System for Detecting a Man-Overboard Event

Abstract

A system for detecting a man-overboard event, comprising a plurality of first computing units having at least one optical sensor with a predetermined detection range and a second computing unit connected to the plurality of computing units, characterized in that each first computing unit is designed, independently of the others, to evaluate the data sensed by the at least one optical sensor of the respective first computing unit to determine whether a man-overboard event is present on the basis of these data and, when a man-overboard event (event) is present, to report this to the second computing unit, wherein the second computing unit is designed to output an alarm and/or a control command to carry out a man-overboard manoeuvre.

Claims

1. A system for detecting a man-overboard event, including: a plurality of first computing units including at least one optical sensor having a predetermined detecting region, and a second computing unit connected to the plurality of computing units, wherein each first computing unit, independently of one another, is configured for evaluating the data sensed by the at least one optical sensor of the respective first computing unit, for determining whether a man-overboard event is present, based on this data, and in the presence of a man-overboard event, for reporting to the second computing unit, wherein the second computing unit is configured for the outputting of an alert and/or of a control command for the carrying out of a man-overboard maneuver.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one first computing unit includes a plurality of optical sensors, wherein the optical sensors of the at least one first computing unit have an overlapping detecting region.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one first computing unit includes an infrared light source with infrared radiation in the detecting region of the radiating radiation area of the at least one optical sensor.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one optical sensor is a daylight camera or a thermal camera.

5. The system according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of optical sensors is chosen from the group of optical sensors comprised of a daylight camera and/or an infrared camera and a thermal camera.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second computing unit is an event server that is configured for the receiving and storing of events transmitted from the first computing units to the event server, and includes an alert computer connected to the event server, which alert computer is configured for the processing of events received by the event server and for the outputting of an alert and/or of a control command for the carrying out of a man-overboard maneuver.

7. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an optical and/or acoustic alert mechanism configured for the outputting of an alert signal in the event of a man-overboard event.

8-10. (canceled)

11. The system according to claim 2, wherein at least one first computing unit includes an infrared light source with infrared radiation in the detecting region of the radiating radiation area of the at least one optical sensor.

12. The system according to claim 2 wherein the at least one optical sensor is a daylight camera or a thermal camera.

13. The system according to claim 2 wherein the second computing unit is an event server that is configured for the receiving and storing of events transmitted from the first computing units to the event server, and includes an alert computer connected to the event server, which alert computer is configured for the processing of events received by the event server and for the outputting of an alert and/or of a control command for the carrying out of a man-overboard maneuver.

14. The system according to claim 2, characterized by an optical and/or acoustic alert mechanism that is configured for the outputting of an alert signal in the event of a man-overboard event.

15. A watercraft including a system for detecting a man-overboard event, the system including: a plurality of first computing units including at least one optical sensor having a predetermined detecting region, and a second computing unit connected to the plurality of computing units, wherein each first computing unit, independently of one another, is configured for evaluating the data sensed by the at least one optical sensor of the respective first computing unit, for determining whether a man-overboard event is present, based on this data, and in the presence of a man-overboard event, for reporting to the second computing unit, wherein the second computing unit is configured for the outputting of an alert and/or of a control command for the carrying out of a man-overboard maneuver.

16. The watercraft according to claim 15, characterized in that the optical sensors of at least two first computing units have an overlapping detecting region.

17. The watercraft according to claim 15, wherein the system for carrying out a man-overboard maneuver is configured to act on the longitudinal- and lateral-dynamic controlling of the watercraft.

18. The watercraft according to claim 15, wherein at least one first computing unit includes an infrared light source with infrared radiation in the detecting region-of the radiating radiation area of the at least one optical sensor.

19. The watercraft according to claim 15, wherein the at least one optical sensor is a daylight camera or a thermal camera.

20. The watercraft according to claim 15, wherein the plurality of optical sensors is chosen from the group of optical sensors comprised of a daylight camera and/or an infrared camera and a thermal camera.

21. The watercraft according to claim 15, wherein the second computing unit is an event server that is configured for the receiving and storing of events transmitted from the first computing units to the event server, and includes an alert computer connected to the event server, which alert computer is configured for the processing of events received by the event server and for the outputting of an alert and/or of a control command for the carrying out of a man-overboard maneuver.

22. The watercraft according to claim 15 characterized by an optical and/or acoustic alert mechanism that is configured for the outputting of an alert signal in the event of a man-overboard event.

Description

[0029] FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of a cruise ship equipped with the inventive system; and

[0030] FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a particularly preferably configured system according to the invention.

[0031] FIG. 1 shows, by way of example, a cruise ship 100 including a plurality of first computing units 10 disposed on it, the optical sensors of which computing units 10 each have a nearly identical detecting region 20, wherein the detecting region 20 of the optical sensors of different first computing units also partially overlap. For the daylight camera and thermal camera installed in each first computing unit 10, the detecting region 20 of each first computing unit 10 is depicted by the dashed lines. In particular, the first computing units 10 include an infrared light source as well as a daylight camera and a thermal camera. The first computing units 10 are connected to a (not depicted) second computing unit, wherein, however, each first computing unit 10 is configured independently of one another for evaluating the data sensed by at least one sensor of the respective first computing unit 10, which data are then used for the generation of events by the first computing unit. These events are used in the second computing unit for determining whether a man-overboard event has occurred. The first computing units 10 are connected to the second computing unit using an IT infrastructure, in particular via Ethernet with PoE, which is specifically configured according to the IEEE 802.3bt standard. In addition to the determining of a man-overboard event from the combination of events reported by the event server, the second computing unit is configured to output an alert and/or a control command for carrying out a man-overboard maneuver. In addition, the second computing unit can check whether the individual computing units 10 are active, in particular functional—in contrast, an analysis of the sensor data with respect to a man-overboard event is not undertaken by the event server.

[0032] The second computing unit includes a (not depicted) optical and acoustic alert means that is configured to output an alert signal in the event of a man-overboard event.

[0033] FIG. 2 shows a schematic design of a particularly preferably configured system according to the invention. In particular, FIG. 2 shows a system for detecting a man-overboard event, including a plurality of first computing units 10, including at least one sensor having a predetermined detecting region, which are each connected to an event server 30. Each first computing unit 10 is configured independently for the evaluation of data sensed by the at least one sensor of the respective first computing unit 10 and reported events, for reporting (event) to the event server 30.

[0034] With the alert server 40 connected thereto, the event server 30 forms the preferred design of the second computing unit according to the invention, wherein the alert server 40 is configured for output of an alert and/or, with connecting to the navigation system, output of a control command for carrying out a man-overboard maneuver. These events are used in the second computing unit for determining whether a man-overboard event has occurred. In particular, the alert server 40 can subject the events transmitted to the event server 30 to a further testing or evaluation, and taking into account of further criteria can output or suppress an alert and/or a corresponding control command.