Ship control system

Claim 1

A SYSTEM FOR POSITIONING A FLOATING VESSEL OVER A DESIRED LOCATION COMPRISING: PROPULSION MEANS LOCATED AT THE BOW AND STERN OF SAID VESSEL, EACH OF SAID PROPULSION MEANS HAVING A VARIABLE THRUST AND A VARIABLE DIRECTION OF THRUST, TILTMETER MEANS DISPOSED TO DETERMINE IN TWO PLANES AT AN ANGLE TO EACH OTHER THE ANGULAR DEFLECTION OF AN AXIS PASSING FROM THE VESSEL THROUGH THE DESIRED LOCATION, SAID TILTMETER MEANS SUPPLYING SEPARATE ELECTRICAL SIGNALS PROPORTIONAL TO EACH OF THE DETERMINED ANGLES, A CONTROLLER MEANS COUPLED TO THE TILTMETER TO RECEIVE THE TWO SEPARATE ELECTRICAL SIGNALS; A FIRST CIRCUIT MEANS COUPLED TO SAID CONTROLLER MEANS FOR VECTORIALLY ADDING SAID SEPARATE ELECTRICAL SIGNALS AND SUPPLYING AN OUTPUT SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL TO THE VECTOR SUM OF SAID SEPARATE SIGNALS; COMPASS MEANS DISPOSED ON THE VESSEL FOR DETERMINING THE HEADING OF THE VESSEL AND SUPPLYING AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL RELATED TO SAID HEADING, A COMPASS CONTROLLER MEANS COUPLED TO SAID COMPASS MEANS TO PROVIDE A SIGNAL TO RESTORE THE VESSEL TO THE DESIRED HEADING, A SECOND CIRCUIT MEANS COUPLED TO SAID COMPASS CONTROLLER MEANS AND TO SAID FIRST CIRCUIT MEANS TO VECTORIALLY ADD THE COMPASS CONTROLLER OUTPUT SIGNAL TO THE OUTPUT SIGNAL OF SAID FIRST CIRCUIT MEANS AND SUPPLY A FIRST CONTROL SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL THERETO, A SAID SECOND CIRCUIT MEANS IN ADDITION VECTORIALLY SUBTRACTING THE COMPASS CONTROLLER OUTPUT SIGNAL FROM THE OUTPUT SIGNAL OF SAID FIRST CIRCUIT AND SUPPLY A SECOND CONTROL SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL THERETO; SAID SECOND CIRCUIT MEANS BEING COUPLED TO A THIRD CIRCUIT MEANS, SAID THIRD CIRCUIT MEANS INCLUDING A MEANS FOR GENERATING A SIGNAL REPRESENTING THE DESIRED BIASING OF THE SYSTEM, SAID THIRD CIRCUIT MEANS ADDING SAID BIASING SIGNAL TO SAID FIRST CONTROL SIGNAL AND SUBTRACTING THE BIASING SIGNAL FROM SAID SECOND CONTROL SIGNAL TO SUPPLY FIRST AND SECOND COMMAND SIGNALS REPRESENTING FOR EACH PROPULSION UNIT THE REQUIRED THRUST AND THRUST DIRECTION TO RETURN SAID VESSEL TO ITS DESIRED LOCATION AND ACTUATING MEANS DISPOSED ON SAID BOW AND STERN PROPULSION UNIT FOR CONTROLLING THE THRUST AND ITS DIRECTION, THE BOW ACTUATING MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE TO SAID FIRST COMMAND SIGNAL AND THE STERN ACTUATING MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE TO THE SECOND COMMAND SIGNAL.

Claim 2

A SYSTEM FOR POSITIONING A FLOATING VESSEL OVER A DESIRED LOCATION COMPRISING: PROPULSION MEANS LOCATED AT THE BOW AND STERN OF SAID VESSEL, EACH OF SAID PROPULSION MEANS HAVING A VARIABLE THRUST AND A VARIABLE DIRECTION OF THRUST, TILTMETER MEANS DISPOSED TO DETERMINE IN TWO PLANES AT AN ANGLE TO EACH OTHER THE ANGULAR DEFLECTION OF AN AXIS PASSING FROM THE VESSEL THROUGH THE DESIRED LOCATION, SAID TILTMETER MEANS SUPPLYING SEPARATE ELECTRICAL SIGNALS PROPORTIONAL TO EACH OF THE DETERMINED ANGLES, A CONTROLLER MEANS COUPLED TO THE TILTMETER TO RECEIVE THE TWO SEPARATE ELECTRICAL SIGNALS; A FIRST CIRCUIT MEANS COUPLED TO SAID CONTROLLER MEANS FOR VECTORIALLY ADDING SAID SEPARATE ELECTRICAL SIGNALS AND SUPPLYING AN OUTPUT SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL TO THE VECTOR SUM OF SAID SEPARATE SIGNALS; COMPASS MEANS DISPOSED ON THE VESSEL FOR DETERMINING THE HEADING OF THE VESSEL AND SUPPLYING AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL RELATED TO SAID HEADING, A COMPASS CONTROLLER MEANS COUPLED TO SAID COMPASS MEANS TO PROVIDE A SIGNAL TO RESTORE THE VESSEL TO THE DESIRED HEADING, A SECOND CIRCUIT MEANS COUPLED TO SAID COMPASS CONTROLLER MEANS AND TO SAID FIRST CIRCUIT MEANS TO VECTORIALLY ADD THE COMPASS CONTROLLER OUTPUT SIGNAL TO THE OUTPUT SIGNAL OF SAID FIRST CIRCUIT MEANS AND SUPPLY A FIRST CONTROL SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL THERETO, A SAID SECOND CIRCUIT MEANS IN ADDITION VECTORIALLY SUBTRACTING THE COMPASS CONTROLLER OUTPUT SIGNAL FROM THE OUTPUT SIGNAL OF SAID FIRST CIRCUIT AND SUPPLY A SECOND CONTROL SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL THERETO; SAID SECOND CIRCUIT MEANS BEING COUPLED TO A THIRD CIRCUIT MEANS, SAID THIRD CIRCUIT MEANS INCLUDING A MEANS FOR GENERATING A SIGNAL REPRESENTING THE DESIRED BIASING OF THE SYSTEM, SAID THIRD CIRCUIT MEANS ADDING SAID BIASING SIGNAL TO SAID FIRST CONTROL SIGNAL AND SUBTRACTING THE BIASING SIGNAL FROM SAID SECOND CONTROL SIGNAL TO SUPPLY FIRST AND SECOND COMMAND SIGNALS REPRESENTING FOR EACH PROPULSION UNIT THE REQUIRED THRUST AND THRUST DIRECTION TO RETURN SAID VESSEL TO ITS DESIRED LOCATION AND ACTUATING MEANS DISPOSED ON SAID BOW AND STERN PROPULSION UNIT FOR CONTROLLING THE THRUST AND ITS DIRECTION, THE BOW ACTUATING MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE TO SAID FIRST COMMAND SIGNAL AND THE STERN ACTUATING MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE TO THE SECOND COMMAND SIGNAL.