JP7538885B2 - Ship steering system and ship steering method - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a ship steering system and method for docking and mooring a ship.

The series of processes from when a ship enters port to when it docks at a berth and is moored includes ship maneuvering, which is mentally taxing for the ship operator, and tasks that are labor-intensive for shipboard workers. For these reasons, there is a demand for the automation and manpower-saving of the above series of processes in order to reduce the burden and improve safety. However, because it requires flexible responses to changes in weather and sea conditions in the port and excellent cooperation between shipboard workers and port workers, the reality is that most of the work is still carried out relying on the experience of the ship operator and ship and port workers.

Patent Document 1 discloses an automatic docking and mooring machine that automates ship maneuvering from docking to mooring. The ship in Patent Document 1 is equipped with forward and rear thrust engines that output forward and rear thrust of the ship, bow side thrusters and stern pod propulsion machines that can output lateral thrust in either direction of the ship, bow side mooring machines and stern side mooring machines that can reel in and reel out mooring lines, a rangefinder that measures the distance to the quay, and a controller that controls the bow side thrusters, stern pod propulsion machines, bow side mooring machines and stern side mooring machines based on the measured value of the rangefinder. The controller performs docking and mooring operations of the ship in the order of docking mode and mooring mode. In docking mode, the controller stops the forward and rear thrust engines, the bow side mooring machines and the stern side mooring machines, and moves the ship laterally to a mooring start position 1 m from the quay using the bow side thrusters and stern pod propulsion machines. In the mooring mode, the controller stops the front and rear thrusters, the bow side thrusters and the stern pod thrusters, and moors the hull to the quay by pulling the mooring lines with the bow mooring machines and the stern mooring machines.

JP 2005-255058 A

In the ship of Patent Document 1 mentioned above, the process of lateral movement of the hull using the bow side thrusters and stern pod thrusters, and adjustment and maintenance of the hull's docking position using the bow mooring machines and stern mooring machines are carried out continuously, but thrust from the propulsion machines and tension from the mooring machines are not generated simultaneously.

This disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to efficiently maneuver a ship to berth by coordinating the propulsion engine and mooring engine.

A ship maneuvering system according to one aspect of the present invention includes:
A forward/rear propulsion unit capable of outputting thrust in either the forward or rearward direction of the hull;
A lateral propulsion device capable of outputting lateral thrust in any lateral direction of the hull;
At least one mooring machine is arranged on each of the stern side and the bow side of the hull, and is capable of winding and unwinding a mooring line;
a maneuvering controller that regards the mooring machine as a propulsion device that outputs a thrust corresponding to the tension of the mooring line and controls the operation of a plurality of propulsion devices including the front and rear propulsion machines, the lateral propulsion machine, and the mooring machine;
The ship steering controller is characterized in that it obtains a command vector representing a command thrust to be applied to the hull in terms of direction and magnitude, allocates thrust corresponding to the command vector to each of the multiple propulsion devices, and controls the multiple propulsion devices so that the allocated thrust is output from each of the multiple propulsion devices.

A ship maneuvering method according to another aspect of the present invention includes:
A method for maneuvering a ship equipped with a longitudinal propulsion unit capable of outputting thrust in either longitudinal direction of a hull, a lateral propulsion unit capable of outputting thrust in either lateral direction of the hull, and a mooring unit capable of winding and unwinding a mooring line, the mooring unit being arranged at least one each on the stern side and bow side of the hull,
Obtaining a command vector representing a direction and a magnitude of a command thrust to be applied to the hull;
Considering the mooring unit as a propulsion device that outputs a thrust corresponding to the tension of the mooring line, and allocating a thrust corresponding to the command vector to each of a plurality of propulsion devices including the forward and rear propulsion units, the lateral propulsion unit, and the mooring unit; and
and controlling the plurality of propulsion devices so that a distributed thrust is output from each of the plurality of propulsion devices.

According to the steering system and steering method disclosed herein, the ship can be efficiently docked by coordinating the propulsion unit and the mooring unit.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a ship to which a ship maneuvering system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the mooring machine. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a ship maneuvering system. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the functional units of the ship steering controller. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the processing of the ship maneuvering equipment control unit. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a ship maneuvering method when the ship is moored at a berth. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a ship motion model when moored.

Next, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a ship S to which a maneuvering system 20 according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied.

[General configuration of ship S]
1 , with the ship S as the base, the horizontal direction connecting the bow and stern of the ship S is defined as the “fore-aft direction,” and the horizontal direction (left-right direction) perpendicular to the fore-aft direction is defined as the “lateral direction.” The ship S includes a hull 5, at least one fore-aft propulsion unit 2 that outputs thrust in the fore-aft direction to the hull 5, and at least one lateral propulsion unit 3 that outputs thrust in the lateral direction to the hull 5.

In this embodiment, the front and rear propulsion units 2 include a combination of a controllable pitch propeller and a rudders, which are the main propulsion units. The controllable pitch propeller and the rudders are provided on the stern side of the hull 5. However, the front and rear propulsion units 2 are not limited to the above, and may be a slewing thruster or a combination of multiple controllable pitch propellers and rudders.

The lateral propulsion unit 3 preferably includes at least one bow-side lateral propulsion unit 3B and at least one stern-side lateral propulsion unit 3A. In this embodiment, the bow-side lateral propulsion unit 3B is a side thruster (bow thruster) provided on the bow side. In this embodiment, the combination of the controllable pitch propeller and rudder provided on the stern side can output both forward and backward thrust and lateral thrust depending on the direction of the rudder, so it also has the function of the stern-side lateral propulsion unit 3A. However, the lateral propulsion unit 3 provided on the ship S is not limited to the above, and side thrusters may be provided on each of the bow and stern sides of the hull 5, or a slewing thruster may be provided on at least one of the bow and stern sides of the hull 5.

Furthermore, the ship S is equipped with at least one bow side mooring machine 10B installed on the bow side of the deck and at least one stern side mooring machine 10A installed on the stern side of the deck.

In this embodiment, the bow side mooring machine 10B includes a headline mooring machine and a forward spring line mooring machine. The bow side mooring machine 10B may further include a forward breast mooring machine. In this embodiment, the stern side mooring machine 10A includes a sternline mooring machine and an aft spring mooring machine. The stern side mooring machine 10A may further include an aft breast mooring machine. The mooring machines 10 (when there is no distinction between the bow side mooring machine 10B and the stern side mooring machine 10A, the symbol 10 is used) that the ship S should possess is determined based on the number of equipment, etc.

