Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B22/00—Buoys
  • B63B22/24—Buoys container type, i.e. having provision for the storage of material
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B22/00—Buoys
  • B63B22/02—Buoys specially adapted for mooring a vessel
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07B—TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS
  • G07B15/00—Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points
  • G07B15/02—Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
  • G08G3/00—Traffic control systems for marine craft

Definitions

• the present invention concerns a system for controlling and
• the present invention further concerns the elements usable in
• a system for controlling and managing docking in a sea area comprising one or more fields having one or more buoys, characterised in that said buoys are equipped buoys apt to communicate with at least one control station, each one of said equipped buoys comprising first radiocommunication means apt to communicate with second radiocommunication means with which said at least one control station is provided, each one of said equipped buoys further comprising.electronic means apt to transmit an interrogation signal for carrying out a passive radio frequency communication with at least one transmitter-responder or transponder, in such a way that said at least one transponder, when interrogated, talks with the electronic means providing at least one identification code, the electronic means transmitting, through the first radiocommunication means, said at least one identification code to said at least one control station.
• control and management of docking may be carried out at a local control station, for example provided with means for memorising and storing identification codes authorised to dock in a corresponding sea area having limited extension.
• the system comprises an operative centre, said at least one control station of each buoy field comprising further communication means apt to communicate with the operative centre, said at least one control station being apt to send to this information related to the corresponding buoy field.
• the electronic means may comprise an antenna housed in a structure of the equipped buoy, said at least one transponder having a housing having a shape apt to spatially arrange itself with respect to said structure of the antenna in such a way to achieve electromagnetic visibility conditions with the antenna itself.
• the structure housing the antenna and the housing of the transponder have the shape of two corresponding rings.
• the ring structure housing the antenna may be apt to receive a passing rope and may be provided with means detecting the presence of a rope, following the detection of the presence of a rope the electronic means transmitting said interrogation signal.
• each one of said equipped buoys may comprise a float, to which the structure housing the antenna is coupled, the interior of the float and of the structure housing the antenna being watertight, an autonomous electric power supply being housed within the float, which supply comprises at least one solar panel, housed in correspondence with at least one transparent portion of the float, connected to a power supply storage battery.
• the float may be in plastic reinforced by fibber glass and/or polycarbonate.
• the first radiocommunication means may be apt to communicate with the second radiocommunication means according to the Wifi communication standard.
• said at least one control station may be housed jn a mimetic structure, comprising at least one solar panel connected to a power supply storage battery.
• the mimetic structure of said at least one control station is a watertight container in rock shape made of fibber glass and/or polycarbonate.
• said at least one control station may comprise at least one camera for video taking the corresponding buoy field. Still according to the invention, said at least one control station may be apt to send to the operative centre, in the embodiments where this is present, one or more images taken by said at least one camera.
• said at least one transponder may be contained within a watertight shock-resistant floating plastic material moulded container.
• said at least one transponder may memorise said at least one identification code in encrypted form.
• said further communication means of said at least one control station may comprise at least one device of telephonic communication, via cable or GPRS, and/or at least one communication device through radio link for connecting to the operative centre.
• the communication between said at least one control station and the operative centre may occur through protected Internet connection.
• the operative centre may comprise further communication means through cellular telephony via SMS (Short Message Service) messages.
• said at least one control station may comprise further communication means through cellular telephony via SMS messages.
• an equipped buoy characterised in that it comprises first radiocommunication means apt to communicate with second radiocommunication means with which at least one control station is provided, in that it also comprises electronic means apt to transmit an interrogation signal for carrying out a passive radio frequency communication with at least one transponder, in such a way that said at least one transponder, when interrogated, talks with the electronic means providing at least one identification code, the electronic means transmitting, through the first radiocommunication means, said at least one identification code to said at least one control station, the equipped buoy being further characterised in that it is usable in a system for controlling and managing docking in a sea area as previously described.
• control station comprising second radiocommunication means apt to communicate with first radiocommunication means with which at least one equipped buoy is provided, the control station being characterised in that it is usable in a system for controlling and managing docking in a sea area as previously described.
