WO1999064941A1

WO1999064941A1 - Telepresence system and method for the remote steering of a boat

Info

Publication number: WO1999064941A1
Application number: PCT/ES1999/000168
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lucia JAÑEZ GARCÍA; Javier JAÑEZ GARCÍA
Original assignee: Inversiones Cala Salada, S.L.
Priority date: 1998-06-07
Filing date: 1999-06-07
Publication date: 1999-12-16
Also published as: AU4041699A

Abstract

The system comprises an on-board system (1) mounted on board of a boat and a remote bridge (2) away from the boat, which are communicated by means of a telepresence's link (3). The on-board system (1) includes modules for computer platform, communications, interaction, audio-visual, security and lifesaving purposes. The remote bridge (2) includes the modules for computer platform, communications, interaction, security, lifesaving purposes and the control station from which an operator (5) can steer the boat. The telepresence's link (3) provides the telecommunication channels based on radio, satellite, telephone system and the like. The method is characterized in that the operator can control from the remote bridge and through telecommunication links the instruments of the boat, can select and obtain all the information he requires about the boat, including audio-visual information and can actuate all the steering means of the boat from said control or steering station. The system can be used specially in dangerous operations such as lifesaving, removal of floating mines, and also to maritime transportation with reduced crew, multiple steering of boats, training and practising.

Description

TELEPRESENCE SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISTANCE GOVERNMENT

OF A VESSEL

DESCRIPTION Object of the invention

The present invention relates to a method and system whose purpose is to allow the remote government of a ship in navigation

At present, the government of a ship in navigation requires that the captain (or any operator responsible for his government) be physically on board the ship. This entails a sene of limitations, among which a) all voyages require that the ship is manned b) each captain or operator cannot govern more than one ship, c) when a rescue operation with poor sea conditions arises, the operation is not carried out if the estimated risk for the ship's crew rescue is excessive

The method object of the invention is characterized in that, during navigation, the captain or operator is located at the remote bridge command post, away from the ship, usually on land. From there and using the means provided by the remote bridge, The captain (or person responsible and trained to command the ship) can handle all the navigation instrumentation, select the data, graphics, images that he wishes to obtain from the instruments and status indicators, receive images and sound from inside and outside of the ship, and act on all its governing bodies All this with the same effectiveness as if it were on the on-board command bridge

The system object of the invention consists of a computer and telecommunications device consisting of three components, a system embarked (1) on the ship, a remote bridge (2) located on land or at another point away from the ship, and a telepresence link (3) The invention allows a captain or operator located _j daub to the system remote control remote vessel (4) navigation, for such a purpose all onboard information you need visual and acoustic information of the ship and its surroundings as well as information provided by the sensors and instruments The embarked system is connected on the one hand to the sensors and actuators with which the captain or operator interacts when it governs it on board, and on the other to the telecommunications system, the remote bridge is installed in a place located on the ground, in another ship or any other place, and offers the captain or operator all the information it needs, as well as means to teleact on instruments, cameras, microphones, and governing bodies The exchange of information between the remote bridge and the ship is carried out at via telepresence link (3)

Area of application

The invention has application for the government of ships from a place far from them

It requires the previous installation on the ship (carried out in construction or through subsequent adaptation) of digital or analog interfaces with the instruments, sensors and actuators with which the captain or operator can interact when it governs it on board We will call this equipment information system and control of the ship (29) It will comprise the following functionalities a) program monitoring that periodically collects and archives in a database the relevant information from the navigation instruments, the sensors, the radio, the control messages sent to the different elements of the vessel and the information received transmitted by the telecommunications system, b) government allows from a computer to operate the rudder and set the engine speed and type, c) control of sensors and instruments allows from a computer to select the sensor from which you want to obtain information or the instrument with which you want to tr lower (for example the radar), establish its operating conditions (for example change the distance scale and set North-Up), and obtain data from it (eg white spotting) This control is currently available through standard buses, such as the NMEA Bus and others

The on-board system of the telepresence system for remote governance of a ship has to be connected to the ship's information and control system, through standard interfaces or through ad hoc solutions, so that it can act on it in a similar way as does the captain or operator when on board

Advantage

Thanks to this system, significant improvements are achieved in relation to the existing procedure so far, which requires that the ship's captain be on board during navigation

The main advantage is to make it possible for the captain or person responsible for the command of a ship to perform its functions of government efficiently without being on board it.

As a consequence of the foregoing, it is also worth mentioning the fact that there are many innovative applications, among which we can mention a) excessively dangerous operations, including rescue and rescue operations with a very bad sea, which today they cannot be carried out because they imply an unacceptable risk for the crew that should go aboard the rescue ship, and also the elimination of floating and submerged mines b) unmanned crossings, with two alternatives or else the ship makes the whole trip without a crew, or it leaves the port with all its crew, but once the departure is made, the crew (all or part) returns to port, and when the ship approaches the destination port it is approached by another crew for entry and docking maneuvers c) multiple government a single captain or operator (located on land, in an airplane, on another ship, or on a submarine) governs vain simu ships simultaneously in each of which may or may not have support crew d) staff training and training the same remote post can be used both to pilot a ship and to carry out theoretical and practical training in said task

Additionally, it should be noted the flexibility advantage the same remote bridge can be used to govern different ships on successive occasions. This is because the user interface structure can reside in the server program located in the on-board computer system, which is own of each ship, and not in the client program located in the remote bridge, where the captain or operator is

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Tele-presence or tele-operation systems are known in certain applications such as a) remote control of space vehicles, and b) remote control of unmanned underwater vehicles c) remote transmission of data from a ship, including the return of messages to it with navigation instructions

In recent years, technologies advantageously exploited by the present invention have been developed, including a) digitized versions of certain navigation instruments, such as radar with digital image, b) buses and digital standards for on-board instrumentation panels (for example NMEA), c) global digital satellite communications systems

(INMARSAT, IRIDΠJM) and by radio (based on different types of modems) with sufficient bandwidth, d) global positioning systems (GPS), e) client / server architectures, f) web and internet technologies, g) telepresence technologies

The availability and reliability achieved by these technologies, combined with computer and communications technologies, make possible the design, development and operation of the invention proposed here, in two fundamental aspects a) for the first time a captain or other operator located at a distance from the ship, you can reliably have the same information as if you were on board, and b) for the first time you can also exercise control of the ship with the same efficiency as if you were on board it

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention includes a telepresence system and method for remote governance of a ship

The telepresence system for remote governance of a ship is essentially characterized by providing the means for a captain (or any other person trained to govern the ship), located outside the ship (usually on land or in another ship), to a) have all the on-board information that you need at any time, such as instruments, sensors, and visual and acoustic environment inside and outside the ship, and b) efficiently tele-act on the ship's governance systems as well as on the on-board instruments to obtain at all times the data you need The result is that the captain or operator can govern the vessel from afar, following the usual procedures, and with an efficiency and security similar to those that would be obtained if find on board For this, the telepresence system for remote government of a ship consists of the following three components a) a system on board (1) on board the ship, which interacts with the information and control system of the ship, and which is connected to the telepresence link, b) a remote bridge (2), with which the captain or operator interacts, and which is located at a distance from the previous one (on land, on another ship or in any ship or vehicle) and that is connected to the telepresence link, c) a telepresence link (3), which bi-directionally transports data, messages and signals between the remote bridge and the on-board system

