Ship Dynamic and Static Shared Navigation Support System

Abstract

To provide a vessel behavior sharing navigation support system which can present a function beneficial to collision prevention of vessels to more ship operators in a more easily-understandable mode.SOLUTION: A function beneficial to collision prevention of vessels can be presented in a more easily-understandable mode since information identifying vessel operators and vessels and a vessel behavior information history are linked with each other to be managed, and vessel behavior sharing data converted into a form regulated by map data is displayed on a user interface during vessel operations, and incentive to use a vessel behavior sharing navigation support system can be provided to more vessel operators since the vessel behavior information history in which the vessel operators and the vessels are specified is managed, and information for improvement of safety to the vessel operators and shipping business operators, etc., and information regarding application of insurances, etc. can be provided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a ship dynamic and static sharing navigation support system.

Background Art

[0002] As international rules for the safe navigation of ships, there are the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) for preventing collisions at sea and the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) for the safety of human life at sea. As corresponding domestic laws, there are the Marine Collision Prevention Law and the Ship Safety Law. These treaties define the basic rules regarding ship passage and oblige certain ships to install various devices for preventing collisions. Ships having such obligations are generally called "SOLAS ships".

[0003] Typical devices defined by SOLAS include a radio communication system called "International VHF" that uses a frequency band (VHF band) called VHF (Very High Frequency) and is used for distress and safety communication, port operation communication, telecommunications services, and pilotage services on ships, and an Automatic Identification System (AIS) that transmits and receives signals for automatically identifying the state of a ship's position, movement, etc. using dedicated channels in the international VHF band, and an Automatic Radar Plotting Aids (ARPA) that automatically captures a target object, calculates and displays the azimuth and distance to the target object, and automatically determines the risk of collision.

[0004] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an image of the navigation status and communication environment of a ship. At sea, since wired communication is basically impossible, wireless communication is carried out. Although satellite communication is mainly used on ships, a mobile phone network may be available in coastal areas. AIS performs digital data communication between ships using channels in the international VHF band for data related to the position and movement of ships. However, satellite AIS that receives AIS signals via communication satellites and AIS coastal stations that receive AIS signals on land are also in operation, and services that provide the received AIS data on the Internet have also been developed.

[0005] Although large ships such as ships of 500 tons or more not engaged in international navigation and ships of 300 tons or more engaged in international navigation are obliged to install AIS, for non-SOLAS ships such as small ships for which AIS installation is not obligatory, it is not possible to grasp the movement of ships by AIS. Since many collision accidents in coastal areas also involve pleasure boats and fishing boats, the sharing of ship movement information using communication terminals such as mobile phones and smartphones is also being promoted.

[0006] Patent Document 1 discloses a ship operation monitoring system that aggregates and unifies AIS information received in the VHF band from an AIS-equipped ship and ship information of an AIS-uninstalled ship received from an information communication terminal equipped with a GPS reception function via the Internet and distributes it to the communication terminal. Patent Document 2 discloses a communication terminal that acquires navigation information of an AIS-equipped ship that satisfies predetermined positional conditions and ship information from an information distribution device that acquires position information from an AIS-uninstalled ship and outputs an alarm regarding a ship that has entered an alarm notification zone based on its own position.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] Collision prevention devices defined by SOLAS such as AIS and ARPA are not required to be installed on small ships that only operate in domestic waters. In addition, in order to operate large ships, a marine license and prescribed training are required. Therefore, such devices are designed on the premise that they are used by trained and qualified personnel and do not have a user interface that can be intuitively understood by general users. Furthermore, the use of devices that emit prescribed radio waves such as AIS and international VHF requires obtaining a license and going through procedures under the Radio Law regarding the establishment of a radio station, and it is difficult to oblige all ships, including small ships, to use them.

[0009] In the Marine Traffic Safety Law and the Port Regulations Law, when conducting construction work that requires traffic restrictions or construction work in congested waters, it is required to deploy warning vessels from the perspective of ensuring the safety of ships navigating in the vicinity of the implementation area, and certain requirements are imposed on the crew of the warning vessels. The tasks of the warning vessels include arousing the attention of ships approaching abnormally close to the implementation area and reporting such information to the relevant parties within the implementation area when an abnormality is discovered. Depending on the situation in the implementation area, they are equipped with AIS and international VHF. However, it is difficult to monitor ships that do not have these facilities or to conduct voice communication.

[0010] When using an information terminal as described in the above patent document, if more ships do not have the same type of information terminal, it is impossible to share the movements of the ships, and it is difficult to judge the actions to avoid collisions. In addition, although international VHF is used for voice communication to avoid collisions, in the case of a call using a mobile phone or a chat function on an app operating on a smartphone, it is impossible to make a call unless the communication partner can be identified. Therefore, it is impossible to conduct emergency communication to avoid collisions with ships whose identities are not known.

[0011] In addition, in the case of pleasure boats and fishing boats, there is also a resistance to disclosing their own positions. Considering the situation where it is difficult to oblige non-SOLAS ships to install devices that provide position information using AIS or smartphone apps, it is necessary to enhance the motivation to install communication terminals and promote their spread. The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a ship movement sharing navigation support system capable of presenting functions useful for preventing ship collisions to more ship operators in a more easily understandable manner.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0012] In order to solve the above-described problems, a ship movement sharing navigation support system according to an embodiment includes a database that manages at least operator identification information for identifying an operator, ship identification information for identifying a ship, and a ship movement information history indicating the position and movement of the ship, a backend service that receives ship position data indicating at least the position information of the ship and stores it in the database, a backend platform including the same, a frontend that receives data output to a user interface and operation input from a user, and an application programming interface (API) that is an interface between the backend platform and the frontend. The user interface displays ship movement sharing data converted into a format defined by map data based on the ship movement information managed in the database. The API receives, from the user interface, an input for associating the ship identification information of a ship on which a communication terminal that executes an application providing the user interface is mounted with the operator identification information of the operator who operates the ship. The backend service associates the ship identification information and the operator identification information with the ship movement information and stores it in the database as the ship movement information history.

Effects of the Invention

[0013] The information for identifying the ship operator and the ship is associated with and managed together with the ship movement information history. During ship operation, the ship movement shared data converted into the format defined by the map data is displayed on the user interface. Therefore, it becomes possible to present the functions beneficial for ship collision prevention in a more easily understandable manner. Since the ship movement information history with the identified ship operator and ship is managed, it becomes possible to provide information for improving safety for ship operators, shipping operators, etc., and information regarding insurance application. Thus, it becomes possible to provide an incentive for more ship operators to use the ship movement shared navigation support system.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

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[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. [1 Overall Configuration of the System] [1.1 Service Model] First, the usage form of the ship movement sharing navigation support system will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the service model. The service provider 10 provides a service using the ship movement sharing navigation support system, and the ship operator 20 who conducts ship operation, the shipping company 30 that operates the ship, the construction company 40 that conducts construction involving ship operation, the insurance company 50 that provides ship insurance, and the water area administrator 60 that manages water areas where regulations on ship operation are required, such as ports, construction areas, and fishing net installation areas, use the service provided by the service provider 10.

[0016] In addition to SOLAS ships, ships that should take collision prevention measures include not only small ships for personal use such as pleasure boats, but also commercial ships such as fishing boats, work boats, and patrol boats. From another perspective, ship movement information can be used as verification data and statistical data in insurance accident verification and premium calculation. Furthermore, in ports, it is necessary to manage the movement and berthing positions of ships entering and leaving with a dense schedule. In fishing and construction, it is necessary to prevent collisions not only between ships but also with obstacles such as fixed nets and aquaculture rafts, as well as construction-related facilities. Thus, since there are a wide variety of stakeholders who need information on ship movement, as shown in Figure 2, various entities are assumed as service users.

[0017] Service provider 10 provides services while also receiving information from external information provider 70. Information received from information provider 70 includes, for example, map information, weather information, ship movement information, and marine accident information. The ship operator 20 may use the service as an individual 21, or may be an employee 22 providing services to the shipping operator 30. Also, the shipping operator 30 may be a cooperating company (subcontractor) 31 providing services to the construction company 40. Due to such differences in business models, various contract forms exist between service provider 10 and each user.

[0018] [1.2 Network Configuration] [1.2.1 Overall Configuration] Next, the network configuration of the ship motion and situation sharing navigation support system according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a network schematic configuration diagram of the entire system. The ship motion and situation sharing navigation support system is mainly provided by the functions of the management server 100. The management server 100 is connected to the Internet IN and provides information such as ship motion and situation to the communication terminal 200 and the land management terminal 300 via the Internet Protocol (IP). Since the communication terminal 200 is assumed to be used by the ship operator 20 on board, the usage location is on the water such as the sea or a river. Since a wired data network cannot be used on the water, data communication with the management server 100 is performed via the carrier network CN provided by a communication carrier operator such as a mobile phone company or a satellite communication company that provides a data communication service.

