System and method for remotely managing pneumatic fender

Abstract

The present invention provides a management system and method capable of reliably and more simply identifying the state of a pneumatic fender in which water is held, while avoiding severe restrictions on wireless communication. A watertight housing container 3 accommodating a sensor 2, a transceiver terminal 7, and a battery 8 is floated in water and held inside a pneumatic fender 13, while maintaining the battery 8, which is an eccentric member, at the position of a lower end portion of the housing container 3, and maintaining an omnidirectional antenna 7b at the position of an upper end portion of the housing container 3. Wireless communication based on a prescribed LPWA communication standard is carried out between the transceiver terminal 7 and a relay device 9A. Detection data by the sensor 2 is transmitted from the transceiver terminal 7 via the omnidirectional antenna 7b to the relay device 9A and transmitted to a communication network 11 via the relay device 9A. A management index based on the detection data is displayed on a specific terminal device 10 connected to the communication network 11.

Description

System and method for remote management of pneumatic fenders

[0001] The present invention relates to a system and method for remotely managing pneumatic fenders, and more specifically to a system and method for remotely and reliably and easily ascertaining the status of pneumatic fenders that are used with water held inside, while avoiding the strict limitations of wireless communication.

[0002] A method has been proposed in which a container containing a sensor is attached to the mouth fitting of a pneumatic fender, and the sensor detects the internal pressure and temperature of the fender (see Patent Document 1). In this proposed method, the sensor communicates wirelessly with a receiver outside the fender, and the sensor data is acquired by the receiver. This detection data makes it possible to understand the condition of the fender.

[0003] Some pneumatic fenders are used with a predetermined amount of water held inside (such as so-called vertical pneumatic fenders). Vertical pneumatic fenders are filled with water, for example, approximately 80% of their internal volume. When a sensor installed inside the fender communicates wirelessly with a receiver installed outside the fender, a portion of the radio waves is absorbed and attenuated by the water held inside the fender. Furthermore, as the pneumatic fender sways due to waves, the water surface held inside also sways, causing fluctuations in the degree to which the radio waves are absorbed by the water. Therefore, it is difficult to achieve stable wireless communication between the inside and outside of the fender. Furthermore, wireless communication is subject to various restrictions (legal regulations). Therefore, there is room for improvement in remotely monitoring the status of fenders reliably and easily while avoiding the strict restrictions on wireless communication.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-76609

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a management system and method that can reliably and easily remotely grasp the status of pneumatic fenders that are used with water held inside, while avoiding the strict constraints of wireless communication.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a remote management system for pneumatic fenders, which comprises a sensor that detects detection data indicating the state of the pneumatic fender, a transmitting / receiving terminal connected to the sensor, a battery that operates the sensor and the transmitting / receiving terminal, and a storage container that houses the sensor, the transmitting / receiving terminal, and the battery and is installed inside the pneumatic fender, and in which management indicators based on the detection data are displayed on a specific terminal device, the pneumatic fender is used with water held inside, and has a relay device that wirelessly communicates with the transmitting / receiving terminal installed outside the pneumatic fender, and the storage container is watertight and designed to float on the water held inside the pneumatic fender, and the sensor, the transmitting / receiving terminal, The container has an eccentric member that shifts the center of gravity of the terminal device and the battery in a specific direction when the terminal device and the battery are housed and floating in water, and the eccentric member is maintained at the lower end position of the container; the transmitting / receiving terminal device has an omnidirectional antenna, and inside the container where the eccentric member is maintained at the lower end position, the omnidirectional antenna is maintained at the upper end position of the container; wireless communication based on a predetermined LPWA communication standard is performed between the transmitting / receiving terminal device and the repeater device, the detection data is transmitted from the transmitting / receiving terminal device to the repeater device by the transmitting / receiving omnidirectional antenna and then transmitted to a communication network via the repeater device, and the management indicator is displayed on the specific terminal device connected to the communication network.

[0007] The remote management method for pneumatic fenders of the present invention comprises connecting a transmitting / receiving terminal to a sensor that detects detection data indicating the state of the pneumatic fender, the sensor and the transmitting / receiving terminal being operated by a battery, the sensor, the transmitting / receiving terminal and the battery being housed in a container and installed inside the pneumatic fender, and displaying management indicators based on the detection data on a specific terminal device, wherein the pneumatic fender is used with water held inside, and a relay device that wirelessly communicates with the transmitting / receiving terminal is connected to the pneumatic fender. The device is installed outside the pneumatic fender, the container is watertight and designed to float on water while being held inside the pneumatic fender, and has an eccentric member that offsets the center of gravity in a specific direction when the sensor, the transmitting / receiving terminal, and the battery are housed and floating on water, and the eccentric member is maintained at the bottom end of the container, the transmitting / receiving terminal is designed to have an omnidirectional antenna, and inside the container which maintains the eccentric member at the bottom end, the omnidirectional antenna is maintained at the top end of the container, wireless communication based on a predetermined LPWA communication standard is performed between the transmitting / receiving terminal and the repeater device, the detection data is transmitted from the transmitting / receiving terminal to the repeater device via the omnidirectional antenna and transmitted to a communication network via the repeater device, and the management indicator is displayed on the specific terminal device connected to the communication network.

