FR3071815A1 - CONNECTED, COMPUTERIZED, ROBOTIZED AND PROPULSE SWIM BOARD - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a swimming board equipped with several custom modules, including a computer including a personal computer (50), a monitor (44), joysticks (56,58), a multimedia (64,68) with video cameras ( 52, 54, 60) and a robot including a camera drone or an underwater robot, to virtually descend to the depths of the dive, which is associated with a water jet propellant. The invention makes it possible, during the assisted practice of swimming and snorkeling, to visualize multimedia contents, to communicate and receive information, to geo-position, to collect underwater images and to disseminate them by internet, to associate social networks with practice, to measure personal and environmental parameters, to dive virtually into the seabed, to map them and to move on water by hydrojet.

Description

The present invention relates to a swimming aid device, such as an individual swimming board, connected to the internet and equipped to allow its user, either by swimming, or snorkeling:

1- view multimedia content and in particular videos,

2- communicate and obtain information available on the internet,

3- define its spatial location,

4- collect underwater images,

5- disseminate, in real time and via the internet, the information and images collected,

6- practice interactive and network swimming, even using speech,

7- measure the parameters of its physical state, its close environment and even map the seabed below,

8- integrate special equipment, such as the echo sounder, the camera drone, the underwater mini-robot or the water jet propellant, into the said device to increase the collection of information, including at great depths, while remaining at water surface or just under water, stopped or moving.

The innovative approach consists in creating a modular system, customizable to meet the specific needs of users, capable of accomplishing, under various configurations, the eight previous objectives and offering with indisputable advantages, an alternative method to scuba diving. marine with bottle.

The technical field of the invention relates to the practice of board assisted swimming and snorkeling. The main object of the present invention is to increase security and to enrich, with information and images, the practice of the assisted, connected and networked nation. In addition, it aims to offer an innovative technological choice, easy access and without risks, to all those who do not practice scuba diving, or 99% of the population, for the discovery and exploration of the seabed, directly and in real time. Finally, the invention covers sectors as varied as tourism, education, ecology and underwater scientific research.

This invention complements the invention with the reference FR2965790 - 2012-04-13 (BOPI2012-15) called "Individual device for flotation aid, safety and enrichment of aquatic activities".

The aquatic spaces covered by this invention are beaches, the coastal coast, coral reefs, marine reserves, rivers, lakes, ponds, the high seas and swimming pools. The device is intended for all aquatic activities on the surface of the water, such as swimming, and also for activities underwater such as snorkeling. The invention therefore targets a global market of several hundred million people, swimming being the most practiced sport in the world.

The device covered by this patent is a new version of the kickboard which provides a recognized means of improving the technique of swimming. This improvement is evident in particular with regard to the movements of the hips, legs and feet, the positive buoyancy of the board relieving the effort of the user.

In addition to this improvement and compared to the state of the art in this field, the invention represents - thanks to the integration of the most recent contributions of new technologies, mobile terminals, video cameras, internet networks and of underwater robotics, another considerable technical advance.

The state of the prior art is discussed below.

Swimming boards available on the market, whatever their shape, size and constitution, are only designed as accessories to improve the buoyancy of users and therefore have no other function. Above all, they have not integrated any of the developments in new information and communication technologies. They are made of wood, plastic or foam, of rectangular or triangular shapes, with a rounded end and notches to position the hands either at the front, the elbows resting on the board, or at the back of the board .

Some boards specially designed for snorkeling kickboard, in molded polyethylene, have a transparent plastic window surrounded by a neoprene mask which allows its user to see the shallow seabed, without being bothered by ambient light.

The users of the boards available on the market practice their aquatic activities alone, on the fringes of the digital world, outside of social networks, without any access to the sources of information available on the internet, without being able to receive or send images, without having data on their cartographic positions and therefore without possibility of assistance in case of need. While today the majority of people remain easily accessible, via their mobiles, it is surprising that they are not when they practice swimming in spaces where the internet is already available, either by WiFi or by 4G / 5G. This is a drawback which makes this activity less educational, more risky and therefore less attractive.

Furthermore, as all those who swim or snorkel are not connected, they cannot participate in the effort to raise public awareness of the marine environment in general, its biodiversity, the pollution problems of coastal areas, on the evolution of marine reserves, etc. and therefore an exceptional source of information on the aquatic world is not exploited.