[0019] On the other hand, the land management terminal 300 is assumed to be used by the administrator of the shipping operator 30 or the construction operator 40 at the land office, and performs data communication with the management server 100 via the Internet IN. In addition, a mode of installing the land management terminal 300 on the in-house network of the shipping operator 30 or the like is also conceivable, and for example, data linkage or the like may be performed with another in-house system 301 that manages employee information or the like. Also, the data communication between the communication terminal 200 and the land management terminal 300 may be a private network PN using a long-distance wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or the like, and it may be configured to access the management server 100 by connecting to the Internet IN via the private network PN.

[0020] The dynamic and static information of the ship is grasped based on the information included in the AIS signal emitted by the AIS transceiver 800 and the position information measured by the function of the communication terminal 200, which will be described in detail later. Here, the AIS transceiver 800 is a device that transmits and receives AIS information according to a communication method and message format compliant with standards such as SOLAS, ITU (International Telecommunication Union), and IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission). The AIS information contains ship information such as the ship's identification code, ship name, position, course, speed, and destination in a predetermined format. On the other hand, the onshore AIS receiving device 810 and the offshore AIS receiving device 900 in this embodiment are devices that receive an AIS signal from the AIS transceiver 800, convert it into a predetermined data format, and then transmit the data.

[0021] [1.2.2 Protocol Stack] Here, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a protocol stack for explaining the relationship between the communication devices shown in FIG. 3. The AIS transceiver 800 transmits signals compliant with the protocols of the physical layer (L1) and the data link layer (L2) defined by ITU-R M.1371, IEC 61993, IEC 62287, etc. The onshore AIS receiver 810 and the offshore AIS receiver 900 interpret the signals received from the AIS transceiver 800 according to these protocols. In the application layer, the AIS transceiver 800 transmits the positioning data of the own ship's position generated using a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) and information about the own ship such as the ship name and MMSI number (Maritime Mobile Service Identity) to other ships, and also displays the information received from other ships on a user interface such as a plotter. Generally, the standards defined by the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) (registered trademark) in the United States are adopted as the common format for data such as AIS and GPS used in ship operation, and the positioning device, display device, and AIS transceiver communicate using a serial communication protocol.

[0022] The onshore AIS receiver 810 transmits the AIS data received from the AIS transceiver 800 to the management server 100 on the IP network by a transmission and reception program operating in the application layer. Also, the offshore AIS receiver 900 transmits the AIS data received from the AIS transceiver 800 to the communication terminal 200 via BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) (registered trademark).

[0023] Communication terminals 200 such as smartphones and tablets are equipped with Wi-Fi (registered trademark) communication means in addition to LTE (Long Term Evolution) (registered trademark) provided by the mobile phone network as wireless communication means for IP network communication. Further, the communication terminal 200 is configured to be able to utilize positioning data generated from GPS etc. and base station information etc. on an application (app), and can transmit, as ship information combining the AIS information received from the marine AIS receiving device 900 via BLE communication and the positioning information, to the management server 100 on the IP network. Note that the receiving means such as GPS etc. may be a device built in the communication terminal 200, or an external device connected by wire or wirelessly.

[0024] The management server 100 and the land management terminal 300 may be general-purpose, and for the physical layer (L1) and the data link layer (L2), either a configuration compliant with a wired or wireless communication standard may be used. The management server 100 has a Web server, a database (DB), and an API (Application Programming Interface), etc. operating in the application layer, and functions as a server with the communication terminal 200 or the land management terminal 300 as a client. The protocol used in the application layer may be one generally widely used such as HTTP etc.

[0025] Note that for the use of the VHF band in AIS, a license is required according to the transmission output, etc. However, for Wi-Fi and BLE, an unlicensed band that does not require a radio station license can be used as long as devices that have obtained technical standard conformity certification, etc. are used. When using a communication service provided by a communication carrier such as the LTE band, it is the use of a frequency band based on a license comprehensively obtained by the communication carrier. Note that the communication standards provided by the communication carrier are not limited to LTE exemplified in this embodiment, and may also be communication standards in mobile communication networks such as WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) (registered trademark) and 5G (fifth-generation mobile communication system), or data communication standards in satellite mobile communication. The method of wireless communication between devices is not limited to the form shown in FIG. 4, and can be appropriately selected according to the radio wave reach range, the presence or absence of a license, etc. In any case, as long as data transmission and reception on the IP network with the management server 100 are possible, the lower layer can use any communication method.

[0026] [1.2.3 Functional Configuration of the Application Layer] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the components in each device in the application layer as functional blocks. There are a communication terminal 200 and a land management terminal 300 as clients of the management server 100, and the processing performed on the server side and the processing performed on the client side are appropriately distributed in consideration of elements such as the processing capacity and network communication volume of each. In this embodiment, the configuration is such that edge computing is performed to execute highly loaded processing on the client side and suppress the amount of data on the network.

[0027] Note that the application software installed on the client-side communication terminal 200 is generally called a "native application" (abbreviated as "app" in this embodiment), and the application software that executes the functions provided on the browser of the land management terminal 300 is generally called a "Web application" (abbreviated as "Web" in this embodiment). In this embodiment, the functions provided by the application software to present data to the user and accept operation inputs from the user are collectively referred to as the "user interface". Also, the general term for various components such as various hardware and software that provide the user interface is the "front end", and the general term for various components executed on the server side that the user does not directly operate is the "back end". In this embodiment, by loosely coupling the components through the API, it is possible to configure a highly extensible system without being restricted by the programming languages, frameworks, etc. used in the front end and the back end.

[0028] Hereinafter, each component will be described in more detail. On the management server 100, there are constructed an API server 110 that provides a service for connecting the front end and the back end, a Web server 120 that provides a service to the browser 310 as the front end, an audio server 130, a data store 140, a database 150, and a back-end service 160 that serve as various back ends for providing data management, connection functions, etc. to the front end, and an AIS receiving server 170 that receives AIS data. Note that the management server 100 may be constructed within a specific data center or may be constructed on a PaaS (Platform as a Service) provided on a so-called cloud service.

[0029] The communication terminal 200 includes a positioning program 210 that provides a positioning function and an application 220 that provides a user interface function, and the land management terminal 300 includes a browser 310. The map information displayed on the application 220 and the browser 310 is generated based on map data 710 provided by the information providing server 700. The map data 710 may be chart data created as a nautical chart, or may be map data including land and sea information, and data that can be used as Geographic Information System (GIS) data may be used. As a geospatial data exchange format for describing GIS data, for example, GeoJSON that describes geometries (shapes) and features (objects) as a set of objects can be used. The map data 710 may be downloaded from the information providing server 700 to the communication terminal 200 and the land management terminal 300 in advance, or may be loaded as appropriate according to the current position.

[0030] The transmission and reception program 811 on the land AIS receiving device 810 transmits the AIS data received from the AIS transceiver 800 to the management server 100, and the transmission and reception program 901 on the marine AIS receiving device 900 transmits the AIS data received from the AIS transceiver 800 to the communication terminal 200. The API server 110 on the management server 100 is a server that provides an API for connecting to a backend service for the application 220 and the browser 310, which are user interfaces. FIG. 5 shows representative ones among the APIs provided in this embodiment. The AIS controller 111 is an API that stores the AIS data received by the AIS receiving server 170 in the data store 140 and the database 150. The plot controller 112, the operator controller 113, the navigator controller 114, the image controller 115, the ship controller 116, and the navigation controller 117 are APIs that perform data registration and deletion based on operations in the application 220 and the browser 310, and provide data to the application 220 and the browser 310.

[0031] The web server 120 is a server that provides a web application that realizes functions on the browser 310. The functions provided in this embodiment include, as will be described in detail later, a virtual wireless function 121, a plot creation function 122, an information management function 123, a map display function 124, a history output function 125, and the like. The voice server 130 is a server that provides a virtual wireless function. In this embodiment, WebSocket, which enables high-speed connection between the client and the server by the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), is used as the communication protocol.

[0032] The data store 140 is a real-time data store generally called a real-time database, a NoSQL cloud database, a cloud data store, etc. It is a storage means used to store data for performing highly real-time processing on the front side of the web server 120, the app 220, and the browser 310. The database 150 is a storage means configured as a relational database, the configuration example of which will be described in detail later. The backend service 160 provides backend service functions such as access to the data store 140 and the database 150 and authentication processing. The AIS receiving server 170 is a server that receives AIS data from the transmission / reception program 811 of the land AIS receiving device 810, and is UDP (User Datagram Protocol) connected to the land AIS receiving device 810.