[0008] According to the present invention, wireless communication based on a predetermined LPWA communication standard is performed between the transmitting / receiving terminal installed inside the pneumatic fender and the relay device connected to the communication network, so that the detection data can be transmitted from the transmitting / receiving terminal to the relay device without being subject to strict restrictions on wireless communication between the transmitting / receiving terminal and the relay device.

[0009] When the container housing the sensor, the transmitter / receiver terminal, and the battery is held inside the pneumatic fender and floating in water, the eccentric member is maintained at the lower end of the container, and the omnidirectional antenna is maintained at the upper end of the container. Therefore, even if the pneumatic fender sways, the omnidirectional antenna is maintained at the upper end of the container. As a result, stable wireless communication is possible between the transmitter / receiver terminal inside the pneumatic fender and the relay device via the omnidirectional antenna. Therefore, the management indicators can be stably displayed on the specific terminal device connected to the communication network, which is advantageous for reliably understanding the status of the pneumatic fender remotely. Furthermore, the container containing the sensor, the transmitter / receiver terminal, and the battery can be simply placed floating on the water held inside the pneumatic fender, eliminating the need for special work to attach the sensor, the transmitter / receiver terminal, and the battery to the pneumatic fender, making it easier to grasp the condition of the pneumatic fender.

[0010] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an embodiment of a remote management system for pneumatic fenders. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the pneumatic fender of FIG. 1 in a longitudinal cross-sectional view. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the pneumatic fender of FIG. 2 in a partially cut-away top view. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the internal structure of the storage container of FIG. 2 in a longitudinal cross-sectional view. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the storage container of FIG. 4 in a top view. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a top view of a pneumatic fender moored to a quay. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating a state in which sensor-detected data is transmitted via a direct route between a transmitting / receiving terminal and a relay device. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating a state in which sensor-detected data is transmitted via a detour route between a transmitting / receiving terminal and a relay device.

[0011] Hereinafter, a system and method for remotely managing pneumatic fenders according to the present invention will be described based on the embodiments shown in the drawings.

[0012] In an embodiment of a remote management system 1 for pneumatic fenders (hereinafter referred to as system 1) illustrated in Fig. 1, the state of a pneumatic fender 13 (hereinafter referred to as fender 13) that is used with water F held inside is grasped based on detection data M from a sensor 2 housed in a storage container 3. The fender 13 in this embodiment is a so-called vertical pneumatic fender, but it may also be a so-called horizontal pneumatic fender. In this embodiment, the state of multiple fenders 13 (13A, 13B, 13C, 13D, 13E) is grasped using specific terminal devices 10 (10a, 10b, 10c), but the number of fenders 13 is not particularly limited.

[0013] 2 and 3, the fender 13 is a hollow rubber body in which bowl-shaped portions are connected to both ends of a cylindrical portion in the axial direction. A reinforcing layer is embedded in this hollow body, and water F is sealed and held inside along with gas (air). Inside the fender 13, the storage container 3 floats on the water F. The dashed-dotted line CL in the figures indicates the cylindrical axis extending in the axial direction of the fender 13. Fenders 13 of various known specifications that are used with a predetermined amount of water F held inside can be used.

[0014] The fender 13 has a ferrule 14a at one end (upper end) in the axial direction of the fender. The ferrule 14a is a cylindrical, concave metal member, and the surface opening of the ferrule 14a is covered with a metal cover attached with a bolt or the like. A safety valve 14b and other valves are attached to the ferrule 14a. The ferrule 14a may be provided at both ends of the fender 13 in the axial direction of the fender.

[0015] A connecting fitting 14c is provided at the other end (lower end) in the axial direction of the fender 13. A weight 15 is connected to the connecting fitting 14c via a hanging member such as a chain. Water F is sealed and held in, for example, about 80% (70% to 85%) of the internal volume of the fender 13. The weight of the weight 15 and the water F held inside keeps the fender 13 in an upright position.

[0016] 1 to 5, this system 1 includes a sensor 2, a transmitting / receiving terminal 7, a battery 8, a storage container 3, and a relay device 9A. The sensor 2, the transmitting / receiving terminal 7, and the battery 8 are housed in the storage container 3 and arranged inside the fender 13, while the relay device 9A and a specific terminal device 10 are arranged outside the fender 13.

[0017] Wireless communication is performed between the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 and a relay device 9A. The relay device 9A is connected to a communication network 11 wirelessly or by wire. The specific terminal device 10 is a communication device that can be connected to the communication network 11 wirelessly or by wire. Examples of the communication network 11 include the Internet communication network and a specific LAN such as an in-house LAN. In this embodiment, a server 9B is communicatively connected to the communication network 11.

