WO2018112661A1

WO2018112661A1 - Smart marine fleet monitoring systems and methods

Info

Publication number: WO2018112661A1
Application number: PCT/CA2017/051588
Authority: WO
Inventors: Justin TAYLOR
Original assignee: Flex Ltd.
Priority date: 2016-12-22
Filing date: 2017-12-22
Publication date: 2018-06-28
Also published as: WO2018112658A1; WO2018112659A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to smart marine vessel or fleet monitoring systems and methods. In accordance with one aspect, a system for monitoring one or more marine vessels includes a communication device configured to communicate with marine vessels and with end user devices, a processor, and a memory coupled to the processor and having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the processor, cause the system to receive, through the communication device, data from a marine vessel relating to sensor measurements at the marine vessel, determine that a possible threat event is occurring at the marine vessel based on the data, and alert an end user device of the possible threat event.

Description

SMART MARINE FLEET MONITORING SYSTEMS AND METHODS CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.

62/438,261, filed December 22, 2016, U. S. Provisional Application No. 62/438,259, filed December 22, 2016, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/438,280, filed December 22, 2016. The entire contents of each and every priority application are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to boat monitoring, and more particularly, to smart systems and methods for monitoring a marine vessel or marine fleet.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Boats spend most of the time tied up at the dock and left unattended for days, weeks or even months. A boat sinking at the dock is the second most common cause for boat related insurance claims and the fourth largest in payout size. Water infiltrating the hull and eventually flooding the bilge can be attributed to a number of causes including rain, leaking fittings, leaking seals, and leaking hoses below the waterline. A bilge pump with a float switch is relied upon to pump out the water as needed. However, the boat is at risk of sinking should the bilge pump system fail due to power loss (fuse, low battery etc.), stuck float switch, pump clogged with debris, or other mechanical or electrical failure. Furthermore, fire/explosion and theft are other reasons for claims or loss.

[0004] Boat systems are typically supplied by a variety of vendors. The boat hull vendor may sell a boat with engines and communication or navigation packages from different vendors. Boats are also typically equipped with a variety of pumps, blowers, switches, and other equipment. In many cases, these equipment are fitted at the retail level and are not necessarily well integrated. The present disclosure seeks to resolve these issues. SUMMARY

[0005] The present disclosure relates to smart systems and methods for monitoring a marine vessel or marine fleet. One aspect of the present disclosure is directed to providing detection of possible threats to a marine vessel or fleet using electronic monitoring.

[0006] In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a system for monitoring one or more marine vessels includes a communication device configured to communicate with marine vessels and with end user devices, a processor, and a memory coupled to the processor and having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the processor, cause the system to receive, through the communication device, data from a marine vessel relating to sensor measurements at the marine vessel, determine that a possible threat event is occurring at the marine vessel based on the data, and alert an end user device of the possible threat event.

[0007] In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, the data relates to sensor measurements at a bilge pump sub-system of the marine vessel, and the possible threat event is a hull leak.

[0008] In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, the data relates to sensor measurements at a power sub-system of the marine vessel, and the possible threat event is a flood prediction.

[0009] In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, the data relates to sensor measurements at an engine sub-system of the marine vessel, and the possible threat event is a theft of the marine vessel.

[0010] In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system to receive a request from the end user device for a status of the marine vessel, request data from the marine vessel relating to sensor measurements of a power sub-system of the marine vessel and/or a bilge pump sub-system of the marine vessel, receive the requested data, and configure the received data to be displayed at the end user device using Web sockets.

[0011] In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system to receive, through the communication device, second data from marine vessels relating to sensor measurements at the marine vessels, and determine that the possible threat event is not occurring at the marine vessel based on the second data.

[0012] In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, the marine vessel and the marine vessels include a MQTT client and an IoT gateway, and the system includes a MQTT broker.

[0013] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-implemented method is disclosed for monitoring a marine vessel. The method includes receiving, through a communication device, data from a marine vessel relating to sensor measurements at the marine vessel, determining that a possible threat event is occurring at the marine vessel based on the data, and alerting an end user device of the possible threat event.

[0014] In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, the data relates to sensor measurements at a bilge pump sub-system of the marine vessel, and the possible threat event is a hull leak.

[0015] In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, the data relates to sensor measurements at a power sub-system of the marine vessel, and the possible threat event is a flood prediction.