[0033] The positioning program 210 provided in the communication terminal 200 generates position information data based on positioning signals received by a GNSS antenna such as GPS mounted on the communication terminal 200 or signals from a base station. The application 220 includes a position information receiving and transmitting function 221 that generates and transmits own ship position information data based on the position information data generated by the positioning program 210. In the application 220, it is used as the position information of the own ship, and the own ship position information data transmitted to the management server 100 is used as the ship movement information of other ships in the application 220 on other communication terminals 200. The position information receiving and transmitting function 221 also has a function of calculating the ship speed and course from the difference in position information in addition to the position information of the own ship and transmitting it to the management server 100. In addition, the application 220 includes a plot creation function 222, an information management function 223, a map display function 224, a collision prediction function 225, a history output function 226, a virtual radio function 227, etc., which will be described in detail later.

[0034] [Data Configuration] [2.1 Use Case] When explaining the data configuration according to this embodiment, the use case of the ship movement sharing navigation support system will be described with reference to FIG. 6. In the use case, as users, a ship operator who conducts ship operation on the water and a manager who manages operation on land are assumed. For the ship operator, use cases such as "sharing ship movement", "managing information", "predicting collisions", "contacting other ships", "recording navigation information", and "creating plots" are assumed. On the other hand, since the manager does not conduct ship operation, the use case of "predicting collisions" is excluded compared to the ship operator.

[0035] "Share ship movement and status" means sharing information about the movement or stationary state of ships, such as the positions, ship speeds, and courses of one's own ship and other ships, by displaying it on a map. "Manage information" means managing basic account-related information such as the names and contact details of the operator and the company, as well as static information related to the ship, such as the ship's name and ship registration number, on the system. "Predict collisions" means receiving warnings from the system regarding the positions and distances of ships that may collide and the predicted time until collision, based on the relative relationship between one's own ship and other ships. "Contact other ships" means attempting voice communication between ships to avoid collisions. And "Create plots" means making settings for providing information on the map as certain points or areas. As plots, for example, information that prompts warnings or cautions to the operator, information useful for navigation, and information seeking rescue in the event of a shipwreck are assumed.

[0036] Here, FIG. 7 is an image diagram of the top screen displayed by the application 220 on the communication terminal 200 used by the operator. On the map, icons indicating the positions of ships, ship names, the positions of plots, plot names / area names, as well as nautical chart symbols (symbols) and names, etc. are displayed. Among the icons indicating ships, SI1 in the figure represents one's own ship. On the own-ship icon SI1, an icon indicating the usage state of virtual radio, which will be described in detail later, is displayed. As icons indicating other ships, SI2 indicating a stationary state and SI3 indicating that the ship is in navigation are displayed. Both the other-ship icons SI2 and SI3 are provided to the operator as figures that can intuitively grasp the port and starboard sides of other ships by arranging figures that resemble red and green lights as side lights on the ship side. Also, when comparing the side lights of the stationary icon SI2 and the icon SI3 in navigation, the icon SI3 in navigation is a figure in the lit state. This makes it easy to intuitively grasp the presence of other ships in navigation. Also, in the bow direction of the icon SI3 in navigation, a speed vector line corresponding to the ship speed and course is displayed, and a track line is displayed in the stern direction. These pieces of information can be selectively displayed for one's own ship and other ships, thereby making it easy to grasp the movement of the ships.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 7, various buttons for receiving operations from the user are displayed on the screen. Specifically, a menu button B1 for instructing menu display, a plot button B2 for displaying a plot creation menu, a virtual wireless button B3 for instructing panel display for virtual wireless, a current position button B4 for instructing to move the current position of the own ship to the center on the map, a radar mode button B5 for instructing transition to a radar mode screen for showing information related to collision prediction to the user, and a navigation status button B6 for instructing start and end of navigation of the own ship are displayed. Note that the navigation status button B6 may be displayed in a specific manner such as a different color during navigation.

[0038] [2.2 Database Table Structure] Here, the table structure of the database configured to provide the above-described functions will be described. The database 150 is a relational database, and the navigator, the ship, etc. are uniquely identified by an identifier (ID) and are associated with various types of information as described below.

[0039] [2.2.1 Table Structure Related to Accounts] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the table structure and relationships related to accounts. As accounts, as shown in FIG. 2, they can be issued to each of the operator 20, the operation company 30, the construction company 40, the insurance company 50, and the water area administrator 60. In this embodiment, in order to manage the operation history of each individual operator 20, an account (operator ID) is issued for each natural person who conducts operations. The operation company 30 that manages the operator 20 as an employee, the insurance company 50 that acquires information on the operator 20 based on contractual rights and obligations, and the water area administrator 60 that monitors the operation status of the operator 20 based on legal and contractual rights and obligations, etc., are issued with accounts (company IDs) for each company. Also, for a project such as construction where the construction company 40, which is a joint venture (JV) by multiple companies or a single company, conducts business with multiple operation companies 30 as cooperating companies, it is managed as a time-limited project, and an account (project ID) is issued for each project. These company IDs and project IDs can also be used for management to identify the group to which the operator belongs by linking them to the operator ID.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 8, in each of the "Operator Table", "Company Table", and "Project Table", the basic information of the entity identified by the operator ID, company ID, and project ID is managed. In order to identify and manage the companies participating in each project, a "Project Company Table" is set up to link and manage the project ID and the company ID. In the "Project Company Table", there are also linked by IDs the "Project Operator Table" and the "Project Ship Table" for identifying and managing the operators and ships operating in the project.

[0041] The operator ID is associated with a "license table" that manages information related to the operator's ship license, and can manage license numbers, expiration dates, etc. In addition, the "operation history table" associated with the operator ID records the start and end times and distances for each operation, and can identify the operations performed by the business operator ID and project ID. In addition, by specifying the ship, operation purpose ID, role ID, etc. used for the operation, it is possible to manage the boarding history by specifying the ship and role used for the operation.

[0042] [2.2.2 Ship-related table structure] Subsequently, FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the table structure and relationship related to the ship. The ship is uniquely identified by the ship ID. In addition to static information such as the ship name and ship number, in this embodiment, a "position publication flag" indicating whether to publish the position of the ship on the map is also set. As a result, for ships that do not publish their positions, it is possible to control the display of their positions on the map within the range necessary for preventing ship collisions.

[0043] The "navigation history position table" associated with the ship ID is a table that manages dynamic information in navigation, such as the destination, latitude, longitude, bow azimuth, course, ship speed, and motion determination, as a history together with the data acquisition date and time. By also associating with the operator ID, business operator ID, project ID, operation history ID, etc., it is possible to manage the relationship with the operator and the business.

[0044] In addition, the attribute information of the ship is managed and normalized by the ship type ID and the ship size ID. In this embodiment, as shown in the example of a cargo ship in FIG. 9, for the icons of ships displayed on the map, illustrations that can associate the ship type are prepared for each ship type as image data. Not limited to general ship types such as cargo ships and tankers, there may be an "own ship" icon indicating that it is an own ship, an "app ship" icon indicating that it is a ship on which the communication terminal 200 is mounted, and the like. In this embodiment, as will be described in detail later, while these icons for each ship type are in the normal display mode, ship icons in different display modes are used according to the display range and mode of the map. In addition, the display size of the ship icon is controlled so as to maintain the relative relationship between the scale on the map and the size of the ship. As illustrated in FIG. 9, based on the data indicating the overall length and molded breadth of the ship managed in the "ship size table", the display size of the icon can be determined.

[0045] Here, FIG. 10 is an example of a ship operator information management screen, which serves as a user interface for referring to and inputting information regarding ship licenses in addition to the basic information of the ship operator. The data input here is stored in the "ship operator table" and the "license table" illustrated in FIG. 8. The image file of the license taken is identified by the image ID in the "license table".

[0046] Next, FIG. 11 is an example of a ship information management screen, which serves as a user interface for referring to and inputting information regarding the ship size and ship type in addition to the basic information of the ship. In addition, images of the appearance of the ship and images of ship inspection certificates can also be registered. The data input here is stored in the "ship table", the "ship type table", the "ship size table", etc. illustrated in FIG. 9.

[0047] FIG. 12 is an example of a project information management screen, which, together with the basic information of the project, serves as a user interface for referring to a list of contractors participating in the project, the basic information for each contractor, and information on the helmsman and ship assigned to the project. In the account identified by the project ID, it is permitted to change the basic information of the project managed in the "project table", but only reference is permitted for information on the helmsman and ship assigned by the contractor.