[0018] The sensor 2 detects detection data M that indicates the state of the fender 13. The sensor 2 has a detection unit, a memory unit, and a control unit, and the detection unit acquires the detection data M. The acquired detection data M is stored in the memory unit, and the control unit controls the operation of the sensor 2 (such as the timing of acquiring the detection data M). Examples of the detection data M include internal pressure data of the fender 13, internal temperature data, and acceleration data acting on the fender 13.

[0019] Therefore, the sensors 2 used include a pressure sensor that detects the internal pressure of the fender 13, a temperature sensor that detects the internal temperature, and an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration (external force) acting on the fender 13. The respective detected data M of the internal pressure data, internal temperature data, and acceleration data indicate the internal pressure state, temperature state, and external force load state of the fender 13. One or more of these types of sensors 2 are installed on the fender 13. Sensors 2 that detect other necessary items can also be used. Various known specifications can be adopted for the sensors 2. The detected data M is transmitted to the relay device 9A by wireless communication.

[0020] The storage vessel 3 is watertight and designed to float on the water F held inside the fender 13. More specifically, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the storage vessel 3 includes a spherical vessel body 4. The vessel body 4 is hollow and therefore has a certain degree of buoyancy. The sensor 2, the transceiver terminal 7, and the battery 8 are installed inside the vessel body 4. The shape of the vessel body 4 is not limited to a typical sphere or ellipsoid, but may be a cylindrical body or a polyhedron (e.g., a regular dodecahedron or a regular icosahedron) as long as it is watertight and floats on the water F held inside the fender 13. In the case of a spherical vessel body 4, its diameter is, for example, 10 cm or more and 20 cm or less.

[0021] The container body 4 is made of a non-metallic material such as a resin, such as polycarbonate resin, ABS resin, PVC resin, or PP resin, so as not to shield the radio waves W used in wireless communication. The container body 4 may be formed by joining a plurality of divided bodies together in a watertight manner.

[0022] The container 3 has an eccentric member that offsets the center of gravity of the container 3 in a specific direction when the container 3 is floating on water and contains the sensor 2, the transceiver terminal 7, and the battery 8. The eccentric member will be described in detail later.

[0023] The container body 4 is provided with a waterproof ventilation part 5. The waterproof ventilation part 5 may be of various known types that block liquid (water F) while allowing gas (air) to pass through. For example, a known screw-type vent equipped with a waterproof and breathable membrane may be used. The provision of the waterproof ventilation part 5 ensures the watertightness of the container body 4 while communicating the interior of the container body 4 with the interior of the fender 13, allowing the sensor 2 to accurately detect the internal pressure and temperature of the fender 13. The number and shape of the waterproof ventilation parts 5 are not particularly limited. For example, multiple waterproof ventilation parts 5 may be scattered throughout the container body 4. The waterproof ventilation part 5 is preferably provided in the upper half region (upper end) of the container body 4.

[0024] In this embodiment, the storage container 3 has stabilizers 6 protruding from its outer surface. The stabilizers 6 suppress the shaking of the container body 4 floating in the water F. The stabilizers 6 are not limited to being disk-shaped extending around the entire circumferential direction in the vertical middle of the container body 4 as in this embodiment, but multiple stabilizers having a desired shape (for example, fin-like bodies) can also be arranged at intervals around the circumferential direction of the container body 4. The stabilizers 6 can be provided as desired.

[0025] The stabilizer 6 can be formed integrally with the container body 4 using the same material (same resin specifications) as the container body 4, or can be attached to the container body 4 later. The stabilizer 6 can also be formed using a material different from that of the container body 4. For example, the stabilizer 6 can be formed using an elastic material such as vulcanized rubber or a foamed resin to function as a shock absorber.

[0026] The stabilizer 6 can be either solid or hollow. By employing a hollow stabilizer 6 or a stabilizer 6 made of foamed resin, the stabilizer 6 can function as a floating body. Therefore, when sufficient buoyancy cannot be obtained with the container body 4 alone, it is advisable to employ a stabilizer 6 that functions as a floating body.

[0027] The transmitting / receiving terminal 7 is connected to the sensor 2 and wirelessly transmits the detection data M from the sensor 2 to the relay device 9A. The transmitting / receiving terminal 7 has a module board 7a and an omnidirectional antenna 7b connected to the module board 7a. The sensor 2 is mounted on the module board 7a. In this embodiment, the module board 7a is fixed to the inner surface of the container body 4, and the omnidirectional antenna 7b, located above it, is connected to the module board 7a by a conductor. It is preferable that the module board 7a be waterproof coated.

[0028] The omnidirectional antenna 7b transmits radio waves W in all directions from the center in a plan view and receives radio waves W from all directions. Various types of known omnidirectional antennas 7b can be used, such as a ceramic antenna or a loop antenna.

