SciPPPer: Automatic Lock-Passage for Inland Vessels – Practical Results Focusing on Control Performance
Authors: Lutz Alexander , Lachmeyer Axel 
Published: February 2023

Navigating through locks is one of the most challenging tasks that skippers have to perform in inland navigation. Typical dimensions of a ship (width = 11.45 m) and a lock (width = 12 m) result in an error margin of less than 30 cm to the left and to the right of the ship when navigating within a lock chamber. Typical inland vessels on European waters have a length of 82 to 186 m. The wheel house on cargo vessels is located close to the stern of the vessel. This leads to low visibility of the bow in the lock chamber. In order to cope with this issue, a deck hand monitors the bow and announces distances to the skipper via radio. The quality of this information depends on the deck hand’s ability to judge distances correctly and is prone to error. This highly demanding maneuver needs to be performed up to 15 times per day. Each lock passage can take up to 30 minutes. The research project SciPPPer aims at automating this complex navigational task.

The German acronym SciPPPer stands for Schleusenassistenzsystem basierend auf PPP und VDES für die Binnenschifffahrt – lock assistant system based on PPP and VDES for inland navigation. The idea is to fully automate the navigation into and out of a lock using high-precision GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) with PPP (precise point positioning) correction data which is transmitted from shore to ship using VDES (VHF Data Exchange System), an extension to AIS (Automatic Identification System). This absolute measurement data is complemented by relative measurement data using LiDAR and automotive RADAR and fused with inertial measurement data delivered by a mechanical gyro system. Apart from the challenge of precisely measuring the position and orientation of the vessel within the lock chamber, the control task poses an interesting problem as well. This contribution introduces both, the measuring and the control problem. However, the focus lies on the results of the control performance that was achieved on a full-bridge simulator as well as during real-world trials. A full-bridge simulator was used in order to test the control strategy and its algorithms safely. A number of different actuator configurations were investigated. Typical inland cargo vessels use one or two propellers with Kort nozzle and a twin rudder behind each propeller and a 360° turnable bow thruster. Typical inland passenger vessels use several (2–4) 360° turnable rudder propellers as main propulsion as well as a 360° turnable bow thruster or a classical tunnel thruster which can only apply forces to starboard or portside. These typical configurations were examined by simulation. The real-world trials were performed on a passenger vessel with three rudder propellers as main propulsion as well as a classical tunnel bow thruster acting left and right.

This contribution presents the results of the simulator study as well as the real-world trials in terms of control performance. It explains specific challenges due to the navigation within an extremely confined space. The contribution concludes with lessons learned as well as an outlook focusing on the potential of the introduction of such a system to the inland navigation market.