Submerged Anchor Tracking Using GPS and Sonar Position Refinement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing anchor monitoring systems fail to reliably determine the position and displacement of submerged anchors due to inaccuracies in measuring forces and jerks, leading to false alarms or undetected displacements, especially when anchors remain stationary or drift without significant force or jerk.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilizes satellite navigation and sonar to iteratively refine the estimated position of a submerged object by generating a plurality of initial coordinates, determining a manifold of possible positions, and updating these coordinates based on vessel and object distances, ensuring accurate tracking through central tendency calculations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If motion sensors or acceleration measurements are used to monitor anchor position, then anchor motion can be detected, but false alarms occur when high forces or jerks occur without actual displacement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical measurement systems (motion sensors, acceleration sensors, wheel encoders) with a computational approach using satellite navigation (GPS/Galileo) to directly determine position coordinates. This substitution eliminates the indirect mechanical measurement chain that caused false alarms, as the satellite-based system directly measures position without relying on force or acceleration thresholds that trigger false positives during high-stress anchoring conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces satellite navigation signals as an intermediary measurement medium between the anchor and the monitoring system. Instead of attaching sensors directly to the anchor that measure mechanical quantities prone to false alarms, the system uses satellite signals to indirectly determine position, providing a more reliable measurement that is not affected by local mechanical disturbances or force variations during anchoring operations.
2Reliability
If force or jerk thresholds are set for alarm triggering, then significant displacements can be detected, but displacements without large forces or jerks remain undetected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces force and jerk threshold-based detection with direct position coordinate measurement using satellite navigation. This allows detection of any displacement regardless of the force or jerk magnitude, as the system directly measures position changes rather than inferring them from mechanical quantities. The slow drift scenario is now detectable because position is measured directly, not indirectly through force sensors that require threshold exceedance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the monitoring approach by using multiple independent measurement dimensions (satellite position coordinates) rather than relying on a single force or acceleration threshold. This multi-dimensional position measurement enables detection of subtle displacements that would not trigger force-based alarms, while still maintaining the ability to detect significant movements through the same coordinate system.
3Reliability
If wheel encoders or rotatable elements are attached to the anchor, then position changes can be transmitted, but the system fails when anchors drift without wheel rotation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical wheel encoders and rotatable elements with satellite-based electronic position measurement. This eliminates the mechanical transmission components that fail to detect drift without rotation, as the satellite system directly measures position coordinates regardless of whether the anchor is rotating or simply drifting. The complexity of mechanical encoders is replaced by computational processing of satellite signals.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces satellite navigation signals as an intermediary that directly measures anchor position without requiring mechanical coupling or rotation. This intermediary measurement system bypasses the need for wheel encoders attached to the anchor, providing reliable position detection even when the anchor drifts without rotating, thereby eliminating the limitation of mechanical encoder-based systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Provides reliable and accurate monitoring of submerged objects by reducing inaccuracies, minimizing false alarms, and ensuring precise tracking of anchor positions and displacements, applicable to various vessels and platforms.
Implementation Method 1
determining an initial position x vessel,0 of the vessel, in particular by obtaining position information from a satellite navigation system
Implementation Method 2
determining a distance d t between the object and the vessel, in particular by obtaining distance information from a sonar
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
A method, in particular a computer-implemented method, for monitoring a position and/or displacement of an object launched, in particular submerged, from a vessel, in particular an anchor (1) lowered from said vessel, the method comprising the steps of: (c) determining an initial position xvessel,0 of the vessel, in particular by obtaining position information from a satellite navigation system, in particular GPS; (d) determining a start position xobject,start of the object, in particular from xvessel,0, in particular according to xobject,start = xvessel,0; (e) launching, in particular lowering and/or submerging the object; (f) estimating an initial position xobject,0 of the object, in particular according to xobject,0 = xobject,start; ...