Wave Slam Monitoring With Predictive Alerts for Planing Vessels

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Solution Overview

Problem

High-speed planing vessels experience severe mechanical shocks and vibrations due to wave slamming, leading to injuries for crew and passengers and damage to equipment, with existing shock mitigation systems being insufficient.

Innovation Solution

A monitoring system that collects and analyzes data on acceleration forces from mechanical shocks, along with weather and navigational data, to predict potential hazardous situations and provide real-time alerts to operators, enabling them to take preventive measures or implement automated control to mitigate impacts.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If planing hull design is used to achieve high speeds, then speed is improved, but mechanical shock from wave slamming increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevessel speedVSAvoidmechanical shock from wave slamming
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The monitoring system performs preliminary detection of wave conditions and predicts upcoming hazardous situations before they occur. By analyzing acceleration forces, weather data, and navigational information in advance, the system enables operators to take preventive measures or implement automated control actions before severe wave slamming occurs, thereby reducing mechanical shock while maintaining high speed operation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously monitors acceleration forces and provides real-time feedback to operators through alerts. This feedback loop enables dynamic adjustment of vessel operation to avoid hazardous wave conditions, resolving the contradiction by allowing high-speed operation while actively managing mechanical shock through informed operational decisions

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If shock mitigation systems are added to reduce mechanical shock, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety against mechanical shockVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a monitoring and prediction system as an intermediary between the wave environment and the vessel. This intermediary detects hazardous conditions, predicts upcoming threats, and provides early warnings to operators, enabling preventive action without requiring complex active shock mitigation hardware. The system mediates the shock problem through information processing rather than direct mechanical intervention

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces complex mechanical shock mitigation systems with a sensor-based monitoring and prediction system. Instead of using complex mechanical devices to actively counteract wave slamming forces, the system uses accelerometers, weather sensors, and computational algorithms to detect and predict hazardous conditions, substituting mechanical complexity with sensing and information processing

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentEP3681792B1Methods and systems for wave slam monitoring
Publication Date: 2022.11.09 HEFRING EHF
  • EP3681792B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3681792B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3681792B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

A method of monitoring wave slam on a vessel includes measuring acceleration forces from mechanical shocks on the vessel using one or more sensors communicatively coupled to a computing unit. Generating real-time acceleration information representative of the wave slam based at least in part on the data obtained from the sensors. Generating acceleration prediction information representative of a predicted wave slam based at least in part on the generated real-time acceleration information. Presenting at least one of the generated real-time acceleration information or acceleration prediction information to an intended recipient.