The embarked system (1) consists of the following means a) means to process the information that arrives to it and to coordinate, supervise and monitor the operation of its different components, the monitoring feature is given by the fact that the embarked system registers in a database all the data related to the predetermined variables, at predetermined time intervals or when the pre-established conditions are met b) means of connection with the ship's information and control system, means to obtain data through said system , graphics and images from the navigation instruments located on board the ship (such as GPS, radar, gyroscopic, fluxgate, magnetic needle, rubber, probe, anemometer, wind vane, rain gauge, slide), and on-board sensors ( such as speedometers, accelerometers, fuel and water indicators, indicators and sensors associated with the propulsion equipment, status indicators of lights, markings and visual and acoustic signals, status indicators of the electrical panel, heating, cooling, pumps, helmet voltages, flood sensors, propulsion, rudder, etc.), means to modify the operating conditions of the instruments, the sensors and on-board equipment (such as instrument switching on and off, selection of options in GPS, radar and other instruments, selection of telecommunications channels with the remote system, selection and addressing of cameras and microphones, selection of the operation mode of each instrument, dialogue with the instruments, etc), c) means to act on the governing bodies of the ship, such as rudder, propellers, sails, turning on and off signaling lights, raising and lowering of flags and marks, emission of acoustic signals, and others, d) means for capturing audiovisual information of the ship and its surroundings (engine room, sea state, presence of obstacles, shipwrecked or other nearby ships, etc.), means to disseminate video and audio directed to the interior and even the exterior of the ship, means to capture audio from the ship's radio and for broadcasting spoken messages through said radio, e) means for interacting with the remote bridge, receiving action orders and requests for information that it sends through the telepresence link, interpreting them, and executing them, f) means to dynamically manage the telecommunications equipment and lines of the telepresence link, and means of connection to the telepresence link to transmit to the remote bridge both its own messages and the data and signals with the information that has been requested, g) security means, to supervise the proper functioning of all the elements of the embarked system and establish decisions autonomously when circumstances arise provided for this, as well as making them effective, the decisions may be referred to the operating conditions of the instrumentation, government orders, transmission of alarms resulting from an analysis of the information collected, h) autonomous navigation means the ship is equipped with a system that allows you to continue browsing safely when there is a failure in communications and for the time it takes to restore i) means for fault tolerance in computer systems

The remote bridge (2) includes a) means to process the information at its disposal and to coordinate, monitor and monitor the operation of its different components, b) means to make the information accessible in an efficient way to the captain or operator of the ship, as well as means for it to introduce its requests and orders of action on the governing bodies of the ship and on the operating conditions of the on-board instrumentation, c) means to encode the orders of the captain or operator, as well as their requests for information, and to transmit them to the on-board system, through the telepresence link telecommunications system, means to receive data, messages and signals, and present that information to the captain or operator, d) means to dynamically manage the telepresence link telecommunication equipment and lines, and connection means to the telepresence link to exchange data, messages, with the on-board system signals and all kinds of information, e) means to supervise the correct functioning of all the elements of the remote bridge and to establish decisions autonomously when the circumstances foreseen for this occur, as well as to make them effective, f) means to aid navigation, to perform nautical calculations and provide other assistance to the captain or operator, analyze and interp automatically challenge the available data, make suggestions and observations, the suggestions, observations and orders will be referred to the telecommunication channels to be used, the operating conditions of the instrumentation, government orders, and alarms resulting from an analysis of the information collected, g) means to tolerate failures in computer systems

The telepresence link (3) consists of means for transmitting messages and signals from the on-board system to the remote bridge and vice versa, means consisting of emission / reception equipment located on board the ship and connected to the on-board system, reception / transmission equipment and lines connected to the remote bridge, and the corresponding communication channels, which are used simultaneously or successively for the exchange of information between the on-board system (1) and the remote bridge (2)

Referring now to the telepresence method for remote government of a ship, it is essentially characterized in that the captain (or any other operator trained for the government of the ship), is located far from the ship, and remotely obtains all the internal information and outside it, handle the instruments on board and transmits its decisions to the personnel in charge of executing them or to the control centers for their automated execution

The telepresence method for remote government of a ship is characterized in that at each moment the captain or operator can decide on a specific action among all the possible ones associated with its function. The stages of some of the most representative ones are analyzed below ( the others will follow an analogous procedure) a) obtain data from an instrument or sensor b) interact with an instrument c) establish spoken dialogue through the ship's radio d) establish listening or dialogue in a certain area of the ship e) look at through a camera f) act on an organ of the ship g) consult the historical archive

Obtaining data from an instrument is carried out by the following procedure a) using the available means (mouse, keyboard and / or voice), the captain or operator enters his decision at the command post, as well as the parameters that indicate additional conditions , among which the required reliability threshold is always counted, b) the remote bridge encodes its option and generates the corresponding message, finds it, opens the necessary telecommunications channels and transmits it to the on-board system according to the protocol required by the level of associated reliability, c) the on-board system receives the encrypted message, decrypts it, decodes it, and validates it according to the level of reliability required, if it does not exceed the validation phase, it is acted upon in accordance with what is established in this case for the required reliability level, d) if it exceeds the threshold associated with that level, then it executes the actions associated with the message, using the parameters received on m embarked module establishes communication with the instrument, e) transmits the operating parameters, requests the necessary data, receives them, encodes them in a message, and encnpta it, f) opens the communication lines that it needs to achieve an efficient and safe transmission, and transmits it to the bridge remote, g) the remote bridge receives the encrypted message, decrypts it, decodes it, and validates it according to the level of reliability required, if it does not exceed the validation phase, it acts according to what is established in this case for the level of Reliability required, if it exceeds the received data are transmitted to the captain or operator visually (or by any other means)

For the interactive use from the remote bridge of an instrument located on board the ship, the procedure is as follows a) the interaction protocol with each instrument is established, b) on the remote bridge, and using the available means (mouse, keyboard and / or voice), the captain or operator introduces his decision to interactively use an instrument, as well as the parameters that indicate additional conditions, the remote bridge encodes its option and generates the corresponding message, encepts it, opens the necessary telecommunications channels and it transmits it to the on-board system in accordance with the protocol required by the level of reliability associated with it, then a double loop of activities is initiated on the remote bridge

Loop n ° 1 the captain or operator successively introduces the actions that he wishes to perform on the embarked instrument, using the available means (mouse, keyboard and / or voice), the remote bridge encodes them, opens the necessary telecommunication channels and transmits the decision coded to the embarked system,

Loop n ° 2 the data received is presented to the captain or operator, as they arrive, c) the on-board system receives each message encrusted, decrypts, decodes it, and validates it according to the level of reliability required, if it does not exceed The validation phase is acted upon in accordance with what is established in this case for the level of reliability required, if it exceeds it, then executes the actions associated with the received message, using the accompanying parameters, opens the lines of communications that you need to achieve an efficient and safe transmission, and establishes the following loop the on-board system establishes communication with the instrument with which the captain or operator wishes to interact, transmits the operating parameters, collects the information provided by the instrument, the encodes, and transmits it to the remote bridge, prior encoding and encryption

The loops are maintained until the captain or operator introduces the option of closing the interaction with these instruments on the remote bridge.

To establish a radio communication (listening or broadcasting) through the ship's radio a) the captain or operator selects the radio option, enters his option to broadcast a message by radio, the option is encrypted and transmitted to the on-board system, b) the on-board system acts on the radio to put it into transmission mode, and sends the indicator code to the remote bridge, c) on the remote bridge the code becomes an indication to the captain or operator, when the captain or operator receives the indication to speak begins to do so, the microphone transforms the voice into an electrical signal, the digitahzación sound card digitahza and encodes in a sequence of numerical files, and the numerical files with the encoded voice are transmitted to the on-board system, d) in this one they are decoded and converted to an analog signal, the analog signal enters the radio and it goes out to the antenna, e) when in the remote bridge the capit The operator finishes speaking, introduces the indication to enter the listening mode, an indication that is encoded in a digital message, and transmitted to the on-board system, f) the on-board system decodes the message and generates the corresponding control signal to act on the radio and put it in reception mode, g) the audio signal that comes from the ship's radio enters the digitazzadora card, is digitahzada and encoded in numerical files and these are transmitted to the remote bridge, h) in the remote bridge files are decoded and converted into analog signals that are sent to the speakers or headphones, as selected a means of interaction or other i) when the captain or operator wishes to dispense with the radio can turn it off (as indicated below) or can lower the volume locally, when he wishes to issue a new message, it is continued in step a)