The mooring machines 10 at the bow side 10B and the stern side 10A have substantially the same structure. As shown in FIG. 2, each mooring machine 10 includes a mooring line R and a winch W capable of winding and unwinding the mooring line R. The winch W is an electric hydraulic type. The winch W includes a winding drum 11 around which the mooring line R is wound, a motor 12 that rotates and drives the winding drum 11, a hydraulic clutch 13 that switches between connection and disconnection of power transmission from the motor 12 to the winding drum 11, a reducer 14 provided on the power transmission path from the motor 12 to the winding drum 11, and a hydraulic release type brake 15 that constantly applies a braking force. However, the structure of the winch W is not limited to the above, and the winch W may be an electric type.

The mooring machine 10 is provided with a rotational position sensor 51, a tension meter 52, a line length meter 53, and a winch control device 50 that controls the operation of the winch W based on the detected values. The rotational position sensor 51 detects the rotational position and rotation speed of the motor 12 or the winding drum 11. The line length meter 53 measures the length of the mooring rope R unwound from the winding drum 11. The winch control device 50 measures the rotation of the motor 12 or the winding drum 11 based on the detection signal of the rotational position sensor 51 and/or the measurement value of the line length meter 53, and estimates the winding length and unwound length of the mooring rope R. The tension meter 52 may directly or indirectly detect the tension (load) acting on the mooring rope R. The tension meter 52 may be, for example, a load cell provided in the brake 15, and the tension of the mooring rope R may be estimated based on the load detected by the load cell. The tension meter 52 may be, for example, a torque sensor that detects the output torque of the motor 12, and the tension of the mooring rope R may be estimated based on the torque detected by the torque sensor. The winch control device 50 can control the rotation of the winding drum 11 based on the detection value of the tension meter 52 so that the tension acting on the mooring rope R is maintained at a predetermined value that does not exceed a predetermined upper limit value.

When the mooring rope R is wound onto the winding drum 11, the clutch 13 connects the power transmission path from the motor 12 to the winding drum 11, and the winding drum 11 is driven to rotate in the winding direction. When the mooring rope R is unwound from the winding drum 11, the clutch 13 is disconnected to cut off the power transmission path from the motor 12 to the winding drum 11, and the winding drum 11 is placed in an idling state and can rotate in the unwinding direction. Alternatively, when the mooring rope R is unwound, the clutch 13 may connect the power transmission path from the motor 12 to the winding drum 11, and the winding drum 11 is driven to rotate in the unwinding direction.

Returning to Figure 1, the tip of the mooring line R is anchored to a mooring post 35 installed on the quay. The mooring line R unwound from the winding drum 11 is protected and guided by appropriate guides 36 such as chocks (mooring holes), fairleads, deck end rollers, and stand rollers.

[Configuration of ship maneuvering system 20]
Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of the ship maneuvering system 20. As shown in Fig. 3, the ship maneuvering system 20 of the ship S includes a ship maneuvering controller 6, an instrument group 7, a user interface 8, and a ship maneuvering device group 9, which are electrically connected to the ship maneuvering controller 6 by wire or wirelessly.

The maneuvering controller 6 includes a processor, memories such as ROM and RAM, and an I/O unit (all not shown). The instrument group 7, the user interface 8, and the maneuvering equipment group 9 are connected to the maneuvering controller 6 via the I/O unit. The maneuvering controller 6 may be connected to a storage (not shown) via the I/O unit. The maneuvering controller 6 may include a single processor for centralized control, or multiple processors for distributed control. The memory or storage means stores basic programs and application programs executed by the processor. The application programs are configured to cause the processor to perform processing of each functional unit. The processor reads and executes the programs, thereby realizing the functions of the maneuvering controller 6. The maneuvering controller 6 as described above may be configured, for example, of at least one of a computer, a personal computer, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, a PLD (programmable logic device) such as an FPGA (field-programmable gate array), a PLC (programmable logic controller), and a logic circuit, or a combination of two or more of these.

The ship-to-shore communication device 31 is connected to the ship-to-shore controller 6. The ship-to-shore controller 6 uses the ship-to-shore communication device 31 to transmit ship-to-shore information to a status monitoring device 33 installed at a land base. This ship-to-shore information includes navigation conditions within the port and equipment operation data.

The instrument group 7 includes a rangefinder 27, a camera 28, and various navigation instruments.

The range finder 27 includes a bow-side range finder that measures the bow-side distance from the bow to the quay, and a stern-side range finder that measures the distance from the stern to the quay. The range finder 27 may be, for example, a known non-contact range finder such as a laser range finder. Based on the information obtained from the range finder 27, the maneuvering controller 6 can determine the distance (quaying distance) from the hull 5 (particularly the bow and stern) to the quay where the ship is to be docked.

The cameras 28 include a bow camera mounted on the bow deck to continuously or intermittently capture images of the quay from the bow, and a stern camera mounted on the stern deck to continuously or intermittently capture images of the quay from the stern. It is desirable that the imaging field of the bow camera includes the bow mooring machine 10B and/or the mooring line R reeled out from the bow mooring machine 10B in addition to the quay. It is also desirable that the imaging field of the stern camera includes the mooring line R reeled out from the stern mooring machine 10A and/or the mooring line R reeled out from the stern mooring machine 10A. In order to ensure such a wide field of view, an around-view camera system may be adopted as the camera 28.

Examples of various nautical instruments include a compass 21 that detects the ship's heading angle, a (water) speedometer 22, anemometer 25 (wind vane and anemometer), ship's positioning device 26, tide gauge 29, echo sounder, radar, chronometer, draft indicator, etc. The ship's positioning device 26 is a radio wave and/or light wave positioning device that uses GPS using satellites or radio waves and light from a reference station. The steering controller 6 can determine navigational status information including the position, course, heading angle, ship's speed, etc. of the hull 5 based on information obtained from the various nautical instruments.

