Volvo Penta’s Assisted Docking System is a hybrid between manual and automated docking, allowing users to maneuver their boat precisely.
To operate, Assisted Docking requires Volvo Penta’s Inboard Performance System and its GPS-based Dynamic Positioning System antenna. It also leverages a vessel’s steering, transmission and engine-control data.
The operator provides heading and speed input via the IPS joystick, and Assisted Docking moves the boat in a straight line at the user’s dictated speed. The system accounts for wind and current by reading the yacht’s position and heading multiple times per second, and Volvo Penta’s Electronic Vessel Control system steadily adjusts steering angles and thrust to keep the vessel on course.
One of the challenges of creating Assisted Docking was building a system that combines automation and manual driving in a way that simultaneously “gives the driver a good feeling of being in control and being supported by the system,” says Anders Thorin, Volvo Penta’s electronics product manager.
Assisted Docking does not use external components or sensors, allowing Assisted Docking-equipped yachts to berth anywhere, anytime.
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