To change the channel on the ship's radio a) the captain or operator selects this option indicating the number of the channel he wishes to use, the option and the channel number is encoded and transmitted to the on-board system, b) the on-board system decodes the message and generates the corresponding control signal to act on the radio and tune in the specified channel, and then send the tuned channel number to the remote bridge

To modify the other operating conditions of the radio (on / off, volume or reception level and squelch) the method is similar

To modify the listening volume, you can also modify it locally, acting directly on the sound card of the remote bridge

To select the area of the vessel with which you want to communicate visually or verbally a) the captain or operator selects this option indicating the area you wish to access, data that is encoded and transmitted to the on-board system, b) the on-board system decodes the message, generates the corresponding control signal for the audio channel selector to tune the channel corresponding to the area of the specified vessel, and sends the tuned area number to the remote bridge, once the captain or operator has been informed of the establishment of the connection, two continuous processes are started and in parallel listening and broadcasting

Listening process a) the sound signal generated by the microphone installed in the ship's area selected enters the digitahzadora card of the on-board system, is digitahzada and encoded in numerical files and these are transmitted to the remote bridge, b) in the remote bridge the files are decoded and converted into analog signals that are sent to the speakers or headphones, according to one means of interaction or another has been selected, so that the captain or operator thus establishes a continuous listening

Issuance Process

It is identical to that of listening, except that it occurs in the opposite direction, that is, the operator speaks to the microphone of the remote bridge and his voice is broadcast by the PA systems selected on the ship

As for the selection of the ship's camera to be used a) the operator selects the camera he wishes to access and the camera number is encoded and transmitted to the on-board system, b) it activates the selected camera, tunes the signal of said camera and sends to the remote bridge the number of the camera that has been activated, this data is presented to the operator, along with the options to move the camera and its adjustable elements, such as iris, zoom, or focus, and From that moment on, the following continuous process begins 1) The video signal generated by the selected camera enters the video digger card of the on-board system, is and coded in numerical files and these are transmitted to the remote bridge,

2) on the remote bridge the files are decoded and converted into analog signals that are sent to the monitor, thus establishing the operator a continuous visual observation of the area of the selected vessel

To change operating conditions of the camera a) select this option indicating the desired condition, the option and the condition number are encoded and transmitted to the on-board system, b) it decodes the message and generates the corresponding control signal to act on the camera, and sends the descriptor code of the new situation to the remote bridge, so that it can be transferred to the operator To modify brightness, contrast and color, the respective controls of the monitor located on the remote bridge will be acted upon, through which the operator is observing the image sent by the ship's camera

The action on an organ of the ship requires a) to select this option and indicate the parameters necessary for its execution, data that is encoded, encrypted and transmitted to the on-board system, b) in the on-board system the message is decrypted, decoded and validated, if does not pass the validation a message is issued informing the operator of the remote bridge of this circumstance, if the validation is passed, then the corresponding control signal is generated to act on the governing body, the data of the new position of the organ is taken of government and a message is sent to the remote bridge for the operator informing him of the result of the order execution

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the best understanding of what is described herein, some drawings are attached in which, only by way of illustrative and non-limiting example, a preferred embodiment of the invention is depicted. In such drawings Figure 1 is a panoramic view of the three components of the system, as well as their location In Figure 2 the different modules that make up the on-board system are represented schematically (1) In Figure 3 the modules that integrate the remote bridge are also schematically represented ( 2) In Figure 4 the telepresence link modules are schematically represented (3)

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

To carry out the detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, a simple embodiment has been chosen, for reasons of clarity

In the described embodiment, the ship's government requires the captain or operator a) to manage and obtain information on the following GPS, radar, and probe instruments, b) have knowledge of data generated by the following anemometer sensors, engine temperature, fuel level , state of the lights, c) view the exterior of the ship in any direction, d) see the engine room, e) listen to the ambient sound outside, f) listen to the engine noise, g) use the radio VHF to carry out mandatory and ordinary listening periods, and to establish radio communications with other ships or coastal stations, h) give public address instructions, i) start / stop the engine, turn on / off the signaling lights and launch by Embroider the lifeboat in case of locating a shipwrecked person, and j) vary the rudder angle and engine speed

We also assume that the vessel already has an information and control system (29), installed after the construction of the vessel, equipped with an NMEA bus connection and data input / output cards and analogue signals, through the which is possible to obtain sensor and instrument data, handle the on-board instruments indicated in sections a) and b) of the previous paragraph, and act on the governing bodies and other ship control devices indicated in sections i) and j) from the previous paragraph

As Figure 1 indicates, the telepresence system for remote governance of a ship consists of a system on board (1) and a remote bridge (2), communicated with each other by a telepresence link (3)

The embarked system (1) in the preferred embodiment consists in particular of a) on-board computer platform (6), b) on-board communications module (7), c) on-board interaction module (8), d) audiovisual module (9), e) on-board security module (10), f) system on board safeguard (11)

The on-board computer platform (6) comprises a) cabinet made of resistant material and adapted to the marine environment, which contains inside an industrial rack on which all modules are fixed, b) uninterruptible power supply, stabilized and adapted to the generators available on the ship, c) a computer with the following devices CPU, memory, magnetic disk, floppy disk drives, monitor, keyboard, mouse, local network cards that allow connecting other computers dedicated to communications, data acquisition, or other specific functions, d) basic software installed on the computer operating system (Unix, DOS, Windows, NT, or other), local network software, with standard protocols (such as Ethernet, TCPTP,), databases for multimedia information (such as Oracle, Informix,)

The on-board communications module (7) fulfills the function of facilitating connections for the different telecommunications equipment as well as managing them. It includes the communications manager and the connection unit a) communications manager (12), consisting of a program (unique) that, depending on the bandwidth and reliability requirements, manages the activation and deactivation of the different telecommunications channels, monitors their operability, routes the data and signals through the most appropriate communication channels, and is responsible for restoring telecommunications when they are interrupted by external factors, b) connection unit (13), which in turn includes 1) devices and programs to connect a radio frequency channel (14) programs and port + modem + connection for a radio transmitter / receiver HF, UHF, VHF, BLU, etc., the modem is prepared to overcome interference, noise, effect Doppler, duplicity of reception and other problems posed by radio transmission,

2) devices and programs for connecting a cellular telephone channel of one or several lines (15) programs and port + telephone modem + connection for a GSM telephone terminal,

3) devices and programs to connect satellite transmitter (16), such as an Inmarsat station (up to 64 Kbps),

4) devices and programs to connect other telecommunications channels (17) that may be available, such as a Hispasat 2 Mbps satellite transmitter

The function of the on-board interaction module (8) is to facilitate the interaction between the remote bridge and the ship. This module maintains internal or local network communication with the other components of the on-board system. Consists of a) the connection module (18) comprises the devices and programs to connect to the ship's information and control system (29), in addition this module can include local network connections, standard bus such as NMEA, and other standard and ad hoc connections, b) the interaction server (19 ), whose function is to exchange information with

1) the ship's information system, to obtain the data, graphics and images from the indicators, sensors and navigation instruments, to control such instruments, and to act on the governing bodies of the ship, and with

2) the telepresence link, to send through it the information obtained from the vessel, and to receive and process the instructions that arrive from it, in our preferred embodiment the interaction server is specifically composed of an information server, such As a World Wide Web server, using http and CGI technology, through its telecommunication lines it sends its pages with the information and with the control buttons of the different instruments and sensors on board to the remote bridge command post, maintaining in them the aspect which offers in each case the screen and the control panel of each instrument, or with another aspect that is preferred, using form technology or other functionally equivalent, collects the parameters and instructions of the captain or operator, finally, using the technology CGI collects the ship's information and transmits the orders received to it, c) monitoring and archiving module, which, being optional, collects and archives the relevant information about navigation, ship conditions and information exchanges with the remote bridge

For its part, the audiovisual module (9) is composed of the following components a) Video modules

1) video card (21), connected to a stereo camera (26) duly protected and inertially stabilized, located in a high and clear part of the bridge, or via the corresponding control channel provided by this module, which can be captured images of both the deck of the ship and the sea,

