Ship positioning system

Claim 1

A SYSTEM FOR POSITION A MARINE VESSEL COMPRISING; A PLURALITY OF FIXED PROPULSIN UNITS MOUNTED ON SAID VESSEL, AT LEAST TWO OF SAID PROPULSION UNITS BEING DISPOSED TO PROPEL SAID VEHICLE ALONG ITS ATHWARTSHIP AXIS AND MOUNTED AWAY FROM THE CENTER OF ROTATION OF THE VESSEL TO PROVIDE A ROTATIONAL COUPLE ABOUT THE CENTER OF ROTATION, AT LEAST ONE ADDITIONAL PROPULSION UNIT DISPOSED TO PROPEL SAID VEHISSEL ALONT ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIZ; A POSITION SENSING MEANS DISPOSED ON THE VESSEL AND ADAPTED TO MEASURE THE DISPLACEMENT OF THE VESSEL FROM ITS DESIRED POSITION IN TWO PLANES AT AN ANGLE TO EACH OTHER AND CONVERT THE MEASURED DISPLACEMENTS TO RELATED QUANTITIES ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL AND ATHWARTSHIP AXWS OF THE VESSEL: A CONTROLLER FOR THE LONGIGUDINAL AXIS, SAID LONGITUDINAL CONTROLLER BEING COUPLED TO SAID POSITION SENSING MEANS TO COMPARE THE QUANTITY REPRESENTING THE DISPLACEMENT ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS WITH A SET VALUE AND SUPPLY A LONGITUDINAL CORRECTING SIGNAL; A LONGITUDINAL PROPULSION CONTROLLING MENS, SAID LONGITUDINAL PROPULSION CONTROLLING MEANS, COUPLED TO BOTH SAID LONGITUDINAL CONTROLLE AND SAID ONE ADDITIONAL PORPULSION UNIT TO CONTROL SAID OND ADDITIONAL PROPULSION UNIT IN RESPONSE TO SAID LONGITUDINAL CORRECTING SIGNAL; A CONTROLLER FOR THE ATHWARTSHIP AXIS, SAID ARTHWARTSHIP CONTROLLER BEING COUPLED TO SAID POSITION SENSING MEANS TO COMPARE THE QUANTITY REPRESENTING THE DISPLACEMENT ALONG THE ARTHWARTSHIP AXIS WITH A SET VALUE AND SUPPLY A ATHWARTSHIP CORRECTING SIGNAL; A YAW SENSING MEANS DISPOSED ON THE VESSEL AND ADAPTED TO MEASURE THE HEADING OF THE VESSEL AND CONVERTING THE MEASURED YAW TO A RELATED QUANTITY; A CONTROLLER FOR THE YAW AXIS, SAID YAW CONTROLLER BEING COUPLED TO SAID YAW SENSING MEANS TO COMPARE THE QUANTITY REPRESENTING THE MEASURED YAW WITH A SET VLAUE AND SUPPLY A YAW CORRECTING SIGNAL; A FIRST SUMMING MEANS, SAID FIRST SUMMING MEANS BEING COUPLED TO BOTH SAID ARTHWARTSHIP AND YAW CONTROLLERS AND ADAPTED TO ADD SAID ATHWARTSHIP AND YAW CORRECTING SINGALS AND SUPPLY A FIRST COMBINED ATHWARTSHIP AND YAW CORRECTING SIGNAL; A SECOND SUMMING MEANS, SAID SECOND SUMMING MEANS BEING COUPLED TO BOTH SAID ARTHWARTSHIP AND YAW CONTROLLERS AND ADAPTED TO SUBSTRACT SAID YAW CORRECTING SIGNAL FROM SAID ATHWRTSHIP CORRECTING SIGNAL AND SUPPLY A SECOND COMBINED ATHWARTSHFIP AND YAW CORRECTING SIGNAL; A FIRST ATHWARTSHIP PROPULSION CONTROLLING MEANS, SAID FIRST ATHWARTSHIP PROPULSIN CONTROLLING MEANS BEING COUPLED TO BOTH SAID FIRST SUMMING MEANS AND ONE OF SAID TWO PROPULSIN UNITS TO CONTROL SAID ONE PROPULSION UNIT IN RESPONSE TO SAID FIRST COMBINED ATHWARTSHIP AND YAW CORRECTING SIGNAL; AND A SECOND ATHWARTSHIP PROPULSION CONTROLLING MEANS, SAID SECOND ATHWARTSHIP PROPULSION CONTROLLING MEANS BEING COUPLED TO BOTH SAID SECOND SUMMING MEANS AND THE SECOND OF SAID TWO PROPULSION UNITS TO CONTROL SAID SECOND PROPULSION UNIT N RESPONSE TO SAID SECONE COMBINED ATHWARTSHIP AND YAW CORRECTING SIGNAL.

