Method and system for optimizing operation of vessel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11292570-B2
Application number	US-201916707903-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2019
Priority date	Aug 9, 2016
Publication date	Apr 5, 2022
Grant date	Apr 5, 2022

Abstract

Disclosed are a method and a virtual sensor system for determining the speed through water of a marine vessel. The method includes obtaining propeller revolutions per minute and at least one of torque at propeller, propulsion power, thrust and engine fuel flow, obtaining speed over ground or logged data from one or more speed through water logs of the vessel and using the obtained data and hydrodynamic modelling to determine the speed through water of the vessel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for determining speed through water of a vessel for optimisation of vessel operation, using a sensor system, the method, comprising:
obtaining propeller revolutions per minute and at least one of torque at propeller, propulsion power, thrust and engine fuel consumption;
obtaining speed over ground or logged data from one or more speed through water logs of the vessel; and
determining, using obtained data and hydrodynamic modeling, the speed through water of the vessel.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the propeller revolutions per minute, torque at propeller, propulsion power, thrust and engine fuel consumption is a measurement value resulting from a corresponding indirect measurement based on vessel vibrations.

3. A method according to claim 1 , comprising:
obtaining data from one or more speed through water logs; and
using the obtained data in determining the speed through water of the vessel and for calibrating speed through water log data.

4. A method according to claim 1 , comprising:
obtaining oceanographic current data and using said data in determining the speed through water of the vessel.

5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the speed through water is determined using a statistical state-space model.

6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the speed through water is determined in real time.

7. A method according to claim 5 , where the speed through water of the vessel is calculated using the following state space formulation:
Q t =f ( {circumflex over (v)} w,t , Δ{circumflex over (R)} t ; α ′, β ′, γ )+ε 1,t

n t =g ( {circumflex over (v)} w,t , Δ{circumflex over (R)} t ; α ′, β ′, γ )+ε 2,t

v g,t ={circumflex over (v)} w,t +ĉ t +ε 3,t

{circumflex over (v)} w,t ={circumflex over (v)} w,t−1 +η 1,t

ĉ t =ĉ t−1 +η 2,t

Δ {circumflex over (R)} t =Δ{circumflex over (R)} t−1 +η 3,t

wherein f and g are functions defined by the relations:

K
Q

⁡

(

v
w

n

;

α
_

′

)

=

Q

n
2

K
T

⁡

(

v
w

n

;

β
_

′

)

=

R
cs

⁡

(

v
w

;

γ
_

)

+

Δ
⁢

⁢
R

n
2

and Q is torque of the propeller, v g is speed over ground, n is propeller revolution per minute, ε is a random variable describing measurement noise, and η is a random variable controlling evolution speed of the state, {circumflex over (v)} w is estimated speed through water, R cs (v w ; γ ) is calm sea resistance as a function of the speed through water, Δ{circumflex over (R)} is estimated extra resistance on top of calm sea resistance, ĉ is estimated oceanographic current, and parameters α, β and γ are state variables estimated based on data.

8. A method according to claim 7 , wherein K Q and K T are linear or quadratic functions.

9. A method according to claim 7 , wherein the state space formulation is augmented with equations which take into account measured speed through water data and calibrate it:

v

w
,
t

=

e

-

x
^

t

⁢

v
^

w
,
t

+

ɛ

4
,
t

x
^

t

=

x
^

t
-
1

+

η

4
,
t

wherein v w is the speed through water and {circumflex over (x)} is a state variable related to calibrating the speed through water log data, ε is a random variable describing measurement noise, and η is a random variable controlling the evolution speed of the state.

10. A method according to claim 7 , wherein the state space formulation is augmented with an equation which takes into account the forecasted current:
c t =ĉ t +ε 5,t

wherein c is the oceanographic current forecast, ĉ the estimated oceanographic current, and ε is a random variable describing m

Assignees

• Eniram Oy
• Waertsilae Finland Oy

Inventors

• Antola Matti
• Solonen Antti
• Pyörre Jussi

Classifications

• B63B79/20

  using models or simulation, e.g. statistical models or stochastic models · CPC title

• G01P5/00

  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) · CPC title

• B63B79/10

  using sensors, e.g. pressure sensors, strain gauges or accelerometers · CPC title

• G01C21/12

  executed aboard the object being navigated; Dead reckoning · CPC title

• G01C21/203

  specially adapted for water-borne vessels · CPC title