2) video card (22) for ordinary camera (27) located in the engine room,

3) digital and stereoscopic video digitization, coding and compression programs b) Audio modules

1) sound card (20), such that Soundblaster, to whose input the VHF radio output (25) is connected, and whose output is connected to the audio input of said radio,

2) sound card (24), such that Soundblaster, to whose input the external stereo microphone (29) is connected, and to whose output the ship's public address system (30) has been connected,

3) sound card (23), such as Soundblaster, to whose input the microphone (28) of the engine room is connected and whose output remains unused

The function of the on-board safety module (10) is to maintain the governance of the vessel in case of interruption of telecommunications and other pre-programmed conditions. It consists of the following components, each with functionalities indicated below a) stand-alone computer, networked with the central computer, with its own uninterruptible power supply, where the programs described in the following points are hosted and operated b) software control program periodically verifies that all programs housed in the on-board system are in operation c) availability control program of the safeguard system verifies that the safeguard system is ready to replace the on-board computer platform of the on-board system in the event of a failure, d) Telecommunications control program periodically sends messages to the remote bridge, which it must answer automatically, in order to verify that both this and the telecommunications channels are fully operational, e) functional control program of the captain or operator at time intervals programmed (usually of random duration a) send messages to the captain or operator, to which the latter must answer appropriately, so it will be verified that he is in effective command of the ship, if he does not answer them in the pre-established conditions, and after the proper checks, he transfers the government of the ship to embarked autonomous navigation program, and continues the checks on the effectiveness of the control of the captain or operator, when it is confirmed, transfers the government of the ship back to the captain or operator, f) program of evaluation and control of risks derived from the performance or omission of maneuvers or due to the presence of other foreseeable hazards and that are not warned by the captain or operator, g) decision-making program when it detects any anomaly, and depending on the nature of it, it can act in any the following senses will be communicated to the captain or operator, pass the ship's command to the embarked autonomous navigation program, or carry out any another alternative action that has been programmed, h) embarked autonomous navigation program obtains the necessary data to determine the real situation of the ship, and applying pre-established rules determines the relevant action in each case and transmits it to the instruments and organs of government

Finally, the safeguard system (11) incorporates the computerized safeguard system, which consists of a functional replica of the other hardware and software elements of the on-board system, and which, in case of breakdown of any of these elements, comes into operation assuming all its functions

The means comprising the remote bridge (2) of the preferred embodiment consist of a) remote computing platform (31), b) remote communication module (33), c) remote interaction module (47), d) post of command (41), e) remote security module (50), and f) remote safeguard system (32)

The remote computing platform (31) includes a) equipment installation rack, b) uninterruptible power supply, stabilized and adapted to the system requirements, c) central computer with the following devices CPU, memory, magnetic disk, disk drives Removable disks, monitor, keyboard, mouse, cards and local network software that allow you to connect other computers dedicated to communications, data acquisition, or other specific functions, d) programs, including the following operating system programs (Unix,

DOS, Windows, NT, Aple, or other), local network software, with standard protocols (such as Ethernet, TCP / IP,), databases for multimedia information (such as Oracle, Informix,)

The remote communications module (33) is intended to facilitate connections with telecommunications equipment that are part of the telepresence link (3), as well as manage telecommunications lines. a) communications manager (34), consisting of a program that, depending on the bandwidth and reliability requirements, manages the activation and deactivation of the different telecommunications channels, monitors their operability, routes the data and signals through the most appropriate communication channels, and is responsible for restoring telecommunications when they are interrupted by external factors, b) connection module (35) devices with their corresponding programs for connecting one or several telecommunications equipment, the connection module includes 1) devices and programs to connect one or several analog or digital telephone lines (36) for access to VHF radio service programs and port + router or card for ISDN or modem for analog line + connection for line, 2) devices and programs to connect a cell phone line (37) (such as GSM) programs and sene modem port + connection for the line, 3) devices and programs to connect a satellite transmitter (38), such as a station for Inmarsat (64 Kbps),

4) devices and programs (39) to connect a 2 Mbps satellite transmitter such that Hispasat,

5) devices and programs to connect a radio frequency channel (40) programs and sene port + modem + connection for a VHF radio transmitter (or also HF, UHF, BLU, etc.), the modem, connected to a computer port, is prepared to overcome the characteristic disturbances of radio transmission

The function of the remote interaction module (47) is to carry out the exchange of information with the on-board system, simultaneously monitoring the entire process and leaving a record of it in a database. It consists of the following modules a) The exchange program ( 48) consists of a program that is able to dialogue with the interaction server (19) of the on-board system, and which in this embodiment is constituted by a Netscape browser program, or similar, by means of which it communicates with the system's Web server shipped, also includes added programs or plug-ms

The features of the exchange program are 1) receives and processes the information from the on-board system, transfers it to the command post, so that it can be presented to the captain or operator of the ship through one or several screens, speakers and any other means (such as a bridge simulator on board), 5 2) receives from the command post the data with the orders of the captain or operator to act on the instruments of the ship and on the governing bodies of the ship and on the operating conditions of the on-board instrumentation, and finally

3) Encodes and transmits them to the on-board system through the 10 communications link,

4) check the operation of the different components of the on-board system and the telepresence link, it also allows that check to be carried out at the request of the captain or operator from the command post b) The monitoring module (49) consists of a program that it records in a database all the relevant information that is produced during navigation c) A navigation aid module is also incorporated, to facilitate the calculation, decision making and reception of information from other sources other than the ship, such as weather information

Bl The command post (41) constitutes the interface with the captain or operator, who on this module can select what information of the ship he wishes, can obtain it, whether current or historical, can act on the means of government of the ship, can work with your instrumentation, you can establish listening and radio communications through the ship's radio, you can see and hear what

25 occurs inside and outside the ship, and also has permanent aids for an effective and reliable performance of its work. It consists of a) stereo and mono visualization devices and programs (42), integrated at least by a screen on which the captain The operator may observe data, graphics and images from all or part of the navigation instruments, as well as the

30 video from the ship, will also include glasses or a helmet for visuahzación in relief, and even optionally it could also include vain screens to receive simultaneous video from different sources, b) mono and stereo listening devices (43), integrated by stereo headphones through which the captain or operator can listen at any time to the external sound of the ship or the engine room, and a speaker with the that the captain or operator may listen to the radio installed on the vessel, optionally it may also include other speakers (or headphones) for stereo hearing, or to receive simultaneous sound from different points of the vessel, c) microphone with echo canceller (44) to introduce voice, to be broadcast on the ship or to be broadcast on the ship's radio, d) keyboard (45) and mouse (46) or other functionally equivalent devices to handle the menus that appear on the screen, and thereby manage the instruments on board and govern the ship

The remote security module (50) has the mission of ensuring the correct operation of the remote bridge and other systems at its disposal. It consists of the following components, each with the following functionalities a) independent computer, with its own uninterruptible power supply, connected in local network to the computing platform of the remote bridge, b) software control program, by means of which it is periodically verified that all the programs housed in the remote bridge are functioning correctly, c) control program of availability of the safeguard system, to verify that the safeguard system itself is ready to replace the computer platform of the on-board system in case it suffers a fault, d) telecommunications control program, which periodically sends messages to the on-board system, to which it must answer automatically, in order to verify that both this and the telepresence link are fully operational, e) functional control program of the captain or operator, which, at random time intervals, sends messages to the captain or operator, to which the latter must respond appropriately , to verify that he is in command of the ship, and that in case you do not answer them in the pre-established conditions, and after the appropriate repetitions, transfer the government of the ship to the remote autonomous navigation program, continuing the checks on the effectiveness of the control of the captain or operator, and so that when it is confirms, the ship's government is transferred back to the captain, f) decision-making program, which, when it detects any anomaly and depending on its nature, can act in any of the following ways to communicate it to the captain or operator , passing the ship's command to the remote autonomous navigation program, activating the safeguard system, or any other previously programmed alternative, and g) remote autonomous navigation program obtains the necessary data to determine the real situation of the remote bridge, and applying pre-established rules determines the relevant action in each case and transmits them where appropriate