[0016] In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, the data relates to sensor measurements at an engine sub-system of the marine vessel, and the possible threat event is a theft of the marine vessel. [0017] In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, the method includes receiving a request from the end user device for a status of the marine vessel, requesting data from the marine vessel relating to sensor measurements of a power sub-system of the marine vessel and/or a bilge pump sub-system of the marine vessel, receiving the requested data, and configuring the received data to be displayed at the end user device using Web sockets.

[0018] In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, the method includes receiving, through the communication device, second data from marine vessels relating to sensor measurements at the marine vessels, and determining that the possible threat event is not occurring at the marine vessel based on the second data.

[0019] In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, the marine vessel and the marine vessels include a MQTT client and an IoT gateway, and the system includes a MQTT broker.

[0020] Further details and aspects of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described in more detail below with reference to the appended figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary smart marine vessel or fleet monitoring system in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

[0022] FIG. 2 is a system diagram of exemplary components of a boat digital hub in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary marine vessel system having a NMEA- 2000 architecture, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

[0024] FIG. 4 is a diagram of various hardware and software layers in a smart marine vessel or fleet monitoring system in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

[0025] FIG. 5 is a diagram of an exemplary display screen in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; [0026] FIG. 6 is an illustration of a central hub in communication with an IoT-enabled marine fleet in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; and

[0027] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an exemplary Internet of Things (IoT) implementation in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The present disclosure relates to smart marine vessel or fleet monitoring systems and methods. One aspect of the present disclosure is directed to providing detection of threats to a marine vessel or fleet using electronic monitoring.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a diagram of a smart marine vessel or fleet monitoring system 100 that includes a marine vessel 102 and a central hub 104 for providing remote monitoring services for the marine vessel 102. The marine vessel 102 includes a power sub-system 106, a bilge pump sub-system 108, and a boat digital hub 110. The marine vessel 102 also includes a navigation sub-system and an engine sub-system, and other subsystems such as security and safety sub-systems, which will be described in connection with FIGS. 2 and 3. The power sub-system 106 provides power to the various sub-systems, including at least the bilge pump sub-system 108 and to the boat digital hub 110. The power sub-system 106 can include primary and secondary batteries 112, a solar or wind-based electrical generator 114, and a connection to a shore power supply 1 16. The bilge pump subsystem 108 includes a pump 118 and also includes detection switches that communicate with the digital hub 110. The boat digital hub 110 is a monitoring and processing device that monitors and/or communicates with various sub-systems, including the power sub-system 106 and the bilge pump sub-system 108.

[0030] In various embodiments, the boat digital hub 110 includes a processor and a memory storing instructions to be executed by the processor. In various embodiments, the processor can be a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller, or another type of processor. In various embodiments, the memory can include volatile memory such as random access memory (RAM), non-volatile memory such as flash memory, and/or storage memory such as a hard disk drive. In various embodiments, the digital hub can include application specific integrated circuits (ASIC) and/or other circuitry such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGA). The digital hub can also provide communications capabilities, including capability of communicating with a telephone network, a cellular network, a low power wide area network, a WiFi network, a satellite, or another type of communications network.

[0031] In the illustrated embodiment, the marine vessel 102 can communicate with the remote central hub 104 that provides smart boat services for the marine vessel 102. In various embodiments, the communication can occur using the communication capabilities provided by the digital hub 110. The smart boat services can include or can interface with a weather service 120 that provides weather information to the marine vessel, services 122 provided by vendors of the equipment contained in the marine vessel, and services the permit a remote device 124 to monitor the status of the marine vessel 102. In various embodiments, some of the operations of the digital hub 110 of the marine vessel 102 can be integrated into the remote central hub 104. In various embodiments, the boat digital hub 110 can be a standalone device, as illustrated in FIG. 1. In various embodiments, the boat digital hub 110 can be integrated into a sub-system, such as the bilge pump sub-system 108.

[0032] Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a system diagram of exemplary components of a boat digital hub visualized in three levels: a hardware level 202 which includes physical components for interfacing with boat sub-systems, a middleware level 204 which includes firmware or other types of code that interface with the hardware level for various purposes, and a micro-services level 206 that include software executing on a processor to receive and process information passed from the boat sub-systems through the hardware and middleware levels 202, 204. The components illustrated in FIG. 2 are not meant to be exhaustive, and other components are contemplated to be in a boat digital hub. Additionally, various embodiments of a boat digital hub may include some of the illustrated components but not all of the illustrated components.

