THE recreational marine industry’s first intelligent object-recognition and motion-sensing assisted-docking solution is now available to boat builders and technical installers.
Docking a boat – especially in wind and current – can be a stressful experience for even the most experienced captains. The impacts of mishaps range from mildly embarrassing to extremely expensive.
First demonstrated in prototype form in 2019 at the Dusseldorf and Miami International Boat Shows, Raymarine DockSense Control technology was conceived, designed and proven effective in augmenting a captain’s boat-handling skills to avoid docking mishaps. The system uses an array of Teledyne FLIR stereoscopic cameras to establish, monitor, and render a Virtual Fender zone around the vessel. Visually represented on a Raymarine Axiom multifunction display, DockSense Control accurately senses pilings, dock edges and other vessels as they begin to encroach on the perimeter.
DockSense Control prevents the vessel from colliding with a detected object and moves the vessel in the direction commanded by the captain via the joystick, simultaneously compensating for the effects of wind and tide. With no commands, the system will hold the vessel’s position taking the stress out of docking, it is no longer necessary to rush to tie up. The stereo vision system gives a clear map of objects around the vessel allowing to see what is in the blind spots when at the helm.
Now available to boat builders for straight-shaft inboard and bow-thruster propulsion-system applications, Raymarine DockSense Control uses a litany of refined technologies. These include global positioning system (GPS) monitoring, attitude heading reference system (AHRS) position-sensing technology to compensate for the effects of wind and currents, multiple Teledyne FLIR machine vision cameras, and a central processing module. DockSense Control interfaces with Raymarine Axiom multifunction displays and the Emerson AVENTICSTMMarex 3D joystick system to help captains make a smooth arrival.
For more information: www.raymarine.com.au