[0029] The battery 8 powers the sensor 2 and the transmitting / receiving terminal 7. The battery 8 may be a lithium battery or any other known type. The battery 8 is connected to the module board 7a and is disposed below the module board 7a in this embodiment. The battery 8 is disposed in the lower half of the container 3. It is preferable that the battery 8 be waterproofed.

[0030] The eccentric member offsets the center of gravity of the container 3 (container body 4) in a specific direction while the sensor 2, the transceiver terminal 7, and the battery 8 are housed therein. The eccentric member is maintained at the position of the lower end of the container 3, and inside the container 3 where the eccentric member is maintained at the position of the lower end of the container 3, the omnidirectional antenna 7b is maintained at the position of the upper end of the container 3.

[0031] In this embodiment, in the cross-sectional view illustrated in FIG. 4 , the sensor 2, module substrate 7a, and battery 8 are disposed in the lower half of the container body 4, and the omnidirectional antenna 7b is disposed in the upper half of the container body 4. That is, the battery 8 and the omnidirectional antenna 7b are positioned above and below the center of the cross section of the container body 4, with the battery 8 and the omnidirectional antenna 7b being disposed at positions furthest apart in the vertical direction. Compared to the sensor 2, module substrate 7a, and omnidirectional antenna 7b, the battery 8 is a very heavy object. Therefore, in this embodiment, the battery 8 is used as the eccentric member. Instead of or in addition to the battery 8, various types of known weights can also be used as the eccentric member.

[0032] The storage container 3 (container body 4) swings inside the fender 13 while floating on the water F, but since it has the battery 8 as an eccentric member, the battery 8 always tries to move toward the lower end position of the storage container (container body 4). As a result, the battery 8 is maintained at the lower end position of the storage container 3 (container body 4), and the omnidirectional antenna 7b is maintained at the upper end position of the storage container 3 (container body 4).

[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the stabilizer 6 suppresses the shaking of the storage container 3, which is advantageous for stably maintaining the omnidirectional antenna 7b at the upper end of the container body 4. If the shaking of the storage container 3 can be suppressed and the omnidirectional antenna 7b can be stably maintained at the upper end of the container body 4 without the stabilizer 6, the stabilizer 6 can be omitted. The specifications of the stabilizer 6 are set by conducting tests in advance so that the shaking of the storage container 3 while floating in the water F is suppressed and the omnidirectional antenna 7b is stably maintained at the upper end of the container body 4.

[0034] The relay device 9A wirelessly communicates with each of the transmitting / receiving terminals 7. Communication based on a predetermined LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) communication standard is performed between each of the transmitting / receiving terminals 7 and the relay device 9A. Examples of LPWA include unlicensed bands such as LoRa WAN, Sigfox, WI-SUN, ELTRES, and ZETA, and licensed bands such as NB-IoT, LTE-M, and LTE Cat. 1. In this embodiment, communication based on the unlicensed band LPWA communication standard is performed between each of the transmitting / receiving terminals 7 and the relay device 9A, and wireless communication based on the LoRa WAN communication standard is particularly preferred. Therefore, each of the transmitting / receiving terminals 7 can use various known specifications that allow wireless communication based on the unlicensed band LPWA communication standard with the relay device 9A. Between the relay device 9A and the communication network 11, wireless communication is performed based on, for example, the above-mentioned licensed band LPWA communication standard.

[0035] The relay device 9A has a function of connecting each of the transmitting and receiving terminals 7 to the server 9B via the communication network 11. Therefore, the relay device 9A can be a gateway device of various known specifications that can connect wireless communication based on the LPWA communication standard of the unlicensed band to the communication network 11.

[0036] Specific terminal devices 10 (10a, 10b, 10c) such as personal computers, tablet terminals, and smartphones are communicatively connected to the communication network 11. The server 9B is located in an office or the like that is responsible for managing the fenders 13, but a cloud server on the communication network 11 can also be used. The specific terminal devices 10 can access the server 9B via the communication network 11 by, for example, entering a preset password.

[0037] Next, an example of the procedure for a remote management method using this system 1 to grasp the state of the fenders 13 at a remote location far away from where the fenders 13 are used will be described.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 6, a large number of fenders 13 are moored to a quay wall 16 by fixed ropes 14d. Rotation of each vertical fender 13 around the cylindrical axis CL is restricted by a plurality of fixed ropes 14d. A large number of fenders 13 are arranged over a wide area on the quay wall 16. The relay device 9A is fixedly arranged at a predetermined position in an office building at the port, but it can also be mounted on a mobile object 12 such as a car or drone and moved to an appropriate position.

[0039] In this system 1, the sensors 2 set on each fender 13 acquire detection data M at preset intervals (for example, every hour, every 12 hours, every 24 hours, etc.) or at preset times. The timing (interval) at which each sensor 2 acquires the detection data M is set to a desired timing.

