Vision-Based Marker-Less Motion Measurement for Berthing

This paper presents a vision-based system for measuring the translational motion of a vessel to prevent the risk of vessel collision in berthing operation. A vision-based marker-less system, which is not restricted by the presence or absence of transmitter-receivers or transponders on a target object, is a method of expanding feasible conditions for vessel’s vertical and horizontal motion measurement. The proposed system consists of multiple camera units that can measure the distance and direction between an initially designated point on a target object while keep track of a designated point. To evaluate the measurement performance for the proposed system, we conducted measurements by using a prototype system. Results of accuracy evaluation demonstrate that the proposed system has the feasibility of motion measurements for berthing.