The device according to the invention overcomes the shortcomings and disadvantages of the current state of the art and it brings, thanks to new communication and information technologies and underwater robotics, a new dimension to the practice of swimming and snorkeling on the one hand, and opens new perspectives to the practice of scuba diving, on the other hand.

The following presentation aims to allow an understanding of the technical solution provided to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art.

The innovative approach of the present invention consisted in creating a device, assembling various modules, which combines the ability to offer the user the additional buoyancy he needs to stay afloat and to associate with this basic device several optional and personalized modules so that the user can have access to the Internet, integrate social networks, receive and transmit information and images, position themselves, collect underwater images and data from their immediate environment, monitor their physical condition and increase its means by the use of equipment such as underwater mini-robots of the ROV (remote operated vehicles) type or echo sounders which, thanks to underwater acoustics, make it possible to determine the depth of the seabed and detect, for example, the presence of fish.

The combination of the swimming board and a personal computer is not common. Likewise, that of this board and an underwater drone is unprecedented. It becomes possible through the miniaturization of different computer components, cameras, various terminals, including tablets and mobile phones. This is also true for drones whose miniaturization is more recent and by the constant reduction in prices.

For the past few months, there has been a large selection of underwater drone cameras on the international market which have dimensions and weights compatible with professional boards. One of the great advantages of associating the board with this type of drone is that it makes it possible to considerably reduce the length of the umbilical cable which ensures the control of the drone and, possibly, its power supply when the drone is not equipped with batteries. The invention therefore generates a new application which should eventually replace scuba diving: swimmers, while remaining on the water surface with the board, will capture views of the seabed directly below thanks to the drone equipped with a cable of some 10 to 20 meters, 5 times shorter than the cables of current drones. So this is a breakthrough invention.

To achieve these objectives, the device covered by the invention is designed as a set of easily assembled functional blocks, preferably comprising customizable modules which can be integrated according to the different needs of the user and which are described below.

The basic module is the flotation module, preferably the swimming board, which can have different shapes and be made of different materials ensuring its better buoyancy and resistance. It can be held in different positions and is designed to facilitate its grip in these positions. It is also intended for easy integration of the other modules, according to the user's wishes and has special reservations to allow rapid assembly of the modules. The reservations provided in the basic module for assembling the other modules are intended to be connected to each other and form an integrated operational network.

In addition to the flotation module, i.e. the swimming board, the main modules of the invention are:

1. the computer module, it allows you to receive and transmit information from the Internet, process this information, store it, use the programs available online for creation and geo-position the user.

2. the collection, reception and display module,

3. the transmission module,

4. the displacement module,

5. the operational and electromechanical module, allows to operate the IT unit,

The computer module, in a preferred configuration, includes a waterproof personal computer, either integrated in a box under the basic module, or carried by the user in his backpack. This computer can also be connected to the user's mobile phone to allow them to access, if necessary, the WiFi4G / 5G network.

The receiving module, covering the collection and display of information, in this preferred configuration, includes a monitor housed in a waterproof housing which is attached to the base module. To improve the visibility of the images on the monitor, a detachable sun visor is provided.

This module also combines a waterproof earphone mounted on a helmet that serves as a support for a microphone, and an antenna, extendable and adjustable, connected to the computer, is fixed to the front of the basic module, when the computer is in below, or attached directly to the computer, when worn by the IT user.

The collection of information also includes devices and appliances connected or integrated into the basic module, such as:

- 2D, 3D or 360 ° photo / video cameras placed either under the basic module or on the user's helmet,

- sensors for collecting user body data such as temperature, heart rate, blood pressure ...

- sensors for the collection of basic parameters on near aquatic environment such as temperature, salinity, pH, turbidity or dissolved oxygen.

- an echo sounder for collecting data from the seabed enabling bathymetric maps to be drawn up,

- an ROV type underwater robot which is connected to a remote instrumented buoy and operated from the board via this buoy, and whose positioning, relative to the operator is monitored thanks to the echo sounder installed under the board while the operator is geo-positioned by his computer.

The module for transmitting information to the WiFi-4G / 5G network includes the antenna described above, the capacity of which can be enhanced by the integration of an amplifier, installed either on the front of the basic module or on the computer carried by the user, or installed on the instrumented buoy used for the operation of a ROV in deep and / or turbid waters.

