
         34 . The watercraft of  claim 33 , wherein the controller means is designed to exert a counter force that is opposite to the pulling force by controlling the drive and/or the steering means, where the counter force can be exerted parallel or at an angle to a boat axis. 
     
     
         35 . The watercraft of  claim 32 , wherein the measuring means is provided, at least in part, on one or more of the following elements: on the fastening rope ( 14 ), on the attachment point, an anchor windlass for receiving the attachment point designed as anchor, a fastening rope guide provided on the boat hull for guiding the fastening rope from the anchor windlass to the attachment point, an attachment means provided on the boat hull for the fastening rope, e.g., a bollard, cleat, and/or a strain relief provided between the fastening rope and the boat hull. 
     
     
         36 . The watercraft of  claim 35 , wherein a lateral force-measuring means is provided on the fastening rope guide which is designed to measure lateral forces acting via the fastening rope, in particular, lateral forces acting relative to the fastening rope by a range of inclination of the boat hull and to put out a lateral force-measuring signal, where the controller means is designed to control. the drive and steering means depending on the lateral force measuring signal. 
     
     
         37 . The watercraft of  claim 35 , wherein the fastening rope guide is provided with a rope sweep at the bow of the watercraft which can be adjusted by the fastening rope and can pivot or swivel at least forwards and/or downwards, where a tensile force transducer is provided on the rope sweep for measuring a pulling force acting on the fastening rope and putting out a pulling force measuring signal. 
     
     
         38 . The watercraft of  claim 37 , wherein the fastening rope is designed as an anchor chain, and a chain link of the anchor chain is received in a lock provided in the rope sweep, where the strain relief detects the pulling force on the lock. 
     
     
         39 . The watercraft of  claim 37 , wherein a lock is provided for fixing the fastening rope, where the strain relief detects the pulling force on the lock. 
     
     
         40 . The watercraft of  claim 37 , wherein the rope sweep can be tilted forward by the fastening rope about a horizontal axis of rotation so as to change a guide angle of the anchor chain in the vertical direction, and an inclinometer is provided which is adapted to measure an angle of inclination of the rope sweep and/or a tilting moment acting about the um the axis of rotation and/or a tilting force and to put out a tilt measurement signal to the controller means. 
     
     
         41 . The watercraft of  claim 37 , wherein the rope sweep can be laterally adjusted, where a lateral force-measuring means is adapted to measure a yaw torque acting on the rope sweep or a lateral force acting on the rope sweep and to put out a lateral force-measuring signal to the controller means. 
     
     
         42 . The watercraft of  claim 35 , wherein the fastening rope guide is provided with a horizontally extending guide means, where the fastening rope is adjustably received on the guide means and puts strains on different areas of the guide means in its different positions, where the measuring means measures the following as measurand on the guide means: a force and/or a pressure of the fastening rope, and/or a position of the fastening rope. 
     
     
         43 . The watercraft of  claim 32 , wherein the controller means is designed to pick up one or more of the following external data signal(s) for a plausibility check of the measuring signals: signals relating to a wind speed and/or wind direction, signals relating to a current direction and/or current speed and/or a swell, signals relating to a tidal range, signals relating to a water depth, signals relating to a position and/or a speed. 
     
     
         44 . The watercraft of  claim 32 , wherein the steering means is formed by one or more of the following elements: a rudder provided on the stern, an asymmetric controlling of lateral drive means, a transverse thruster, in particular, bow thruster and/or stern thruster, extending in a transverse direction through the ship, and/or drive rotating about a vertical axis. 
     
     
         45 . The watercraft of  claim 32 , wherein the drive includes at least one electric motor which can be controlled by the controller means: in the forward direction at different speeds, as well as in the reverse direction. 
     
     
         46 . The watercraft of  claim 32 , wherein the fastening rope is provided with a Y connection with two strain reliefs attached to the ship's hull in a manner laterally spaced, where one tensile force transducer each is provided on both strain reliefs, and measuring signals from the tensile force transducer ( 42 ) are put out to the controller means ( 10 ). 
     
     
         47 . The watercraft of  claim 32 , wherein the watercraft is designed as a catamaran having two laterally spaced floating bodies and a ship's hull connecting the floating bodies. 
     
     
         48 . The watercraft of  claim 32 , wherein a boat drive of the watercraft comprises a motor, a transmission and a propeller shaft, the drive means of the drive and steering means being designed electric or electromotive and driving the propeller shaft disengaged by the transmission. 
     
