US 11,731,743 B2
System and method for optimizing fuel usage of a marine vessel
Jan Mikalsen, Covington, LA (US); and Kjell Erik Larsen, Covington, LA (US)
Assigned to Marine Technologies LLC, Mandeville, LA (US)
Filed by Marine Technologies LLC, Mandeville, LA (US)
Filed on Jul. 24, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/938,898.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/878,270, filed on Jul. 24, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0027225 A1, Jan. 28, 2021
Int. Cl. B63B 79/20 (2020.01); B63B 79/40 (2020.01); G01C 21/20 (2006.01); G01C 21/00 (2006.01); G01C 21/16 (2006.01)
CPC B63B 79/40 (2020.01) [B63B 79/20 (2020.01); G01C 21/203 (2013.01); B63B 2213/00 (2013.01); G01C 21/005 (2013.01); G01C 21/165 (2013.01); G01C 21/20 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
11. A system for navigating a marine vessel, comprising:
a user interface to enable a user to enter a destination location on a waterway to which cargo on the marine vessel is to be delivered; and
a processor in communication with thruster controllers configured to control thrusters on a vessel, and configured to:
receive the destination location from the user interface;
receive a time by which the cargo to be transported by the marine vessel is to arrive at the destination location;
compute navigation points via which the marine vessel is to travel to the destination location by the arrival time;
cause said thruster controllers to generate thruster commands to cause the marine vessel to follow the computed navigation points and to arrive at the destination location by the arrival time;
dynamically calculate projected fuel consumption based on a different vessel speed of the marine vessel than a current actual vessel speed;
display the projected fuel consumption and different vessel speed associated with the projected fuel consumption;
enable an operator to selectively cause the marine vessel to change the current actual vessel speed to the different vessel speed used in dynamically calculating the projected fuel consumption;
in response to the operator selecting to cause the marine vessel to change the current actual vessel speed to the different vessel speed, compute updated navigation points via which the marine vessel is to travel to the destination location by the arrival time based on the different vessel speed from the current vessel speed; and
cause the processor to repeatedly:
(i) cause said thruster controllers to generate thruster commands,
(ii) dynamically calculate projected fuel consumption,
(iii) enable the operator to selectively cause the marine vessel to change the current actual vessel speed to the different vessel speed, and
(iv) compute updated navigation points in response to the operator select to cause the marine vessel to change the current actual vessel speed to the different vessel speed.