The ship steering controller 6 uses the ship-to-shore communication device 31 to timely obtain port information from a port information providing device 32 installed at a land base. The port information includes meteorological and sea condition information within the port, port environmental information, etc. Meteorological and sea condition information includes wind speed, wind direction, tides, tide levels, weather, and climate within the port. Port environmental information includes congestion within the port and berth conditions. The ship steering controller 6 uses the information sent from the port information providing device 32 via the ship-to-shore communication device 31 in its calculations, along with information from the instrument group 7.

The user interface 8 is provided with a control device 80 and a display device 83. The user interface 8 may further be provided with setting devices and indicators for individual maneuvering devices such as the propellers and rudders, a display unit that displays signals from the instrument group 7 such as a heading indicator and a ship speed indicator, various function changeover switches, and indicator lights.

In this embodiment, a joystick 81 and a turning dial 82 are provided as the steering device 80. The joystick 81 receives a command for the direction and magnitude of thrust for the parallel movement of the hull 5, input by the operator by moving the joystick 81, and inputs it to the steering controller 6. The turning dial 82 receives a command for the direction and magnitude of the turning moment for turning movement, input by the operator by moving the turning dial 82, and inputs it to the steering controller 6. However, the steering device 80 is not limited to the above, and any known steering device may be adopted.

At least one type of known display device among various display devices such as a touch panel display, a head-mounted display, etc. is adopted as the display device 83. The display device 83 can display maneuvering support information output from the maneuvering controller 6, images captured by the camera 28, the operation status of the equipment, navigation status information, environmental information (sea and weather information) of the hull 5, etc. The maneuvering support information includes at least one of the ship's position on the nautical chart, a recommended route, a red line, a remaining distance, a marine facility, and a target position, a moving speed vector of the hull 5, the speed of any position of the bow and stern and the remaining distance to the quay, etc.

The ship steering equipment group 9 includes a winch control device 50 that controls the winch W of the mooring machine 10, a front and rear propulsion control device 91 that controls the front and rear propulsion units 2, and a lateral propulsion control device 92 that controls the lateral propulsion units 3. The winch control device 50, the front and rear propulsion control device 91, and the lateral propulsion control device 92 are provided according to the number of winches W, front and rear propulsion units 2, and lateral propulsion units 3 installed on the ship S. However, in FIG. 3, one of the winch control device 50, the front and rear propulsion control device 91, and the lateral propulsion control device 92 is shown, and the rest are omitted. The ship steering controller 6 outputs operation commands to each of the ship steering equipment group 9, and the ship steering equipment group 9 operates the corresponding ship steering equipment based on the operation command.

As shown in FIG. 4, the ship steering controller 6 has the functional units of a ship steering support information generation unit 65, a display control unit 66, a route planning unit 67, a command generation unit 68, and a ship steering equipment control unit 69. The ship steering support information generation unit 65 generates ship steering support information based on information acquired from the instrument group 7 and the port information providing device 32. The display control unit 66 displays the generated ship steering support information on the display device 83. The route planning unit 67 searches for an optimal route that optimizes a predetermined evaluation index from the departure point to the destination based on information acquired from the instrument group 7 and the port information providing device 32, and generates the optimal route as a planned route. The command generation unit 68 generates commands on behalf of the ship operator during automatic ship steering. The ship steering equipment control unit 69 controls the operation of the ship steering equipment group 9.

Figure 5 is a diagram explaining the processing of the maneuvering equipment control unit 69. As shown in Figure 5, the maneuvering equipment control unit 69 of the maneuvering controller 6 has an acquisition unit 61, a thrust distribution calculation unit 62, and an output unit 63.

The acquisition unit 61 acquires information detected or measured by the instrument group 7 and commands received by the control device 80 of the user interface 8, and performs A/D conversion, scaling processing, signal abnormality determination, etc. on the acquired information (signals).

The thrust distribution calculation unit 62 generates a "command vector" based on the command received by the joystick 81 (i.e., the tilt angle and tilt direction of the joystick 81). The command vector is defined as a representation of the direction and magnitude of the command thrust to be applied to the hull 5. The direction of the command vector corresponds to the tilt direction of the joystick 81, and the magnitude of the command vector corresponds to the tilt angle of the joystick 81.

The thrust distribution calculation unit 62 acquires disturbance information including the tide detected by the tide gauge 29, the wind direction and wind speed detected by the anemometer 25, and/or the tide and wind direction and speed in the harbor acquired from the harbor information providing device 32, estimates the disturbance force acting on the ship S based on the disturbance information, and modifies the command vector by adding a force against the disturbance force to the command vector. The thrust distribution calculation unit 62 performs a calculation to distribute thrust to each of the multiple propulsion devices (mooring machine 10, front and rear propulsion units 2, and lateral propulsion unit 3) so that the modified command vector corresponds to the thrust vector. Here, the mooring machine 10 is regarded as a type of propulsion device, and the "thrust vector" is defined as the composite force of the thrust output from the multiple propulsion devices (mooring machine 10, front and rear propulsion units 2, and lateral propulsion unit 3) expressed in terms of direction and magnitude. The thrust distribution calculation method by the thrust distribution calculation unit 62 will be described in detail later.

The output unit 63 performs scaling, D/A conversion, abnormality processing, etc. on the thrust allocated to each propulsion device 2, 3, 10 calculated by the thrust allocation calculation unit 62, and outputs it as an operation command to the corresponding winch control device 50, forward/rear propulsion control device 91, and lateral propulsion control device 92. As a result, a thrust in the tilt direction with a magnitude corresponding to the tilt angle of the joystick 81 is applied to the hull 5.

[Maneuvering method]
Here, a method for maneuvering the ship S when docking or mooring using the ship maneuvering system 20 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.

The ship steering controller 6 starts approach maneuvering when the ship S enters the port. In approach maneuvering, the ship steering controller 6 generates approach maneuvering support information using information acquired from the instrument group 7 and the port information providing device 32, and displays it on the screen of the display device 83. Here, the ship steering controller 6 sets a predetermined docking start position P2 as a target position, and uses information acquired from the instrument group 7 and the port information providing device 32 to determine the optimal route from the port entrance P1 to the docking start position P2 as a planned route. On the screen of the display device 83, a nautical chart of the port on which the planned route consisting of multiple waypoints, the target position, and the ship's position are overlaid, and navigation information such as the ship's heading angle and ship speed are graphically displayed as approach maneuvering support information. The docking start position P2 is a position a predetermined distance (e.g., approximately 30 m) away from the berth's quay, and the fore-and-aft direction of the hull 5 of the ship S that has reached the docking start position P2 is approximately parallel to the extension direction of the quay, and the fore-and-aft speed is approximately zero.