     
         49 . The watercraft of  claim 32 , wherein the controller means is adapted to determine a compass heading of the watercraft and to control the drive and steering means such that an angle range around the compass heading is maintained, preferably under consideration of the forces acting on the boat hull, in particular, wind and waves, in particular, with adjusting a minimum pulling force and limiting the pulling force. 
     
     
         50 . The watercraft according to  claim 32 , wherein the controller means is adapted to determine a compass heading of the watercraft and to control the drive and steering means such that the range of inclination is fixed, preferably as a straight-line orientation of the watercraft in relation to the fastening rope, and to limit the angle range of the boat axis around the compass heading thereby limiting an angle range of the fastening rope as viewed from the attachment point. 
     
     
         51 . The watercraft of  claim 32 , wherein an electronic compass is arranged on the attachment point, in particular, on an anchor shaft of an attachment point designed as an anchor, the compass being adapted to put out a signal for comparing an orientation of the attachment point, in particular, of the anchor shaft, with the orientation of the watercraft, which may be determined, for example, by means of an electronic compass arranged on the watercraft. 
     
     
         52 . The watercraft according to  claim 32 , wherein the watercraft includes a wave detection means adapted to detect the direction, magnitude and/or frequency of waves, the controller means being adapted to adjust the orientation of the boat hull such that rolling and/or yawing due to waves and/or current and/or wind is minimized. 
     
     
         53 . The watercraft of  claim 32 , wherein the controller means is adapted to reduce pitching motion and/or yawing motion and/or rolling motion of the boat hull and/or a thereby caused sway building up by means of adjusting the minimum pulling force and/or a minimum tension of the anchor rope. 
     
     
         54 . The watercraft of  claim 32 , wherein the measuring means is designed as a limit switch measuring a lateral downwards end position and/or limit position of the fastening rope and/or a rope guide and, upon reaching the limit position, puts out the measuring signal to the controller means for controlling the drive and steering means. 
     
     
         55 . A method for controlling a watercraft at anchor, wherein
 a fastening rope is guided forward via a fastening rope guide provided at the bow of the watercraft and received in an attachment point,   a pulling force and/or lateral force acting on the fastening rope guide is measured via the fastening rope, and   depending on the pulling force and/or lateral force, the drive and steering means of the watercraft are controlled such that the pulling force and/or lateral force is limited.   
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 55 , wherein, in addition to the pulling force and/or the lateral force, one or more of the following values or signals are measured and utilized for controlling the drive and steering means: forward and/or downward incline adjusted by the fastening rope on an adjustable attachment, yawing moments or lateral forces acting laterally via the fastening rope on an adjustable fastening rope guide, and/or measuring signals and/or external data signals relating to one or more of the following values: a wind speed, a wind direction, a current direction, a current speed, a tidal range, a water depth, a wave height, a wave profile, and/or a position, e.g., in a GPS system. 
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 55 , wherein, for regulating the position of the watercraft at anchor, the drive, e.g., a propeller, and the steering means, e.g., a rudder or an asymmetric controlling of lateral drive means, are controlled such that:
 upon detecting an increase in the pulling force the driving power is raised, and   upon detecting an increase in the angle of inclination of the boat hull in relation to the fastening rope or the fastening rope guide the steering means is controlled to execute an opposing yawing moment on the boat hull.   
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 55 , wherein acting waves and/or wind and/or current is detected, in particular, a direction, magnitude and/or frequency of the waves, and the drive and steering means of the watercraft is controlled thereupon. 
     
     
         59 . A control system designed to execute the method of  claim 55 . 
     
     
         60 . The control system of  claim 59 , wherein the control system includes the controller means of the watercraft and the measuring means. 
     
     
         61 . The control system of  claim 60 , wherein the control system further includes the fastening rope guide and/or the strain relief. 
     
     
         62 . The control system of  claim 61 , wherein the control system acceleration values and axis motion and reduces rolling and yawing motion under consideration of external forces by controlling the steering means and drives. 
     
     
         63 . A control system designed to control a watercraft according to  claim 32 . 
     
     
         64 . The control system of  claim 63 , wherein the control system includes the controller means of the watercraft and the measuring means. 
     
     
         65 . The control system of  claim 64 , wherein the control system further includes the fastening rope guide and/or the strain relief. 
     
     
         66 . The control system of  claim 65 , wherein the control system detects acceleration values and axis motion and reduces rolling and yawing motion under consideration of external forces by controlling the steering means and drives.