[0048] [2.2.3 Plot-related table structure] Next, FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the table structure and relationships related to plots. A plot is identified by a plot ID, and is associated with a plot category indicating the type of the plot, location information where the object for which information is to be shared by the plot exists, and an image file of the plot object. Similar to the ship icon, for a plot as well, an icon corresponding to the plot category is prepared as an image. As illustrated in FIG. 13, there are icons corresponding to nautical chart symbols such as "lighthouse", and icons indicating a temporary situation such as "floating object".

[0049] Specifically, depending on the type of plot, there is information with low volatility indicating constant objects such as nautical symbols and marina positions, but there is also information with high volatility indicating temporarily existing objects such as floating objects and patrol boats. Meteorological and oceanographic conditions such as strong winds and waves are also events that vary in a relatively short period. On the other hand, there are also objects such as construction areas that, although relatively long-term, have a limited period. If objects that no longer exist at that location or events whose defined period has ended are displayed on the map indefinitely, it may prompt unnecessary warnings to the operator and instead interfere with safe navigation. In this embodiment, as one item of the "Plot Category Table", a display deadline flag indicating the presence or absence and length of time of the display deadline according to the attributes of the plot is provided, and the date and time of the display deadline are registered in the "Plot Table". The display deadline may be specifically specified by the user at the time of plot creation, or may be automatically calculated according to the type of display deadline flag.

[0050] Also, in the "Plot Table", a "Plot Type Flag" is set to identify whether the plot is a plot specified by a single plot point consisting of position information or a plot specified by multiple plot points. When specified by multiple plot points, it can be displayed on the map as a vector graphic composed of straight lines with multiple plot points as vertices, such as the graphic described as "fixed net" illustrated in FIG. 13. Note that the vector graphic may be a curve with multiple plot points as control points.

[0051] [3 Functions of the Ship Movement Sharing Navigation Support System] Hereinafter, the main functions of the ship movement sharing navigation support system according to this embodiment will be described. [3.1 Map Display Function] [3.1.1 Layer Structure] FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the layer structure of a map display screen displayed on the communication terminal 200 and the terrestrial management terminal 300. Above the map layer on which the base map data is displayed, there is a heat map display area where statistical information regarding a predetermined item is visually displayed as a heat map, an area display layer where an area specified by a plurality of plot points is displayed as a vector graphic, and above that, there is an information icon display layer where plot information icons specified by single plot points are displayed as raster images. Further above that, a ship icon display layer, a ship name display layer, a track display layer, and a speed vector display layer are stacked, and in addition to displaying only ships, the track and speed vector can be selectively displayed. When the radar mode screen is selected, there is a warning display layer that displays cautions and warning areas for preventing collisions of ships above the ship icons, and further above that, a wireless icon display layer indicating the virtual wireless state in the communication terminal 200 on the ship is arranged.

[0052] In the present embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the display form of the ship icons is varied according to the scale of the map. When a wide-area map is displayed at a small scale, a large number of ship icons within the display range become the target ships to be displayed. However, if all the icons are displayed uniformly, the icons will be overly dense. Therefore, ships under way are displayed using the ship-type icons of the above-described illustration, while ships at anchor are displayed using grain icons (circles), and when ship icons overlap, the number of text displays of the ship names is limited to reduce the amount of information to be displayed.

[0053] When a mid-range map is displayed at a medium scale, all target ships to be displayed are displayed using ship-type icons. However, as described above, for ships under way, icons in a mode with side lights lit are used, and for ships at anchor, icons in a mode with side lights extinguished are used. These ship-type icons are adjusted to sizes corresponding to the ship sizes registered in the database 150 and displayed according to the scale of the map.

[0054] When displaying a detailed map at a large scale, since the amount of change in the position information of the ship increases, regardless of the type of ship, a polygon ship icon generated as a polygon combined with simple vector graphics such as pentagons and triangles is displayed. This reduces the processing load associated with the display of the ship icon and enables smooth map display according to changes in the position information of the ship. Similar to the ship type-specific icons, the polygon ship icon is also adjusted and displayed in a size corresponding to the ship size registered in the database 150 according to the scale of the map.

[0055] Here, FIG. 16 is an image diagram of the map display generated on the screen according to the layer configuration illustrated in FIG. 14. In this example, the ship name is displayed in text together with the ship icon, and further, a speed vector is displayed in the bow direction of the ship icon of the ship under navigation. However, the track is not displayed for any of the ships. That is, the necessity and display mode of the display of individual information can be controlled for each layer, and this is an example when the display of the track display layer shown in FIG. 14 is turned off. An image of the ship, the ship name, movement information, etc. are displayed in association with the ship icon, and an image and a comment are displayed in association with the "floating object" icon. These detailed information may be made selectable for on / off display by an operation such as tapping the icon.

[0056] Incidentally, the ship icon SId shown by the dotted line in Fig. 16 means a ship that does not disclose its position. In the operation of fishing boats, pleasure boats, etc., there are some operators who do not want their own ship's position to be made public. However, in order to prevent ship collisions, it is necessary to monitor the positions and movements of other ships that may collide. In the Maritime Collision Prevention Law, as the "navigation rules of ships that are within the visual range of each other's ships", actions to be taken during ship operation are defined according to the type and condition of the ship. Therefore, in this embodiment, ships that are considered to be visible from the own ship are displayed on the map, but control is performed not to display ship icons located outside the visual range. Incidentally, the visible distance actually varies depending on the height of the ship's bridge from the sea surface and the weather and sea conditions. For example, it may be set to about 6 nautical miles (about 11 km), which is defined as the distance at which the mast light can be visually recognized in the COLREGS and the Maritime Collision Prevention Law.

[0057] Also, the interval at which movement information is transmitted by AIS is defined to range from 2 seconds to 3 minutes according to the state such as the ship speed. However, if the movement information is not updated beyond this time interval, there is a possibility that the AIS data of the ship cannot be received normally. When the AIS data is received normally, the status is transmitted at 3-minute intervals even in the state of "at anchor or moored and not moving at more than 3 knots". Therefore, if the data is not updated from a ship in navigation for more than 3 minutes, the ship may have already moved to another position, or there may be a possibility that incorrect data has been recorded for some reason. Therefore, in this embodiment, among the position information extracted as other ships to be displayed on the map, if the data is acquired within 7 minutes, normal icon display is performed. However, from 7 minutes to 10 minutes, the other ships are displayed with gray icons to prompt the operator that the information is suspicious, and if it exceeds 10 minutes, it is not displayed on the map. Incidentally, such a determination criterion is not necessarily limited to 7 minutes or 10 minutes, and it may be set to a shorter or longer time.

[0058] [3.1.2 Determination of Whether to Display Ship Icons] FIG. 17 is a flowchart for determining whether to display a ship icon. When the process starts, first, the position information of the own ship is acquired from the data store 140 (S101), and then, the other ship information existing within the display range of the screen is acquired from the data store 140 (S102). For the number of ships for which information has been acquired here, the processes of the following steps S103 to S106 are repeatedly executed.

[0059] First, referring to the position announcement flag of the ship to be determined, if it is determined that the ship does not announce its position (S103; No), then it is determined whether the ship exists within the visible distance from the position of the own ship (S104). If it is determined here that the other ship does not exist within the visible distance range (S104; No), the ship icon of the other ship is not displayed on the map (S105).

[0060] On the other hand, if it is determined in the determination of step S104 that the ship exists within the visible distance from the own ship (S104; Yes) or if it is determined in step S103 that the position is to be announced (S103; Yes), then, referring to the time when the position information of the other ship was acquired, it is determined whether it was acquired within 10 minutes (S106). If it is determined that the position information was not acquired within 10 minutes (S106; No), the other ship is not displayed (S105). On the other hand, if it is determined that the position information was acquired within 10 minutes (S106; Yes), then it is determined whether the position information was acquired within 7 minutes (S107). Here, if it is determined that it is not within 7 minutes after the position information was acquired (S107; No), the other ship is displayed with a gray icon (S108), and if it is determined that it is within 7 minutes (S107; Yes), the other ship is displayed with a normal icon (S109).

[0061] [3.1.3 Heat Map] FIG. 18 is an example of displaying a heat map. On the map, circles of sizes and colors corresponding to numerical values corresponding to the specified information are displayed as a heat map. In addition, ship icons, wireless icons, information icons, etc. are displayed. In the example shown in this figure, as an information icon, a sea route as nautical chart information is displayed, and the circles of the heat map indicate the amount of fishing boats in a predetermined period. In the Maritime Traffic Safety Law, a route navigation obligation is defined for certain large ships, but an exception to the navigation law is defined for fishing boats during fishing operations, so it is displayed for the purpose of grasping the trend of the traffic volume of fishing boats. Note that the type, amount, period, etc. of information to be displayed on the heat map can be arbitrarily set, and the display form is not limited to circles, and polygons, lines, etc. may be used.