The ship operator operates the joystick 81 and the turning dial 82 based on the approach maneuvering support information displayed on the display device 83. The ship steering controller 6 calculates a command vector based on the tilt angle and tilt direction of the joystick 81. However, the ship S may also perform approach maneuvering automatically. In this case, the ship steering controller 6 may generate a command vector itself based on information obtained from the instrument group 7 and the port information device 32, and the planned route.

The maneuvering controller 6 obtains a modified command vector by adding a force resisting the disturbance force to the command vector, and allocates thrust to the front and rear propulsion units 2 so that a thrust vector corresponding to the modified command vector is obtained by combining the thrusts output from the front and rear propulsion units 2. In approach maneuvering, the thrust allocated to the lateral propulsion units 3 and the mooring unit 10 is zero. The maneuvering controller 6 generates a thrust target value that outputs the allocated thrust and outputs it to the front and rear propulsion control units 91, which control the front and rear propulsion units 2 so that a thrust corresponding to the thrust target value is output. As a result, the ship S obtains thrust corresponding to the command vector and navigates along the planned route.

The maneuvering controller 6 starts the docking operation when the ship S reaches the docking start position P2. In the docking operation, the maneuvering controller 6 generates docking operation support information using information acquired from the instrument group 7 and the port information providing device 32, and displays it on the screen of the display device 83. In the docking operation, the ship S is moved from the docking start position P2 to a predetermined mooring start position P3. The mooring start position P3 is a position about a few meters away from the berth quay, and the hull 5 of the ship S that has reached the mooring start position P3 is approximately parallel to the extension direction of the quay in the fore-aft direction, and the speed in the bow direction and the lateral direction is approximately zero. On the screen of the display device 83, a port chart on which the target position and the ship's position are overlaid as docking operation support information, navigation information such as the bow azimuth and ship speed, the docking distance, and an image captured by the camera 28 are displayed.

The ship operator operates the joystick 81 and the steering dial 82 based on the docking maneuvering support information displayed on the display device 83. The ship steering controller 6 calculates a command vector based on the tilt angle and tilt direction of the joystick 81. However, the ship S may be maneuvered automatically for docking. In this case, the ship steering controller 6 may generate the command vector itself based on information obtained from the instrument group 7 and the port information device 32.

The maneuvering controller 6 obtains a corrected command vector by adding a force against the disturbance force to the command vector, and allocates thrust to the front and rear propulsion units 2 and the lateral propulsion units 3 so that a thrust vector corresponding to the corrected command vector is obtained by combining the thrusts output from the front and rear propulsion units 2 and the lateral propulsion units 3. In docking maneuvers, the thrust allocated to the mooring unit 10 is zero. The maneuvering controller 6 generates and outputs thrust target values such that the allocated thrust is output to each of the front and rear propulsion control units 91 and the lateral propulsion control unit 92, and the front and rear propulsion control units 91 control the front and rear propulsion units 2 so that thrust corresponding to the given thrust target value is output, and the lateral propulsion control unit 92 controls the lateral propulsion unit 3 so that thrust corresponding to the given thrust target value is output. As a result, the ship S obtains thrust corresponding to the command vector and mainly moves laterally to the mooring start position P3.

When the ship S reaches the mooring start position P3, a mooring line R is let out from the stern mooring machine 10A and the bow mooring machine 10B, and the tip of the mooring line R is anchored to a mooring post 35 installed on the quay. During this time, the steering controller 6 uses the automatic heading maintenance function to maintain the ship S at the mooring start position P3. The automatic heading maintenance function of the steering controller 6 performs PID calculations and the like on the deviation between the set bow heading angle and the bow heading angle from the compass 21, and provides this to the thrust distribution calculation as a turning moment command instead of the turning dial 82, thereby operating the forward and rear propulsion units 2 and the lateral propulsion units 3 so that the heading of the bow is maintained.

After the ends of all the mooring lines R have been secured to the mooring posts 35 provided on the quay, the steering controller 6 begins mooring maneuvering. The steering controller 6 generates mooring maneuvering support information using information obtained from the instrument group 7 and the port information providing device 32, and displays this on the screen of the display device 83. On the screen of the display device 83, there are displayed, as docking maneuvering support information, a nautical chart of the port on which the target position and the ship's position are overlaid, navigation information such as bow azimuth and ship speed, docking distance, images captured by the camera 28, and the like.

Mooring maneuvering is performed automatically, and the steering controller 6 generates command vectors based on information obtained from the instrument group 7 and the port information device 32. However, the ship operator may visually check the mooring maneuvering support information displayed on the display device 83 and operate the joystick 81 and turning dial 82 as necessary. In this case, the operations received by the joystick 81 and turning dial 82 may be given priority over the commands generated by the steering controller 6.

The maneuvering controller 6 obtains a corrected command vector by adding a force resisting the disturbance force to the command vector, and distributes thrust to the mooring machine 10, the front and rear propulsion units 2, and the lateral propulsion units 3 so that a thrust vector corresponding to the corrected command vector is obtained by combining the thrusts output from the mooring machine 10, the front and rear propulsion units 2, and the lateral propulsion units 3. The maneuvering controller 6 generates and outputs thrust target values such that the allocated thrust is output to each of the winch control device 50, the front and rear propulsion control device 91, and the lateral propulsion control device 92. The winch control device 50 controls the mooring machine 10 so that a thrust corresponding to a given thrust target value is output. Specifically, the winch control device 50 controls the operation of the winch W so that the thrust target value is obtained by winding and unwinding the mooring rope R to adjust the tension and rope length. The front and rear propulsion control device 91 controls the front and rear propulsion units 2 so that a thrust corresponding to a given thrust target value is output, and the lateral propulsion control device 92 controls the lateral propulsion unit 3 so that a thrust corresponding to a given thrust target value is output. As a result, the ship S obtains thrust corresponding to the command vector and moves mainly laterally until it approaches the quay.

