Dynamic Evacuation Guidance System for Ships

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Solution Overview

Problem

In ship evacuation systems, passengers often scatter across the vessel during emergencies, leading to intersecting routes and difficulties in quick evacuation, as they are not necessarily near their designated rooms, causing confusion and safety risks.

Innovation Solution

An evacuation guiding system that uses cameras to obtain passenger position information, calculates optimal evacuation routes based on passability and passenger distribution, and modifies guidance displays to direct passengers to pre-defined gathering places surrounded by fire protection constructions, while RFID gates and terminals manage lifeboat allocation efficiently.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If passengers are instructed to return to their own rooms for evacuation, then they can access life jackets and follow a predetermined procedure, but their movement routes intersect and evacuation becomes slow

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveevacuation procedure complianceVSAvoidevacuation speed
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The evacuation route guidance system dynamically changes routes based on real-time passenger distribution data from cameras and sensors. Instead of fixed predetermined routes, the system continuously optimizes paths to avoid congestion and intersecting movements, allowing passengers to evacuate efficiently while still accessing life jackets at their destinations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system pre-identifies multiple possible evacuation routes and life jacket locations, then quickly selects and assigns optimal routes based on real-time passenger positions when disaster occurs. This preliminary preparation enables rapid route assignment without requiring passengers to return to their original rooms first.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If passengers are scattered across various places in the ship during disaster, then they are not necessarily near their rooms, but routing them back creates route intersections and delays

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepassenger distribution flexibilityVSAvoidevacuation time
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system adapts evacuation routes in real-time based on where passengers actually are during the disaster. Using camera and sensor data, it dynamically calculates optimal paths from current passenger positions to nearest life jackets, avoiding routes that would require passengers to backtrack through congested areas.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides localized evacuation guidance tailored to each passenger's specific location and situation. Instead of a uniform return-to-room instruction, each passenger receives customized route guidance based on their current position, the disaster location, and real-time crowd distribution in different ship areas.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Ease of operation

If conventional evacuation systems use fixed routes and predetermined gathering places, then procedures are simple to follow, but they do not account for real-time passenger distribution and cause confusion

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveevacuation guidance simplicityVSAvoidreal-time passenger location information
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system continuously collects feedback from cameras and sensors about passenger positions and crowd density, then uses this information to dynamically update and reassign evacuation routes. This closed-loop feedback mechanism maintains simplicity for passengers while incorporating real-time data to prevent route intersections and congestion.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system pre-establishes multiple potential evacuation routes and gathering points throughout the ship, then quickly activates and assigns specific routes based on real-time conditions. This preparation of multiple options allows the system to maintain simple guidance instructions while adapting to changing passenger distribution and disaster scenarios.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3276572B1Evacuation guiding system and method for ship
Publication Date: 2021.05.12 MITSUBISHI SHIPBUILDING CO LTD
  • EP3276572B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3276572B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3276572B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Provided are an evacuation guiding system and method for a ship, the system comprising: a personnel distribution information obtaining unit (101) for obtaining passenger position information in a predetermined area on a ship on the basis of information from a camera (111) installed in the ship; an evacuation route calculation unit (102) for planning an evacuation route on the basis of the passenger position information from the personnel distribution information obtaining unit (101) and aisle passage possibility/impossibility information set from evacuation event information; an evacuation information management unit (103) which outputs the evacuation route planned by the evacuation route calculation unit (102), by sharing information between the personnel distribution information obtaining unit (101) and the evacuation route calculation unit (102); an evacuation guiding unit (104) for changing an evacuation guiding display provided in an aisle in the ship on the basis of the evacuation route outputted by the evacuation information management unit (103); and a gathering place management unit (105) for assigning lifeboats (46, 47) to get on board to a plurality of passengers evacuated to a plurality of master stations.