Technical field

The present invention relates to a method, a system and a device for maritime pilotage using unmanned vehicles.

Background

Pilotage for vessels in specific areas - restricted waters, heavy traffic areas, inland waterways, ports & harbors - is required by law of the countries the area belongs to. It implies that a human pilot with specific competence about the area is relocated (typically by boat or helicopter) to a vessel arriving at the area, who then assists on board the vessel with the navigational work until the vessel is moored within the area or has left the area.

Prior art is described in US 4757481 A, disclosing a radio controlled drone for depth measurement. General information about maritime pilotage is can be found at b ttp s : //en . wikipedi a . org/ wi ki/Mariti me„pi lot .

Future remote and autonomous pilotage for safer and more efficient use of pilot resources (less transfer times, greater flexibility, pilot relocation avoidance), to assist to Vessel Traffic Services for multi- vessel coordination, for surveillance & reconnaissance for naval and security applications, there appears a need for novel pilotage procedures and equipment disclosed below.

Summary

This disclosure presents a step-wise method for piloting a vessel:

a) operating a pilotage control center at which

b) a request for a pilotage assistance for a vessel is received;

c) negotiating the request and - if agreed:

d) initiating a pilotage communication, communicatively linking at least two of the group consisting of the pilotage requesting vessel, a pilot communication unit and the pilotage control center for pilotage information interchange;

e) deploying at least one unmanned pilotage assistance vehicle and connect it into the above mentioned communication; and

f) providing navigational information based on data from a sensor package onboard the unmanned pilotage assistance vehicle for shared situational awareness during piloting decision making for the piloted vessel. The pilotage can be performed from the pilotage control center, the pilotage requesting vessel itself or a pilot vehicle or a combination of these.

During negotiating of the pilotage assistance request, compatibility checks may be performed.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the pilotage assistance request is automatically sent when the pilotage requesting vessel approaches a predefined sailing area.

According to another embodiment, the at least one unmanned pilotage assistance vehicle is deployed from the pilotage control center or from a pilot vehicle (120).

According to another embodiment, the at least one unmanned pilotage assistance vehicle moves in formation with the piloted vessel under remote control or along an intended route supplying corresponding waypoints to said pilotage communication.

According to another embodiment, the at least one unmanned pilotage assistance vehicle communicates an alarm if the piloted vessel deviates from the intended route.

According to another embodiment, the route is based upon local situation and vessel compatibility (f. inst. vessel dimension, equipment).

The invention relates also to a system for piloting a vessel, comprising

• a pilotage control center,

• means for receiving a request for pilotage assistance for a vessel,

• an unmanned pilotage assistance vehicle to assist in the pilotage,

• pilotage communication means linking at least two of the group consisting of the vessel, a pilot communication unit and the pilotage control center, and

• means for providing improved navigational information based on data from a sensor package onboard the at least one unmanned pilotage assistance vehicle for shared situational awareness during piloting decision making for the piloted vessel.

• means for providing safe handling information based on data from a sensor package onboard the unmanned vehicle for shared situational awareness during berthing decision making for the piloted vessel. According to another embodiment of the inventive system the communication means comprises at least one of video, FLIR and telemetry communication.

According to another embodiment of the system, the communication means utilizes at least one of 4G, VHF and WiMAX for multiple redundancies.

According to another embodiment of the system, the piloted vessel is equipped with a docking arrangement for the sensor package.

According to one embodiment, the docking arrangement may comprise a landing pad, a securing mechanism, an electrical re-charging facility, connection to on-board navigational aids (AIS), situational awareness systems (e.g. radar) and may be a manoeuvrable dock i.e. be rotatable.

According to another embodiment of the system, the pilot communication unit is a mobile pilot communication unit.

The invention relates also to an unmanned pilotage assistance vehicle for assisting in on-board, remote and semi-autonomous pilotage, comprising a sensor package which comprises at least one of radar, electro-optics, laser ranging, GNSS, gyro-compass, FLIR.

According to another embodiment, the unmanned vehicle is a remotely controllable vehicle, controlled manually or (semi-)automatically from at least one of the group consisting of a pilotage control center, a pilot communication unit, and a pilot vehicle.

According to another embodiment of the assistance vehicle, the at least one assistance vehicle is one of the group consisting of an aerial vehicle and a watercraft.