[0033] The hardware level 202 includes communication ports, antennas, and processors, for various enabling communication protocols and networks, such as cellular networks, LoRa, WiFi, WLAN, and Ethernet. The hardware level 202 also includes ports, buses, and processors for enabling protocols for interfacing with boat instrumentation, such as the National Marine Electronics Association NMEA-083 and NMEA-2000 protocols, or other input/output protocols. In various embodiments, the hardware level 202 can also include hardware enabling near field communications and/or hardware enabling hardware root of trust.

[0034] As mentioned above, the middleware level 204 includes firmware or other types of code that interface with the hardware level for various purposes. As shown in FIG. 2, the middleware level 204 can include connection middleware for enabling cloud services, data services, and/or authentication services, and can also include middleware for enabling protocols such as COAP protocol, MQTT protocol, and/or Signal K protocol. In various embodiments, the middleware level 204 also includes application programming interfaces (API) for communicating with boat sub-systems or devices, including, for example, APIs for communicating with a GPS device, an accelerometer device, the engine sub-system, the power sub-system, the battery sub-system, the bilge pump sub-system, and/or the lighting sub-system.

[0035] The micro-services level 206 includes software services that execute on a processor. In various embodiments, the micro-services level 206 includes a remote administration service that permits others to remotely communicate with the boat digital hub to perform administrative operations for the boat and/or remote diagnostic service that permits others to remotely communicate with the boat digital hub to perform diagnostic operations for the boat. In various embodiments, the micro-services level 206 includes software for receiving and processing information communicated from various boat subsystems, including a security service 208 that operates with security features of the boat, a navigation service 210 that operates with the navigation sub-system, an engine service 212 that operates with the engine sub-system, a power system service 214 that operates with the shore supply power (FIG. 1 , 116) of the power sub-system, a battery service 216 that operates with the battery power (FIG. 1, 112) of the power sub-system, a bilge service 218 that operates with the bilge pump sub-system (FIG. 1, 108), and/or a safety service 220 that operates with safety devices of the boat.

[0036] As mentioned above, FIG. 2 is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit the components that may be included in various embodiments of a boat digital hub in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0037] Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a block diagram of an exemplary marine vessel system having a NMEA-2000 architecture, which persons skilled in the art will understand. Under this architecture and protocol, the digital hub serves as a NMEA-2000 gateway 302, which communicates with other devices through a NMEA-2000 communication bus 304. The other devices can communicate various data to the NMEA- 2000 gateway 302. The NMEA-2000 gateway also includes discrete relay contacts 306 and input ports 308 that can interface with devices that may not support the NMEA-2000 protocol.

[0038] In various embodiments, the engine sub-system can communicate engine data 310, such as engine status and/or engine RPM, to the digital hub 302. Implementations of sensors for detecting engine status and engine RPM will be known by persons skilled in the art. The engine service 212 described in FIG. 2 can handle the data from the engine subsystem.

[0039] In various embodiments, the navigation sub-system can communicate navigation data 312, such as GPS location, sea floor depth, radar detections, vessel speed, vessel acceleration, and/or vessel orientation or tilt (e.g., by gyroscope), to the digital hub 302. Implementations of such sensors will be known by persons skilled in the art. The navigation service 210 described in FIG. 2 can handle the data from the navigation sub-system.

[0040] In various embodiments, various environmental sensors can communicate wind speed, outside temperature 314, heater load, and/or snow/ice presence, to the digital hub 302. Implementations of such sensors will be known by persons skilled in the art. Various service described in FIG. 2 can handle certain of the data from the environmental sensors, such as the person safety service 220 and/or the navigation service 210, among others.

[0041] In various embodiments, the bilge pump sub-system can communicate bilge water level 316, flood detection, pump status, and/or bilge blower status to the digital hub 302. Implementations of such sensors will be known by persons skilled in the art. The bilge pump service 218 described in FIG. 2 can handle the data from the bilge pump sub-system.

[0042] In various embodiment, the power sub-system can communicate boat battery status (e.g. , voltage and/or state of charge) 318, shore power supply status or voltage or current 320, and/or solar/wind generator status to the digital hub 302. Implementations of such sensors will be known by persons skilled in the art. The power system service 214 and/or the battery service 216 described in FIG. 2 can handle the data from the power subsystem.