In thrust allocation during mooring maneuvers, priority is given to thrust allocation to the mooring machine 10. An allowable range of tension of the mooring line R is set for each mooring machine 10. After mooring maneuvers are started and the deflection of the mooring line R is eliminated by the winding operation of the mooring machine 10, thrust is allocated to the mooring machine 10 so that the tension of the mooring line R measured by the tension meter 52 is maintained within the allowable range. Here, the allowable range of tension is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value that is greater than 0 and less than the maximum winding force of the mooring machines 10A and 10B. The maximum winding force of the mooring machines 10A and 10B is a known value specific to each of the mooring machines 10A and 10B. A threshold value (allowable range) for the tension of the mooring line R may be set individually for each of the mooring machines 10A and 10B. Alternatively, the same threshold value (tolerance range) for the tension of the mooring rope R may be set for all of the mooring machines 10A, 10B.

In thrust distribution in mooring maneuvering, first, thrust is distributed to each mooring machine 10 so that the tension of each mooring line R is maintained within an allowable range. Then, a resultant vector (mooring machine thrust vector) of the thrusts output by all mooring machines 10 is calculated, and the shortfall obtained by subtracting the mooring machine thrust vector from the command vector is made up by the thrust output from the front and rear propulsion machines 2 and the lateral propulsion machine 3. If no shortfall occurs, the thrust output from the front and rear propulsion machines 2 and the lateral propulsion machine 3 may be zero. By distributing thrust in this manner, the maneuvering controller 6 controls the propulsion devices so that, during at least a part of the mooring maneuvering, the bow side mooring machine 10B and the stern side mooring machine 10A perform the winding operation of the mooring line R, and at the same time, at least one of the front and rear propulsion machines 2 and the lateral propulsion machine 3 outputs a thrust that reduces the tension of the mooring line R.

Here, we will explain in detail the thrust distribution calculation method (first example and second example) performed by the thrust distribution calculation unit 62 of the steering controller 6.

(Thrust distribution calculation method: 1st example)
The ship maneuvering controller 6 has a hull motion model configured to estimate the thrusts output by the bow mooring unit 10B and the stern mooring unit 10A based on the tensions of the mooring lines R of the bow mooring unit 10B and the stern mooring unit 10A. As shown in Fig. 7, the ship maneuvering model has coordinates of an input point 78, which is the position of the guide 36 arranged at the tip end side as seen from the winch W with respect to the hull 5 as a reference, for each mooring line R. The ship maneuvering controller 6 can estimate the three-directional (forward/rearward, lateral, and vertical) components of the thrust acting on the input point 78 by inputting the draft of the hull 5, the position of the hull 5, the coordinates of the quay-side mooring point 77, which is the mooring position to the mooring post 35, and the tension of the mooring line R to the hull motion model. In addition, the ship maneuvering controller 6 can estimate the behavior of the hull 5 due to the thrust acting on the input point 78 by simulation using the hull motion model. The ship maneuvering controller 6 can determine the thrust to be allocated to the bow side mooring unit 10B and the stern side mooring unit 10A based on the calculation results using the ship motion model.

The winch control device 50 operates the winch W so that the steering controller 6 generates the tension used in the simulation. The steering controller 6 then feeds back the difference between the movement of the hull 5 obtained in the simulation and the actual movement of the hull 5, and moves the hull 5 in any direction to perform mooring maneuvering. If a tension exceeding a predetermined threshold is measured, the steering controller 6 issues a command to the winch control device 50 to reduce the winding speed, and thrust is distributed to the front and rear propulsion units 2 and/or the lateral propulsion units 3 so that the thrust shortage caused by the reduction in the winding speed is compensated for by the thrust generated by the front and rear propulsion units 2 and/or the lateral propulsion units 3. This prevents overloading of the mooring line R.

(Thrust distribution calculation method: 2nd example)
To simplify the calculations, the hull 5 is handled as being steered and controlled in a horizontal plane with three degrees of freedom (x, y, z). For these three degrees of freedom, thrust commands received by the joystick 81 and the steering dial 82 are assigned to a longitudinal thrust command (xd), a lateral thrust command (yd), and a steering moment command (φd), and the command vector Xd is expressed by the following equation 1. Note that in the above embodiment, the thrust vector is determined from the corrected command vector, so the following command vector Xd is interpreted as the corrected command vector. X, Xd, A, A*, and Xk in equations 1 to 4 represent vectors or matrices.

The thrust of the front and rear propulsion units 2 is Tp, the rudder thrust Tr, the thrust of the lateral propulsion unit 3 is Ts, the thrust of the bow mooring unit 10B is Tb, and the thrust of the stern mooring unit 10A is Ta. When the ship S is equipped with n number of front and rear propulsion units 2, the thrust of the front and rear propulsion units 2 is expressed as Tp1, ..., Tpn. When there are multiple rudders, the rudder thrust Tr is considered to be the composite force of the multiple rudders. When the ship S is equipped with m number of lateral propulsion units 3, the thrust of the lateral propulsion units 3 is expressed as Ts1, ..., Tsm. When the ship S is equipped with k number of bow mooring units 10B, it is assumed that each of the bow mooring units 10B generates a thrust equivalent to tension (composite force of front and rear thrust and lateral thrust), and the thrust of the bow mooring unit 10B is expressed as Tb1, ..., Tbk. When the ship S is equipped with k number of stern side mooring units 10A, each of the stern side mooring units 10A generates thrusts (longitudinal thrusts and lateral thrusts) equivalent to tension, and the thrusts of the stern side mooring units 10A are expressed as Ta1, ..., Tak. The thrust vector X, which is a combination of these, is expressed as the following equation 2.

It is assumed that the thrust vector X and the command vector Xd satisfy the following equation 3.
Xd=A・X...(Formula 3)

Here, matrix A is a configuration matrix. When a generalized inverse matrix A* of the configuration matrix A is used, the thrust vector X is expressed by the following equation 4.
X=A*・Xd+Xk...(Formula 4)

Here, Xk satisfies the following equation 5. A* is called a thrust distribution matrix.
A*・Xk=0...(Formula 5)

There are various types of generalized inverse matrices, but for example, a generalized inverse matrix that minimizes the sum of the squares of each element of the thrust vector X may be adopted. Note that in order to obtain the required thrust, such as rudder side force, constraints such as not only the rudder angle but also the minimum required thrust of the controllable pitch propeller are given. The thrust distribution matrix A* is stored in advance in the steering controller 6, and the steering controller 6 uses the thrust distribution matrix A* to derive the thrust vector from the command vector Xd (the modified command vector in the above embodiment).