[0040] 7, as the detection data M is acquired, it is sequentially transmitted to the relay device 9A by radio waves W emitted from the non-directional antenna 7b of the transmitting / receiving terminal 7. The detection data M transmitted to the relay device 9A is sequentially transmitted from the relay device 9A to the server 9B via the communication network 11, input, and stored therein. The detection data M is transmitted from the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 together with the identification information of the sensor 2 that detected the detection data M, and the identification information of the sensor 2 is also input to the server 9B.

[0041] The more frequently the sensor 2 acquires the detection data M and the shorter the intervals at which it transmits the data to the relay device 9A, the more power the battery 8 consumes, but it becomes possible to acquire more up-to-date detection data M. The less frequently the sensor 2 acquires the detection data M and the longer the intervals at which it transmits the data to the relay device 9A, the more power the battery 8 consumes, but it becomes more difficult to acquire the latest detection data M. Therefore, an appropriate timing for each sensor 2 to acquire the detection data M is set depending on the importance of managing each fender 13, etc.

[0042] The server 9B calculates and stores a management index Mi for the fender 13 based on the input detection data M. The server 9B pre-stores unique information for each sensor 2 together with its identification information, and also identifies the fender 13 on which each sensor 2 is installed, and stores information on the product specifications, manufacturing history, and placement location of that fender 13. The server 9B stores the management index Mi for that fender 13 and various information about that fender 13 in association with each other. Therefore, by accessing the server 9B, it is possible to ascertain the management index Mi for that fender 13 at a certain point in time, along with the placement location and start date of placement of each fender 13.

[0043] The detected data M may be stored as the control indicator Mi as is, but instead of or in addition to the detected data M, a data value obtained by processing the detected data M may also be used as the control indicator Mi. For example, the difference between the detected internal pressure data M and the reference internal pressure data, the difference between the detected temperature data M and the reference temperature data, or the difference between the detected acceleration data M and the reference acceleration data may also be used as the control indicator Mi. The reference internal pressure data, the reference temperature data, and the reference acceleration data are set in advance as data for when the fender 13 is normal. Therefore, the greater the difference between the detected data M and these reference data, the more it can be determined that the fender 13 is not in a normal state.

[0044] 1 , a user or manager of the fenders 13, a person in charge at the manufacturer of the fenders 13, or the like can access the server 9B from a specific terminal device 10, and the management indicators Mi stored in the server 9B are displayed on the specific terminal device 10. By referring to the management indicators Mi displayed on the display of the specific terminal device 10, the internal pressure state, temperature state, external force load state, and the like of each fender 13 can be ascertained.

[0045] According to the above-described system 1, communication is based on the unlicensed LPWA communication standard between the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 and the relay device 9A installed on each fender 13. Therefore, a highly flexible communication route network can be constructed between the two without being subject to strict legal restrictions on wireless communication, and the detection data M can be transmitted from the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 to the relay device 9A as desired.

[0046] The transmitting / receiving terminal 7 is housed in a container 3 that is floating on water F inside a fender 13, and the omnidirectional antenna 7b is maintained at the upper end of the container 3. Even if the fender 13 sways, the omnidirectional antenna 7b is maintained at the upper end of the container 3. Radio waves W are transmitted in all directions from the omnidirectional antenna 7b that is maintained at the upper end of the container 3.

[0047] Therefore, stable wireless communication by radio waves W can be performed between the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 and the relay device 9A via the omnidirectional antenna 7b. Furthermore, in the vertical fender 13, the omnidirectional antenna 7b is positioned at a certain distance from the mouth fitting 14a. This prevents the radio waves W from being blocked or attenuated by the mouth fitting 14a. In other words, this is advantageous for avoiding radio wave interference caused by the mouth fitting 14a when performing wireless communication between the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 and the relay device 9A.

[0048] Therefore, more stable wireless communication becomes possible between the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 and the relay device 9A without having to move the relay device 9A to a specific appropriate location. As a result, the management index Mi can be stably displayed on a specific terminal device 10 connected to the communication network 11, which is advantageous for reliably grasping the status of the fenders 13 remotely.

[0049] This system 1 essentially comprises a sensor 2, a transmitting / receiving terminal 7, a battery 8, a container 3 that houses these and is installed inside the fender 13, and a relay device 9A. Therefore, this system 1 can be easily applied by equipping not only new fenders 13 but also existing fenders 13 with these essential components.

[0050] To install the sensor 2, transmitting / receiving terminal 7, and battery 8 inside the fender 13, the container 3 containing the sensor 2, transmitting / receiving terminal 7, and battery 8 is simply dropped into the fender 13 through the through-hole formed in the mouth fitting 14a and floated on the water F. Therefore, no special work is required to attach the sensor 2, transmitting / receiving terminal 7, and battery 8 to the fender 13, which is advantageous for more easily understanding the condition of the fender 13.

[0051] If wireless communication between the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 and the relay device 9A becomes impossible due to the exhaustion of the battery 8 or a malfunction of the sensor 2 or the transmitting / receiving terminal 7, a new storage container 3 containing the sensor 2, the transmitting / receiving terminal 7, and the battery 8 can be simply inserted into the fender 13. Therefore, this system 1 is easy to maintain.

