AIS Message Buffer Field Status Variable Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
The Automatic Identification System (AIS) has limited flexibility in transmitting user-defined status information due to stringent standardization, requiring costly modifications and external equipment to utilize freely selectable binary coded information in predefined message types.
Innovation Solution
AIS senders and receivers are enhanced to insert and interpret status variables in buffer fields of standardized messages, using 'spare' bits not intended for information, allowing transmission of additional information without altering the message structure or checksum, enabling self-organizing communication networks between geographically proximate devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If standard AIS messages are used to transmit status information, then message structure compliance is maintained, but flexibility in transmitting user-defined information is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts specific bit positions from the AIS message structure that are not used for standard information transmission. These extracted bits are repurposed to carry user-defined status information, allowing flexibility without altering the overall message structure or compliance with AIS standards.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies local quality by assigning specific functions to specific bit positions within the message. Certain bits are designated for standard AIS information while other bits are allocated for user-defined status information, allowing different parts of the message to serve different purposes simultaneously.
2Adaptability or versatility
If freely selectable binary coded information is used, then information flexibility increases, but standardization compliance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the message information into distinct categories: standard AIS information in designated fields and user-defined status information in specifically allocated bit positions. This segmentation allows both standardized compliance and user flexibility to coexist without interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The message structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it maintains compliance with standard AIS protocols for position and navigation data while also providing a universal mechanism for transmitting user-defined status information through the allocated bit positions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If AIS equipment is modified to transmit status information, then functionality expands, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention enables existing AIS equipment to serve itself by utilizing unused bit positions within the standard message structure. No external equipment or major modifications are needed; the system uses its own existing infrastructure to transmit additional user-defined information.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention recovers value from bit positions that were previously discarded or left unused in standard AIS messages. By repurposing these otherwise wasted resources, the system expands functionality without requiring additional hardware or infrastructure investment.
4Adaptability or versatility
If buffer fields are used for status information, then transmission flexibility increases, but information reliability may decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary action by pre-defining which bit positions will carry user-defined status information. This pre-allocation ensures that the receiving device knows exactly where to look for this information, maintaining reliability through predetermined positioning rather than arbitrary placement.
Data Source
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AI summary
Method of sending the value of a status variable between a sending device (100; 201) and a receiving device (201, 100) as part of a standardized binary coded radio message within the scope of a distributed message system, which message comprises fields for a certain predetermined information to be sent with the message as well as a buffer field, comprising the steps of: causing the sending device to assemble, calculate a checksum for, digital store and periodically transmit a certain predetermined type of message in the form of a radio signal (120; 220) which is readable for a receiving device, and causing the receiving device to receive and interpret the thus transmitted message. The invention is characterized in that the status variable is not related to the predetermined information, in that the sending device, before the checksum is calculated, inserts the value of the status variable in binary coded format into the message in a buffer field, that according to the messaging standard is not intended to transmit information, and in that the receiving device interprets the binary value as the value of the status variable.