[Summary]
As described above, the ship maneuvering system 20 according to this embodiment has the following features:
At least one forward/rear propulsion unit 2 capable of outputting thrust in either the forward or rearward direction of the hull 5;
At least one lateral propulsion unit 3 capable of outputting thrust in any lateral direction of the hull 5;
At least one mooring machine 10A, 10B is disposed on each of the stern side and the bow side of the hull 5, and capable of winding and unwinding a mooring rope R;
The vessel is equipped with a maneuvering controller 6 that controls the operation of the front and rear propulsion units 2, the lateral propulsion unit 3, and the mooring units 10A, 10B.
Furthermore, when the hull 5 is docked at a quay, the maneuvering controller 6 is configured to cause the mooring machines 10A, 10B to perform a winding operation of the mooring rope R while the mooring rope R is fastened to a mooring post 35 provided on the quay, and at the same time cause at least one of the front and rear propulsion machines 2 and the lateral propulsion machine 3 to output thrust such as to reduce the tension of the mooring rope R.

Similarly, the maneuvering method for a ship S according to this embodiment is a maneuvering method for a ship S equipped with at least one longitudinal propulsion unit 2 capable of outputting thrust in either longitudinal direction of the hull 5, at least one lateral propulsion unit 3 capable of outputting thrust in either lateral direction of the hull 5, and mooring units 10A, 10B capable of winding in and letting out a mooring rope R, at least one each disposed on the stern side and the bow side of the hull 5,
When the ship 5 is docked at a quay, the mooring machines 10A, 10B are caused to reel in the mooring rope R while the mooring rope R is fastened to a mooring post 35 provided on the quay, and at the same time, at least one of the front and rear propulsion machines 2 and the lateral propulsion machine 3 is caused to output thrust such as to reduce the tension of the mooring rope R.

In the above-mentioned maneuvering system 20 and maneuvering method, while the mooring machines 10A and 10B are winding the mooring line R to berth the hull 5, a thrust is applied to the hull 5 such that the tension of the mooring line R is reduced. By linking the propulsion machines 2 and 3 with the mooring machines 10A and 10B in this way, the mooring line R is prevented from being overloaded. Generally, if the mooring line is overloaded during the winding operation of the mooring machine, the overload is eliminated by having the mooring machine perform a mooring line reeling operation. In contrast, in the above-mentioned maneuvering system 20 and maneuvering method, the mooring line R is prevented from being overloaded during the winding operation of the mooring machines 10A and 10B, so that the reeling length of the mooring line R is continuously shortened without stagnating or lengthening, and the hull 5 can be berthed more efficiently than when only the mooring machines 10A and 10B are used.

The above-mentioned steering system 20 further includes a tension meter 52 that measures the tension of the mooring line R, and the steering controller 6 is configured to cause at least one of the front and rear propulsion units 2 and the lateral propulsion unit 3 to output thrust such as to reduce the tension of the mooring line R so that the tension of the mooring line R measured by the tension meter 52 is maintained within a range below a predetermined threshold value that is greater than 0 and less than the maximum winding force of the mooring machines 10A, 10B.

Similarly, in the above-mentioned maneuvering method, at least one of the front and rear propulsion motors 2 and the lateral propulsion motors 3 is caused to output thrust to reduce the tension of the mooring rope R so that the tension of the mooring rope R is maintained within a range below a predetermined threshold value that is greater than 0 and less than the maximum winding force of the mooring machines 10A, 10B.

In this way, while the mooring machines 10A, 10B are winding up the mooring rope R in order to dock the hull 5, the range of tension in the mooring rope R is maintained, thereby preventing the mooring rope R from being overloaded.

Moreover, the ship maneuvering system 20 according to the above embodiment has
At least one longitudinal propulsion unit 2 capable of outputting thrust in either longitudinal direction of the hull 5, and at least one lateral propulsion unit 3 capable of outputting thrust in either lateral direction of the hull 5;
At least one mooring machine 10A, 10B is disposed on each of the stern side and the bow side of the hull 5, and capable of winding and unwinding a mooring rope R;
The mooring machines 10A, 10B are regarded as propulsion devices that output thrust corresponding to the tension of the mooring lines R, and a maneuvering controller 6 is provided that controls the operation of the multiple propulsion devices 2, 3, 10A, 10B including the front and rear propulsion machines 2, the lateral propulsion machine 3, and the mooring machines 10A, 10B.
The ship maneuvering controller 6 acquires a command vector representing a command thrust to be applied to the hull 5 in terms of direction and magnitude, allocates a thrust corresponding to the command vector to each of the multiple propulsion devices 2, 3, 10A, 10B, and controls the multiple propulsion devices 2, 3, 10A, 10B so that the allocated thrust is output from each of the multiple propulsion devices 2, 3, 10A, 10B. Here, the ship maneuvering controller 6 may be configured to allocate thrust to each of the multiple propulsion devices 2, 3, 10A, 10B so that a thrust vector representing a composite force of thrusts output from each of the multiple propulsion devices 2, 3, 10A, 10B in terms of direction and magnitude corresponds to the command vector.

Similarly, the maneuvering method for the ship S according to the above embodiment is a maneuvering method for a ship S equipped with at least one longitudinal propulsion unit 2 capable of outputting thrust in either longitudinal direction of the hull 5, at least one lateral propulsion unit 3 capable of outputting thrust in either lateral direction of the hull 5, and mooring units 10A, 10B capable of winding in and letting out mooring ropes R, at least one each disposed on the stern side and the bow side of the hull 5,
Obtaining a command vector that represents a command thrust to be applied to the hull 5 in terms of direction and magnitude;
The mooring units 10A and 10B are regarded as propulsion devices that output thrust corresponding to the tension of the mooring line R, and thrust corresponding to a command vector is allocated to each of the multiple propulsion devices 2, 3, 10A, and 10B including the front and rear propulsion units 2, the lateral propulsion unit 3, and the mooring units 10A and 10B; and
and controlling the multiple propulsion devices 2, 3, 10A, and 10B so that the allocated thrust is output from each of the multiple propulsion devices 2, 3, 10A, and 10B. Here, the allocating may include allocating thrust to each of the multiple propulsion devices 2, 3, 10A, and 10B so that a thrust vector, which is a composite force of the thrusts output from each of the multiple propulsion devices 2, 3, 10A, and 10B expressed in terms of direction and magnitude, corresponds to a command vector.