[0062] [3.2 Collision prediction function] [3.2.1 Screen image] Next, the collision prediction function will be described. FIG. 19 is an image diagram of a collision prediction screen displayed on the communication terminal 200. The screen illustrated in this figure is named "radar mode" in the present embodiment. Similar to the display screen of a ship radar, numerical values indicating azimuths are arranged on a circle centered on the own ship, and at the same time, the movement information of other ships is displayed as icons. In the example of FIG. 19, other ships on the radar mode screen are displayed not as icons corresponding to the ship type and ship size but as simple figures such as circles and triangles and speed vectors.

[0063] In the example shown in FIG. 19, it is a course-up display with the course of the own ship, 225°, arranged above, but a north-up button Bnu for instructing a change to a north-up display with north (0°) at the top is provided. Near the own ship icon, the ship name, the ship speed of the own ship, and the course are displayed in text. In addition, with the coordinates of the own ship as the center, two types of sectors are displayed: a first sector F1 that represents a warning area and a second sector F2 that represents a caution area. The first sector F1 has a radius corresponding to the distance that would be reached in a predetermined time (first time) when maintaining the current ship speed and course, and is a sector with a central angle of 10° that spreads ±5° from the course of the own ship. This first sector F1 is used as a warning area for detecting warning targets. The first time is, for example, 5 minutes, 3 minutes, etc., and an appropriate time is set to recognize the relationship between the own ship and other ships and to determine whether the own ship needs to maintain its course or perform an avoidance maneuver.

[0064] By assuming that the area with a certain spread from the course is a highly likely area for the ship to navigate within a predetermined time and predicting a collision, it is possible to perform a collision prediction that takes into account not only the movements of other ships but also the deviation of the course due to disturbances such as waves and wind. Note that the length of the radius and the angle from the course are not necessarily limited to the above-mentioned numerical values, and may be adjusted according to weather and sea conditions, or may be adjusted according to the type of the own ship, the current ship speed, the motion performance, etc. Further, it may be made possible for the operator to set arbitrarily.

[0065] In this embodiment, when there is another ship within the range defined by the warning area, i.e., the first sector, and when the warning area of the own ship and the warning area of another ship overlap and meet certain predetermined requirements, these other ships are displayed on the screen as warning target ships. When there is a warning target ship in this way, the warning area is displayed using a warning color that generally associates with a warning, such as red, and similarly, the warning target ship is also displayed in the warning color.

[0066] The second sector F2 has a radius corresponding to the distance that would be reached in a predetermined time (second time) when maintaining the current ship speed and course, and is a sector with a central angle of 225° that spreads from the ship's course to azimuths of ±112.5°. This second sector F2 is used as a caution area for detecting objects of concern. The second time is, for example, 3 minutes or 1 minute 30 seconds, etc., and is set appropriately to prompt attention to the presence of ships (potentially targeted ships for caution) where there may be a risk of collision when the own ship changes course, or ships (ships requiring cooperative actions) that are navigating without considering the movement of the own ship and where the own ship may need to take cooperative actions to avoid a collision.

[0067] In the COLREGS and the Maritime Collision Prevention Law, the irradiation range of the side lights is defined as 112.5° to the left and right respectively from the ship's head azimuth, and this angle corresponds to the range recognized as the starboard and port sides of the own ship from another ship. And as the "navigation rules of ships that are within the visual range of each other's ships", it is stipulated that "when two power-driven ships are likely to collide when crossing each other's courses, the power-driven ship that sees the other power-driven ship on the starboard side must avoid the course of the other power-driven ship". The ship side that sees the port side (red side light) of the other ship becomes the ship to avoid, and in principle, it is necessary to perform an avoidance maneuver. However, if it is recognized that a collision cannot be avoided only by the actions of the ship to avoid, it is necessary to perform cooperative actions to avoid a collision. Therefore, even when the own ship is the holding ship, by displaying a caution area assumed to be an area where attention should be paid to the avoidance actions of other ships, it becomes possible to support the helmsman in avoiding a collision with other ships.

[0068] Note that, similar to the first sector, the length of the radius and the angle from the course are not necessarily limited to the above-mentioned numerical values, and may be adjusted according to the weather and sea conditions, or may be adjusted according to the ship type, current ship speed, and motion performance of the own ship, etc. It may also be made possible for the helmsman to set arbitrarily. In this embodiment, when other ships exist within the range defined by the attention area, i.e., the second sector, these other ships are displayed on the screen as ships to be attended to. When there are ships to be attended to in this way, the attention area is displayed using an attention color that generally evokes attention, such as yellow or orange. Similarly, the ships to be attended to are also displayed in the attention color. Non-attended ships that do not fall under either the warning target or the attention target are displayed in a cool color such as blue or green. When only non-attended ships exist in the surroundings, the warning area and the attention area of the own ship are also displayed in the non-attention color.

[0069] [3.2.2 Warning Display Processing] Regarding the details of the process of displaying other ships, warning areas, and attention areas illustrated in FIG. 19, the following will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 20 to 22. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the process related to the radar mode display. In this embodiment, this process is executed on the side of the application 220, but it may also be executed on the side of the management server 100.

[0070] When the process starts, ship information such as the position information, ship speed, and course of the own ship is acquired from the data store 140 (S201). Subsequently, the position coordinates and velocity vector of the own ship in the display coordinate system of the map are calculated (S202), and the warning area and attention area of the own ship described above are calculated with the position coordinates of the own ship as the center (S203). Next, other ship information existing within a certain range is acquired from the data store 140 (S204). As the certain range, for example, a range corresponding to a latitude of 0.1° (about 11 km) or the display range on the screen can be appropriately set. For the number of ships for which information has been acquired here, the following warning target ship extraction process (S210) and attention target ship extraction process (S220) are repeatedly executed.

[0071] Figure 21 is a flowchart showing the warning target ship extraction process. First, it is determined whether the ship to be determined is located within the warning area of the own ship, that is, within the area calculated as the first sector (S211). If it is determined that it is within the warning area (S211; Yes), the other ship is displayed with an icon indicating that it is a warning target (warning target ship) (S212), and the process of displaying the calculated distance from the own ship to the warning target ship and a text message prompting a warning to the operator is performed (S213). Then, the first sector of the own ship is displayed in a warning color (S214), and the process ends.

[0072] If it is determined in step S211 that the ship to be determined is not located within the warning area of the own ship (S211; No), next, it is determined whether the warning area of the ship to be determined overlaps with the warning area of the own ship (S215). In the example of FIG. 19, the warning area of "Ship X" overlaps with the warning area of the own ship. Here, if it is determined that the warning area of the ship to be determined overlaps with the warning area of the own ship (S215; Yes), it is determined whether the other ship is approaching (S216). Even if the warning areas overlap but the courses do not intersect, the other ship is moving away from the own ship, so there is no need to give a warning. Also, if a warning is given even when the courses are expected to intersect but at a considerable time in the future, the effect of the warning may be diminished. Therefore, if it is determined that the other ship is approaching (S216; Yes), it is determined whether they will intersect within a certain time (S217). If it is within a certain time (S217; Yes), the predicted time until intersection and a text message prompting a warning are displayed (S218), and the process proceeds to the process of S214, and the first sector of the own ship is displayed in a warning color. If the determination results of steps S215, S216, and S217 are all No, since the other ship does not need to be displayed as a warning target at the current stage, the first sector of the own ship is displayed in a non-warning color (S219), and the process ends.

[0073] FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the target ship extraction process. When the process starts, it is determined whether the ship to be judged has been processed as a target ship for warning in step S210 (S221). If it has already become a target ship for warning (S221; Yes), the target ship extraction process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that it is not a target ship for warning (S221; No), it is determined whether the ship is located within the attention area of the own ship, that is, within the second sector (S222). Here, if it is determined that it is within the attention area (S222; Yes), the process of displaying the ship on the screen with an icon as a target ship for attention is performed (S223), and the process of displaying the calculated distance from the own ship to the target ship for attention and prompting the operator to pay attention is performed (S224). Then, the second sector of the own ship is displayed in the attention color (S225), and the target ship extraction process ends. If it is determined in the determination of step S222 that it is outside the attention area (S222; No), the process of displaying the ship on the screen with an icon as a non-target ship for attention is performed (S226), the second sector of the own ship is displayed in a non-attention color (S227), and the target ship extraction process ends.

[0074] In the above example, the collision prediction function is executed on the communication terminal 200 used by the operator 20. As a modification, when the shipping company 30 monitors the navigation status of its own ship from land, there are modes such as displaying real-time collision prediction on the browser of the land management terminal 300, or when the insurance company 50 verifies an accident related to the contracted ship, etc., there may be modes such as reproducing and displaying the collision prediction status at a specific point in time. Alternatively, it may be used to present to the administrator who controls the congested sea area the mode in which a ship collision is predicted. Also, in the above example, the message for prompting a warning or attention is a text display, but it may be a graphic icon or an audio message.

