Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus and method for determining the target area associated with the vessel. The apparatus includes a motion data receiver and processing circuitry. The motion data receiver is configured to determine a motion-related data of a vessel. The processing circuitry is communicably coupled to the motion data receiver. Further, the processing circuitry is configured to cause the apparatus to determine a change in a moving direction of the vessel based at least on the motion-related data of the vessel. Furthermore, the processing circuitry is configured to adaptively determine a target area associated with the vessel based on the change in the moving direction of the vessel, thereby enabling the apparatus to determine the target area based on the change in the moving direction of the vessel.

A propeller-powered propulsion system and method of remote-controlled waterway navigation is configured to navigate a waterway in a navigation route while being controlled remotely, and being tracked by a GPS system. The watercraft provides a watercraft body that carries a propeller subassembly having multiple propellers that operate independently of each other for variable propulsion and steering. A mobile communication device transmits a command signal to a receiver in the propeller subassembly. A microcontroller converts the command signal to a speed for each propeller, independently of the other. The propeller speeds create a disproportionate level of thrust from each propeller to enable remote controlled steering of the watercraft toward port and starboard directions, at variable speeds, and preprogrammed navigation routes. The mobile communication device also acquires location data of the watercraft body obtained by a GPS system. The microcontroller processes the location data to automate the navigation of the watercraft.

A marine vessel control system comprises a propulsion unit and a steering actuator for steering the propulsion unit. There is a shift actuator for shifting gears in the propulsion unit and a throttle actuator for increasing or decreasing throttle to the propulsion unit. There is an input device for providing user inputted steering commands to the steering actuator and for providing user inputted shift and throttle commands to the shift actuator and the throttle actuator. There is a sensor for detecting a global position and a heading direction of the marine vessel. A controller receives position and heading values of the marine vessel from the sensor. The controller compares the received position value to a pre-programmed position value to determine a position error difference. The controller also compares the received heading value to a pre-programmed heading value to determine a heading error difference.

A ship reverse-run detection system includes a memory, and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to: detect a direction of change in a position of a ship based on position information of the ship which is detected by a position detection device which is mounted on the ship, specify a traveling direction associated with a navigation region of the ship which is specified based on the position information, by referring to a storage which stores the navigation region and the traveling direction in association with each other, and detect reverse run of the ship in the navigation region based on the magnitude of an angle between the direction of the change and the traveling direction.

A method of automatically moving, by an automatic location placement system, a marine vessel includes receiving, by a central processing unit, from a vision ranging photography system, at least one optical feed including data providing a mapping of an environment surrounding a marine vessel. The method includes displaying, by the central processing unit, on a touch screen monitor, the mapping of the environment. The method includes receiving, by the central processing unit, from the touch screen monitor, target location data. The method includes directing, by the central processing unit, at least one element of a propulsion system of the marine vessel, to move the marine vessel to the targeted location, using the mapping.

A trolling motor is provided including a position sensor configured to determine the direction of the trolling motor housing, a digital display, a processor, and a memory including computer program code. The computer program code is configured to, when executed, cause the processor to receive position data from the position sensor, generate display data based on the position data, and cause the display data to be displayed on the digital display. The digital display is integrated with the main housing and configured to display the display data so as to provide an indication of the current direction of the trolling motor housing relative to the watercraft.

Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to provide proactive directional control for a mobile structure. A proactive directional control system may include a logic device, a memory, one or more sensors, one or more actuators/controllers, and modules to interface with users, sensors, actuators, and/or other modules of a mobile structure. The logic device is adapted to determine a steering angle disturbance estimate based on environmental conditions associated with the mobile structure, and the steering angle disturbance estimate is used to adjust a directional control signal provided to an actuator of the mobile structure. The logic device may also be adapted to receive directional data about a mobile structure and determine nominal vehicle feedback from the directional data, which may be used to adjust and/or stabilize the directional control signal provided to the actuator.

A ship handling device executing dynamic positioning control with which the fixed-point maintaining accuracy including measurement accuracy of a satellite positioning system can be assessed. In this ship handling device for maintaining a ship body at a target position using a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) device, a positioning accuracy level of the GNSS device is calculated based on a radio-wave reception state of the GNSS device, a fixed-point deviation amount level is calculated based on a fixed-point deviation amount calculated based on the target position and a measured position measured by the GNSS device, and a fixed-point maintaining accuracy level indicative of an assumed range of an absolute position of the ship body relative to the target position is determined with reference to the positioning accuracy level and the fixed-point deviation amount level.

Provided is an autonomous ship navigation apparatus including an acquisition unit configured to acquire a surrounding environment image, marine information, and navigation information, a map generation unit configured to generate a grid map by displaying topography, a host ship, and an obstacle corresponding to the marine information and the navigation information in the surrounding environment image, and a sailing method determination unit configured to determine a sailing method of a ship through deep reinforcement learning based on the grid map, the marine information, and the navigation information.

A disturbance estimation apparatus including a navigation data receiver, a thrust data receiver, and processing circuitry is provided. The navigation data receiver acquires navigation data including an actual position and time of the ship on a water surface. The thrust data receiver receives thrust data indicating a magnitude and a direction of a thrust force of the ship. The processing circuitry estimates a predicted position of the ship at a future point in time and a predicted arrival time of the ship to reach the predicted position by inputting the navigation data and the thrust data into a first trained model, and determines disturbance data including a drift direction and drift speed of the ship drifted by an external force based on a difference between the predicted position estimated by the first trained model and the actual position of the ship at the predicted arrival time.