WO2008029221A2

WO2008029221A2 - Process and system for remote monitoring of boats

Info

Publication number: WO2008029221A2
Application number: PCT/IB2007/002421
Authority: WO
Inventors: Dante Milani; Marco Campanari
Original assignee: Mediawebview S.R.L.
Priority date: 2006-08-29
Filing date: 2007-08-23
Publication date: 2008-03-13
Also published as: ITMI20061649A1; WO2008029221A3

Abstract

A process and a system for the remote monitoring of a boat are described, in which a control unit installed on a boat to be monitored transmits a plurality of information to a remote main control unit. The transmitted information is detected by a plurality of sensors, including one or more video cameras, installed on the boat.

Description

"PROCESS AND SYSTEM FOR REMOTE MONITORING OF BOATS"

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns α process and a system for the remote monitoring of boats and, in particular, to allow a boat owner to remotely monitor the state of one of his boats. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The monitoring systems already known in the art basically have the function of detecting possible intrusions by unauthorized persons on the boat and detecting possible anomalous conditions, such as flooding of the bilge and/or operation of the associated bilge pump for example, as well as situations where the boat's battery is insufficiently charged or, in any case, other events that can be detected via suitable sensors. When the detection of any event occurs, the known systems are set up to send an alarm signal directly to the boat owner, or also to organizations that deal with the surveillance and/or maintenance of a certain number of boats. In this case, the signals regarding each event can also be stored in appropriate databases that then allow operations to be scheduled according to the urgency that each event entails.

Although constituting a valid aid to protecting the boat, these known systems are not able to provide the boat owner with all of the information that could be useful to the same boat owner for making better use of his craft.

For example, a boat owner in a place faraway from the boat may have the need, at any time, to check if the boat is in condition for being quickly ready for use, or if the local weather conditions are such as to allow the boat to be used soon. All without having to renounce to the notification of anomalous events that is typical of the known monitoring systems. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is therefore that of offering a monitoring process and system able to also provide a boat owner with information that allows making better use of the boat. Another object of the present invention is that of offering a boat monitoring system that can be easily accessed by the boat owner or, in any case, by any other user authorized to access the information regarding the boat in question.

A further object of the present invention is that of offering a boat monitoring system that can be built in an inexpensive manner. According to a first aspect of the present invention, these objects are achieved thanks to a process for monitoring a boat in accordance with claim 1.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a system is offered for the remote monitoring of a boat, including:

- at least one local control unit installed on a boat to be monitored; - a plurality of sensors connected to the local control unit to detect certain types of event on the boat;

- at least one communication device connected to the local control unit;

- at least one main control unit to receive a plurality of information, including data representing events detected by at least one of the sensors; and

- means for giving one or more authorized users access to the information.

In practice, all of the information concerning each boat is sent to a main control unit that stores it and then makes it available, via the Internet for example, to the boat owner or any other authorized user. According to one advantageous aspect of the present invention, the sensors include one or more video cameras able to take images that are then transmitted and made available to the authorized user that requests them.

In general, all of the information and the images regarding a boat are periodically transmitted to the main control unit with a preset frequency. The latter stores them in a "historic" database of the boat that can be consulted by an authorized user.

The information can also be advantageously transmitted in real time to the main control unit following a request made by authorized user who at that time is connected to the main control unit via the Internet. Thanks to the specific technology applied in the invention, all of the information can be transmitted to the main control unit over connections with limited bandwidth. In fact, at least with regards to the transmission of video streams from the boat to the user, a product identified by the MEDIAWEBMEDIA trademark is advantageously used, a software made by the same Applicant and which thanks to a special compression procedure guarantees excellent video quality with small transmission bandwidth utilization.

In any case, the typical alarm signals of known systems are also provided, for example, those regarding an increase in the level of bilge water or a drop in the level of charge of the batteries installed on the boat. These alarm signals can also be transmitted directly to the boat owner, for example, in the form of SMS messages sent to a mobile peripheral device registered in the name of the boat owner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention shall become clearer from the following description, made by way of example and with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is a schematic representation of the components installed on a boat in a system according to the present invention, and

- Figure 2 is a schematic representation that illustrates some of the steps of the process according to the present invention.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Some of the components installed on the boat are shown in the schematic representation of Figure 1 , in particular a local control unit 10, to which a communication device 20 and a plurality of "sensors" are connected. In the following, the term "sensors" is used to identify the various means of detecting certain conditions, for example video cameras, meteorological sensors, liquid level sensors, motion sensors and devices for detecting the electrical charge state of accumulators or similar devices, some of which shall be described in greater detail in the following.

