Granted Patent B2

US 12,205,473 · App. 17/155,048 · Granted Jan 21, 2025

Inventors: Jean-Luc Kersulec (Fareham, GB); Mark Johnson (Vannes, FR)

Assignee: FLIR Belgium BVBA

G08G3/02B63B43/18B63B49/00G05D1/0206

Abstract

Claims (69)

1. A system comprising:

a logic device configured to provide navigation control for a mobile structure and to communicate with a user interface and a perimeter ranging system mounted to the mobile structure, wherein the logic device is configured to:

receive navigation control parameters from the user interface and perimeter sensor data from the perimeter ranging system;

determine one or more navigation control signals configured to maneuver the mobile structure based, at least in part, on the received navigation control parameters and the received perimeter sensor data, wherein the one or more navigation control signals comprises a collision avoidance thruster or velocity demand; and

provide the one or more navigation control signals to a navigation control system for the mobile structure;

wherein the determining the one or more navigation control signals comprises:

determining one or more projected collision detection areas for the mobile structure within a two dimensional occupancy map, wherein each projected collision detection area corresponds to a test thruster or velocity demand; and

determining the collision avoidance thruster or velocity demand based, at least in part, on the one or more projected collision detection areas and the received perimeter sensor data, wherein the collision avoidance thruster or velocity demand is configured to cause the navigation control system to maneuver the mobile structure to minimize risk of collision with a navigation hazard identified in the perimeter sensor data;

wherein the determining the collision avoidance thruster or velocity demand comprises:

determining a projected collision risk estimation for each projected collision detection area; and

determining the collision avoidance thruster or velocity demand corresponding to the projected collision detection area that minimizes a thruster or velocity demand cost function based, at least in part, on minimizing the projected collision risk estimation and a deviation from a user demand contained in the received navigation control parameters.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein determining the projected collision risk estimation for each projected collision detection area comprises:

identifying projected collision detection voxels of the projected collision detection area that are also obstacle voxels corresponding to a navigation hazard identified in the perimeter sensor data, and

determining the projected collision risk estimation based, at least in part, on a simple count of overlapping projected collision detection voxels and obstacle voxels and/or a weighted count of overlapping projected collision detection voxels and obstacle voxels, the projected collision risk estimation being defined by the simple count and/or the weighted count.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein:

the one or more projected collision detection areas are a plurality of the projected collision detection areas, and each projected collision detection area corresponds to a projection time interval for all projected collision detection areas and a test thruster or velocity demand unique for each projected collision detection area; and

each projected collision detection area is determined by determining a set of positions and orientations of a virtual bumper polygon of the mobile structure at each discrete time within the projection time interval, and combining extents of the virtual bumper polygons by overlapping them within the 2D occupancy map.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the cost function is defined as:

cost(τ)=α∥τ−τ 0 ∥ 2 +collision(τ)

wherein collision(τ) represents the projected collision risk estimation, and ∥τ−τ 0 ∥ 2 represents deviation from the user demand τ 0 .

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein each overlapping voxel is weighted according to a distance to a nearest extent of the mobile structure, a measurement of how stationary the corresponding navigation hazard is, and/or other characteristics of the obstacle and/or motion of the mobile structure.

6. The system of claim 2 , further comprising the user interface, wherein the logic device is configured to:

render a display view on the user interface for the mobile structure, wherein the display view comprises a chart comprising at least one of the projected collision detection areas and a virtual bumper polygon corresponding to the mobile structure.

7. The system of claim 2 , wherein:

the projected collision risk estimation is implemented as the simple count; and

the navigation control parameters comprise user input provided to a user interface for the mobile structure for direct navigational control of the mobile structure, a target track for the mobile structure, and/or a target position and/or orientation for the mobile structure.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the determining the one or more navigation control signals comprises:

determining a relative velocity of the navigation hazard disposed within a monitoring perimeter of the perimeter ranging system based, at least in part, on the received perimeter sensor data; and

determining the collision avoidance thruster or velocity demand based, at least in part, on the determined relative velocity of the navigation hazard, wherein the collision avoidance thruster or velocity demand is configured to cause the navigation control system to maneuver the mobile structure to minimize risk of collision with the navigation hazard.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein determining the one or more navigation control signals comprises:

determining wind and/or water current disturbances affecting navigation of the mobile structure based, at least in part, on the perimeter sensor data, the received navigation control parameters, and/or orientation and/or position data provided by orientation and/or position sensors coupled to the mobile structure; and

determining the collision avoidance thruster or velocity demand based, at least in part, on the determined wind and/or water current disturbances, wherein the collision avoidance thruster or velocity demand is configured to cause the navigation control system to compensate for the determined wind and/or water current disturbances while maneuvering the mobile structure to minimize risk of collision with the navigation hazard identified in the perimeter sensor data.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein:

the navigation control system comprises one or more of a steering actuator, a propulsion system, and/or a thrust maneuver system for the mobile structure; and

the navigation control signals are configured to evade the navigation hazard identified in the perimeter sensor data by maintaining or increasing a range to the navigation hazard and/or by decreasing a relative velocity of the navigation hazard towards the mobile structure and to minimize deviation from the navigation control parameters while evading the navigation hazard.