This transmission module could also, in another preferred configuration, use the personal devices of the users, either the mobile phone or the tablet PC, in the event that the visibility and the environmental conditions allow their direct use on the basic module, possibly in watertight enclosures provided for this alternative. The transmission module could then also function as a reception module.

The displacement module allows the user, on the surface of the water or, carrying a snorkel just below, to move thanks to a propellant, for example, a water jet propellant attached under the board.

The operational and electromechanical module allows the connection and operation of all the modules. It includes joysticks for the operation of the computer unit, reserve batteries, the wire feeder of the robot cable, the remote controls of the cameras, the links, either by bluetooth technology, or wired between the various terminals, instruments or devices. Considering that bluetooth operation is random underwater, the wired connection is chosen as the preferred solution and the bluetooth option is one of the potential alternatives when the board is mainly intended for swimming on the water.

The present invention will be better understood and details will be apparent from the description which will be given, by way of nonlimiting example, of a preferred embodiment, in relation to the figures of the appended plates, in which:

- Figure 1 shows the upper and lower views of the basic module of the device of the invention.

- Figure 2 shows one of the preferred applications for connected swimming of the invention device.

- Figure 3 shows one of the preferred applications for apnea and for diving with mini-bottle, connected, of the device of the invention

- Figure 4 shows one of the preferred applications for taking underwater images with the device of the invention associated with a camera drone or a biomimetic drone, for close observation and non-intrusive study of marine ecosystems and coral reefs.

- Figure 5 shows the preferred application for water jet propulsion of the device of the invention.

- Figure 6 shows one of the preferred applications for the operation, via an instrumented buoy, of an ROV type underwater robot with the device of the invention.

- Figure 7 shows a flowchart of the operational architecture of the device of the invention.

These figures are described in detail below for various embodiments of the invention, specifying the characteristics of the parts constituting the invention as well as their arrangement and operation.

Figure 1 shows the two views, upper and lower, of the basic module (2) which contributes to the buoyancy of the user and constitutes the platform where the other components of the different modules are arranged. This board is designed to meet the specific objectives of the invention. It has a design and is structured to adapt to the various functions provided when used in swimming, snorkeling, snorkeling, diving, for the operation of underwater robots and with water jet propulsion.

In the upper view we note the two rounded hollows (8) for the high grip and the two recesses (20) for the low grip of the board. A set of reservations are provided on this face to allow rapid connection of the plug and play type of the following components;

a- upper joysticks (4) and lower joysticks (14), b- waterproof cases containing either a monitor, a tablet PC, or a mobile telephone (6).

c- the antenna for internet access (18), c- a microphone (16), d- user data sensors (10), e- near environment data sensors (12).

In the lower view we note in the center a rectangular reservation (22). The structural strength of the board is obtained by a frame of eight tubular elements (26) placed in a star around this central reservation which is delimited by a rigid frame (28) on which they are fixed. In this tubular structure which is covered by a foam ensuring the flotation of the assembly, will house the wired network connecting the various components mentioned previously while the central reservation (22) is provided to house a sealed housing where will be placed, among other things , the computer module and the electromechanical module.

FIG. 2 presents the preferred solution for using the device of the invention for the connected practice of swimming and snorkeling. The user (40) equipped with an audio headset (42), on which is attached a retractable microphone (64) and a 2D / 3D camera (52), carries in her waterproof backpack (73), retained by the straps (72), a personal computer (50) connected to said headset by the cable (70). Facing the user is the monitor (44) in a transparent and waterproof case (43), which snaps closed with a cover (45), is articulated on the ball joints (74) and is protected by a barrier. sun (46). Alternatively, said housing can accommodate a tablet PC (53) or a mobile phone (55). It operates the computer-monitor unit connected by the cable (62) and the strap (72) and powered by the battery housed in the waterproof reservation (76), thanks to the two joysticks (56,58), ia reception and transmission information to the internet network being provided by the extendable and orientable antenna (48). In addition, the user (40) also has the possibility of taking underwater, half-air, half-water or aerial photos by operating with his remote control bracelet (54), the 2D / 3D camera (60) installed. on an articulated arm (66). The device of the invention in this configuration allows its operation on the surface of the water and in immersion, subject to the use of a snorkel.