[0075] [3.3 Virtual radio function] Next, the virtual radio function will be described. The virtual radio in this embodiment is a function that realizes two-way voice communication similar to the international VHF defined in SOLAS and ship safety regulations. Among the users of the ship movement sharing navigation support system, the communication terminal 200 or the onshore management terminal 300 uses voice processing devices such as microphones and speakers and the IP communication function that are standard equipment to enable half-duplex communication on the IP network.

[0076] [3.3.1 Screen Image of Virtual Radio Function] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a screen image presenting the virtual radio function to the user. When the virtual radio button B3 on the screen displayed on the communication terminal 200 is pressed, the virtual radio operation panel TP is displayed. Similar to the international VHF in the virtual radio function, voice can be transmitted while the person who wants to make a call presses the PTT button Bptt of the radio, and when the PTT button Bptt is not pressed, the push-to-talk (PTT) method is used, where the receiver is in a reception standby state. In half-duplex communication, only the listener other than the PTT speaker can speak while the PTT button is pressed (PTT transmission), and other users can only listen (PTT listening). Until the PTT speaker releases the PTT button, the PTT button cannot be pressed or speech cannot be made. The status lamp SP indicating the call state on the virtual radio operation panel TP is displayed in gray in the standby state, green during PTT transmission, and red during reception.

[0077] Also, in the international VHF, channel 16 (156.8 MHz) is a common channel dedicated to distress safety and calling. After calling another ship on this channel, move to another channel for direct communication. The same operation is assumed for the virtual radio. By entering the channel number with the numeric keypad and then pressing the PTT button, voice transmission and reception on the changed channel become possible. The virtual radio operation panel TP is also provided with a channel 16 button Bc16 to end the call and move to the state of listening to channel 16.

[0078] On the ship icon, a wireless icon indicating the virtual wireless state in the ship equipped with the communication terminal 200 on which the application 220 is launched is displayed, and the wireless icon TI1 indicating the standby state and the wireless icon TI2 indicating the call state are distinguished by the color of the icon. For example, the wireless icon TI1 indicating the standby state may be displayed in gray, and the wireless icon TI2 indicating the call state may be displayed in green.

[0079] The maximum output power of the international VHF is 25W, and the communication distance is typically 50 - 80 km. However, for a radio with an output power of 5W mainly used by small ships etc., the communication distance is typically 10 - 30 km. Since virtual wireless is communication realized on an IP network, there are no restrictions on output power or communication distance, and calls between remote locations are possible. However, if communication from a ship in a remote location that does not affect the navigation of one's own ship is received, confusion may occur. Therefore, in this embodiment, the virtual wireless used for communication between ships is limited to the distance necessary for collision avoidance so that such confusion does not occur. As the distance at which communication is required for collision avoidance, for example, it may be set as a range with a radius of 10 km according to the communication distance of a radio with an output power of 5W.

[0080] [3.3.2 Processing related to virtual wireless function] Hereinafter, the processing related to the virtual wireless function will be described with reference to the sequence diagrams shown in FIGS. 24 and 25. FIG. 24 is a sequence diagram showing the processing while waiting from connection. Virtual wireless is realized by the application 220 installed on the communication terminal 200 connecting to the voice server 130 constructed in the management server 100. The voice server 130 manages the connection state etc. for each application 220 using the data store 140. In this embodiment, as the communication protocol used by the voice server 130, WebSocket is used as described above, and as the data store, Redis, an in-memory based key-value store (KVS), is used to speed up the processing. Note that the communication protocol and the data store method are not limited to these.

[0081] International VHF channels are specified by frequency, but in this embodiment, they are specified using a channel ID. When the application 220 connects to the voice server 130 (s1101), the application 220 transmits the channel ID corresponding to the set channel number to the voice server 130 together with the location information and the timestamp, and requests to participate in the channel (s1102). The voice server 130 deletes the channels that have been registered once from the data store 140 (s1103). At this time, if there is voice being received, the reception is stopped. Next, the currently set channel ID is transmitted and added together with the location information and the socket ID that identifies the socket connected to the application 220 (s1104), and a timestamp with an expiration date is set (s1105). After performing this series of processes, the voice server 130 notifies the application 220 of participation by the channel ID (s1106). Although the processing on the application 220 side regarding channel settings is omitted in this figure, it is set to channel 16 as the initial state at startup, and the channel ID corresponding to channel 16 is transmitted in step s1102. After that, when the channel is changed based on the operation of the virtual wireless operation panel TP, the channel ID corresponding to the changed channel number is transmitted.

[0082] The application 220 continuously updates the location information stored in the data store 140 by notifying the voice server 130 of its current location at a fixed period, for example, every 10 seconds. More specifically, the channel ID, location information, and timestamp are notified from the application 220 (s1107), and the voice server 130 adds the channel ID, socket ID, and location information to the data store 140 (s1108), and sets an expiration timestamp (s1109). After performing this series of processes, the voice server 130 responds to the application 220 regarding the notification of the location information (s1110). The processes from step s1107 to s1110 are repeated until the application 220 is terminated (s1111). When the app 220 ends, the timestamp is not updated. Therefore, when the voice server 130 recognizes that the timestamp has expired (s1112), it deletes the channel from the data store 140 (s1113), and the socket connection is disconnected.

[0083] Figure 25 is a sequence diagram showing the processing during a PTT call. In this figure, the app that makes a call is designated as 220A, and the app on the side that listens to the voice communication is designated as 220B. Although only one app 220B is shown, the operation is the same even if there are multiple apps. When the PTT button Bptt of the app 220A is pressed (s1201), the app 220A notifies the voice server 130 that the PTT button Bptt has been turned on (s1202). At this time, the app 220A notifies the channel id, location information, radius, and the vessel ID of its own vessel. Based on the notification, the voice server 130 creates a session room (s1203) and sends a notification indicating that the user can speak, including the created session room id and the vessel ID that can speak, to the app 220A (s1204). In response to this, the app 220A changes the states of the status lamp SP and the wireless icon TI to green (s1205) and performs a process of turning on the microphone of the communication terminal 200 (s1206).

[0084] The voice server 130 searches the data store 140 for vessel information stored therein to identify the PTT listening-side app 220B (s1207). As described above, in this embodiment, calls are enabled for vessels located within a range of 10 km from the vessel making the call. Therefore, the voice server 130 calculates the search range using the location information and radius notified from the app 220A in step s1202, and searches the data store 140 for the socket id of the app 220B on the vessel having location information corresponding to such a range.

[0085] The voice server 130 uses the socket id retrieved in step s1207 to send a notification indicating that PTT call reception has become possible to the listening app 220B, including the session room id and the vessel ID that is speaking (s1208). Upon receiving the notification, app 220B changes the status of status lamp SP and wireless icon TI to red and performs a process to disable the operation of PTT button Bptt (s1209).

[0086] After going through this series of processes to enable the PTT call, voice data is sent from the speaking app 220A to the voice server 130 (s1210), and the voice server 130 broadcasts the voice data to the listening app 220B (s1211). Then, by the app 220B that has received the voice data playing the voice data (s1212), it becomes possible to listen to the voice call made by app 220A. For the generation of voice data, a codec for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) may be used. For example, G711, G722, G726, GSM, iLBC, Speex, Opus, etc. are known. Alternatively, MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV, AC3, FLAC, etc., which are widely used for the compression of voice files, may also be used.

[0087] When the speaking app 220A detects that the pressing of PTT button Bptt has been released and is in the off state (s1213), app 220A sends a notification indicating that PTT is in the off state to the voice server 130 (s1214). Upon receiving this notification, the voice server 130 broadcasts a notification indicating the end of the call to the apps 220 participating in the session room (s1215). Apps 220A and 220B that have received such a notification change the status of status lamp SP and wireless icon TI to gray and perform a process to enable the operation of PTT button Bptt (s1216).

[0088] In this embodiment, in addition to the call using the virtual radio function on the app 220 among the operators 20, a group radio function for the operation operator 30 and the construction operator 40 to communicate with the operator 20 by voice is also realized as one of the virtual radio functions using the land management terminal 300. Here, FIG. 26 is a screen image of the land management terminal executing the group radio function. In group radio, since a dedicated session room is assigned to a corporate account or a project account, unlike the above-described virtual radio, a panel for designating a channel is unnecessary. Therefore, on the screen of the land management terminal 300, a status lamp SL indicating the call state of the group radio and a PTT button Bptt are displayed, but a numeric keypad and a channel 16 button Bc16 are not provided. In the example shown in FIG. 26, a map display screen in a certain project is shown, and a list of ships in operation and ship icons are displayed. In the example of this figure, by displaying the ships under way and the warning ships at anchor in different manners, it is easy to visually understand the differences in ship types and roles in the project.