[0043] In various embodiments, various safety sensors, such as gas sensors (e.g., propane), vapor sensors (e.g., gasoline/diesel fumes), smoke sensors, carbon monoxide sensors, intrusion sensors, and/or cameras, can communicate their signals to the digital hub 302. Implementations of such sensors and cameras will be known by persons skilled in the art. Various service described in FIG. 2 can handle certain of the data from the safety sensors, including the person safety service 220, the engine service 212, the security service 208 and/or the remote diagnostic service.

[0044] As mentioned above, the digital hub 302 can include communications capabilities that permit the digital hub 302 to access a cellular network, a low power wide area network, a LoRa network, a WiFi network, a wireless local area network, and/or an Ethernet network. In various embodiments, the digital hub 302 can provide access to other types of communications networks and can implement other communications protocols. In various embodiments, the digital hub 302 also includes local connectivity, including USB connectivity and/or Bluetooth connectivity. In various embodiments, other types of local connections and protocols can be used, such as Zigbee, for example.

[0045] The digital hub 302 can be the digital hub described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2 and can include a processor executing instructions and a memory. In various embodiments, the digital hub 302 can store information it receives over time from the various sub-systems and sensors. In FIG. 3, the digital hub 302 is illustrated as a standalone device, which can be the digital hub 110 described in connection with FIG. 1. In various embodiments, the digital hub 302 may not be a standalone device and can be integrated into a sub-system of the boat, such as the bilge pump sub-system.

[0046] Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a diagram of various hardware and software layers in implementing a smart marine vessel or fleet monitoring system. The boat systems 402 include the power sub-system, the bilge pump sub-system, the navigation subsystem, and the engine sub-system. In various embodiments, the boat systems 402 include other sub-systems not illustrated, such as various sub-systems discussed in connection with FIGS. 2 and 3. [0047] Connected to the boat systems 402 is a sensor network 406, which can include sensors for detecting the data described in connection with FIG. 3. The sensors can be Internet of Things (IoT) devices that interoperate with various IoT protocols, such as the Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol and the IoT gateway framework. The sensors can also apply the National Marine Electronics Association's NMEA-2000 protocol and architecture, which will be known to persons skilled in the art. The sensors can be connected to the boat systems 402 by physical wires connecting the sensors to the various sub-systems, or by wireless connections such as Bluetooth or Zigbee, among others.

[0048] The sensor network 406 is connected to or is in communication with boat digital hub 404, which can be the digital hub of FIGS. 1-3. The boat digital hub 404 can provide monitoring and data aggregation services for the boat systems 402 using the sensor network 406. As the sensor network 406 gathers readings or measurements, the boat hub 404 can receive, process, and store the readings and measurements, including all or a portion of the data and information described in connection with FIG. 3. The services of the boat digital hub 404 can be implemented as software instructions executed by a processor, and can correspond to the services 208-220 described in connection with the micro-services level of FIG. 2.

[0049] The boat digital hub 404 can communicate with a remote central hub 408 that provides boat applications. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 4, the boat hub 404 communicates with a remote central hub 408 using LP WAN, but use of other communication networks and/or protocols is contemplated. The communications between the boat digital hub 404 and the remote central hub 408 can be based on the MQTT protocol. The remote central hub 408 can provide boat applications such as, without limitation, a flood risk prediction application, a hull leak warning application, a boat system status application, an anti-theft tracking application, an engine log history application, and a remote diagnostic application. These application can be implemented as remote "cloud" applications that execute at the remote central hub 408. In various embodiments, certain services that are described as executing in the boat digital hub 404 can instead be executed in the remote central hub 408. In various embodiments, certain applications that are described as executing in the remote central hub 408 can instead be executed in the boat digital hub 404.

[0050] The remote central hub 408 can communicate with and utilize third party services 410, such as a weather data service, a messaging service, a navigation sub-system vendor service, and an engine vendor service. Each of the third party services can be implemented electronically using electronic data communications and/or using instructions executed on a processor on third party equipment. In various embodiments, the remote central hub 408 can communicate directly with end user devices 412. In various embodiments, the remote central hub 408 can communicate with end user devices 412 through one or more third party services 410. The various applications of the remote central hub 408 will now be described. Generally, various applications operate to determine whether a threat event is occurring at a marine vessel, and other applications operate to provide status information regarding the marine vessel.