FIG. 3 shows another use of the device of the invention to allow the user to leave the board, which remains floating on the surface of the water playing the role of a buoy for the connection with the internet and for signaling the presence of the diver, and practice either apnea without breathing, or scuba diving with a mini-bottle which gives him between 5 and 10 minutes of autonomy.

For apnea, the user equipped with a snorkel (80), a lamp (82), a helmet (42), to which is attached the camera (52) which he can control by his bracelet ( 54), carries on its back, in a waterproof bag, the personal computer (50) which is connected by an optical fiber (86) to the waterproof case (96) placed in the reservation (22). In this waterproof housing are housed the computer and electromechanical components necessary to ensure the operations of controlling a microprocessor (51), the self-winding reel of the optical fiber (92) and of transferring data to the internet network by the antenna ( 48), which, carrying at its end a LED lamp signals the presence of the diver. The bracelet (54) and the camera (52) have a wired connection (85) with the computer (50).

For diving, the difference is that the user is equipped with a regulator connected to a mini-bottle (98) which he wears on his diving vest and ensures his autonomy in immersion.

FIG. 4 represents the device of the invention used as the operating platform of a camera drone allowing its user practicing, for example, webbed swimming, to observe, study, take photos and videos of underwater ecosystems , non-intrusively, while remaining on the surface of the water.

The operator (40) holds the board, for example, through the recesses (20) and actuates the left joystick (56) and the right joystick (58) which allow her to control the components housed in the waterproof case (96) such the personal computer (51) or the self-winding reel of optical fiber (92) and the movements of the camera drone (100). The operator, moreover, can view the images captured by the camera drone on the monitor (44) protected by the sun visor (46) and transmit or receive information from the internet network by the antenna (48). She also has the possibility of having the information collected by the sensors of her personal parameters (10) and her close environment (12) in her bracelet (54).

FIG. 5 represents another function of the device of the invention allowing the mobility of the system (2) on and under water thanks, for example, to the integration of a water jet propellant (110), attached on the bottom surface. In this configuration, the user takes the board by the lower recesses (20) and operates the assembly by the joysticks (56) and (58). The propellant (110) is fixed to the basic module at two points, at the front by a collar (112) articulated on a ball joint (114) which allows rotations of this ring and therefore of the propellant which is fixed at the rear , by the collar (118), on the housing (96) by a guide (120) having the shape of an arc of circle tightened by pairs of rollers allowing the propellant, actuated by the operator, thanks to the lever ( 126), turn left or right (124) and thus change the direction of movement of the board on the water. The operator also has the possibility of using the video camera (60), fixed to the front of the thruster on the collar (112), by an arm articulated on the ball joint (116).

FIG. 6 represents a preferred method for the association of the device of the invention with an underwater robot of the ROV (remote operated vehicle) type ensuring its underwater operation at great depths and its tracking, without visibility, in the marine space. Positioning the robot is a difficulty in the current state of the art and overcoming it opens up new possibilities for using these robots in many common cases and, in particular, in marine reserves.

The operator (40), equipped with an audio headset (42) having an earpiece (68) and a microphone (64) follows on the monitor (44), protected by a sun visor (46), the evolution of an ROV type underwater robot (130) which is connected to a remote instrumented buoy (150), fixed to the bottom by an anchor (148), having an antenna (48), or by an umbilical cable, either by an optical fiber (142) depending, respectively, that the robot draws current from the batteries of the buoy or that it is autonomous thanks to the integrated batteries. In both cases, the most suitable technical solution for the device of the invention consists in providing in the buoy, the reel of the cable or of the optical fiber. The buoy having its own computer unit it records the information collected by the robot and transmits it to the operator who receives it, by the antenna (48) and can be viewed on the monitor (44).

The operator controls the movements of the robot using the two joysticks (56) and (58) and can locate it using the echo sounder (140) which is fixed to the waterproof housing (96) by the ring (138). In the said housing are housed the personal computer (51), batteries (144) and other computer components (146), such as memory cards. The images produced by the sonar wave beam (122) of the echo sounder are displayed in the monitor (46) after their processing by the personal computer (44) and the cartographic programs dedicated to this geo-positioning. In addition, when visibility conditions are favorable, the operator can use the 2D / 3D camera (60) to generate photos and videos of the areas covered by the robot.

FIG. 7 represents the operational architecture characteristic of the device of the invention. This diagram makes it possible to understand how the various modules of the invention can be arranged and function to offer to the various types of users services which the state of the prior art does not offer.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the variants and applications described above by way of nonlimiting examples. It also relates to all the variant embodiments within the reach of those skilled in the art, within the scope of the claims below.

