SATELLITE MONITORING SYSTEM

Abstract: A method and system are provided for satellite monitoring the course of travel of a vessel or vehicle and of cargo transported on the vessel or vehicle. The system functions through the inter-action between two (2) intertwined sub-systems of satellites, satellite receivers, a computer system, the Internet, and video cameras to provide a global communication system that is able to transmit visual images and other data on a real-time basis. Preferably, the method and system are for vessel navigation and the tracking of cargos from a vessel loading port through to the discharge port. Clients subscribe to a service to have easy access via the Internet to the information received from the sub-systems of GPS and communication satellites that includes weather data, the geographical route of the vessel, status of their cargo and the log of the vessel at its current location and similar data.

Description: SATELLITE MONITORING SYSTEM This application claims the benefit of prior U.S. provisional application Serial No. 60/212,599, filed June 19, 2000. FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a method and system for monitoring information on the course of transit of a vessel or vehicle and cargo being transported on the vessel or vehicle and for enabling subscribers to have access to this information via the Internet (the connection of computer networks from all over the world forming a worldwide network). BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present communication methods in locating vessel position for navigation mainly rely on telex, satellite/mobile phones and facsimile. In other words, the captain of any vessel has to report either to his own shipping company or the vessel owner about the vessel's schedule, location, speed, estimated arrival time and daily log. As a result, the shipping company spends countless hours and manpower to monitor the vessel movements and its operation. In addition, no current system allows for visual monitoring of a vessel's cargo on a real-time basis during transit of the cargo. The only systems that are remotely similar for visual monitoring of a vessel's cargo are those that permit locating and tracking of the movement of a person, object and/or vehicle for security or anti-crime purposes. One such system is disclosed and claimed in Lemelson, Jerome H. , et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,731,785. Lemelson et al. illustrate in FIG. 3 an embodiment in which a video camera 28 provides video image data of various objects in the vicinity of remote unit 10 and this image data is transmitted via short wave radio transceiver 35 to a monitor station receiver 35 for display on display 42D of computer 42. GPS satellites 50 are used to track the location of remote unit 10 and transmit the positon data via two-way radio links 61 with receiver 35. Low level orbiting earth satellites, e.g., the Iridium system for cell phones, are used for all such two-way commnications. Because the entire focus of this system is to locate or track, for example, stolen vehicles, all such transmitted information must be done in strict confidence. Therefore, the use of two-way, low power transmitters between unit 10 and receiver 35 permits identification to prevent the transmitted data from entering the wrong hands. This reference teaches away from transmitting such information over the Internet. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, a method and system for monitoring the course of travel of a vessel or vehicle and cargo being transported on the vessel or vehicle. The invention combines the functions of two satellite subsystems, a computation system, an Internet platform, and video cameras to provide a global communication system which is able to transmit visual images and other data on a real-time basis. Briefly, the method of the present invention includes the steps of: a) determining the location of the vessel or vehicle using the global positioning system (GPS) by means of a GPS receiver located on the vessel or vehicle and generating position data that specifies the location; b) sending the position data from the GPS receiver to a communications satellite; c) obtaining visual images of the cargo at one or more locations and converting the visual images into image data; d) sending the image data to the communications satellite; e) downloading the position data and the image data from the communications satellite to a communications server; f) storing the position and image data in a database server; and g) coupling the position and image data to a web server in digital map format to enable on-line access to the data via the Internet. The GPS satellite positioning system according to the present invention will revolutionize out-dated practices and bring navigation into the information age by providing free, open and easy access to this tracking data reaching virtually everyone in the world. The present invention is a technologically advanced system that provides increased accessibility to information. The system of the present invention converts raw data retrieved from satellites and processes this data into a user-friendly form. This unique process allows even an untrained layman to obtain navigation