[0051] Referring now to the flood risk prediction application of the central hub 408, the flood risk prediction application can predict flood risk for a marine vessel based on information from the power service, the battery service, and/or the bilge pump service of the boat hub 404, and/or also based on data from the weather data service of the third party services 410. For example, if the boat battery sensor indicates a malfunction while the weather data service forecasts rain, the flood risk prediction application can predict a flood risk for the marine vessel. The table below describes flood predictions for various sensor parameters. Solar, wind, or other alternative power sources would recharge the battery and can be accounted for by way of the battery state. Shore Power Status Battery Status Weather Forecast Risk

ON OK DRY NONE

ON OK WET LOW

OFF OK WET MODERATE

OFF LOW WET HIGH

OFF FAIL WET EXTREME

[0052] In various embodiments, the flood risk prediction application can use the messaging service of the third party services 410 to alert an end user device 412 of the prediction. In various embodiments, the flood risk prediction application can communicate directly with an end user device 412.

[0053] Referring now to the hull leak warning application, the application can determine if a possible water leak is occurring in a vessel based on information from the power service, the battery service, and/or the bilge pump service of the boat hub 404, and/or also based on data from the weather data service of the third party services 410. Various embodiments are described below.

[0054] In various embodiments, the hull leak warning application can determine that a possible water leak is occurring based on a periodic pattern of bilge pump turn on and turn off events. In various embodiments, the hull leak warning application can determine a severity of the possible water leak based on the length of bilge pump on-time and/or a ratio of bilge pump on-time to bilge pump off-time exceeding a ratio threshold. In various embodiments, the hull leak warning application can determine that a possible deteriorating water leak is occurring based on a pattern of bilge pump turn on and turn off events increasing in frequency over time and/or a pattern of increasing bilge pump on-time over time.

[0055] In various embodiments, the hull leak warning application can access historical weather information corresponding to the same time period as the stored information regarding the bilge pump sub-system, and can use the weather information to determine that a possible water leak is occurring. In various embodiments, the hull leak warning application can determine that a possible water leak is occurring based on the number of bilge pump turn- on events during dry weather exceeding a predetermined number threshold over a predetermined time interval, such as a twelve hour time interval. In various embodiments, the determination that a possible water leak is occurring can also be based on the number of bilge pump turn-on events during dry weather becoming more frequent over time and/or a ratio of bilge pump on-time to bilge pump off-time increasing over time.

[0056] In various embodiments, the hull leak warning application can use the messaging service of the third party services 410 to alert an end user device 412 of the possible hull leak. In various embodiments, the hull leak warning application can communicate directly with an end user device 412.

[0057] Referring now to the boat system status application, the boat system status application can provide a boat sub-system status and/or alerts regarding a sub-system to an end user device 412 based on information from the power service, the battery service, the bilge pump service, and/or the engine service of the boat digital hub 404. As described in connection with FIGS. 2 and 3, such services of the boat digital hub 404 handle data from their respective sub-systems and can provide that data to the boat system status service of the remote central hub 408.

[0058] In various embodiments, the boat system status application can provide the status directly to the end user device 412. In various embodiments, the boat system status application can use the messaging service of the third party services 410 to communicate the boat status and/or alert to the end user device 412. One example of a boat status screen viewable from an end user device 412 is provided in FIG. 5. In various embodiments, the status information can be implemented using Web socket so that the status updates dynamically without any need to manually push an update button. The example of FIG. 5 is not intended to be comprehensive and is merely illustrative. A boat status screen in accordance with the present disclosure can include more information or less information than illustrated in FIG. 5.

[0059] Referring now to the anti-theft tracking application, the anti-theft tracking application can determine that a possible theft is occurring based on information from the navigation service and/or the engine service of the boat digital hub 404. In various embodiments, the anti-theft tracking application can also access information from other services of the boat digital hub described in connection with FIGS. 2 and 3, such as the security service and/or the person safety service. Using such data, the anti-theft tracking application can detect an intruder and/or an unauthorized engine start. In various embodiments, the anti-theft tracking application can provide an alert directly to the end user device 412. In various embodiments, anti-theft tracking application can use the messaging service of the third party services 410 to communicate an alert to the end user device 412. In various embodiments, the anti-theft tracking application may provide a camera feed to the end user device 412 based on the camera data described in connection with FIG. 3.

