Safety system for marine vessels

• US 8,195,381 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2006
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AB Volvo
• Original Assignee: AB Volvo
• Inventors: Arvidsson, Lennart
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coker, Robert A
• Application Number:
  US12/447,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20090276148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,014 Days
• Field of Search: 701/21, 701/116, 441/80, 440/1, 440/6, 340/576.6, 340/57.6, 340984-9863
• US Class Current: 701/116
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 9/0005 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 alarms responsive to presence of persons in a body of water in general G08B21/08
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 25/42 Steering or dynamic anchoring by propulsive elements by jets B63H25/46; Steering or dynamic anchoring by propellers used therefor only; Steering or dynamic anchoring by rudders carrying propellers

Abstract

There is elucidated a safety system for a marine vessel. The vessel includes two engines coupled to propellers for propelling the vessel through water. The vessel is provided with a digital anchor in communication with the two engines for maintaining the vessel substantially at a defined location when the anchor is activated. The safety system includes a sensor assembly coupled to a data processing assembly for sensing a region of said water at least partially surrounding the vessel for detecting one or more persons present in the region and for modifying operation of the digital anchor is response to the one or more persons being detected. The invention is of advantage in that the digital anchor is capable of responding to the one or more persons being present in the water and thereby reducing a risk of injury or loss of life when the digital anchor is employed.

Claims

1. A safety system for a marine vessel, the vessel including one or more engines coupled to one or more propellers for propelling the vessel through water, and the vessel being provided with a digital anchor in communication with the one or more engines for maintaining the vessel substantially at a defined location when the anchor is activated, wherein the safety system includes a sensor assembly coupled to a data processing assembly for sensing a region of the water at least partially surrounding the vessel for detection of one or more persons present in the region and for modifying operation of the digital anchor is response to the one or more persons being detected, wherein the sensor assembly includes one or more infra red sensors for detecting infra red radiation generated by the one or more persons when present in the region of the water, wherein each of the one or more infra red sensors are scanned and/or pixellated image sensors operable to generate an output signal for receipt at the data processing assembly representative of a spatial image of at least a portion of the region of water.

2. A safety system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system is operable to respond to the detection of the one or more persons by one or more of:

(a) deactivating the digital anchor;

(b) operating the engines so as to maintain the vessel in a proximity of the one or more persons; and

(c) deactivating drive to the engines in an event that the one or more persons are closer to the propellers than a threshold distance.

3. A safety system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are responsive in an electromagnetic radiation wavelength range of substantially 10 μ

m to 800 μ

m.

4. A safety system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are angularly stabilized for rendering the output signal is compensated for angular movement of the vessel relative to the water.

5. A safety system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the one or more sensors are mounted on one or more gyroscopically angularly stabilized servo-platforms.

6. A safety system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data processing assembly is provided with computing hardware for computing a moving average for each spatial region of the image and for detecting differences in the moving average for detecting the presence of the one or more persons within the region of water.

7. A safety system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the differences are compared with a threshold value for determining detection of the one or more persons in the region of water.

8. A safety system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the processing assembly is operable to vary the threshold value in response to one or more of:

(a) solar irradiation onto the vessel and the region of water surrounding the vessel;

(b) amplitude of wave motion in the region of water;

(c) wind speed at the vessel; and

(d) temperature of the region of water.

9. A safety system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the processing assembly is operable to compute the moving average with spatial averaging and/or temporal averaging which is varied in response to one or more of:

(a) solar irradiation onto the vessel and the region of water surrounding the vessel;

(b) amplitude of wave motion in the region of water;

(c) wind speed at the vessel; and

(d) temperature of the region of water.

10. A safety system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of the one or more persons are provided with one or more pulsed infra red sources attached thereto, the pulsed infra red sources being operable in water to emit pulsed infra red radiation bearing a signature code which is detectable at the one or more sensors and subsequently correlatable at the signal processing assembly to provide for more reliable detection of the one or more persons present in the region of water.

11. A safety system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the one or more pulsed infra red sources are automatically activated in response to contact with the water.

12. A life vest attachable to a person, the vest for use with the safety system as claimed in claim 1, the vest including one or more pulsed infra red sources

attached thereto, the pulsed infra red sources being operable in water to emit pulsed infra red radiation bearing a signature code which is correlated at the signal processing assembly to provide for more reliable detection of the one or more persons present in the region of water.

13. A head assembly attachable to a person, the head assembly for use with the safety system as claimed in claim 1, the head assembly including one or more pulsed infra red sources attached thereto, the pulsed infra red sources being operable in water to emit pulsed infra red radiation bearing a signature code which is correlated at the signal processing assembly to provide for more reliable detection of the one or more persons present in the region of water.

14. A method of detecting one or more persons present in a region of water at least partially surrounding a vessel, the vessel including one or more engines coupled to one or more propellers for propelling the vessel through water, and the vessel being provided with a digital anchor in communication with the one or more engines for maintaining the vessel substantially at a defined location when the anchor is activated,

wherein the method includes steps of

(a) using a sensor assembly coupled to a data processing assembly for sensing the region of the water for detecting one or more persons present in the region;

and

(b) modifying operation of the digital anchor is response to the one or more persons being detected by the data processing assembly,

wherein the sensor assembly includes one or more infra red sensors for detecting infra red radiation generated by the one or more persons when present in the region of the water, and wherein each of the one or more infra red sensors are scanned and/or pixellated image sensors operable to generate an output signal for receipt at the data processing assembly representative of a spatial image of at least a portion of the region of water.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14 including a step of responding to the detection of the one or more persons by one or more of:

(a) deactivating the digital anchor;

(b) operating the engines so as to maintain the vessel in a proximity of the one or more persons; and

(c) deactivating drive to the engines in an event that the one or more persons are closer to the propellers than a threshold distance.

16. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the one or more sensors are responsive in an electromagnetic radiation wavelength range of substantially 10 μ

m to 800 μ

m.

17. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the one or more sensors are angularly stabilized for rendering the output signal compensated for angular movement of the vessel relative to the water.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the one or more sensors are mounted on one or more gyroscopically angularly stabilized servo-platforms.

19. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the data processing assembly is provided with computing hardware for computing a moving average for each spatial region of the image and for detecting differences in the moving average for detecting the presence of the one or more persons within the region of water.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the differences are compared with a threshold value for determining detection of the one or more persons in the region of water.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the processing assembly is operable to vary the threshold value in response to one or more of:

(a) solar irradiation onto the vessel and the region of water surrounding the vessel;

(b) amplitude of wave motion in the region of water;

(c) wind speed at the vessel; and

(d) temperature of the region of water.

22. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the processing assembly is operable to compute the moving average with spatial averaging and/or temporal averaging which is varied in response to one or more of

(a) solar irradiation onto the vessel and the region of water surrounding the vessel;

(b) amplitude of wave motion in the region of water;

(c) wind speed at the vessel; and

(d) temperature of the region of water.

23. A method as claimed in claim 14, the method including steps of:

(a) providing each of the one or more persons with one or more pulsed infra red sources attached thereto, the pulsed infra red sources being operable in water to emit pulsed infra red radiation bearing a signature code detectable at the one or more sensors; and

(b) correlating at the signal processing assembly the received signature code received from the one or more pulsed infra red sources to provide for more reliable detection of the one or more persons present in the region of water.

24. A method as claimed in claim 23, wherein the one or more pulsed infra red sources are automatically activated in response to contact with the water.

25. A non-transitory software product executable on computing hardware to implement a method as claimed in claim 14.