Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63C—LAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS
  • B63C9/00—Life-saving in water
  • B63C9/0005—Life-saving in water by means of alarm devices for persons falling into the water, e.g. by signalling, by controlling the propulsion or manoeuvring means of the boat

Definitions

• the SAFE DETECTION SYSTEM (or "SDS") is a new electronic device designed to detect, through one or more suitably-located sensors on a motorboat or sailing boat at sea, the presence of one or more persons in the correct command position. On detecting the absence of these people from the predetermined position, or in positions that are not appropriate according to a preset standard, the system will carry out certain automatic safety actions.
• This system which is currently used, is absolutely unfit for ensuring the safety of people and objects in the event of an accident and, more importantly, does not provide any element of accident prevention.
• the SDS device is characterised by the original fact of activating itself when the vehicle is started up, and therefore without the need for manual action on the part of the user. This excludes its non-use through carelessness, or human error, or else through an involuntary action when starting up the vehicle.
• the elastic cable that connects the captain to the safety button must necessarily be of a length to allow a certain margin of movement, and it must be of appropriate resistance so as to avoid disconnecting the cable before it has reached its full length: the cable in question is normally approximately 1ZO cm in length. All of this places significant limits on the safety system: for example, in the case of a stroke, the captain would collapse on himself and, given the length of the cable, there is a real risk that the system does not become activated.
• the SDS device is different. Being equipped with a sensor that observes the correct position of the captain, it is capable of noticing any abnormality.
• the cable pull system currently in use is also limited in that it does not provide any warning to the captain, instead intervening directly to shut off the engine. This raises some concerns, as the sudden blocking of the engine is in itself a danger for people and objects: a danger that increases in direct proportion with the velocity of the vehicle, and in indirect proportion with the tonnage of the vehicle.
• the SOS device has a warning function, through light and acoustic signals of just a few seconds duration but which are nevertheless sufficient to draw the attention of the captain to rectify the abnormality, or else to warn the crew.
• the SDS device also has accident prevention as an objective.
• This device is characterised by the possibility of observing, through one or more sensors, not only the presence or absence of those in charge of the vehicle, but also their correct position, predetermined by the manufacturer or installer, so as to prevent distractions or bad habits of the users.
• a position with reduced, insufficient, or blocked vision Consider, for example, a position with reduced, insufficient, or blocked vision.
• the SDS device before activating, will warn the captain through light and acoustic signals.
• the SOS device has the ability to establish, through one or more sensors, a minimum height of the subjects to be monitored, and is therefore able to prevent adverse events related to actions by children or pets.
• the SDS device not only stops the engine in the event of an accident, but is also capable of a series of automated actions for protecting the safety of the persons and objects, depending on the severity of the event (degree of irreversibility): lighting and acoustic warning of the abnormality; shutting off of the engine; switching on the headlamps; activating alarm sirens; launching telephone, multimedia, or VHF radio communications; launching mayday signals by VHF radio; activation of an EPIRB signal; recording, as required, all detected anomalies in a dedicated depository commonly known as a "black box".
• the device SDS behaves in a progressive manner via the automatic execution of a series of actions, which occur according to programmed steps. These are managed by a control unit and are based on the time since the detection of the first abnormality, therefore proceeding according to the severity of the event (degree of irreversibility).
• Detection of the correct position of the subjects being monitored at the controls is entrusted to one or more sensors, or else to infra-red transceivers, that must be positioned in an appropriate manner for this aim.
• a single sensor positioned on the command console so as to detect the person at the vehicle controls, at shoulder or chest height (at about 120 cm from the deck: variable according to specific requirements).
• the correct positioning of the sensors is fundamental for valid functioning of the device. Indeed, incorrect positioning of the sensors could render the SDS partially ineffective, given the device's function of protecting the correct control position by excluding the possibility that children or animals, of a lower height than that of the sensor, could start up the vehicle's engines, accidentally or not.
• Block (2) represents the binnacle/command console used to engage the gears and activate propulsion
• block (3) represents the control unit that manages the combination of the two signals coming from blocks (1) and (2).
• the SDS When the control unit receives from block (2) the signal that the motor is in neutral (which is to say, no gear engaged), the SDS does not activate or, if active, it deactivates. In this way, it is possible to leave the engine running in order to satisfy various needs, as the system does not detect the presence of a current danger.
• the SDS activates automatically when a gear is engaged: the control unit (3) detects the engaging of the gear via the signal coming from block (2) and activates the system.
• the sensor (1) monitors the presence of the vehicle's pilot and, as long as that presence in the correct pre-established position is detected, all functions of propulsion and of the boat/launch remain completely active.
• control unit (3) When the sensor does not detect the presence of the pilot in the correct pre-established position, the control unit (3) activates an optical and acoustic signal (4) and also initiates a variable countdown (generally between 3 and 8 seconds); when the countdown ends, the control unit (3) transmits an impulse to the propulsion equipment to cause the immediate shutting off of the engine (5).
• a variable countdown generally between 3 and 8 seconds
• Shutting down the engine represents the first automatic safety action made available by the device, indeed being the most urgent action.
• the SDS through the control unit, will order the start of a new variable countdown (generally more than 3 minutes and less than 15 minutes), at the end of which the SDS will activate a sonic alarm in order to attract the attention of any boats or persons in the area.
• the SDS will activate the headlamps of the vehicle, with the aim of signalling the presence in a night-time context, thereby avoiding the risk of collision.
• T e SDS system also provides for the possible connection of the system to (possibly satellite) telephone apparatus, for the sending of a telephone call or SMS message for help, as well as to the VHF equipment installed on board the boat.
• the SDS will order the start of a new variable countdown (generally more than 10 minutes and less than 30 minutes), at the end of which the SDS will send off mayday signals by activating the VHF or telephone systems.
• the sending of the help signals can be obstructed manually by disengaging the SDS before the end of the predetermined time for mayday activation.
• the SDS system can be connected to a "black box" for the recording of all events. This application can be widely used for the prevention and the reconstruction of an accident.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
• Alarm Systems (AREA)
• Emergency Alarm Devices (AREA)

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Cited By (2)

Citations (4)

• 2013
  • 2013-05-21 IT IT000817A patent/ITMI20130817A1/it unknown
• 2014
  • 2014-05-20 WO PCT/IT2014/000139 patent/WO2014188463A1/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (4)

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