Claim 2

A SYSTEM FOR POSITION A MARINE VESSEL COMPRISING; A PLURALITY OF FIXED PROPULSIN UNITS MOUNTED ON SAID VESSEL, AT LEAST TWO OF SAID PROPULSION UNITS BEING DISPOSED TO PROPEL SAID VEHICLE ALONG ITS ATHWARTSHIP AXIS AND MOUNTED AWAY FROM THE CENTER OF ROTATION OF THE VESSEL TO PROVIDE A ROTATIONAL COUPLE ABOUT THE CENTER OF ROTATION, AT LEAST ONE ADDITIONAL PROPULSION UNIT DISPOSED TO PROPEL SAID VEHISSEL ALONT ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIZ; A POSITION SENSING MEANS DISPOSED ON THE VESSEL AND ADAPTED TO MEASURE THE DISPLACEMENT OF THE VESSEL FROM ITS DESIRED POSITION IN TWO PLANES AT AN ANGLE TO EACH OTHER AND CONVERT THE MEASURED DISPLACEMENTS TO RELATED QUANTITIES ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL AND ATHWARTSHIP AXWS OF THE VESSEL: A CONTROLLER FOR THE LONGIGUDINAL AXIS, SAID LONGITUDINAL CONTROLLER BEING COUPLED TO SAID POSITION SENSING MEANS TO COMPARE THE QUANTITY REPRESENTING THE DISPLACEMENT ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS WITH A SET VALUE AND SUPPLY A LONGITUDINAL CORRECTING SIGNAL; A LONGITUDINAL PROPULSION CONTROLLING MENS, SAID LONGITUDINAL PROPULSION CONTROLLING MEANS, COUPLED TO BOTH SAID LONGITUDINAL CONTROLLE AND SAID ONE ADDITIONAL PORPULSION UNIT TO CONTROL SAID OND ADDITIONAL PROPULSION UNIT IN RESPONSE TO SAID LONGITUDINAL CORRECTING SIGNAL; A CONTROLLER FOR THE ATHWARTSHIP AXIS, SAID ARTHWARTSHIP CONTROLLER BEING COUPLED TO SAID POSITION SENSING MEANS TO COMPARE THE QUANTITY REPRESENTING THE DISPLACEMENT ALONG THE ARTHWARTSHIP AXIS WITH A SET VALUE AND SUPPLY A ATHWARTSHIP CORRECTING SIGNAL; A YAW SENSING MEANS DISPOSED ON THE VESSEL AND ADAPTED TO MEASURE THE HEADING OF THE VESSEL AND CONVERTING THE MEASURED YAW TO A RELATED QUANTITY; A CONTROLLER FOR THE YAW AXIS, SAID YAW CONTROLLER BEING COUPLED TO SAID YAW SENSING MEANS TO COMPARE THE QUANTITY REPRESENTING THE MEASURED YAW WITH A SET VLAUE AND SUPPLY A YAW CORRECTING SIGNAL; A FIRST SUMMING MEANS, SAID FIRST SUMMING MEANS BEING COUPLED TO BOTH SAID ARTHWARTSHIP AND YAW CONTROLLERS AND ADAPTED TO ADD SAID ATHWARTSHIP AND YAW CORRECTING SINGALS AND SUPPLY A FIRST COMBINED ATHWARTSHIP AND YAW CORRECTING SIGNAL; A SECOND SUMMING MEANS, SAID SECOND SUMMING MEANS BEING COUPLED TO BOTH SAID ARTHWARTSHIP AND YAW CONTROLLERS AND ADAPTED TO SUBSTRACT SAID YAW CORRECTING SIGNAL FROM SAID ATHWRTSHIP CORRECTING SIGNAL AND SUPPLY A SECOND COMBINED ATHWARTSHFIP AND YAW CORRECTING SIGNAL; A FIRST ATHWARTSHIP PROPULSION CONTROLLING MEANS, SAID FIRST ATHWARTSHIP PROPULSIN CONTROLLING MEANS BEING COUPLED TO BOTH SAID FIRST SUMMING MEANS AND ONE OF SAID TWO PROPULSIN UNITS TO CONTROL SAID ONE PROPULSION UNIT IN RESPONSE TO SAID FIRST COMBINED ATHWARTSHIP AND YAW CORRECTING SIGNAL; AND A SECOND ATHWARTSHIP PROPULSION CONTROLLING MEANS, SAID SECOND ATHWARTSHIP PROPULSION CONTROLLING MEANS BEING COUPLED TO BOTH SAID SECOND SUMMING MEANS AND THE SECOND OF SAID TWO PROPULSION UNITS TO CONTROL SAID SECOND PROPULSION UNIT N RESPONSE TO SAID SECONE COMBINED ATHWARTSHIP AND YAW CORRECTING SIGNAL.