[0052] The container 3 is designed to float on the water F inside the fender 13 and move freely, so when a ship comes alongside and the fender 13 deforms, the container 3 moves away from the deformed part. This is advantageous for protecting the sensor 2, transmitting / receiving terminal 7, and battery 8 housed in the container 3.

[0053] However, when the relay device 9A is fixed in a predetermined position, there may be fenders 13 located at a very long distance (for example, several hundred meters or more) from the relay device 9A. Therefore, when the detection data M from the sensors 2 installed on the fenders 13 is transmitted from the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 to the relay device 9A, the communication distance between the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 and the relay device 9A may become excessively long.

[0054] When the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 transmits the detection data M via radio waves W from the omnidirectional antenna 7b to the relay device 9A, if the transmission of the detection data M fails (transmission fails), the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 repeats the transmission until it is successful. Therefore, if the communication distance between the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 and the relay device 9A is excessive, the battery 8 consumes a lot of power for communication between them, or communication becomes impossible. Under weather conditions such as wind and rain that make wireless communication unstable, even if the communication distance between them is relatively short, the battery 8 consumes a lot of power for wireless communication between them, or communication becomes impossible. Therefore, if a method is adopted in which the relay device 9A is mounted on the mobile body 12 and placed close to each fender 13 to ensure stable wireless communication between them, fuel is consumed for the movement of the mobile body 12.

[0055] Therefore, in this system 1, the communication route of the detection data M from each transmitting / receiving terminal 7 to the relay device 9A is set so that when the communication strength S between each transmitting / receiving terminal 7 and the relay device 9A is equal to or greater than a preset reference value Sc, the direct route Rd shown in Fig. 7 is selected, and when the communication strength S is less than the reference value Sc, the detour route Rb shown in Fig. 8 is selected. This communication strength S is the strength of the radio waves W received by the relay device 9A when the detection data M is transmitted to the relay device 9A via radio waves W from each transmitting / receiving terminal 7 (non-directional antenna 7b).

[0056] The reference value Sc is determined by, for example, varying the distance between the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 and the relay device 9A to a plurality of different levels to change the communication strength S, thereby determining the strength of the radio waves W at which the relay device 9A cannot stably receive the detection data M. The upper limit of the determined strength of the radio waves W is determined in advance as the reference value Sc. When the strength of the radio waves W is equal to the reference value Sc, it is at a level at which communication is just barely possible. When the detection data M is transmitted to the relay device 9A using radio waves W from the transmitting / receiving terminal 7, if the strength of the radio waves W received by the relay device 9A is less than the reference value Sc (if the data cannot be received), the relay device 9A selects the detour route Rb without repeating the transmission of the radio waves W.

[0057] The reference value Sc can be converted into a distance and used as the maximum distance between the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 and the relay device 9A at which the relay device 9A can always stably receive the detection data M. Therefore, the setting can be such that the detour route Rb is selected for the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 whose distance from the relay device 9A is greater than this reference value (reference value of distance) Sc, and the direct route Rd is selected for the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 whose distance from the relay device 9A is shorter than this reference value (reference value of distance) Sc.

[0058] As illustrated in Figure 7, the direct route Rd is a transmission route through which detection data M is transmitted directly from the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 to the relay device 9A without the intervention of the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 installed on another fender 13. The transmitting / receiving terminals 7 installed on the fenders 13A, 13B, and 13C, which are located relatively close to the relay device 9A, have a short communication distance with the relay device 9A. Therefore, the communication strength S at the relay device 9A of the radio waves W used by the transmitting / receiving terminals 7 installed on these fenders 13A, 13B, and 13C to transmit the detection data M is equal to or greater than the reference value Sc, and therefore the direct route Rd is selected. In other words, the transmitting / receiving terminals 7 installed on the fenders 13A, 13B, and 13C transmit the detection data M directly to the relay device 9A.

[0059] As illustrated in Figure 8, the detour route Rb is a transmission route in which, when the detection data M is transmitted from the transceiver terminal 7 (omnidirectional antenna 7b) to the relay device 9A, the detection data M is transmitted via at least one transceiver terminal 7 installed on another fender 13 between the transceiver terminal 7 and the relay device 9A. The transceiver terminals 7 installed on the fenders 13D and 13E, which are located relatively far from the relay device 9A, have a long communication distance with the relay device 9A. Therefore, the communication strength S of the radio waves W used by the transceiver terminals 7 installed on these fenders 13D and 13E to transmit the detection data M at the relay device 9A is less than the reference value Sc, and therefore the detour route Rb is selected. In other words, the detection data M transmitted from the transceiver terminal 7 installed on the fender 13D is transmitted to the relay device 9A via the transceiver terminals 7 installed on one or more other fenders 13.