Finally, the remote safeguard system (32) contains the safeguard computer system, consisting of a functional replica of the other systems of the remote bridge, which in case of failure of any of them comes into operation (automatically or manually) assuming all its functions

The telepresence link (3) in the preferred embodiment provides the telecommunications channels for the exchange of information between the on-board system (1) and the remote bridge (2) The telecommunications system adopted in this embodiment provides for three levels of needs as far as to information flow, and therefore, in terms of cost / hour low flow (4800, 9600 bps) with VHF and GSM channels, medium flow (64 Kbps) with Inmarsat satellite line, and high flow (2 Mbps and higher) with Hispasat or similar satellite line All three will be installed, and at any time the communications manager (34) or the staff of the remote bridge can select the one that should be used In each channel, three parts must be differentiated from the equipment used to connect the telepresence link to the remote bridge, the one intended to connect the telepresence link to the ship's embarked system, and finally the communication channel (acativado or not) between both ends The link e of Telepresence (3) incorporates in the embodiment described herein the following means

a) Cell phone channel

1) For the remote bridge a cellular telephone terminal (54) such as GSM, with the cable (71) it is connected to the connection point (37) offered for this purpose by the communications module of the remote bridge

2) For the ship, a cellular telephone terminal (51) such as GSM, with an external antenna, connects with the cable (75) to the connection point (15) offered for this purpose by the on-board system communications module 3) Two cell phone lines (52) and (53)

To establish communication through this channel from the remote system, a call will be made to the telephone terminal number (51) located on board the ship. When the on-board system is to open this communication channel, then it will be the communications module of the on-board system, the one that calls the cell phone number corresponds to the remote bridge This channel will allow communication to be established when the vessel navigates in areas where there is cell phone coverage b) Radio channel

1) For the remote bridge cable (74) to connect a telephone line (or spans) (65) to the connection point (36) offered for this purpose by the communications module of the remote bridge, through this line connection will be established (58) with the radio coast station (57) Alternatively, when a radio transmitter is available in the vicinity of the remote bridge, a direct connection (72) will be established between the transmitter (56) and the connection point ( 40) that the remote bridge communications module offers for this purpose

2) For the ship, the radio transmitter equipment (55), such that HF, is connected by means of the cable (76) to the connection point (14) offered for this purpose by the on-board system communications module

3) Requires an ISDN or analog (or empty) telephone line c) Satellite channel

1) For the remote bridge cable (74) to connect a telephone line (65) (or openings) to the connection point (36) offered for this purpose by the communications module of the remote bridge, through this link communication (63) will be established with the coastal station (62) of the satellite (60) (such as Inmarsat) As an alternative to when a satellite transmitter is available in the vicinity of the remote bridge (such as a Saturn device), a direct connection (73) will be established between the transmitter (61) and the connection point (38) offered for this purpose by the communications module of the remote bridge

2) For the ship a transmitting station (59) (such as 64 Kbps Inmarsat), connects with the cable (77) to the connection point (16) offered for this purpose by the on-board system communications module 3) Lines An ISDN line is required for the land section (or empty, when greater bandwidth is desired), and an Inmarsat line for the space segment To establish communication on this channel from the remote bridge, a call will be made to the Inmarsat number of the equipment located on board the ship When it is the on-board system that has to open this communication channel, then it will be the communications module of the on-board system that calls the ISDN or Inmarsat number of the remote bridge The telecommunications channel will be established in each case with the following remote bridge sections - ISDN land section - Inmarsat coast station - Inmarsat satellite - Inmarsat receiver on board ship - on-board system When using a transm station isora on the remote bridge, then the communication will contain the following remote bridge sections - Inmarsat transmitter station - Inmarsat satellite - Inmarsat receiver on board the ship - embarked system d) Broadband satellite channel 1) For the remote bridge a transmitter station ( 70) for the satellite such that HISPASAT (69), connects directly with the cable (64) to the connection point (39) that for this purpose offers the communications module of the remote bridge, alternatively the connection point (39) can connect via the cable (64) to a fixed line (66) of sufficient bandwidth through which a transmitter station (68) communicates with the satellite that is remote from the remote bridge 2) For the ship a transmitter station ( 67) for satellite it is connected with the cable (78) to the connection point (17) that offers the communications module of the on-board system for this purpose ) Satellite line contracted for 2 Mbps.

Claims

R E I V I N D I C A C I O N E S

1 The telepresence system for remote government of a ship, which has as its purpose the fact that a captain (5), or any operator trained for the government of the ship, located outside the ship, usually on land or in another ship , you can have all the information on board that you need at any time, select the operating conditions and parameters of the instruments and equipment located on board, interact with them to obtain new information in the desired conditions, and tele-act efficiently on the ship's governance systems, obtaining with it as a result that the captain or operator can govern the ship remotely, following the usual procedures, and with an efficiency and security similar to that which would be obtained if it were on board, the system being characterized because it comprises a) a system on board (1) on board the vessel, which interacts with the vessel's information and control system, and which is connected to the telepresence link, b) a remote bridge (2), with which the captain or operator interacts, and which is located at a distance from the previous one (on land, on another ship or in any ship or vehicle) and which is also connected to the telepresence link, and c) a telepresence link (3), which bi-directionally transports data, messages and signals between the remote bridge and the on-board system

2 The telepresence system for remote government of a ship, according to claim 1, characterized in that the system on board (1) consists of the following means a) means for processing the information that arrives to it and for coordinating, supervising and monitoring the operation of its different components, b) means of connection with the ship's information and control system, means for obtaining (through said system) data, graphics and images from the navigation instruments located on board the ship (such as GPS, radar, gyro, fluxgate, magnetic needle, rubber, probe, anemometer, weather vane, sliding), and on-board sensors (such as speedometers, accelerometers, fuel and water indicators, indicators and sensors associated with the propulsion equipment, status indicators of lights, markings and visual and acoustic signals, status indicators of the electrical panel, heating, cooling, pumps, hull voltages, flood sensors, propulsion, rudder, etc.), means to modify the operating conditions of instruments, sensors and on-board equipment (such as on and off of instruments, selection of options in GPS, radar and other instruments, selection of telecommunications channels with the remote system, selection and addressing of cameras and microphones, selection of the mode of operation of each instrument, dialogue with instruments , etc.), c) means to act on the governing bodies of the ship such as rudder, propellers, sails, lights on and off s signaling, raising and lowering of flags and marks, emission of acoustic signals, and others, d) means to capture audiovisual information of the ship and its surroundings (engine room, sea state, presence of obstacles, shipwrecked or other nearby ships, etc.), means for broadcasting video and audio directed to the interior and even outside the ship, means for capturing audio from the ship's radio and for issuing spoken messages through said radio, e) means for interacting with the remote bridge, receiving the orders of action and the requests for information that it sends through the telepresence link, interpreting them, and executing them, f) means to dynamically manage the telecommunications equipment and lines of the telepresence link, and means of connection to the telepresence link to transmit to the remote bridge both own messages and data and signals with the information requested tada, g) security means, to supervise the correct functioning of all the elements of the embarked system and establish decisions autonomously when the circumstances foreseen for this occur, as well as to make them effective, the decisions may refer to the telecommunications channels to be used , the operating conditions of the instrumentation, government orders, transmission of alarms resulting from an analysis of the information collected, etc, h) means to maintain the government of the ship in the periods of time in which the captain or operator cannot exercise it, as a result of an interruption of telecommunications or any other cause, i) means for fault tolerance in computer systems

3 The telepresence system for remote governance of a ship, according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the means of the on-board system (1) include a) an on-board computer platform (6), b) a module for on-board communications (7), c) a on-board interaction module (8), d) an audiovisual module (9), e) a on-board safety module (10), and f) a on-board safeguard system (11)