[0089] [3.3.3 Processing related to the group radio function] FIG. 27 is a sequence diagram showing the processing related to the group radio. In this figure, the PTT speaking side is the app 220, and the PTT listening side is the browser 310. In group radio, a group identification code is used instead of the channel id, and as the group identification code, for example, a code obtained by hashing the operator ID or the project ID is used. The app 220 and the browser 310 notify the voice server 130 of the group identification code to participate in the group radio (s2101). The voice server 130 adds it to the group member list stored in the data store 140 based on the notified group identification code (s2102), and notifies the app 220 and the browser 310 that they have participated in the group radio (s2103).

[0090] In group wireless communication, since the target range for making a call is specified in advance, there is no need to consider the call range based on distance as in the above-mentioned virtual wireless communication. Therefore, when the on-state of the PTT button is detected in the application 220 (s2104), only the ship ID is included when sending a notification indicating that the PTT is on to the voice server 130 (s2105). When the browser 310 is the PTT speaker side, some ship ID may be assigned to the onshore office, or an identifier other than the ship ID may be used. The series of operations from when the voice server 130 that has received the PTT on notification creates a session room (s2106) to when the application 220 turns on the microphone (s2109) are the same as steps s1203 to s1206 described in FIG. 23, so detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0091] On the other hand, after the voice server 130 creates a session room (s2106), in order to identify the listening-side application 220 and browser 310, the data store 140 is searched to obtain a group member list (s2110). The voice server 130 notifies the application 220 and browser 310 identified by this group member list that reception is possible (s2111). The processing performed by the application 220 and browser 310 after receiving the notification (s2112) and the processing (s2119) in which the application 220 and browser 310 change the states of the status lamp SP and the wireless icon TI to gray are the same as steps s1209 to s1216 described in FIG. 23, so detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0092] [2.5 Route playback function] Next, the route playback function will be described with reference to the image of the route playback animation shown in FIG. 28. In this figure, three frames are illustrated. The frame rate at the time of creating the animation is arbitrary, but it may be appropriately determined according to the ship speed.

[0093] By referring to the navigation history position table of the database 150 illustrated in FIG. 9, each frame creation can be made. Regarding the start and end dates and times of the route playback animation, it may be the entire one nautical minute, or the start and end dates and times may be specified. Note that the route playback animation may be created each time playback is instructed, or the created animation may be saved as a video file.

[0094] The frames FL1, FL2, and FL3 illustrated in FIG. 28 are route reproductions with the "X Maru" as the own ship, and "ABCD" is displayed as the other ship. In frame FL1, the courses of the two ships intersect, and there is a risk of collision if the own ship maintains its course. Since the "X Maru" looks to the right at "ABCD" (sees the red port side light), it becomes the ship to avoid, and "ABCD" becomes the holding ship. In the situation of FL1, as described with reference to FIG. 19, the operator 20 is warned by the collision prediction function provided by the application 220 on the "X Maru" side. From frame FL2, it can be seen that the operator 20 of the "X Maru" who received the warning decelerated and then started a right turn. After that, from frame FL3, it can be seen that the "X Maru" was able to avoid the collision by passing on the port side of "ABCD".

[0095] On the display screen of the route playback animation, as shown in the display example of frame FL3, a seek bar indicating the playback position may be provided, and it may be displayed together with a mark indicating the playback position corresponding to the points to note during playback, such as the time zone when a warning was displayed. Such playback attention points may be set based on conditions based on information presented to the operator, such as warning displays or caution displays, or may be set based on functions for post-analysis, such as the degree of navigation risk determined by a predetermined algorithm for the relationship with other ships.

[0096] [3.4 History Output Function] Next, the history output function will be described. FIG. 29 is a diagram schematically showing the flow from the start to the end of ship operation. The application 220 provides the operator 20 with an operation interface for instructing the start and end of ship operation. In the example shown in FIG. 29, the operator 20 can select a ship, a purpose of ship operation, and a role before starting ship operation. These items are normalized and associated like the beta base configuration described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, and selectable items are specified in advance.

[0097] The operation of the operator 20 pressing the ship operation start button Bs is transmitted to the management server 100 and passed to the navigation controller 117 which is a function provided by the API server 110. Along with the operator ID, ship ID, purpose of ship operation ID, role ID, and date and time received from the application 220, the ship operation start date and time are registered in the ship operation history table of the database 150. When the operator 20 performs ship operation as a business of the shipping operator 30, since the operator ID is linked to the operator ID or project ID, the operator ID and project ID are also registered in the ship operation history table. At the end of ship operation, the operation of the operator 20 pressing the ship operation end button Be is transmitted to the management server 100, and the ship operation end date and time are calculated together with the ship operation distance and registered in the database 150.

[0098] In this way, for each operator 20, the ship operation history associated with the ship operated, the purpose of ship operation, and the role can be managed on the database. For the crew members on guard ships and working ships, it may be necessary to manage their history information and submit it to the port administrator. For example, in the "Guidelines on the Deployment of Guard Ships for Construction Work at Sea, etc." which is the administrative guidance guidelines of the Japan Coast Guard, it is required to submit the history of the captain and dedicated guard crew members or guard operation managers of the guard ship, the date of completion of the management training, and the name of the training organizer. Although it is obligatory to manage the boarding history to maintain the marine engineer's license, there is no system for managing the history for the small ship operation license. Therefore, by managing such information as the operation status and ship operation history on the system, it becomes easier to manage the history of the operator.

[0099] Here, FIG. 30 shows an example of displaying the navigation history of a certain operator. In this example, it shows the total number of navigations, navigation time, and navigation distance of 20 operators, and also presents information for each ship that has been navigated. It is possible to transition to a page that lists the navigation history for each voyage. As the navigation history for each voyage, in addition to the navigation date, navigation time, and navigation distance, the number of times a fixation point as described with reference to FIG. 28 occurred, etc. may also be displayed. Also, FIG. 31 shows an example of displaying the navigation history in a project, and the navigation history linked to the project is listed. Each row in the list shows the ship name, navigation purpose, operator, role, total time, and total distance.

[0100] [3.5 Monitoring Area Creation Function] [3.5.1 Plot Creation Screen] Next, the monitoring area creation function will be described. FIG. 32 shows an example of a plot creation screen for setting a monitoring area. As the monitoring area, for example, the sea area where construction work etc. for which the deployment of warning ships is obligatory is being carried out, or the sea area where a large-scale oil spill accident has occurred, etc. are assumed. In this embodiment, the sea area where the project's target construction is being carried out is set as the monitoring area, and the warning ships in operation are managed in the project. And when a ship that may intrude into the set monitoring area is detected, a warning is issued to the warning ship. The administrator of the project can register the latitude and longitude of the implementation sea area by designating a plurality of points on the map. When confirming the area set on the screen, by pressing the determination button Bd, the position information consisting of the latitude and longitude designated on the screen is registered in the database 150.

[0101] [3.5.2 Data Configuration Regarding Plot Creation] FIG. 33 is a diagram for explaining the data configuration related to the position information and ship information registered as the monitoring area. The data indicating the latitude and longitude corresponding to the point specified on the map is managed as a plurality of plot point IDs linked to a plot ID with a flag set indicating that it has a plurality of plot points, as described in FIG. 13.

[0102] On the other hand, the data store 140 referred to by the application 220 used by the operator 20 is, in this embodiment, a document-oriented non-relational database, and the plot ID specifying the monitoring area, the ship ID of the warning ship arranged in the monitoring area, and the time stamp are managed as one document. In addition, in the data store 140, a file for managing ships whose warning areas (see FIG. 19 reference) of ships in navigation overlap with the monitoring area is also created. In the warning area file, the plot ID specifying the monitoring area, the ship ID whose warning area overlaps with the monitoring area, and the time stamp are managed as one document.

[0103] [3.5.3 Warning Display Example] Figures 34 and 35 are images of the screen displayed on the app when a ship in navigation approaches the monitoring area. In the example of Figure 34, "Jia Maru" is the own ship and is registered in the project as a warning ship. "Aiu Maru" is another ship approaching the monitoring area, and the warning area overlaps with the monitoring area. Also, an icon indicating that the virtual radio is in a standby state is displayed. Figure 32 is an example where the operator 20 of "Jia Maru" alerted by the warning message displayed by the app 220 displays the virtual radio panel to prompt communication with "Aiu Maru". The example of Figure 35 shows a warning example displayed for the app 220 on the approaching ship side. In this way, it is possible to display warnings through the app 220 and conduct voice communication using the virtual radio for ships approaching the monitoring area, thus avoiding frequent unnecessary warnings such as issuing warnings to ships anchored near the construction area or ships that have already safely evacuated.