[0060] For example, the detour route Rb is formed by connecting the transmitting / receiving terminal 7, which is the starting point of the detour route Rb, to the relay device 9A, which is the end point, with straight lines passing through the other transmitting / receiving terminals 7 that make up the detour route Rb, and calculating the total length AL of each straight line.The detour route Rb is then selected in order of the shortest calculated total length AL.However, the waypoint immediately before the relay device 9A is the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 installed on the fender 13 (13A, 13B, 13C) that has a short communication distance with the relay device 9A and can form a direct route Rd.

[0061] 8 as an example, the detour route Rb from the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 installed on the fender 13E, which is the starting point, to the relay device 9A, which is the end point, will be considered as follows: First, the transmitting / receiving terminals 7 that can form a direct route Rd with the relay device 9A are the fenders 13A, 13B, and 13C, so the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 installed on any one of these fenders 13A to 13C will be the waypoint immediately before the relay device 9A.

[0062] The waypoints are the transmitting and receiving terminals 7 installed on each of the fenders 13D, 13C, 13B, and 13A. This means that there are three possible detour routes Rb: a route (first route) that passes through the transmitting and receiving terminals 7 installed on the fenders 13D and 13C in that order; a route (second route) that passes through the transmitting and receiving terminals 7 installed on the fenders 13D, 13C, and 13B in that order; and a route (third route) that passes through the transmitting and receiving terminals 7 installed on the fenders 13D, 13C, 13B, and 13A in that order. Comparing the total lengths AL of the first to third routes, the first route is the shortest and the third route is the longest. Therefore, the priority of the detour routes Rb is determined in the order of the first route, the second route, and the third route.

[0063] When transmitting the detected data M from the transmitting / receiving terminal 3, which is the starting point, to the relay device 9A, a detour route Rb with the shortest total length AL is selected first, and transmission is attempted sequentially, starting with the detour route Rb with the highest priority. If the detected data M can be successfully transmitted from the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 installed on the fender 13E to the relay device 9A via the detour route Rb with the highest priority (first route), the transmission of the detected data M is completed. If the detected data M cannot be transmitted to the relay device 9A via the detour route Rb with the first priority, the detour route Rb with the second highest priority (second route) is attempted. If the detected data M can be successfully transmitted to the relay device 9A via the detour route Rb with the second highest priority, the transmission of the detected data M is completed. In this way, transmission of the detected data M is attempted via the detour routes Rb with the highest priority until the detected data M can be successfully transmitted to the relay device 9A. In this way, by setting the detour route Rb with the shortest possible total length AL to be selected preferentially, it is advantageous to reduce the amount of power consumed by each battery 8.

[0064] In the above-described embodiment, the direct route Rd or the detour route Rb is selected as the transmission route for each detection data M from each transmitting / receiving terminal 7 to the relay device 9A based on the communication strength S between them. This eliminates repeated unnecessary communication failures and reduces the power consumption of the batteries 8 installed in each fender 13. Since there is less need to mount the relay device 9A on the mobile body 12 and move it close to each transmitting / receiving terminal 7 (fender 13) in order to ensure stable wireless communication with the relay device 9A, fuel consumption associated with the movement of the mobile body 12 is also reduced. As a result, it is possible to more reliably grasp the status of each fender 13 while suppressing energy consumption in the process of grasping the status of each fender 13.

[0065] Because a large number of fenders 13 are also mounted on ships moored to quays 16, this system 1 can also be applied to grasping the status of these fenders 13. This system 1 can also be applied to grasping the status of a large number of fenders 13 moored to offshore facilities. In this case, if a relay device 9A is mounted on the ship that serves as the mobile body 12 and moved close to each fender 13, the mobile body 12 will consume excessive fuel due to the movement because it is a ship. Therefore, in this case, use of this system 1 can minimize the fuel consumption of the mobile body 12, which is very advantageous in suppressing energy consumption in the grasping process for grasping the status of each fender 13.

[0066] If the communication between each transmitting / receiving terminal 7 and relay device 9A is wireless based on the LoRa WAN communication standard, the mutual communication between them can be carried out extremely freely without strict legal restrictions. Therefore, for example, by issuing an instruction from a specific terminal device 10a of the administrator to each transmitting / receiving terminal 7 to change the timing of acquiring the detection data M by the sensor 2 or an instruction to change the frequency of transmitting the detection data M from the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 to relay device 9A, these settings can be easily changed.

[0067] When transmitting the detection data M from the transmitting / receiving terminal 7 to the relay device 9A, it is advisable to adopt a modulation method for the transmitted radio waves W that is suitable for the environment in which the fender 13 is used. Examples of modulation methods include CSS (chirp spread spectrum) and FHSS (frequency hopping spread spectrum). When CSS is adopted as the modulation method, it greatly reduces electromagnetic interference while making interception difficult, and is therefore considered to be suitable for wireless communication in an offshore environment.