4 The telepresence system for remote governance of a ship, according to claims 1, 2, and 3, characterized in that the on-board communications module (7) consists of a) a telecommunications management system (12), consisting of a (single) program that, depending on the bandwidth and reliability requirements, manages the activation and deactivation of the different telecommunications channels, monitors their operability and is responsible for restoring it when it is interrupted by external factors, and b) a connection module (13), which incorporates devices, with their corresponding programs, for the connection of telecommunication equipment by telephony, radio, satellite and any other means, which integrate on-board segment of the telepresence link

The telepresence system for remote governance of a ship, according to claims 1, 2, 3 and 4, characterized in that the connection module (13), included in the on-board communications module, includes connections for telecommunications equipment, such as the following a) connection for radio frequency channel (14) (can be multiple) programs and sene port + modem + connection for a radio transmitter (such as HF, UHF, VHF, BLU, etc.), the modem, connected to a sene port The computer is prepared to overcome interference, noise, doppler effect, duplicity of reception and other problems posed by radio transmission, b) connection for cellular telephone channel (15) of one or several lines (can be multiple) programs and port sene + telephone modem + connection for a cell phone terminal, c) connection for satellite channel (16) (can be multiple) programs and digital connection for a satellite transmitter, such as Inmarsat stations

64 Kbps or other satellites of 2 Mbps or more, and d) connection for other telecommunications channels (17)

The telepresence system for remote governance of a ship, according to claims 1, 2, and 3, characterized in that the on-board interaction module (8) consists of a) devices and programs (18) for connection to the ship's information system , whose function is to obtain the data, graphics and images from all or part of the navigation instruments, control said instruments, and exercise control of the governing bodies of the ship, and b) an interaction server (19), consisting of a program to dialogue on the one hand with the remote system, through the telecommunication channels provided by the telepresence link, and on the other, with the vessel's information and control system, through a local network, of the remote system receives messages requesting information on board, and instructions to manipulate the instruments and governing bodies, and sends data, sound, images and other previously requested information, as well as other relevant information, the ship's information and control system receives the data and signals from instruments and sensors, and sends control messages on said instruments and on the governing bodies

The telepresence system for remote governance of a ship, according to claims 1, 2, 3 and 6, characterized in that the interaction server (19), which It is part of the on-board interaction module, it consists of an information server program, preferably of the World Wide Web type, which, by selecting the appropriate technology, dialogues with the remote bridge, through telecommunications lines, to receive of him the requests of information and the orders of action on board, and to send him the requested information, together with the graphic replicas of the corresponding instruments or surroundings from where they come, so that they can be presented maintaining the aspect that offers in each case the visuahzador and the control panel of each instrument, or with another aspect that is preferred, and dialogues with the ship's information and control system to introduce the parameters and instructions supplied by the captain or operator into the instruments, and to take the instruments and sensors the information of the vessel to be transmitted to the remote bridge

The telepresence system for remote governance of a ship, according to claims 1, 2, and 3, characterized in that the audiovisual module (9) of the on-board system is composed of one or spans of the following components a) one or more modules of video, each of which includes 1) one or several fixed or mobile cameras, mono (27) or stereoscopic (26), for the visible, infrared spectrum, etc., directed towards the exterior of the ship and towards its interior units, those directed to the outside are protected and stabilized to ensure their duration and the quality of the captured image, 2) suitable devices and programs (21, 22) for video connection and control of one or several cameras (standard or not), c) connection cables, and 3) digitahzación, coding and compression programs for all types of video that are incorporated in each case, b) one or more radiocommunication modules, preferably one for each radio, each s which includes suitable devices and programs (20) for input and output connections with the ship's radio (25), and for its control connections, c) one or more audio modules, each including mono microphones ( 28) or stereo (29) and even microphone networks, located at external and internal points of the vessel, to capture sound at all relevant points, speakers and / or mono or stereo headphones (30) located at relevant points outside and outside the ship. inside of ship, to spread on-board spoken messages, suitable devices and programs (23, 24) for connection of microphones and speakers, as well as its control circuits, and finally, programs for digitalization, coding and compression of mono and stereo audio

The telepresence system for remote governance of a ship, according to claims 1, 2, and 3, characterized in that the on-board safety module (10) consists of the following components a) independent computer, with its own uninterruptible power supply system , connected in a local network to the computer platform of the on-board system, b) software control program, which periodically verifies that all the programs hosted on the on-board system are in operation, c) the system's availability control program safeguard, to verify that the safeguard system itself is ready to replace the on-board computer platform in case it is damaged, d) telecommunications control program, which periodically sends messages to the remote bridge, to which it must answer automatically, in order to verify that both this and the system of telecommunications are fully operational, e) functional control program of the captain or operator, which, at random intervals of time, sends messages to the captain or operator, to which the latter must respond appropriately to verify that he is in command of the Vessel, and that in case you do not answer them in the pre-established conditions, and after the appropriate repetitions, transfer the government of the ship to the embarked autonomous navigation program, continuing the checks on the effectiveness of the control of the captain or operator, and so that when it is confirmed, the ship's government is transferred back to the captain, f) decision-making program, which, when it detects any anomaly and depending on its nature, can act in any of the following ways communicate it to the captain or operator, pass the ship's command to the embarked autonomous navigation program, activate the safeguard system, or any other previously programmed alternative, and g) embarked autonomous navigation program obtains the necessary data to determine the actual situation of the ship, and applying pre-established rules determines the relevant action in each case and transmits it to the instruments and governing bodies

The telepresence system for remote governance of a ship, according to claims 1,2 and 3, characterized in that the architecture of the on-board system (1) can include a single computer containing all the devices of the on-board system, or alternatively it can consist of a set of computers connected to the local network, each of which includes a subset of devices and programs

11 The telepresence system for remote governance of a ship, according to claims 1, 2 and 3, characterized in that the on-board safeguard system (11), which can be multiple, consists of a functional replica of the other components of the on-board system, that, in case of failure of any of them, it comes into operation assuming all its functions

The telepresence system for remote governance of a ship, according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the remote bridge (2) has the following means a) means to process the information it has and to coordinate, supervise and monitor the operation of its different components, b) means to make the information accessible in an efficient manner to the captain or operator of the ship, as well as means for it to introduce its requests for information and its orders of action on the governing bodies of the ship and on the operating conditions of the sensors and on-board instrumentation, c) means to encode the orders of the captain or operator, as well as their requests for information, and to transmit them to the on-board system, through the telepresence link telecommunication system, means to receive data, messages and signals, and present that information to the captain or operator, d) means to dynamically manage the equipment and lines telecommunication of the telepresence link, and means of connection to the telepresence link to exchange with the on-board system data, messages, signals and all kinds of information, e) means to monitor the correct operation of all the elements of the remote bridge and establish autonomously decisions when the circumstances envisaged for this occur, as well as making them effective, f) means of navigational assistance, to carry out nautical calculations and provide other assistance to the captain or operator, automatically analyze and interpret the available data, make suggestions and observations, suggestions, observations and orders will be referred to the telecommunications channels to be used, the operating conditions of the instrumentation, government orders, and alarms resulting from an analysis of the information collected, g) means to tolerate failures in computer systems

The telepresence system for remote governance of a ship, according to claims 1 and 12, characterized in that the means of the remote bridge (2) consist of a) remote computer platform (31), b) remote communications module ( 33), c) remote interaction module (47), d) command post (41), e) remote security system (50), and f) remote safeguard system (32)

The telepresence system for remote governance of a ship, according to claims 1, 2, and 13, characterized in that the remote communications module (33) consists of a) a telecommunications manager (34), consisting of a single program that manages the activation and deactivation of the different telecommunication channels, and which deals autonomously with restoring telecommunications when they are interrupted, and b) connection module (35), constituted by devices, with the corresponding programs, for the connection of one or vain telecommunications equipment