• transponder apt, when interrogated, to talk with electronic means, in such a way to provide at least one identification code
• the transponder being characterised in that it is usable in a system for controlling and managing docking in a sea area as previously described.
• Figure 1 schematically shows a portion of a preferred embodiment of the system according to the invention
• Figure 2 shows a schematic elevation view of an equipped buoy employed in the system of Figure 1 ;
• Figure 3 schematically shows a detail of the configuration of interaction between the transmitter-responder device, or transponder, associated to a boat, and the equipped buoy of Figure 2; and Figure 4 schematically shows the local control station employed in the system of Figure 1.
• the system developed by the inventors is an effective technical solution which is capable to reconcile both the needs of the sea parks, which have to protect the environment and obtain economic compensations from the visits of the pleasure craft users, and the needs of these, which wish to enjoy the sea environment having real services in exchange for the payment of an admission fee.
• the system according to the invention comprises the creation of appropriate buoy fields enabling the controlled docking of boats with no need of anchoring in specific zones of a sea park. Such buoy fields, together with a prohibition of anchoring, assure the protection of the sea bottom, the possibility to issue a limited number of permission of staying at a park, determined by the number of available buoys, the economic gain for the management of the park, and the satisfaction of the pleasure craft users.
• the system according to the invention is an automated system for monitoring and managing the buoys, so as to assure a total control of the buoy fields by the administrative office of a park, the collection of the admission fee and the repression of not authorised exploitations of services.
• the preferred embodiment of the system according to the invention comprises a field having one or more equipped buoys 1 , apt to communicate with a local control station 2, which in turn communicates with an operative centre 3.
• the local control station 2 may manage any number of buoys 1 distributed within the range of hundreds of meters, while the operative centre 3 may manage any number of local control stations 2.
• an equipped buoy 1 employed in the preferred embodiment of .the system according to the invention comprises a float 4, preferably made of plastic reinforced by fibber glass and/or polycarbonate, inside which it is housed an electronic unit 5 connected to an antenna 6, preferably installed inside a ring placed on the top of the float 4.
• the electronic unit 5 preferably provided with a microprocessor, continuously transmits an interrogation signal within the surrounding environment and it is apt to carry out a passive radio frequency communication with a transmitter-responder, or transponder, having no power supply.
• the transponder receive the energy necessary for its own operation directly from the antenna 6 and talks with the electronic unit 5 giving its own identification code.
• the electronic unit 5 is apt to carry out the recognition of transponders 7 and, consequently, to detect the mooring of a boat.
• the system according to the invention provides for giving to each pleasure craft user, who requests it, a corresponding transponder 7 programmed with boat and/or pleasure craft user identification data; these data are further memorised in the operative centre 3, where they may be associated to other data concerning, for instance, the type of service requested by the pleasure craft user to which the transponder 7 corresponds.
• the transponder 7 of the preferred embodiment of the system according to the invention is contained within a watertight shock-resistant floating plastic material moulded container which incorporates and protects it; its memory uniquely contains an encrypted code corresponding to its serial number, to which the data related to the user recorded and associated to the transponder itself are associated in the memory of the operative centre.
• the transponder 7 has a ring shape corresponding to the one of the antenna 6 of the equipped buoy 1 , so that, once the mooring rope 13 is passed into the two corresponding rings, the transponder 7 is in electromagnetic visibility conditions with the antenna 6, preferably with the two corresponding rings in contact with each other.
• the ring of the antenna 6 further includes detecting means, for example infrared photodiode and/or phototransistor devices, apt to detect the passage of a rope into the ring itself.
• the association between the transponder 7 and the corresponding pleasure craft user (or the boat) enables, at the moment of docking, to verify the compliance with the administrative requirements, controlling the related credit, memorised in the operative centre.
• the transponders 7 are produced in large quantity and given to the users, together with an instruction sheet, after payment of a fee for the requested service, such as for instance the permission of staying at the park for a determined period, and a deposit fee, preferably equal to twice its cost, which is given back when the transponder 7 is returned; the user may also definitively keep it, by remotely activating the account when he intends to exploit the sen/ice.
• the equipped buoy 1 still comprises a radio communication device 8, provided with a corresponding antenna 9, apt to grant, the communication between buoy 1 and local control station 2.
• the radio communications between equipped buoy 1 and local control station 2 are based on the Wifi standard.
• the equipped buoy 1 is further provided with an autonomous power supply internal to the float 4, comprising a solar panel 10 and a storage battery 11.
• the solar panel 10 is advantageously placed in correspondence with a transparent portion of the float 4, preferably a window, which allows the external light to illuminate the sensitive area of the solar panel 10.