[0104] [3.5.4 Processing Related to Monitoring Area] Figure 36 is a flowchart showing the process of detecting a ship approaching the monitoring area, and this process is executed by the app 220. When the process starts, it is determined whether a warning area document including the plot ID set in the monitoring area document including the ship ID of the own ship is registered in the data store 140 (S301). If it is registered (S301; Yes), the warning area of the ship is calculated based on the ship ID in the warning area document (S302). Next, it is determined whether the calculated warning area overlaps with the monitoring area specified by the plot ID (S303). If it is determined that they overlap (S303; Yes), a warning display as exemplified in Figure 32 is executed (S304), and the process ends. If it is determined in the determination of step S303 that the monitoring area and the warning area do not overlap (S303; No), after deleting the warning area document from the data store 140 (S305), the process ends.

[0105] If it is determined in the determination of step S301 that the warning area document is not registered in the data store 140 (S301; No), the warning areas of surrounding ships within a certain range are calculated (S306), and it is determined whether the calculated warning area overlaps with the monitoring area specified by the plot ID (S307). If it is determined that the monitoring area and the warning area overlap (S307; Yes), the warning area document is registered in the data store 140 (S308). If it is determined that they do not overlap (S307; No), the process ends without registering the warning area document.

[0106] Next, FIG. 37 is a flowchart of the process related to the warning area document. The application 220 in the ship operation status refers to the documents registered in the data store 140, extracts other ships within a certain range from the own ship as described in FIG. 20, and also monitors the monitoring area document. It is determined whether a warning area document including the ship ID of the own ship is registered in the data store 140 (S311). If it is not registered (S311; No), it is determined whether a monitoring area exists within the warning area of the own ship (S312). If it is determined that a monitoring area exists (S312; Yes), it is determined whether the monitoring area continuously overlaps with the warning area of the own ship for a certain period of time or more (S313). Depending on the course of the own ship, there may be a case where the warning area of the own ship overlaps with the monitoring area for a short period of time. Therefore, it is desirable to target for warning only when the overlap continues for a certain period of time or more.

[0107] If it is determined in step S313 that the overlap continues for a certain period of time or more (S313; Yes), the warning area document is registered in the data store 140 (S314), the timestamp is updated (S315), and the process ends. If it is determined in step S312 that no monitoring area exists within the warning area (S312; No), the process ends without registering the warning area document.

[0108] If it is determined in step S311 that a warning area document including the vessel ID of the own vessel is registered (S311; Yes), it is determined whether the warning area has already exited the monitoring area (S316). If it is determined that it has exited the monitoring area (S316; Yes), the warning area document is deleted from the data store 140 (S317), and the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S316 that the warning area has not exited the monitoring area (S316; No), the time stamp of the warning document is updated (S315).

[0109] In the above example, it is assumed that a warning is displayed on the app 220 of the warning vessel when a vessel approaching the monitoring area is detected. However, for example, if it is used in the fishing industry, as illustrated in FIG. 38, it may be in a mode where a warning is displayed on the browser 310 used by the land-based administrator. In the example of this figure, a mode is shown in which a warning is displayed to the land-based monitor when a vessel approaches the fixed net plotted as the monitoring area.

[0110] [Configuration for Offline Operation] In the above example, it is assumed that the communication terminal 200 is within the communication range of the carrier network CN or the private network PN. However, at sea, depending on the distance from the base station and the surrounding radio wave environment, etc., the communication may become unstable or the communication may be interrupted. In addition, since it is considered that satellite data communication is rarely used in mobile phones and tablets used by general users, it is also assumed that the communication terminal 200 sails in an area where it cannot access the management server 100. Therefore, in the present embodiment, even in an environment where the communication state is not good and the communication terminal 200 cannot access the management server 100, it is also equipped with a mode of receiving the AIS radio wave emitted by the surrounding vessels and displaying the vessel on the map together with its own position by the app 220 alone to realize collision prediction.

[0111] As described with reference to FIG. 4, the marine AIS receiver 900 has a function of receiving AIS signals transmitted by surrounding ships in the VHF band and transmitting them via BLE. The application 220 can perform map display and collision prediction based on the AIS ship position data received from the transceiver program 901 and the own ship position data generated by the positioning program 210.

[0112] Also, outside the communication range of the wireless network, since it is not possible to access the information providing server 700, the map data 710 is also used offline, but it is configured to be able to perform map display using the map data cached in the memory of the communication terminal 200. In the above example, the configuration using BLE for the connection between the communication terminal 200 and the marine AIS receiver 900 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other unlicensed bands such as Wi-Fi may be used for wireless communication as long as the communication terminal 200 can be locally connected, or a configuration using wired communication such as Ethernet (registered trademark) may be used.

[0113] [Effects of the 5th Embodiment] As described above, according to the ship movement and state sharing navigation support system according to the present embodiment, the map screen for presenting the movement and state of the own ship and other surrounding ships to the operator has a user interface that is easy to intuitively understand, and is configured to facilitate voice communication between system users. When using the system, there is no need to obtain a license for wireless use or go through procedures for opening a wireless station, so it is easy to spread even to non-SOLAS ships that are not required to be equipped with AIS or international VHF.

[0114] The ship movement and state sharing navigation support system can be used as a platform for managing ship movement and state information and operator information, and wide use becomes easy by publishing the API. In an area with unstable communication conditions, by locally connecting the marine AIS receiver 900 and the communication terminal 200, the movements of surrounding AIS ships can be grasped, and a map display function is provided using the map data cached in the communication terminal 200, so it becomes possible to respond to changes in the communication environment.

[0115] In addition, for ships that wish not to disclose their own positions, a function is provided to display only the movements of ships located at a distance necessary for collision prediction that is generally assumed to be visually observable, so it becomes possible to achieve both anonymity and safety, and it also becomes easy to promote the use of the system for non-SOLAS ships such as fishing boats and pleasure boats.

[0116] The area where construction work is carried out can be plotted and set as a monitoring area, the movements of ships approaching the monitoring area can be monitored, and it is possible to issue warnings to such ships and warning vessels, so it is possible to improve the safety and convenience in construction work. In addition, the functions related to the setting of such monitoring areas and warnings are also highly convenient for port managers and fishermen.

[0117] Also, in the database, the information of the operator and the ship is linked and managed in a history, so it can also be used for boarding history regarding the crew of the warning vessel, calculation of insurance rates, etc. Since the navigation history can be played back as an animation, it can also be used for post-accident verification at the time of an accident, and for analyzing the judgment tendency of the operator and the occurrence tendency of collision accidents. If the navigation history is used for the career advancement of the operator and as a preferential target for insurance, it becomes easy to promote the popularization of the ship movement sharing navigation support system for non-SOLAS ships. Therefore, it becomes possible to present functions beneficial for preventing ship collisions to more operators in a more easily understandable manner.

Explanation of Signs

[0118] 100…Management server, 110…API server, 120…Web server, 130…Voice server, 140…Data store, 150…Database, 160…Backend service, 170…AIS receiving server, 200…Communication terminal, 210…Positioning program, 220…App, 300…Land management terminal, 310…Browser, 700…Information providing server, 710…Map data, 810…Land AIS receiving device, 811…Transmission / reception program, 900…Marine AIS receiving device, 901…Transmission / reception program.

Claims

1. A front end that receives data output to a user interface and operation input from a user, A voice server that provides a voice call function via a communication protocol operating in an application layer, A database that manages a history of ship movement information indicating the position and movement of a ship, Comprising The user interface displays a virtual wireless operation panel, When an operation on the speaking side is detected in the virtual wireless operation panel, the voice server identifies, based on the history of ship movement information associated with the ship's information, an application associated with a ship located within a predetermined range from the ship associated with the application on the speaking side as the listening side, and controls the transmission and reception of voice data. A ship navigation support system.

2. A front end that receives data output to a user interface and operation input from a user, A voice server that provides a voice call function via a communication protocol operating in an application layer, A database that further manages plot information including at least position information, Comprising The user interface displays a virtual wireless operation panel, The voice server controls the transmission and reception of voice data to and from a plurality of the user interfaces based on the operation input on the virtual wireless operation panel and the information of the ship associated with the application that provides the user interface, The front end receives input and output of plot information from the user interface, The user interface displays plot data corresponding to the plot information managed in the database, The plot data means a monitoring area that is a target for monitoring regarding the approach of a ship, The monitoring area is a specific sea area that is fixedly set, When the warning area set for a ship overlaps with the monitoring area, the user interface prompts a warning. A ship navigation support system.

3. The monitoring area is a sea area where construction work is being carried out or where an oil spill accident has occurred. The ship navigation support system according to Claim 2.

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