Remote Beacon Mapping for Ship Navigation Blind Spots
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Solution Overview
Problem
Marine vessels, especially large ones, often have blind spots that hinder navigation, and the need for a skilled pilot to board the vessel in challenging weather conditions or to provide real-time navigation expertise is risky and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising remote beacons equipped with sensors and transmitters, and a control centre that receives and processes surroundings information to create a dynamic virtual representation of the navigable environment, allowing for navigation assistance without the pilot needing to board the ship.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pilot boards the vessel to provide navigation expertise, then navigation safety is improved, but the risk of falling overboard in bad weather increases and waiting time for pilot availability increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system consisting of remote beacons with sensors and a control centre that processes environmental data and provides navigation information to the vessel. This intermediary system enables the pilot to assist navigation remotely without physically boarding the vessel, thereby maintaining navigation safety while eliminating the risk of falling overboard in bad weather conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of physical pilot boarding with an electronic and optical system. Sensors on remote beacons detect environmental parameters (such as position, water depth, current), transmit data to a control centre, which then processes and communicates navigation information to the vessel electronically, substituting the need for physical presence.
2Reliability
If a pilot travels several kilometres out to sea to board the vessel, then navigation expertise is provided, but the waiting time for pilot availability increases and operational efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The remote beacon system acts as an intermediary that bridges the gap between the pilot (who can remain on land or at a remote location) and the vessel. The beacons continuously monitor the environment and relay information through the control centre, enabling the pilot to provide expertise without traveling to the vessel's location, thus eliminating waiting time and travel delays.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by having beacons continuously survey and map the environment in advance. The control centre pre-processes navigation data and maintains updated virtual representations of the waterway, so when the vessel arrives, the pilot immediately has access to current environmental information without needing to travel or wait for data collection.
3Measurement precision
If the pilot regularly updates knowledge of the environment, then navigation accuracy is improved, but the time and resources required for continuous environmental monitoring increase
Solution Approach 1:
The beacon system performs self-service by automatically and continuously monitoring environmental parameters without requiring the pilot's direct involvement. The sensors on the beacons autonomously collect data on water depth, current, position, and other parameters, and the control centre automatically processes this information, freeing the pilot from time-consuming environmental survey tasks while maintaining high accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system ensures continuous environmental monitoring through the always-active beacons that continuously collect and transmit data. This uninterrupted surveillance provides the pilot with constantly updated environmental knowledge without requiring periodic time-intensive surveys, as the monitoring action continues without interruption.
4Reliability
If remote beacons with sensors are deployed to create a virtual representation, then navigation safety and situational awareness are improved, but the device complexity and infrastructure requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the navigation assistance function into separate modular components: remote beacons with sensors for data collection, a control centre for processing, and communication interfaces for data exchange. Each component performs a specific function, allowing the system to achieve high situational awareness through distributed, specialized units rather than a single complex system.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed is a system (1000) for determining a virtual representation of at least part of an environment (800) that is navigable by a ship (700). The system has at least one beacon (101, 102, 201, 202, 301, 302, 401-403) remote from the ship. The or each beacon comprises at least one sensor (411-415) for sensing surroundings information representative of at least part of the environment, a transmitter (420), and a controller (430) connected to the at least one sensor and configured to cause the surroundings information to be transmitted via the transmitter. The system also comprises a control centre (500) remote from the ship. The control centre comprises a receiver (520) configured to receive the surroundings information, and a control unit (530) connected to the receiver and configured to determine a virtual representation of at least part of the environment based on the surroundings information. The virtual representation may comprise a topographical map, such as a LIDAR map.