Claims (8)

1) Connected and computerized aid device for swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving, comprising a swimming board having a structure (26,28), a design (8,20) and provisions (4,6,8,10, 12, 14,16) characterized in that it comprises a waterproof and transparent case (43), protected by a sun visor (46), which houses a computer monitor ( 44) connected to an antenna (48), offering internet access, to a personal computer (50), either carried by the user in a waterproof backpack (73), or integrated into said monitor (44) and operated by the levers (56, 58) that the user can operate while holding on to said board. 2) Device according to claim 1 characterized in that it comprises two cameras, a video camera (60) mounted on said device by an articulated and flexible arm (66), said camera being connected to said personal computer (50) by cable (62) and a second 2D / 3D photo and video camera (52) fixed on the helmet (42) worn by the user, connected by cable (70) to said personal computer (50) said helmet comprising in addition, an audio earpiece (68) and a microphone (64), this second camera can also be operated by "bluetooth" thanks to the bracelet (54) worn by said user. 3) Device according to claim 1 characterized in that, the personal computer (50) and the computer monitor (44) are either a tablet PC (53) or a mobile phone (55), placed in the waterproof and transparent housing (43) which closes with pressure with the cover (45) and operated by the same levers (56,58). 4) Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the user moves away from the swimming board (2), which remains on the surface of the water and plays the role of buoy connected to the internet, for snorkeling, thanks either using a snorkel (80), or a regulator (97) and a mini air bottle for diving (98) worn in the diving vest. Said user remains connected to the board by optical fiber (86) which ensures the connection between his personal computer (50) carried in the waterproof backpack (73) and the waterproof case (96) fixed under the board where are housed the computer unit (51) connected to the antenna (48) and the self-winding reel of the optical fiber (92), said computer unit and the video camera fixed to the helmet (42) being operated by the bracelet (54 ) thanks to the wired connection (85). 5) Device according to claim 4 characterized in that a camera drone (100), connected by optical fiber (86) to the personal computer (51) by the self-winding reel (92), both housed in the housing waterproof (96), is operated by the two controllers (56,58) while the images collected by the said camera drone are displayed in the monitor (44) and are transmitted to the internet network by the antenna (48). 6) Device according to claim 5 characterized in that under the board (2) is attached a water jet propellant (110) fixed at the front to a ball joint (114) by a collar (112) and to the rear, by the collar (118) to a circular arc guide (120) fixed to the housing (96) on which pairs of rollers slide to the left or to the right of the user, within the limits of the angle ( 124) when it actuates the lever (126) to change the direction of its movement. The video camera (60) fixed by an articulated arm to the ball joint (116) makes it possible to collect underwater videos of the journey that the user is viewing in the monitor (44) connected, on the one hand, to the personal computer. housed in said housing (96) and, on the other hand, the antenna (48) giving access to the internet, the operation of the assembly being carried out by means of the two controllers (56, 58) and, when possible by "bluetooth", by the bracelet (54). 7) Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the user (40) teleoperates with the joysticks (56,58) an underwater robot of the ROV type (130), electrically autonomous and equipped, inter alia, with a camera (136), thanks to a remote instrumented buoy (150), computerized and equipped with an antenna (48), anchored in the seabed by the anchor (148) to which said underwater robot is connected by a cable or by an optical fiber (142), the self-winding reel is preferably housed in said buoy. Said user follows the movements of the robot and its positioning in the underwater space using an echo sounder (140) fixed to the waterproof housing (96), by the ring (138), where a computer (51) is housed, batteries (144) and miscellaneous computer components (146). Said user sees in the monitor (44) the position of the robot in the sonar cone (132), can take videos of the underwater journey with the camera (60) and can integrate this journey into the mapping of the region using the internet network accessible by its antenna (48) and, moreover, can communicate thanks to the microphone (64) and the audio earpiece (68) attached to the headset (42). 8) Device claim 1 characterized in that it comprises a set of sensors, integrated into the wired network, which allow the user, at any time, to know the parameters of his body, such as temperature or heart rate, by body sensors (10), or its close environment, such as temperature, salinity or pH, by environmental sensors (12), to record them in the database of its personal computer (50,51) or to transmit them by internet.