[0068] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Remote management system 2 Sensor 3 Storage container 4 Container body 5 Waterproof ventilation section 6 Stabilizer 7 Transmitting / receiving terminal device 7a Module board 7b Omnidirectional antenna 8 Battery (eccentric member) 9A Relay device 9B Server 10 (10a, 10b, 10c) Specific terminal device 11 Communication network 12 Mobile body 13 (13A, 13B, 13C, 13D, 13E) Pneumatic fender 14a Mouthpiece 14b Safety valve 14c Connecting fitting 14d Fixed rope 15 Sinker 16 Quay F Water W Radio wave

Claims

1. A remote management system for pneumatic fenders, comprising a sensor that detects detection data indicating the state of a pneumatic fender, a transmitting / receiving terminal connected to said sensor, a battery that operates said sensor and said transmitting / receiving terminal, and a storage container that houses said sensor, said transmitting / receiving terminal, and said battery and is installed inside said pneumatic fender, and in which management indicators based on said detection data are displayed on a specific terminal device, wherein said pneumatic fender is used with water held inside, and has a relay device that wirelessly communicates with said transmitting / receiving terminal installed outside said pneumatic fender, said storage container is watertight and designed to float on the water held inside said pneumatic fender, and has an eccentric member that eccentricates its center of gravity in a specific direction when said sensor, said transmitting / receiving terminal, and said battery are housed and floating on water, and said eccentric member is configured to be maintained at the position of the lower end of said storage container, The transmitting / receiving terminal has an omnidirectional antenna, and is configured to be maintained at an upper end position of the container inside the container where the eccentric member is maintained at a lower end position, wireless communication based on a predetermined LPWA communication standard is performed between the transmitting / receiving terminal and the relay device, the detection data is transmitted from the transmitting / receiving terminal to the relay device by the omnidirectional antenna and then transmitted to a communication network via the relay device, and the management indicator is displayed on the specific terminal device connected to the communication network, in a remote management system for pneumatic fenders.

2. A remote management system for a pneumatic fender according to claim 1, wherein the battery is used as the eccentric member.

3. A remote management system for pneumatic fenders according to claim 1, wherein the container has a stabilizer protruding from its outer surface.

4. A remote management system for a pneumatic fender according to claim 3, wherein the stabilizer functions as a floating body.

5. A remote management system for pneumatic fenders as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sensor, the transmitting / receiving terminal and the battery are housed in the container and installed inside each of the plurality of pneumatic fenders, and the transmission route of each of the detection data from each of the transmitting / receiving terminals to the relay device is set so that if the communication strength between each of the transmitting / receiving terminals and the relay device is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value, a direct route from each of the transmitting / receiving terminals to the relay device is selected, and if the communication strength is less than the reference value, a detour route is selected in which at least one other transmitting / receiving terminal is interposed between each of the transmitting / receiving terminals and the relay device.

6. A remote management system for pneumatic fenders as described in claim 5, in which the detour route is formed by connecting the transmitting / receiving terminal that is the starting point of the detour route to the relay device that is the end point of the detour route in straight lines, with the other transmitting / receiving terminals that make up the detour route as waypoints, and the waypoint immediately before the relay device is the transmitting / receiving terminal installed on the fender that can form the direct route, and the total length of each straight line is calculated, and priority is given to the shortest calculated total length.

7. A method for remotely managing pneumatic fenders, comprising connecting a transmitting / receiving terminal to a sensor that detects detection data indicating the state of the pneumatic fender, the sensor and the transmitting / receiving terminal being battery operated, housing the sensor, the transmitting / receiving terminal and the battery in a container and installing it inside the pneumatic fender, and displaying management indicators based on the detection data on a specific terminal device, wherein the pneumatic fender is used with water held inside, a relay device that wirelessly communicates with the transmitting / receiving terminal is installed outside the pneumatic fender, the container is watertight and designed to float on the water held inside the pneumatic fender, and has an eccentric member that eccentricates the center of gravity in a specific direction when the sensor, the transmitting / receiving terminal and the battery are housed and floating on water, and the eccentric member is maintained at the position of the lower end of the container, a remote management method for a pneumatic fender, wherein the transmitting / receiving terminal is configured to have an omnidirectional antenna, and the omnidirectional antenna is maintained at the upper end of the container inside the container with the eccentric member maintained at the lower end; wireless communication based on a predetermined LPWA communication standard is performed between the transmitting / receiving terminal and the relay device; the detection data is transmitted from the transmitting / receiving terminal to the relay device via the omnidirectional antenna and then transmitted to a communication network via the relay device; and the management indicator is displayed on the specific terminal device connected to the communication network.

8. A method for remotely managing pneumatic fenders as described in claim 7, wherein the sensor, the transmitting / receiving terminal, and the battery are housed in the container and installed inside each of the plurality of pneumatic fenders, and the transmission route from each of the transmitting / receiving terminals to the relay device selects a direct route from each of the transmitting / receiving terminals to the relay device when the communication strength between each of the transmitting / receiving terminals and the relay device is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value, and selects a detour route in which at least one other transmitting / receiving terminal is interposed between each of the transmitting / receiving terminals and the relay device when the communication strength is less than the reference value.

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