Autonomous USV Inspection Triggering for Offshore Infrastructure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Offshore infrastructure maintenance is hindered by the need for manned boats, which are costly and limited by weather conditions, preventing frequent and efficient inspections.
Innovation Solution
A surveillance system comprising an unmanned surface vessel (USV) equipped with an environmental sensor system and a carrying area for an unmanned vehicle, controlled by a system that autonomously decides on inspections based on environmental and operational parameter comparisons.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manned boats are used for offshore infrastructure inspection, then inspection quality can be maintained with human judgment, but operational costs increase and weather conditions limit availability
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables autonomous self-service inspection by equipping the USV with environmental sensors and a controller that automatically compares operational parameters against expected values to determine inspection needs, eliminating the need for human decision-making while maintaining inspection quality through automated anomaly detection
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical human decision-making process with an automated control system that uses sensor data and parameter comparison algorithms to autonomously determine when inspections are necessary, substituting human judgment with automated detection capabilities
2Reliability
If manned boats are deployed for inspection, then safety can be ensured with human oversight, but costs and weather dependencies increase
Solution Approach 1:
The USV performs self-monitoring and self-decision-making for inspection operations through its environmental sensor system and controller, eliminating the need for human crew members while maintaining operational safety through automated environmental assessment and anomaly detection
3Productivity
If unmanned vehicles are used for inspection, then costs and human safety risks are reduced, but autonomous decision-making capability must be implemented
Solution Approach 1:
The automation system is segmented into distinct functional modules: environmental sensors for data collection, a controller for processing and comparison, and a decision-making algorithm that determines inspection necessity, allowing each component to be optimized independently while working together autonomously
Solution Approach 2:
The controller serves multiple functions by both monitoring environmental parameters and making autonomous inspection decisions, while the USV itself performs both transportation and inspection platform roles, reducing overall system complexity despite the autonomous capabilities
Data Source
AI summary
A surveillance system for an offshore infrastructure including an unmanned surface vessel (USV), an unmanned vehicle for inspecting the offshore infrastructure and a controller. The unmanned surface vessel includes an environmental sensor system to measure one or more environmental parameters and a carrying area to carry the unmanned vehicle. The controller is configured to obtain one or more environmental parameters from the environmental sensor system, to obtain one or operational parameters of the offshore infrastructure, to compare each of the operational parameters to an expected value and to determine, based on the comparison, to inspect the offshore infrastructure with the unmanned vehicle.