According to another embodiment of the unmanned pilotage assistance vehicle, the sensor package is a releasable payload carried by the unmanned pilotage assistance vehicle and the payload is dockable to the pilotage requesting vessel.

Brief description of the drawings

In the following, embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawing where fig. 1 shows the situation when a vessel arrives at the border to an area where pilotage is required,

fig. 2 shows the principal situation with drone-based stand-off pilotage,

fig. 3 shows the principal situation with remote pilotage using a docked sensor package, fig. 4 shows information flow and access between/for involved parties: piloted vessel, pilot vehicle, pilotage control center, and

fig. 5 shows an embodiment where aerial drones/sensor packages are deployed to a pilotage requesting vessel.

Description of embodiments

Fig. 1 shows an initial situation where the present invention is used. By local regulation, a sailing area is defined by a border 140 in which area a defined kind of vessel traffic is required to use pilotage. When a vessel 130, presumably covered by the regulation, is approaching the border, it requests in an appropriate manner

(wireless communication typically, and presumed hereinafter) a pilotage service from a pilotage control center (PCC) 110. The pilotage control center 110 has at its disposition at least one type of pilotage assistance vehicle: an unmanned aerial vehicle 100 and in some cases a pilot vehicle 120, typically a pilot vessel.

Further, the pilotage control center 110 exchanges information with the vessel 130 in order to process a check list (is pilotage indeed required for the vessel, what useful means are available on board the vessel 130, and more) and if the result of the check list evaluation indeed indicates the requirement for pilotage and the option of pilotage according the present invention, the pilotage control center 110 and the vessel 130 initiate the establishment of the pilotage according to the present invention.

Alternatively, if the present invention cannot be used but pilotage is required, the prior art approach is used where pilot vessel 120 relocates a pilot to the pilotage requesting vessel 130.

Fig. 2 shows a typical situation once the remote pilotage according to the present invention is established.

According to the present invention, at least one remotely controlled or (semi-) autonomous unmanned pilotage assistance vehicle 100, equipped with a sensor package and communication means, is launched to assist in the pilotage by providing up-to-date information (150) to both the piloted vessel 130 and the pilotage control center 110. The information gives more complete operational picture to help safely and effectively navigate the vessel under pilotage 130 by

- filling in gaps in situational awareness on-board with sensor feeds from the unmanned pilotage assistance vehicle(s) 100 e.g. providing views that may be occluded from line-of-sight on the bridge,

- checking aspects of the on-board picture that are subject to uncertainty or doubt e.g. confirming false radar returns ,

- augmenting awareness by utilising more sophisticated/tuned sensors mounted on the unmanned pilotage assistance vehicle(s) 100 to e.g. "see" through poor weather, and

- attain a look-ahead or perspective of future obstacles by utilising the unmanned pilotage assistance vehicle(s) 100 that is further along the planned track of the vessel under pilotage 130.

The vehicle(s) 100 could be an aerial vehicle like a multicopter (drone) or a watercraft.

The piloted vessel 130 sails in formation 160 with the unmanned pilotage assistance vehicle 100 which provides piloting information 150 to at least one of the vessel 130 and the pilotage control center 110. The vehicle can be instructed to change positions and orientation to provide more useful information to the pilot e.g. it can be commanded to move on ahead of the intended route of the vessel under pilotage (130).

Fig. 3 gives an indication of an embodiment of the present invention in that the sensor package comprises at least one imaging sensor (video camera, FLIR, radar and similar) and being deployable at/dockable to the piloted vessel 130. The deployment is preferably performed by an unmanned aerial vehicle remotely controlled by the pilotage control center. Otherwise, the functionality of the piloting procedure is similar to the procedure as described in connection with Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 indicates the information flow: pilotage assistance information can be received and viewed at both the piloted vessel 130, the pilot vehicle 120 (if involved in the pilotage) and at the pilotage control center 110, for instance with a portable pilot communication unit 180.

Fig. 5a and 5b suggests that one or more pilotage assistance vehicles 100 (or just corresponding sensor packages 170 as on Fig.3) could be docked on different locations onboard the piloted vessel 130 to improve the piloting information provided to at least the pilotage communication.

Reference numerals

100 unmanned pilotage assistance vehicle (100)

110 pilotage control center

120 pilot vehicle

130 vessel requesting pilotage

140 border of restricted area

150 piloting information

160 formation sailing

170 docked sensor package

180 pilot communication unit