The invention provides a device which can reduce the drag and assist the steering of the ship, mainly to set up a 3-way pipe in the bow where is below the water level. The 3-way pipe leads to three openings at the stem, the port side and the starboard side respectively. At least one control valve (or deflector) can be provided in the 3-way piping system. The valve (or deflector) can be controlled from the bridge, with a diversion device. When the ship sails forward, water flows into the 3-way pipe from the forward pipe, distributed to both side pipes and then outflow, so that it can reduce the pressure drag to the stem, improve the ship's speed and save bunker. When the valve (or deflector) is set as neutral, the water will be distributed evenly to both side pipes, which will not affect the ship's heading. When the valve (or deflector) deflects more water to either side's pipe, the ship will turn to the opposite side.

A watercraft maneuvering system includes an actuator having a function of generating a propulsion force of a watercraft and a function of causing the watercraft to generate a moment, an operation unit configured to receive an input operation of a watercraft operator, and a watercraft control device configured to operate the actuator. When the operation unit has received an input operation for stopping an operation of the actuator while the watercraft control device is operating the actuator, the watercraft control device operates the actuator without any need for the operation unit to receive the input operation for at least one function of the actuator generating the propulsion force in an opposite direction to a direction of an inertial force occurring in the watercraft and causing the watercraft to generate the moment in an opposite direction to a direction of a moment of inertia occurring in the watercraft.

A vessel includes an actuator having a function of generating a propulsive force of a vessel and a function of generating a moment of the vessel and a vessel control device that operates the actuator, wherein the vessel control device can perform automatic cruise control and fixed-point holding control of the vessel and includes a fixed-point holding target position setting unit that sets a fixed-point holding target position that is a target position of the vessel where the fixed-point holding control of the vessel is to be performed, and when the vessel control device performs automatic cruise control of the vessel and then performs fixed-point holding control of the vessel, the fixed-point holding target position setting unit sets a position different from an automatic cruise stop position that is a position of the vessel where the automatic cruise control of the vessel is stopped as the fixed-point holding target position.

The invention provides a device which can reduce the drag and assist the steering of the ship, mainly to set up a 3-way pipe in the bow where is below the water level. The 3-way pipe leads to three openings at the stem, the port side and the starboard side respectively. At least one control valve (or deflector) can be provided in the 3-way piping system. The valve (or deflector) can be controlled from the bridge, with a diversion device. When the ship sails forward, water flows into the 3-way pipe from the forward pipe, distributed to both side pipes and then outflow, so that it can reduce the pressure drag to the stem, improve the ship's speed and save bunker. When the valve (or deflector) is set as neutral, the water will be distributed evenly to both side pipes, which will not affect the ship's heading. When the valve (or deflector) deflects more water to either side's pipe, the ship will turn to the opposite side.

The present application relates generally to a control arrangement for controlling at least two azimuthing propulsion units of a ship. The control arrangement comprises a crash stop activation member for activating a crash stop procedure, after which the crash stop procedure is executed in which the orientation and propulsion speed of the azimuthing propulsion units are controlled until the propagation speed of the ship has at least been reduced from the moment when the crash stop procedure was activated.

The present application relates generally to a control arrangement for controlling at least two azimuthing propulsion units of a ship. The control arrangement comprises a crash stop activation member for activating a crash stop procedure, after which the crash stop procedure is executed in which the orientation and propulsion speed of the azimuthing propulsion units are controlled until the propagation speed of the ship has at least been reduced from the moment when the crash stop procedure was activated.

A braking system for waterborne propeller driven vessel which, upon activating a brake pedal or similar actuation device causes the vessel to almost immediately stop its forward movement. The system initiates a burst of highly amplified horsepower and torque, created by a controlled pulse of electrical power released from a bank of fully charged ultracapacitors. This pulse of electrical power is sent directly to AC induction-driven motors, causing oversized propellers to immediately rotate astern, thereby generating a reverse thrust in opposition to the vessel's forward movement sufficient to stop the vessel. The horsepower and torque produced by the braking system and operation of the present invention will also cause the oversize propellers to transmit this tremendous power into the water, without cavitation, to assist in stopping vessel movement.

A braking system for waterborne propeller driven vessel which, upon activating a brake pedal or similar actuation device causes the vessel to almost immediately stop its forward movement. The system initiates a burst of highly amplified horsepower and torque, created by a controlled pulse of electrical power released from a bank of fully charged ultracapacitors. This pulse of electrical power is sent directly to AC induction-driven motors, causing oversized propellers to immediately rotate astern, thereby generating a reverse thrust in opposition to the vessel's forward movement sufficient to stop the vessel. The horsepower and torque produced by the braking system and operation of the present invention will also cause the oversize propellers to transmit this tremendous power into the water, without cavitation, to assist in stopping vessel movement.

A propulsion control system for a marine vessel includes a propulsion system comprising at least one propulsion device configured to propel the marine vessel, a proximity sensor system configured to generate proximity measurements describing proximity of objects surrounding the marine vessel, and a control system. The control system is configured to receive the proximity measurements, generate a most important object (MIO) dataset based on the proximity measurements, wherein the MIO dataset defines a closest proximity measurement in each of a plurality of directions with respect to the marine vessel, calculate a velocity limit dataset based on the MIO dataset, wherein the velocity limit dataset defines a velocity limit in each of the plurality of directions, and control the propulsion system based on the velocity limit dataset.

A brake module for submersible autonomous vehicles is disclosed. The brake module is operatively coupled to a fluid propulsion system of an autonomous vehicle and includes a braking mechanism configured to selectively engage a wheel of the autonomous vehicle. The braking mechanism allows or restricts the wheel to rotate when the fluid propulsion system operates with an operating parameter above a parameter threshold.