• the float 4 is kept in position through a sinker, not shown, resting on the bottom, to which it is hooked through a chain, not shown, coupled to an anchoring ring 12 placed at the bottom of the float 4.
• the local control station 2 comprises a radiocommunication unit 14 apt to communicate with the equipped buoys 1 of the field that it controls.
• the unit 14, which is preferably a Wifi Access Point, is connected to a device 15 of outward, preferably telephonic, communication, via cable or GPRS, and/or (for example in the case when GPRS signal lacks) to a radio link for connecting to the operative centre 3.
• the local station 2 is also provided with a camera 16 for video taking the buoy field, the image of which is displayed on the monitors of the operative centre 3 P completed with information provided by the equipped buoys 1.
• the local station 2 is preferably contained in a protective mimetic structure, for instance made of a watertight container in rock shape preferably made of fibber glass and/or polycarbonate, within which the electronic components and the power supply are housed, comprising at least one solar panel 17 and a storage battery 18.
• a control electronic unit 19 controls the operation of the local station 2.
• the local station 2 is the link between the equipped buoys 1 , with which it forms a wireless local area network or WLAN, and the operative centre 3, to which it transfers the data collected by the equipped buoys 1 and the images taken by the camera 16 aiming at the buoy field, in order to prove mooring infractions and/or to give evidences of illegal behaviours, such as forbidden anchoring or fishing.
• the information from the local control stations 2 reach the operative centre 3 preferably through Internet link with protected connection.
• the operative centre 3 has a primary role in the system according to the invention. In fact, it is provided with means apt to program the transponders 7 given to the pleasure craft users. Moreover, in the operative centre 3 the state of the equipped buoys 1 of all the buoy fields spread over the park is controlled, for which it is provided a corresponding local control station 2. In fact, as already mentioned, the buoys 1 are capable to detect the presence of the transponders 7 and mooring abuse, transmitting data to the corresponding local control station 2. This one provides the information, with the image of the buoy field taken by the camera 16 and transmits all to the operative centre 3.
• the image of the buoy field is displayed on monitors with which the operative centre 3 is provided, together with windows containing the information coming from the several equipped buoys 1 of the corresponding field, so as to give evidences of possible mooring abuses, even when the buoy device should be eluded, and to take punishing actions.
• the system according to the invention enables the extension of services which may be exploited by a user through SMS (Short Message Service) messages coming from a cellular telephone associated to the corresponding transponder 7; the system may further enable the warning of expiration of the pre-paid time, still through a SMS message sent to the same cellular telephone appropriately in advance.
• SMS Short Message Service
• Such service will result particularly welcome to the pleasure craft users who would wish to stay more than they estimated, without leaving the mooring in order to get to the operative centre 3 for renewing the permission of staying.
• the operative centre 3 there are operators capable to interpret data and images, to have relationships with the users for distributing the transponders 7, for collecting the corresponding fees, and for solving management problems.
• the organisation may be represented by a classic configuration with Front Office and Back Office.
• transponders 7 are programmed and handed, telephone calls and messages, for requested service extension are received, possible complaints are processed.
• the operative centre 3 may take advantage of entering into agreements with cellular telephony companies, for making possible the recharge of the user accounts through SMS or e-mail.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Remote Sensing (AREA)
• Finance (AREA)
• Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
• Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Electrotherapy Devices (AREA)
• Mobile Radio Communication Systems (AREA)
• Arrangements For Transmission Of Measured Signals (AREA)
• Control Of Eletrric Generators (AREA)
• Control Of Steam Boilers And Waste-Gas Boilers (AREA)
• Selective Calling Equipment (AREA)
• Alarm Systems (AREA)
• Farming Of Fish And Shellfish (AREA)
• Electrical Discharge Machining, Electrochemical Machining, And Combined Machining (AREA)

Priority Applications (2)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

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Family Applications (1)

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Cited By (1)

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• 2002
  • 2002-10-07 IT IT000507A patent/ITRM20020507A1/it unknown
• 2003
  • 2003-09-29 AT AT03758685T patent/ATE381080T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2003-09-29 HR HR20050302A patent/HRP20050302A2/xx not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2003-09-29 PT PT03758685T patent/PT1550086E/pt unknown
  • 2003-09-29 AU AU2003274723A patent/AU2003274723A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-09-29 ES ES03758685T patent/ES2297212T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-09-29 WO PCT/IT2003/000582 patent/WO2004032064A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2003-09-29 DK DK03758685T patent/DK1550086T3/da active
  • 2003-09-29 DE DE60318087T patent/DE60318087T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-09-29 EP EP03758685A patent/EP1550086B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 2008
  • 2008-03-12 CY CY20081100278T patent/CY1107904T1/el unknown

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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