Vessel Activity Tracking Using Sensor Analytics and Geographic Zoning

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current vessel management systems rely on unreliable crew reports, are time-consuming, and fail to comply with regulatory requirements, leading to lost profits and depleted marine resources due to unmonitored fishing gear.

Innovation Solution

An integrated data collection and analytics system that uses core devices and external sensors to track vessel activities, including positioning, orientation, and environmental data, and communicates this information through wireless networks to an analytics system for real-time monitoring and analysis.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If crewmembers manually report vessel activities, then information can be obtained without additional hardware, but the reliability of the information deteriorates due to incomplete understanding of facts

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation completenessVSAvoidinformation reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the manual reporting mechanism (human crewmembers observing and recording activities) with an automated sensor-based system. Sensors detect vessel activities, gear deployment, and environmental conditions objectively, eliminating human interpretation errors and providing reliable, complete data without requiring crewmember expertise in analyzing marine operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The vessel management system performs self-monitoring through onboard sensors that automatically track vessel position, orientation, gear deployment status, and environmental conditions. The system generates its own activity data without requiring external human observation, ensuring continuous and accurate information collection regardless of crewmember availability or expertise.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Device complexity

If crewmembers manually record and report vessel activities, then no additional data collection hardware is needed, but the time required to obtain actionable information increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem simplicityVSAvoidinformation availability time

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The manual recording process is replaced with automated sensor detection and electronic data transmission. Sensors continuously monitor vessel activities and immediately transmit data through communication systems to the analytics platform, reducing information availability time from days or weeks to real-time or near-real-time, while the electronic system maintains relative simplicity through standardized protocols.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Productivity

If conventional vessel management methods are used, then operational costs remain low without sophisticated monitoring systems, but regulatory compliance deteriorates leading to lost profits

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefleet management efficiencyVSAvoidregulatory compliance

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system continuously collects data from sensors about vessel activities, gear deployment, and environmental conditions, then transmits this information to analytics systems that process the data and provide feedback to operators and regulators. This closed-loop feedback ensures regulatory compliance by automatically monitoring and reporting on required parameters, eliminating the uncertainty and non-compliance risks associated with manual reporting methods.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

4Device complexity

If vessel activities are not monitored, then equipment and operational costs are reduced, but marine resource depletion worsens due to unmonitored fishing gear

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemonitoring system complexityVSAvoidmarine resource depletion

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs automated sensor systems to monitor fishing gear deployment, vessel position, and environmental conditions, replacing the absence of monitoring with continuous electronic observation. This enables detection of gear loss, unauthorized fishing activities, and environmental impacts, allowing timely intervention to prevent marine resource depletion while maintaining relatively simple system architecture through modular sensor integration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS11151884B2Vessel systems and methods relating thereto

Publication Date: 2021.10.19 PELAGIC DATA SYSTEMS INC

AI summary

Systems and methods for tracking vessel activities are described. An exemplar method of tracking vessel activities includes:(i) receiving data, using one or more devices, including vessel positioning data and/or time associated with one or more vessels traversing one or more paths on a body of water; (ii) deducing, using the data received from step (i), vessel attributes of one or more the vessels at certain positions and/or time along one or more of the paths; (iii) identifying, based on the vessel attributes of step (ii), one or more types of vessel activities of one or more of the vessels at the certain positions along one or more of the paths; (iv) parsing an electronic map of the body of water and land surrounding the body of water into discrete geographic zones; (v) grouping one or more types of vessel activities being carried out in each of the discrete geographic zones to arrive at one or more types of grouped vessel activities; (vi) causing to display or displaying one or more types of the grouped vessel activities that are being carried out in at least some of the discrete geographic zones.