[0060] Referring now to the engine log application and the remote diagnostic application, these applications can operate based on information from the engine service of the boat digital hub 404 and information from an engine vendor service of the third party services 410. In various embodiments, the engine log application can obtain engine data needed by the remote diagnostic application, and the remote diagnostic application can apply various computations to the engine data to diagnose the state of the boat engine.

[0061] The components illustrated in FIG. 4 are merely exemplary and are non-limiting, and can include other components that are not expressly illustrated. For example, other types of communication networks and protocols, other types of third party services, and other types of end-user devices are contemplated. Additionally, in various embodiments, the central hub 408 may not be remote and may be partially or wholly integrated into the boat digital hub 404.

[0062] Accordingly, what have been described above are systems and components for a smart marine vessel or fleet monitoring system. An implementation of the smart marine vessel or fleet monitoring system as an Internet of Things (IoT) system will now be described. An IoT system benefits from large-scale aggregation of information and data, and from the useful application of the aggregated information and data. Referring to FIG. 6, a marine environment can involve multiple marine vessels or a fleet of marine vessels 602, and each vessel includes multiple sub-systems. Such an environment would benefit from an IoT implementation.

[0063] An IoT system can utilize Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol, which is a protocol having brokers and clients. Referring also to FIG. 7, and in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, a remote central hub 604 can serve as a MQTT broker, and the boat digital hub 702 of each vessel 602 can include a MQTT client. Additionally, end user devices 704 can also include a MQTT client. Each MQTT client communicates with the MQTT broker. Accordingly, the boat digital hub 702 of each marine vessel 602 would communicate with the remote central hub 604 and enable the central hub 604 to gather information and data from multiple marine vessels 602. Additionally, each boat digital hub 702 includes an IoT gateway to interface between the central hub 604 and the IoT sensors at the marine vessel 602.

[0064] Such aggregation of information from multiple vessels can enable the software services of the central hub 604 to be even more intelligent. For example, if a hull leak warning application of the central hub 604 initially determines that a possible hull leak is occurring at a particular vessel, but also determines that multiple other vessels in the same vicinity are simultaneously have a possible hull leak, the application may determine that the simultaneous nature of this determination across multiple vessels indicates that no hull leak is actually occurring. Rather, it may be that the same weather event is affecting all such vessels at the same time. As another example, if a boat status application of the central hub 604 determines that one vessel has no functioning shore power supply but other vessels at the same dock have a functioning shore power supply, then the application may determine that the shore power supply is functioning but the power connection at the particular vessel has malfunctioned. In a similar manner, other applications of a central hub 604 may become more intelligent with the large-scale aggregation of data using an IoT framework.

[0065] The embodiments disclosed herein are examples of the disclosure and may be embodied in various forms. For instance, although certain embodiments herein are described as separate embodiments, each of the embodiments herein may be combined with one or more of the other embodiments herein. Specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present disclosure in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Like reference numerals may refer to similar or identical elements throughout the description of the figures.

[0066] The phrases "in an embodiment," "in embodiments," "in various embodiments," "in some embodiments," "in various embodiments," or "in other embodiments" may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure. A phrase in the form "A or B" means "(A), (B), or (A and B)." A phrase in the form "at least one of A, B, or C" means "(A); (B); (C); (A and B); (A and C); (B and C); or (A, B, and Q."

[0067] Any of the herein described methods, programs, algorithms or codes may be converted to, or expressed in, a programming language or computer program. The terms "programming language" and "computer program," as used herein, each include any language used to specify instructions to a computer, and include (but is not limited to) the following languages and their derivatives: Assembler, Basic, Batch files, BCPL, C, C+, C++, Delphi, Fortran, Java, JavaScript, machine code, operating system command languages, Pascal, Perl, PL1, scripting languages, Visual Basic, metalanguages which themselves specify programs, and all first, second, third, fourth, fifth, or further generation computer languages. Also included are database and other data schemas, and any other meta-languages. No distinction is made between languages which are interpreted, compiled, or use both compiled and interpreted approaches. No distinction is made between compiled and source versions of a program. Thus, reference to a program, where the programming language could exist in more than one state (such as source, compiled, object, or linked) is a reference to any and all such states. Reference to a program may encompass the actual instructions and/or the intent of those instructions.

[0068] It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the present disclosure. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the disclosure. Accordingly, the present disclosure is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances. The embodiments described with reference to the attached drawing figures are presented only to demonstrate certain examples of the disclosure. Other elements, steps, methods, and techniques that are insubstantially different from those described above and/or in the appended claims are also intended to be within the scope of the disclosure.