In the above-mentioned maneuvering system 20 and maneuvering method, the mooring units 10A and 10B are regarded as a type of propulsion device, and the thrust acting on the hull 5 is distributed to the multiple propulsion devices 2, 3, 10A, and 10B including the mooring units 10A and 10B, the front and rear propulsion units 2, and the lateral propulsion units 3. In this way, the propulsion units 2, 3 and the mooring units 10A and 10B are controlled in an integrated manner, so that there is no need to operate the propulsion units 2, 3 and the mooring units 10A and 10B individually, which improves work efficiency and reduces manpower. In addition, although the hydrodynamic forces near the quay are irregular, the multiple propulsion devices 2, 3, 10A, and 10B including the propulsion units 2, 3 and the mooring units 10A and 10B generate thrust in cooperation with each other, so that the hull 5 can be moved to the target position more stably than when it is moved by only the mooring units 10A and 10B.

In addition, the steering system 20 according to the above embodiment is equipped with a joystick 81 that receives operations and inputs them to the steering controller 6, and the steering controller 6 is configured to obtain a command vector corresponding to the operation received by the joystick 81 by setting the tilt angle of the joystick 81 to the magnitude of a command vector and the tilt direction of the joystick 81 to the direction of the command vector.

Similarly, in the above-mentioned maneuvering method, acquiring a command vector includes taking the tilt angle of the joystick 81 as the magnitude of the command vector and the tilt direction of the joystick 81 as the direction of the command vector, and acquiring a command vector corresponding to the operation received by the joystick 81.

By operating the joystick 81 in this manner, it is possible to operate multiple propulsion devices 2, 3, 10A, 10B, including the mooring machines 10A, 10B and the lateral propulsion machine 3, in a coordinated manner. This eliminates the need to operate the propulsion machines 2, 3 and the mooring machines 10A, 10B individually, improving work efficiency and reducing manpower.

In addition, the steering system 20 according to the above embodiment is equipped with a rangefinder 27 that measures the docking distance of the hull 5 and a position measuring device 26 that measures the position of the hull 5, and the steering controller 6 is configured to generate a command vector based on the docking distance and the position.

Similarly, in the maneuvering method according to the above embodiment, obtaining a command vector includes measuring the docking distance of the hull 5, measuring the position of the hull 5, and generating a command vector based on the docking distance and the position.

In this way, the command vector is automatically generated, allowing the ship S to be automatically steered.

In addition, in the steering system 20 according to the above embodiment, the steering controller 6 is configured to acquire disturbance information including wind direction, wind speed, and currents in the environment in which the hull 5 is located, estimate the disturbance force acting on the hull 5 based on the disturbance information, and modify the command vector based on the disturbance force.

Similarly, in the steering method according to the above embodiment, acquiring the command vector includes acquiring disturbance information including wind direction, wind speed, and currents in the environment in which the hull 5 is located, estimating the disturbance force acting on the hull 5 based on the disturbance information, and modifying the command vector based on the disturbance force.

In this way, the command vector is corrected to cancel the disturbance force acting on the hull 5, so the command vector before correction does not need to take the disturbance force into account. Therefore, the operator can issue commands without relying on experience.

In addition, in the maneuvering system 20 according to the above embodiment, the maneuvering controller 6 is configured to perform a docking maneuver in which the hull 5 is moved from a predetermined docking start position P2 to a mooring start position P3 closer to the quay than the docking start position P2, and a mooring maneuver in which the hull 5 is moved from the mooring start position P3 until it is docked at the quay, and to distribute thrust to each of the multiple propulsion devices 2, 3, 10A, 10B so that the thrust distributed to the mooring machines 10A, 10B in the docking maneuver is zero. In addition, the maneuvering controller 6 is configured to distribute thrust to each of the multiple propulsion devices 2, 3, 10A, 10B so that thrust is preferentially distributed to the mooring machines 10A, 10B among the multiple propulsion devices 2, 3, 10A, 10B over the remaining propulsion devices 2, 3 in the mooring maneuver.

Similarly, in the maneuvering method according to the above embodiment, when the hull 5 is docked and moored at a quay, a docking maneuver is performed in which the hull 5 is moved from a predetermined docking start position P2 to a mooring start position P3 closer to the quay than the docking start position P2, and a mooring maneuver is performed in which the hull 5 is moved from the mooring start position P3 until it is docked at the quay, and thrust is allocated to each of the multiple propulsion devices 2, 3, 10A, 10B so that the thrust allocated to the mooring machines 10A, 10B in the docking maneuver is zero. Also, in the mooring maneuver, thrust is allocated to each of the multiple propulsion devices 2, 3, 10A, 10B so that thrust is preferentially allocated to the mooring machines 10A, 10B among the multiple propulsion devices 2, 3, 10A, 10B over the remaining propulsion devices 2, 3.

In this way, in docking maneuvers where the mooring line R is not moored to the mooring post 35, thrust can be applied to the hull 5 by operating the propulsion units 2 and 3. In mooring maneuvers where the mooring line R is moored to the mooring post 35, thrust can be applied to the hull 5 by operating multiple propulsion devices 2, 3, 10A, and 10B, including the mooring units 10A and 10B. Furthermore, in mooring maneuvers, thrust is preferentially allocated to the mooring units 10A and 10B, and the hull 5 is moved mainly by the tension of the mooring line R, while the multiple propulsion devices 2, 3, 10A, and 10B can be operated to compensate for insufficient thrust with thrust generated by the propulsion units 2 and 3.

In addition, in the steering system 20 according to the above embodiment, the steering controller 6 has a hull motion model configured to estimate the thrust output by the mooring machines 10A, 10B based on the tension of the mooring lines R of the mooring machines 10A, 10B.

Similarly, in the maneuvering method according to the above embodiment, the thrust to be allocated to the mooring machines 10A, 10B is determined using a hull motion model configured to estimate the thrust to be output by the mooring machines 10A, 10B based on the tension of the mooring lines R of the mooring machines 10A, 10B.

In this way, the thrust acting on the hull 5 due to the tension of the mooring lines R is estimated using a hull motion model, so that more accurate behavior of the hull 5 can be obtained even in a complex system, and this can be used for thrust allocation.

