Laser scanning for mooring robot

1. A profile scanner for locating a target zone on a profile of a vessel suitable for engagement with a mooring robot, said profile scanner comprising:

an emitter adapted to progressively or instantaneously radiate towards said vessel;

a receiver providing a signal indicative of radiation incident thereon;

a controller or processor including stored instructions, for

(i) energizing said emitter and receiving said signal,

(ii) determining the vertical location of a target zone suitable for the engagement of the mooring robot, and

(iii) locating an associated mooring robot or other vessel anchoring system according to said determined target zone location.

2. The profile scanner as claimed in claim 1 wherein said controller or processor includes stored instructions for locating an attachment pad of a mooring robot according to said determined target zone, said attachment pad being adapted to engage to said target zone.

3. The profile scanner as claimed in claim 1 wherein said emitter is a laser emitter.

4. The profile scanner as claimed in claim 1 wherein said controller receives said signal and converts the polar coordinate data contained therein to rectangular coordinates.

5. The profile scanner as claimed in claim 4 wherein said rectangular coordinates comprise a cross sectional profile.

6. The profile scanner as claimed in claim 5 wherein said controller differentiates said rectangular coordinates to determine a derivative profile having edges.

7. The profile scanner as claimed in claim 6 wherein said edges are defined as any portion of said derivative profile having a derivative over a predetermined threshold.

8. The profile scanner as claimed in claim 7 wherein said target zone is between the uppermost edge and any significant intermediate edge.

9. The profile scanner as claimed in claim 7 wherein said target zone is a predetermined distance from said intermediate edge.

10. The profile scanner as claimed in claim 1 wherein said scanner updates said target zone location periodically.

11. The profile scanner as claimed in claim 1 wherein any one or more selected from the following are also determined from said signal:

gunwale,

rubbing strake, and

tide level.

12. The mooring robot mounted to a mooring facility, for mooring a floating vessel adjacent said mooring facility, said mooring robot including;

a suction pad to locate onto the side of said floating vessel,

actuators to move said suction pad relative to said mooring facility,

a profile scanner as claimed in claim 1 to control said actuators to effect at least a controlled vertical positioning of said suction pad.

13. The mooring facility for floating vessels, which includes at least one mooring robot as claimed in claim 12 .

14. The method of mooring a floating vessel adjacent a mooring facility of a kind as claimed in claim 13 comprising

operating the profile scanner to scan the hull of a vessel;

allowing any adjustment in the vertical position of said suction pad in response to the profile scanner;

engaging the suction pad to the hull of said vessel; and

sucking the suction pad to the hull of said vessel.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 wherein prior to the sucking of said suction pad, the profile scanner also scans the surface of water adjacent said mooring facility to determine the sea state, wherein the sucking of said suction pad is to a minimum suction pressure correlative to the sea state.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14 wherein prior to engaging said pad to said hull, the profile scanner also scans the surface of water of a tidal body of water adjacent the mooring facility, to allow determination of the state of the tide of said tidal body of water, wherein the vertical positioning of said suction pad is dependent on the state of the tide.

17. A method of mooring a floating vessel adjacent a mooring facility of a kind as claimed in claim 13 , said method comprising the steps of

(a) energizing an emitter;

(b) receiving a reflected signal from said emitter

(c) determining the vertical location of a target zone suitable for the engagement of a mooring robot; and

(d) locating a mooring robot according to the determined target zone location.

18. A method of mooring a floating vessel adjacent a mooring facility of a kind as claimed in claim 13 , said method to be carried out under direction of software instructions stored on an electronic system, said method comprising the steps of

(a) energizing an emitter;

(b) receiving a reflected signal from said emitter

(c) determining the vertical location of a target zone suitable for the engagement of a mooring robot; and

(d) locating a mooring robot according to the determined target zone location.

19. The profile scanner as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said stored instructions are for locating the pad at a target zone on the vessel to avoid any protrusions or openings on said vessel's side.