The telepresence system for remote governance of a ship, according to claims 1, 12, 13, and 14, characterized in that the connection module (35), belonging to the remote communication module, includes a) devices and programs (36) to connect one or several analog or digital telephone lines that include programs and port + router or ISDN card or modem for analog line + line connection, b) devices and programs (37) to connect one or several cell phone lines, such as GSM, which include programs and port + modem + connection for lines, c) devices and programs (38) to connect a satellite transmitter, such as Inmarsat stations (up to 64 Kbps) or other satellites (at 2 Mbps or more), d) devices and programs (40) for connecting one or more radio frequency channels including programs and port + modem + connection for a radio transmitter HF, UHF, VHF, BLU, etc., the modem, connected to a computer port, it is prepared to overcome interference, noise, doppler effect, duplicity of reception and other problems posed by radio transmission, and e) devices and programs (39) to connect other available telecommunications channels

The telepresence system for remote governance of a ship, according to claims 1, 12 and 13, characterized in that the remote interaction module (47) consists of a) an exchange program (48), which consists of a capable program to dialogue with the on-board system interaction server, and whose functionalities include receiving and processing information from the system embarked and transfer it to the command post, so that it can be presented to the captain or operator of the ship through one or several screens, speakers and by any other means (such as a simulator of the command bridge), to receive from the command post the data with the orders of the captain or operator to act on the instruments of the ship, on the governing bodies of the ship and on the operating conditions of the on-board instrumentation, encode them and transmit them to the on-board system through the telepresence link, and finally allow the captain (or the auxiliary staff thereof) to check from the command bridge the operation of the different components of the on-board system and the telepresence link, and b) a monitoring module (49), which monitors the exchange of data between the remote bridge and the on-board system and records them in a database

The telepresence system for remote governance of a ship, according to claims 1, 12, 13 and 16, characterized in that the exchange program (48) of the remote interaction module consists of a conventional explorer or browser program, such as the one used on the internet (Explorer, Netscape, or similar), to communicate with the on-board system interaction server, and even with additional functionalities, with the use of added programs

18 The telepresence system for remote governance of a ship, according to claims 1, 12 and 13, characterized in that the command post (41) of the remote bridge, which is the interface with the captain or operator, consists of a bridge simulator of real control or alternatively in an equipment that consists of the following elements a) mono and stereo display devices and programs (42), integrated by information visualization devices (such as pilots, indicators, screens, or virtual reality systems) , in which the captain or operator may observe data, graphics and mono and stereo images from the navigation instruments, as well as the different types of video from the vessel, b) mono and stereo listening devices (43), integrated by a loudspeaker or headset, or openings, with which captain or operator can listen to the ambient sound captured on the ship as well as the on-board radio, and which may optionally also include other speakers (or headphones) for stereo hearing, or to receive simultaneous sound from different sources, c) microphone (44) to introduce voice, intended for the ship or to be broadcast by its radio, and camera to capture video intended to be broadcast on the ship, d) keyboard (45), and mouse (46) or other functionally equivalent devices, such as levers, rudder wheels and other physical devices equipped with the corresponding analog / digital transducers and converters

The telepresence system for remote governance of a ship, according to claims 1, 12, and 13, characterized in that the remote security module (50) is constituted by the following components a) independent computer, with its own uninterruptible power supply system , connected in a local network to the computer platform of the remote bridge, b) software control program, by means of which it is periodically checked that all the programs hosted on the remote bridge are functioning correctly, c) system availability control program safeguard, to verify that the safeguard system itself is ready to replace the on-board computer platform in case it suffers a fault, d) telecommunications control program, which periodically sends messages to the on-board system, to which it must answer automatically, in order to verify that both this and the link e of telepresence are fully operational, e) program of functional control of the captain or operator, which, at random time intervals, sends messages to the captain or operator, to which the latter must respond appropriately, to verify that he is at command of the ship, and in case you do not answer them in the pre-established conditions, and after the appropriate repetitions, transfer the government of the ship to the remote autonomous navigation program, continuing the checks on the effectiveness of the control of the captain or operator, and so that when it is confirmed, it is transferred back to the captain the ship's government, f) decision-making program, which, when it detects any anomaly and depending on its nature, may act in any of the following ways to communicate it to the captain or operator, pass the ship's command to the program remote autonomous navigation, activate the safeguard system, or any other previously programmed alternative, and g) remote autonomous navigation program obtains the necessary data to determine the real situation of the remote bridge, and applying pre-established rules determines the relevant action in each case and transmits it where appropriate

The telepresence system for remote governance of a ship, according to claims 1, 12, and 13, characterized in that the remote safeguard system (32) consists of a functional replica of the other remote bridge systems, which, in case of breakdown of any of them, it comes into operation automatically or manually, assuming all its functions

21 The telepresence system for remote government of a ship, according to claims 1, 2 and 3, characterized in that it also contains a telepresence link (3), whose function is to provide the telecommunications channels for the exchange of information between the on-board system (1) and the remote bridge (2), and consisting of a set of telecommunications channels, each of which contains three segments a) the on-board segment, consisting of the transmitting equipment installed on board the ship, and connected to the embarked system, b) the remote segment, constituted by the equipment installed around the remote bridge, and which are connected to it, and c) the intermediate segment, constituted by radio, satellite or other links, which link the remote segment with on board

22 The telepresence method for remote governance of a ship, which can be carried out with the use of a system such as that defined in claims 1 to 21 above, which is essentially characterized in that it includes the following activities a) the operational characteristics and data offered by each instrument located on the vessel, as well as any indicator or sensor located therein, are acquired by an on-board system, which, at the request of the remote operator, and using one or Several telecommunications lines are transmitted from the ship to a remote control center called remote bridge, in which the aforementioned information is received and presented to the operator by means of a functional replica, which can also be a physical replica of the said instrument, in turn the visual or acoustic information of the interior or exterior of the ship, including that coming from the ship's radio, is collected by cameras and microphones, is encoded in the on-board system, from where it is transmitted to the remote bridge, which decodes it and presents it to the operator when he requests it, using the appropriate means of visualization and sound, b) the actions that the operator performs on the replica of an instrument or a control element are coded and transmitted to the on-board system, which in turn executes them on the actual instrument or control element located on board, Similarly, the images and sound produced on the remote bridge are acquired by cameras and microphones, encoded and transmitted to the on-board system, which decodes and broadcasts them through monitors or speakers, or, in the case of radio messages, the retransmits through the ship's radio, c) by properly combining the above activities the captain, or any other operator trained for the ship's government, can handle all the navigation instrumentation, obtain the data, graphics and images he wishes, receive images (even in relief) of the interior and exterior of the ship, and act on all its governing bodies, and all with procedural similar taxes and with the same effectiveness as if it were on the ship's bridge of command, d) for periods in which the captain or operator cannot exercise the government of the ship, it will be exercised by an autonomous navigation program that will be activated automatically, and that will be deactivated when the captain or operator can again exercise his function of government, when the failure of a system in the remote bridge or on the embarked system occurs, the mechanism of Functional replacement of the system submitted by a duplicate of yours, the number of duplications to include for each system will be necessary so that the probability of failing all duplications is below an acceptable level

23 The telepresence method for remote government of a ship, according to claim 22, characterized in that at any time the captain or operator (5) can decide on a specific action among all the possible ones associated with its function, among which we can cite, for example, as the most representative a) obtain data from an instrument or sensor, b) interact with an instrument, c) establish spoken dialogue through the ship's radio, d) establish listening or dialogue in a given area of the ship, e) look through a camera, f) act on an organ of the ship, and g) consult the historical archive