information with ease using the Internet. This process is in stark contrast with traditional methods of reporting. The reporting of such information in the past was limited because the captain of the vessel needed to report vital information from time to time and such reporting needed a trained eye to interpret, thus making it inaccessible to many people. The system of the present invention has no such limitation and with the expansion of the Internet, one can access such information virtually anywhere and anytime in the world. The development of the World Wide Web is exponential. Since the 90's, by allowing business and personal use, the Internet is no longer confined to its original purpose: military and academic research. Today, one can easily access the Internet using a laptop computer, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDA's), and other wireless application protocol (WAP) products, e.g., WAP-enabled cellular phones. Compared with the traditional methods, the Internet is without boundary. The present invention also enables communication of a wide range of information: The traditional method only allows text messages in abbreviate form. On the other hand, the present invention can provide information on weather conditions, the geographical route of the vessel, visual images of the status of the cargo, the log and log history of the vessel and the like. Such information is displayed using either traditional text, graphics and video or a combination. The purpose of coupling this information is to allow easy understanding for any user on accessing information on their shipment or the vessel's exact location, i.e., a map together with the route of a particular vessel can be displayed on screen, so the user can quickly identify the information needed. This saves a lot of time not only for clients of the system, but also for the company that licenses the system to such clients. The present system avoids having to allocate extra manpower and resources to keep track of vessels and to maintain such information. The present invention also provides access to information free of pre- existing system charges. Telex, the traditional method of communication, is not a free service. Charges for Telex is based on the length and number of messages sent by the captain. This would place unnecessary burden upon the captain to make fewer messages using Telex to keep running costs down. The method and system of the present invention revolutionizes this limitation by providing a better service with unlimited accessibility provided by free access to the Internet. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a system flow diagram of the ARKO satellite monitoring system ("ASMS") according to the present invention. FIGURE 2 is a system flow diagram of the ARKO voyage monitoring subsystem ("AVMS") according to the present invention. FIGURE 3 is a system flow diagram of the ARKO cargo monitoring subsystem ("ACMS") according to the present invention. FIGURE 4 is a block diagram of the data flow of the combined voyage monitoring subsystem and cargo monitoring subsystem between a satellite to Internet gateway and either an AVMS database server or an ACMS video server. DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT More specifically, the invention is a satellite related computer system known as the ARKO Satellite Monitoring System ("ASMS"). ASMS consists of two (2) intertwined sub-systems: ARKO voyage monitoring system ("AVMS") and ARKO cargo monitoring system ("ACMS"). Using the voyage monitoring subsystem, one can access and obtain the following information via the Internet: the position and routing of a certain vessel anywhere around the world, the weather conditions affecting the vessel, port locations, information on ports around the world, other information on the course of navigation such as vessel speed, and the status of such a vessel. Using the cargo monitoring subsystem, one can receive visual images via the Internet of the whole process of cargo flow from the loading of goods at a mine or other source, the transport of these goods from the mine or other source via rail or other means to a rail depot or the like, the transport of the goods from the depot to a vessel loading port, the transfer of goods at the loading port to a vessel, the status of the goods in transit, and the discharge of the goods at the discharge port from the vessel, all on a real-time basis. Although the ASMS is applicable for use in many difference areas, it is preferrably used in connection with the business of vessel navigation and the tracking of cargos from a loading port to the discharge port. Main Features of ASMS The system according to the present invention, functions through the interaction between satellites, satellite receivers, a computer system, and the Internet. The system converts raw data collected from a satellite receiver into computer readable files for configuration and processing, which is then made available on the Internet as a combination of text, graphic and video display on real time basis. The system can compress large satellite data files into smaller files for transmission and to disregard certain identified non-relevant data so as to reduce the traffic time and avoid data