Patent ID: 8439059

Claim:
A control device for the movement and positioning of a coupling for a marine loading system, said coupling being connectable to a target duct and said marine loading system comprising at least one fluid transfer line having a first line end fixed to a base and a moveable second line end on which the coupling is provided, the marine loading system further having a plurality of mechanical connections such that the coupling has at least three degrees of freedom relative to the base, the control device comprising: at least three proportional control actuators, each of which proportionally controls the movement of the system in a corresponding degree of freedom; at least three position sensors, each of which tracks the position of the system in a corresponding degree of freedom; an operator input interface for inputting movement commands to move the coupling; and a calculator for calculating the instantaneous position of the coupling from the information provided by the sensors, and for calculating, from the movement command inputs of the input interface, simultaneous control instructions to give to each of the actuators such that the combined movements of the actuators result in a movement of the coupling corresponding to the movement command provided by the operator at the input interface.