11. A method comprising:

receiving, by a logic device, navigation control parameters from a user interface for a mobile structure and perimeter sensor data from a perimeter ranging system mounted to the mobile structure;

determining, by the logic device, one or more navigation control signals based, at least in part, on the received navigation control parameters and the received perimeter sensor data, wherein the one or more navigation control signals comprises a collision avoidance thruster or velocity demand; and

providing, by the logic device, the one or more navigation control signals to a navigation control system for the mobile structure;

wherein the determining the one or more navigation control signals comprises:

determining one or more projected collision detection areas for the mobile structure within a two dimensional occupancy map, wherein each projected collision detection area corresponds to a test thruster or velocity demand; and

determining the collision avoidance thruster or velocity demand based, at least in part, on the one or more projected collision detection areas and the received perimeter sensor data, wherein the collision avoidance thruster or velocity demand is configured to cause the navigation control system to maneuver the mobile structure to minimize risk of collision with a navigation hazard identified in the perimeter sensor data;

wherein the determining the collision avoidance thruster or velocity demand comprises:

determining a projected collision risk estimation for each projected collision detection area; and

determining the collision avoidance thruster or velocity demand corresponding to the projected collision detection area that minimizes a thruster or velocity demand cost function based, at least in part, on minimizing the projected collision risk estimation and a deviation from a user demand contained in the received navigation control parameters.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the determining the projected collision risk estimation for each projected collision detection area comprises:

identifying projected collision detection voxels of the projected collision detection area that are also obstacle voxels corresponding to a navigation hazard identified in the perimeter sensor data, and

determining the projected collision risk estimation based, at least in part, on a simple count of overlapping projected collision detection voxels and obstacle voxels and/or a weighted count of overlapping projected collision detection voxels and obstacle voxels, the projected collision risk estimation being defined by the simple count and/or the weighted count.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein:

the one or more projected collision detection areas are a plurality of the projected collision detection areas, and each projected collision detection area corresponds to a projection time interval for all projected collision detection areas and a test thruster or velocity demand unique for each projected collision detection area; and

each projected collision detection area is determined by determining a set of positions and orientations of a virtual bumper polygon of the mobile structure at each discrete time within the projection time interval, and combining extents of the virtual bumper polygons by overlapping them within the 2D occupancy map.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the cost function is defined as:

cost(τ)=α∥τ−τ 0 ∥ 2 +collision(τ)

wherein collision (τ) represents the projected collision risk estimation, and ∥τ−τ 0 ∥ 2 represents deviation from the user demand τ 0 .

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein each overlapping voxel is weighted according to a distance to a nearest extent of the mobile structure, a measurement of how stationary the corresponding navigation hazard is, and/or other characteristics of the obstacle and/or motion of the mobile structure.

16. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

render a display view on a user interface for the mobile structure, wherein the display view comprises a chart comprising at least one of the projected collision detection areas and a virtual bumper polygon corresponding to the mobile structure.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein:

the projected collision risk estimation is implemented as the simple count; and

the navigation control parameters comprise user input provided to a user interface for the mobile structure for direct navigational control of the mobile structure, a target track for the mobile structure, and/or a target position and/or orientation for the mobile structure.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the determining the one or more navigation control signals comprises:

determining a relative velocity of the navigation hazard disposed within a monitoring perimeter of the perimeter ranging system based, at least in part, on the received perimeter sensor data; and

determining the collision avoidance thruster or velocity demand based, at least in part, on the determined relative velocity of the navigation hazard, wherein the collision avoidance thruster or velocity demand is configured to cause the navigation control system to maneuver the mobile structure to minimize risk of collision with the navigation hazard.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the determining the one or more navigation control signals comprises:

determining wind and/or water current disturbances affecting navigation of the mobile structure based, at least in part, on the perimeter sensor data, the received navigation control parameters, and/or orientation and/or position data provided by orientation and/or position sensors coupled to the mobile structure; and

determining the collision avoidance thruster or velocity demand based, at least in part, on the determined wind and/or water current disturbances, wherein the collision avoidance thruster or velocity demand is configured to cause the navigation control system to compensate for the determined wind and/or water current disturbances while maneuvering the mobile structure to minimize risk of collision with the navigation hazard identified in the perimeter sensor data.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein:

the navigation control system comprises one or more of a steering actuator, a propulsion system, and/or a thrust maneuver system for the mobile structure; and

the navigation control signals are configured to evade the navigation hazard identified in the perimeter sensor data by maintaining or increasing a range to the navigation hazard and/or by decreasing a relative velocity of the navigation hazard towards the mobile structure and to minimize deviation from the navigation control parameters while evading the navigation hazard.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (9)

References Cited (136)