[0069] The systems described herein may also utilize one or more controllers to receive various information and transform the received information to generate an output. The controller may include any type of computing device, computational circuit, or any type of processor or processing circuit capable of executing a series of instructions that are stored in a memory. The controller may include multiple processors and/or multicore central processing units (CPUs) and may include any type of processor, such as a microprocessor, digital signal processor, microcontroller, programmable logic device (PLD), field programmable gate array (FPGA), or the like. The controller may also include a memory to store data and/or instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform one or more methods and/or algorithms.

[0070] Any of the herein described methods, programs, algorithms or codes may be converted to, or expressed in, a programming language or computer program. The terms "programming language" and "computer program," as used herein, each include any language used to specify instructions to a computer, and include (but is not limited to) the following languages and their derivatives: Assembler, Basic, Batch files, BCPL, C, C+, C++, Delphi, Fortran, Java, JavaScript, machine code, operating system command languages, Pascal, Perl, PL1, scripting languages, Visual Basic, metalanguages which themselves specify programs, and all first, second, third, fourth, fifth, or further generation computer languages. Also included are database and other data schemas, and any other meta-languages. No distinction is made between languages which are interpreted, compiled, or use both compiled and interpreted approaches. No distinction is made between compiled and source versions of a program. Thus, reference to a program, where the programming language could exist in more than one state (such as source, compiled, object, or linked) is a reference to any and all such states. Reference to a program may encompass the actual instructions and/or the intent of those instructions.

[0071] It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the present disclosure. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the disclosure. Accordingly, the present disclosure is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances. The embodiments described with reference to the attached drawing figures are presented only to demonstrate certain examples of the disclosure. Other elements, steps, methods, and techniques that are insubstantially different from those described above and/or in the appended claims are also intended to be within the scope of the disclosure.

Claims

What is Claimed;

1. A system for monitoring one or more marine vessels, the system comprising:

a communication device configured to communicate with marine vessels and with end user devices;

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor and having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the processor, cause the system to:

receive, through the communication device, data from a marine vessel relating to sensor measurements at the marine vessel,

determine that a possible threat event is occurring at the marine vessel based on the data, and

alert an end user device of the possible threat event.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data relates to sensor measurements at a bilge pump sub-system of the marine vessel, and the possible threat event is a hull leak.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data relates to sensor measurements at a power sub-system of the marine vessel, and the possible threat event is a flood prediction.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data relates to sensor measurements at an engine sub-system of the marine vessel, and the possible threat event is a theft of the marine vessel.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the system to:

receive a request from the end user device for a status of the marine vessel; request data from the marine vessel relating to sensor measurements of at least one of: a power sub-system of the marine vessel or a bilge pump sub-system of the marine vessel; receive the requested data; and

configure the received data to be displayed at the end user device using Web sockets.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the system to:

receive, through the communication device, second data from a plurality of marine vessels relating to sensor measurements at the plurality of marine vessels; and

determine that the possible threat event is not occurring at the marine vessel based on the second data.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the marine vessel and the plurality of marine vessels include a MQTT client and an IoT gateway, the system further comprising a MQTT broker.

8. A computer-implemented method of monitoring a marine vessel, the method comprising:

receiving, through a communication device, data from a marine vessel relating to sensor measurements at the marine vessel;

determining that a possible threat event is occurring at the marine vessel based on the data; and

alerting an end user device of the possible threat event.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the data relates to sensor measurements at a bilge pump sub-system of the marine vessel, and the possible threat event is a hull leak.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the data relates to sensor measurements at a power sub-system of the marine vessel, and the possible threat event is a flood prediction.

1 1. The method of claim 8, wherein the data relates to sensor measurements at an engine sub-system of the marine vessel, and the possible threat event is a theft of the marine vessel.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a request from the end user device for a status of the marine vessel;

requesting data from the marine vessel relating to sensor measurements of at least one of: a power sub-system of the marine vessel or a bilge pump sub-system of the marine vessel; receiving the requested data; and

configuring the received data to be displayed at the end user device using Web sockets.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, through the communication device, second data from a plurality of marine vessels relating to sensor measurements at the plurality of marine vessels; and

determining that the possible threat event is not occurring at the marine vessel based on the second data.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the marine vessel and the plurality of marine vessels include a MQTT client and an IoT gateway, the system further comprising a MQTT broker.