The telepresence method for remote government of a ship, according to claims 22 and 23, is characterized in that it allows the captain or operator (5) to obtain data from an instrument following the following steps a) using the available means (mouse, keyboard and / or voice) introduces its decision at the remote command post, as well as the parameters that indicate additional conditions, among which the required reliability threshold is always counted, b) the remote bridge encodes its option and generates the corresponding message, enπpta, opens the necessary telecommunication channels and transmits it to the system on board the ship, in accordance with the protocol required by the level of reliability associated with it, c) the on-board system receives the encrypted message, decrypts it, decodes it, and decorates it. validates according to the level of reliability required, if it does not exceed the validation phase, it acts according to what is established in this case for the level of reliability required, d) if it exceeds the threshold associated with that level, then execute the actions associated to the message, using the parameters received, the on-board module establishes communication with the instrument, e) transmits the operating parameters, requests the necessary data, receives them, encodes them in a message, and encnpta it, f) opens the lines of communications that you need to achieve an efficient and secure transmission, and transmits it to the remote bridge, and g) the remote bridge receives the encrypted message, decrypts it, decodes it, and validates it according to the required reliability level, if it does not exceed the The validation phase is acted upon in accordance with what is established in this case for the level of reliability required, if it exceeds the data received, it is transmitted to the captain or operator visually (or by any other means)

The telepresence method for remote government of a ship, according to claims 22 and 23, characterized in that it allows the captain or operator (5) to interactively use any instrument on board, from the remote bridge, following the following steps to ) the interaction protocol with each instrument is established, b) on the remote bridge, and using the available means (mouse, keyboard and / or voice), the captain or operator introduces his decision to interactively use an instrument, as well as the parameters indicating additional conditions, c) the remote bridge encodes its option and generates the corresponding message, encipts it, opens the necessary telecommunications channels and transmits it to the on-board system according to the protocol required by the level of reliability associated with it, then they start two loops on the remote bridge, of which the first is that the captain or operator introduces his actions on the inst This means using the available means (mouse, keyboard, voice or other), and the command post encodes them, opens the necessary telecommunications channels and transmits the corresponding message to the on-board system, and the second consists of receiving, conditioning and presenting to the captain or operator the data coming from the on-board system, as they arrive d) the on-board system receives each message enclosed, decrypts it, decodes it, and validates it according to the level of reliability required, if it does not exceed the phase of Validation is carried out in accordance with what is established in this case for the level of reliability required, if it exceeds it, it establishes communication with the instrument specified in the message, transmits the operating parameters, requests the data that specifies the parameters, receives them , encodes and encrypts them, opens the communication lines that it needs to achieve an efficient and safe transmission with the remote system, and transmits them continuously or discreetly depending on the nature of the requested data, the continuous transmissions will cease when requested by the captain or operator or depending on preset conditions or included in the aforementioned parameters

26 The telepresence method for remote government of a ship, according to claims 22 and 23, is characterized in that it allows the captain or operator (5), from the remote bridge, to speak on the ship's radio board, listen to it, and manipulate its operating conditions, following the following procedures a) the procedure for speaking on the ship's radio and for listening to it includes the following stages

1) the captain or operator selects the radio option, enters his option to broadcast a message by radio, the option is encrypted and transmitted to the on-board system,

2) the on-board system acts on the radio to put it into transmission mode, and sends the indicator code of doing so to the remote bridge,

3) on the remote bridge the code becomes an indication to the captain or operator, when the captain or operator receives the indication to speak begins to do so, the microphone transforms the voice into an electrical signal, the sound digitahzación card digitizes it and encodes in a sequence of numerical files, and the numerical files with the encoded voice are transmitted to the on-board system,

4) in this one they are decoded and converted to analog signal, the analog signal enters the radio and from this one it goes out to antenna,

5) when the captain or operator finishes speaking on the remote bridge, enters the indication to enter the listening mode, an indication that is encoded in a digital message, and transmitted to the on-board system,

6) the on-board system decodes the message and generates the corresponding control signal to act on the radio and put it into reception mode, 7) the audio signal that comes from the ship's radio enters the digita zadora card, is digitized and encoded in numerical files and these are transmitted to the remote bridge,

8) on the remote bridge the files are decoded and converted into analog signals that are sent to the speakers or headphones, depending on whether one interaction medium or another has been selected

9) when the captain or operator wishes to dispense with the radio, he can turn it off (as indicated below) or he may lower the volume locally, when he wishes to issue a new message, continue in step a), b) the procedure to change Channel on the ship's radio includes the following stages

1) the captain or operator selects this option indicating the number of the channel he wishes to use, the option and the channel number is encoded and transmitted to the on-board system, 2) the on-board system decodes the message and generates the corresponding control signal to act over the radio and tune in the specified channel, and then send the tuned channel number to the remote bridge, following an analogous process to modify the other operating conditions of the radio, such as on / off, volume or reception level and squelch, and also with the possibility of modifying the volume of hearing, in local position, acting directly on the sound card of the remote bridge

27 The telepresence method for remote government of a ship, according to claims 22 and 23, characterized in that it allows the captain or operator (5), from the remote bridge, to establish listening or dialogue with a chosen area of the ship through From the following stages in the remote bridge, this option is selected, indicating the zone you wish to access, the option and the zone number are encoded by a message that is transmitted to the on-board system, it decodes the message and generates the signal from corresponding control to select the audio signal corresponding to the area of the vessel specified in the message, the tuned area number is sent to the remote bridge, and presented to the captain or operator, with which from that moment two continuous and parallel processes are started, consisting of the listening and broadcasting processes, so that in the listening process, a) the sound signal generated by the microphone installed in The area of the selected vessel is digitahzada in the on-board system, it is encoded in numerical files that are transmitted to the remote bridge, in the remote bridge the files are decoded and converted into analog signals that are sent to the speakers or headphones, as selected a means of hearing or another, so that the captain or operator thus establishes a continuous listening mode, the broadcasting process being identical to that of listening, with the exception that it occurs in the opposite direction, that is, the operator speaks to the The microphone of the remote bridge and its voice is broadcast by the PA systems selected on the ship, and the dialogue process being the result of simultaneously establishing the listening and broadcasting processes just described

28 The telepresence method for remote governance of a ship, according to claims 22 and 23, characterized in that it allows the captain or operator (5), from the remote bridge, to observe, even in relief, the chosen area of the interior or from outside the ship, through cameras installed on it, through the following steps a) on the remote bridge the operator selects the camera he wishes to access and his code is transmitted by a message to the on-board system, b) it activates the camera indicated in the message, tunes the signal of said camera and sends to the remote bridge the number of the camera that has been activated, this data is presented to the operator, along with the options to move the camera and its adjustable elements, such that orientation, iris, zoom, or focus, so that from that moment a continuous process begins in which

1) the video signal generated by the selected camera enters the video digger card of the on-board system, is and encoded in numerical files and these are transmitted to the remote bridge,

2) in the remote bridge the files are decoded and converted into analog signals that are sent to the monitor, thus establishing the operator an observation Continuous visual of the area of the selected vessel, in which to change the operating conditions of the camera a) this option is selected indicating the desired condition, the option and the condition number are encoded and transmitted in a message to the on-board system , b) this decodes the message and generates the corresponding control signal to act on the camera, and sends to the remote bridge the number the descriptor code of the new situation, so that it is transferred to the operator, and in which to modify brightness, contrast and color will act on the respective controls of the monitor located on the remote bridge, through which the operator is observing the image that the ship's camera sends

29 The telepresence method for remote governance of a ship, according to claims 22 and 23, characterized in that it allows the captain or operator (5), from the remote bridge, to act on an organ of the ship through the following steps a) select this option and indicate the necessary parameters for its execution, data that is encoded, encrypted and transmitted to the on-board system, b) in the on-board system the message is deciphered, decoded and validated, if it does not pass the validation a message is issued informing of that circumstance to the operator of the remote bridge, if the validation is passed, then the corresponding control signal is generated to act on the governing body, and finally c) the data of the new position of the governing body is taken and sent to the remote bridge a message to the operator informing you of the result of the order execution

30 The telepresence method for remote government of a ship, according to claims 22 and 23, characterized in that on board the ship and on the remote bridge, momtoπzación processes are carried out, by means of which the embarked system and the Remote bridge records the data related to the predetermined variables in a database, at predetermined time intervals or when In the pre-established conditions, these records may be consulted by the captain or operator from the remote bridge.

31. The telepresence method for remote government of a ship, according to claims 22 and 23, characterized in that the ship is equipped with a system that allows it to continue navigating safely in the event of a failure in communications and for the time it takes to restore.