The local control unit 10 consists, for example, of a personal computer opportunely fitted out to provide all of the functions strictly necessary for its utilization, with systems to limit energy consumption to the minimum and allow it to be powered by the batteries on the boat. The unit 10 is equipped with a screen 1 1 , preferably of the "touchscreen" type, which facilitates interaction with the installed software to execute the available functions and enter the user's preferred settings. A communication device 20 is connected to the local control unit 10 that allows the information collected by the sensors installed onboard the boat to be transmitted via an antenna 21. The communication device 20 consists of a modem able to connect to one of the available networks and can consist, for example, of a modem suitable for GPRS, EDGE, UMTS or satellite connections or the like. Alternatively, the communication device 20 can consist of an ADSL modem/router, possibly equipped with an integrated access point for direct connection to the Internet. The diagram in Figure 1 also shows some of the sensors connected to the local control unit 10 that allow different types of information to be collected, for example, images from video cameras 30 installed at different points on the boat, information and/or alarm signals on the charge state of the accumulators 31 via a suitable electronic device 32, and also information and/or alarm signals on the bilge water level via a special level sensor 35.

The possibility is also provided of collecting and transmitting information about local weather conditions, for example, via a weather station 40 that receives radio-frequency signals from an anemometer 41 , a thermo-hygrometer 42 and a rain gauge 43. The sensors 41-43 are connected to each other via suitable cables and at least one of the sensors, the thermo-hygrometer 42 for example, provides the electric power supply to the others and performs the function of a radio-frequency transmitter to the weather station 40. Figure 2 schematically represents the interactions between the various components of the monitoring system, with particular reference to some of the steps of the process according to the present invention. For example, the components shown in Figure 1 are installed on a boat 100, with the antenna 21 transmitting data over a communication network 1 10, such as the Internet for example.

The data collected by the sensors installed on the boat 100 is processed by the local control unit 10 (Fig. 1 ) for transmission in a structured form to a main control unit, or server 50. All of the data originating from all the monitored boats is collected on the unit 50 and stored in α database.

The owner of the boat 100 can access the information regarding his boat via any terminal 60 connected to the Internet 1 10. After having performed an identification and authorization procedure, the boat owner is able to consult the "historic" database regarding his own boat, or request to connect himself directly to the local control unit 10 installed on his boat to receive images and/or other instantly detectable information in real time. For example, data transmission from the boat 100 to the server 50 can be carried out periodically with a preset frequency, thereby updating the historic database for the boat 100 or, in the case of real time connection requested by the boat owner, data from the boat can be instantaneously transmitted and made available to the boat owner. In cases where particular events occur, for example, an increase in the bilge water level or a drop in the charge of the accumulators, the transmission of an alarm signal directly to boat owner can also be provided, for example, via an SMS message transmitted directly to a mobile phone or a mobile peripheral device of the boat owner. Various changes can be made with respect to the embodiments described herein without leaving the scope of the present invention. For example, the number and type of sensors could vary with respect to that shown. In addition to images, it is possible to provide for the transmission of an image stream to a mobile peripheral device of the boat owner that is able to connect to the Internet to directly access the server 50. Furthermore, even though explicit reference has been made to the monitoring of boats, the principles of the present invention are also applicable to other types of possessions normally situated in remote locations with respect to the respective owners, for example, planes, campers, caravans or the like.

Claims

1. A process for the remote monitoring of α boat, characterized by including the steps of: a) installing a local control unit on the boat to be monitored; b) connecting said local control unit to a plurality of sensors able to detect certain types of events on said boat; c) connecting said local control unit to at least one communication device; d) transmitting a plurality of information, including data representing events detected by at least one of said sensors, to a main control unit; and e) making access to said information available to one or more authorized users.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said sensors include one or more video cameras.

3. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said communication device include a GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, ADSL or satellite modem or the like.

4. The process according to any of the previous claims, wherein said information includes one or more images taken by said one or more video cameras.

5. The process according to any of the previous claims, wherein at least said one or more images taken by said one or more video cameras are transmitted in a compressed format by the MEDIAWEBMEDIA program.

6. The process according to any of the previous claims, wherein said information is periodically transmitted with a preset frequency to said main control unit.

7. The process according to any of the previous claims, wherein said information is transmitted in real time to said main control unit upon request by one or more authorized users.

8. The process according to any of the previous claims, wherein said information is made available to said one or. more authorized users via the Internet.

9. The process according to any of the previous claims, wherein said local control unit transmits at least one warning message to a mobile peripheral device of at least one of said authorized users when at least one of the events detectable by said sensors occurs.

10. A system for the remote monitoring of a boat, characterized by including:

- at least one local control unit installed on a boat to be monitored,

- a plurality of sensors connected to said local control unit to ^' detect certain types of event on said boat;

- at least one communication device connected to said local control unit;

- at least one main control unit to receive a plurality of information including data representing events detected by at least one of said sensors; and

- means for giving one or more authorized users access to said information.

1 1 . The system according to claim 10, wherein said sensors include one or more video cameras.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein said communication device include a GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, ADSL or satellite modem or the like.

13. The system according to any of claims 10 to 12, wherein said information includes one or more images taken by said one or more video cameras.

14. The system according to any of claims 10 to 13, wherein said means for making said information accessible to said one or more authorized users include the Internet.

15. The system according to any of claims 10 to 14, wherein said means for making said information accessible to said one or more authorized users include at least one mobile peripheral device able to receive at least one warning message produced by said local control unit when at least one of the events detectable by said sensors occurs.