Although the above describes a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the present invention may also include modifications to the specific structural and/or functional details of the above embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

2: Front and rear thrusters (propulsion devices)
3: Lateral thruster (propulsion device)
3A: Stern side lateral thruster (propulsion device)
3B: Bow side lateral thruster (propulsion device)
5: Hull 6: Steering controller 7: Instrument group 8: User interface 9: Steering equipment group 10: Mooring mechanism (propulsion device)
10A: Aft mooring device (propulsion device)
10B: Bow mooring device (propulsion device)
20: Ship maneuvering system 26: Ship position measuring device 27: Distance meter 81: Joystick P2: Docking start position P3: Mooring start position R: Mooring line S: Ship

Claims (16)

A forward/rear propulsion unit capable of outputting thrust in either the forward or rearward direction of the hull;
A lateral propulsion device capable of outputting lateral thrust in any lateral direction of the hull;
At least one mooring machine is arranged on each of the stern side and the bow side of the hull, and is capable of winding and unwinding a mooring line;
a maneuvering controller that regards the mooring machine as a propulsion device that outputs a thrust corresponding to the tension of the mooring line and controls the operation of a plurality of propulsion devices including the front and rear propulsion machines, the lateral propulsion machine, and the mooring machine;
the ship maneuvering controller acquires a command vector representing a direction and magnitude of a command thrust to be applied to the hull, allocates thrust corresponding to the command vector to each of the plurality of propulsion devices, and controls the plurality of propulsion devices so that each of the plurality of propulsion devices outputs the allocated thrust.
Ship steering system. the ship maneuvering controller allocates thrust to each of the plurality of propulsion devices such that a thrust vector, which is a resultant force of thrusts output from each of the plurality of propulsion devices and is expressed in terms of direction and magnitude, corresponds to the command vector;
A ship steering system according to claim 1 . a joystick for receiving an operation and inputting the operation to the ship steering controller;
the boat maneuvering controller defines a tilt angle of the joystick as a magnitude of the command vector and a tilt direction of the joystick as a direction of the command vector, and acquires the command vector corresponding to an operation received by the joystick.
A ship maneuvering system according to claim 1 or 2 . A distance meter for measuring the docking distance of the ship;
A ship positioning device for measuring the ship position of the ship,
the ship maneuvering controller generates the command vector based on the docking distance and the ship position.
A ship steering system according to claim 1 . the ship steering controller acquires disturbance information including a wind direction, a wind speed, and a tidal current in an environment in which the hull is placed, estimates a disturbance force acting on the hull based on the disturbance information, and modifies the command vector based on the disturbance force;
A ship maneuvering system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . the maneuvering controller, when docking and mooring the hull to a quay, performs a docking maneuver to move the hull from a predetermined docking start position to a mooring start position closer to the quay than the predetermined docking start position, and a mooring maneuver to move the hull from the mooring start position until the hull is docked at the quay, and allocates thrust to each of the plurality of propulsion devices so that thrust allocated to the mooring machine in the docking maneuver is zero.
A ship maneuvering system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . the maneuvering controller allocates thrust to each of the plurality of propulsion devices such that thrust is preferentially allocated to the mooring device among the plurality of propulsion devices relative to the remaining propulsion devices during the mooring maneuvering;
A ship steering system according to claim 6 . The ship maneuvering controller has a ship motion model configured to estimate a thrust force output by the mooring machine based on a tension of the mooring line of the mooring machine.
A ship maneuvering system according to any one of claims 1 to 7 . A method for maneuvering a ship equipped with a longitudinal propulsion unit capable of outputting thrust in either longitudinal direction of a hull, a lateral propulsion unit capable of outputting thrust in either lateral direction of the hull, and a mooring unit capable of winding and unwinding a mooring line, the mooring unit being arranged at least one each on the stern side and bow side of the hull,
Obtaining a command vector representing a direction and a magnitude of a command thrust to be applied to the hull;
Considering the mooring unit as a propulsion device that outputs a thrust corresponding to the tension of the mooring line, and allocating a thrust corresponding to the command vector to each of a plurality of propulsion devices including the forward and rear propulsion units, the lateral propulsion unit, and the mooring unit; and
controlling the plurality of propulsion devices such that each of the plurality of propulsion devices outputs a respective thrust.
How to maneuver the ship. the allocating step includes allocating thrust to each of the plurality of propulsion devices such that a thrust vector, which is a representation of a resultant force of thrusts output from each of the plurality of propulsion devices in terms of a direction and a magnitude, corresponds to the command vector;
A ship maneuvering method according to claim 9 . acquiring the command vector includes acquiring the command vector corresponding to an operation received by the joystick, the command vector being determined by setting a tilt angle of the joystick as a magnitude of the command vector and a tilt direction of the joystick as a direction of the command vector.
A ship maneuvering method according to claim 9 or 10 . obtaining the command vector includes measuring a docking distance of the hull, measuring a ship position of the hull, and generating the command vector based on the docking distance and the ship position.
A ship maneuvering method according to claim 9 or 10 . obtaining the command vector includes obtaining disturbance information including a wind direction, a wind speed, and a tidal current in an environment in which the hull is located, estimating a disturbance force acting on the hull based on the disturbance information, and modifying the command vector using the disturbance force.
A ship maneuvering method according to any one of claims 9 to 12 . When the hull is docked and moored at a quay, a docking maneuver is performed to move the hull from a predetermined docking start position to a mooring start position closer to the quay than the predetermined docking start position, and a mooring maneuver is performed to move the hull from the mooring start position until the hull is docked at the quay,
allocating thrust to each of the plurality of propulsion devices so that thrust allocated to the mooring machine during the docking operation is zero;
A ship maneuvering method according to any one of claims 9 to 13 . In the mooring maneuvering, thrust is allocated to each of the plurality of propulsion devices such that thrust is preferentially allocated to the mooring machine among the plurality of propulsion devices relative to the remaining propulsion devices.
A ship maneuvering method according to claim 14 . determining a thrust to be allocated to the mooring aircraft using a vessel motion model configured to estimate a thrust to be output by the mooring aircraft based on a tension of the mooring line of the mooring aircraft;
A ship maneuvering method according to any one of claims 9 to 15 .

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