Laser range measurement filtration for PNDS purposes

PNDS (Pilot Navigation and Docking System) [1] utilizes the range measurement between laser head and ship’s side to determine the ship’s outline presented on the screen. The noisy measurements and dynamic process noise affect the accuracy of determined parameters and propagate to ship’s heading and position. To improve the performance of PNDS system there was a need to apply the data filtering technique. In the paper the theoretical basis and algorithm of discrete Kalman filter designed for range optimal estimation in PNDS were described. The real data collected during berthing operation of motor vessel Navigator XXI were filtered and compared to row unfiltered data. The conclusions contain evaluation of filter capabilities and its potential application in PNDS system.