congestion on the Internet. An on-line subscriber to the system is able to access information on a real time basis and to download information from the video server onto the subscriber's computer or other receiving computation device. The system flow of ASMS is represented in FIGURE 1. The ASMS functions under the interaction of the following components: i) GPS receiver 10 (shown in FIGURE 2): This is mounted on the roof-top of a vessel 20 which can receive constant signals via GPS antenna 25 sent out from one of the GPS satellites 30. GPS is the abbreviation of a system known as "Global Positioning System" which is a world-wide satellite directed radio navigation system. GPS includes a constellation of 24 satellites and their related ground stations and was developed by the United States Government. It provides a one-way transmission of positioning messages to a vessel or other receiver on a global basis. GPS satellites provide a number of functions including enabling the calculation of the position of moving or immobile objects, ii) Inmarsat-C satellite 40: This is the satellite system consisting of four (4) communication satellites 40 launched by Inmarsat Ltd.. The four satellites are positioned in geostationary orbits around the world. This satellite system provides the central linkage between vessels and the various Inmarsat satellite service providers 45 situated on ground. A more detailed description of the Inmarsat-C satellite system is provided in the on-line article entitled "Inmarsat-C by Ian Thomas, a copy of which is attached as Appendix I. iii) Satellite service providers 45: These are situated on the ground and receive messages in satellite data format and transmit such messages into ARKO's computer system over a leased line 48. iv) ARKO computer system 50, which consists of the following elements: a) Communication Server 60: This provides a communication channel for data packets transmitted from the vessel's Inmarsat modem to the database server for storage. Communication server 60 can also request information and retrieve such data automatically. b) Satellite To Internet Gateway 70: This is built into communication server 60 and converts raw data in the satellites' format into acomputer-readable data format, e.g., ASCII code (American Standard Code for Information Interchange). Gateway 70 can also function to filter any non- relevant raw data. The filter function works to differentiate different types of raw data and captures only the useful or desired raw data from satellite service provider 45. c) Video Satellite To Internet Gateway 80 (represented by the same symbol as Gateway 70): This is also built into communication server 60 and converts and compresses raw data in the satellites' format into a normal video format [e.g., MPEG (Moving Pictures Experts Group) -I/MPEG-IIV AVI (Audio Video InterleaveVWMA (Windows Media Audio)/RA]. A video server, discussed below in connection with FIGURE 3, will optimise and compress all the data received to enhance the quality of these data files. In addition, an electronic copy of each video image from video camera 82 may be stored in the video server and the user can retrieve such images as desired. d) Database Server 90: This server provides a storage medium to host data and to compile and disseminate such data into readable information (i.e., vessel location and status). This allows the ASMS to interface with any user using different operation modes (i.e., the system automatically creates and continues updating itself for access on the Internet via a web page by any device, such as personal computer, hand-held PC and WAP phones, using an operating system, such as Windows or Linux. The non-image data are transferred from Communication Server 60 Mode and downloaded to Database Server 90 in fixed sized packets using ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode), e) Web Server 100 (represented by the same symbol as Database Server 90): This server provides the host for web homepage 110 via the Internet 120 generated from Database Server 90. Web Server 100 can be part of a decentralized computer network or combined with Database Server 90 into one central computer system. With ASMS, subscribers or members logon using subscribers PC 130 to access the ARKO web site on-line via the Internet 120 to obtain visual images of any moving objects around the world, i.e., a vessel, so long as the object has on it GPS receiver 10, and an Inmarsat-C satellite up-link. Furthermore, the on-line subscribers can have access to the information received from the GPS satellites 30 including the information on the weather, the geographical route of the vessel 20, status of the cargo and the log of the vessel at its current location and similar data. Voyage Monitoring Subsystem (AVMS) The system flow of the voyage monitoring subsystem is represented in FIGURE 2. The AVMS will function and achieve the intended purposes if the following conditions are present: (i) Vessels rely on the GPS for navigational purposes; (ii) Vessels are within the coverage of the GPS; and (iii) Vessels have a set-up consisting of the technical hardware defined below. Inmarsat-C uplink terminal 138, modem 140, and data box 142, and GPS receiver 10 and GPS antenna 25. Inmarsat terminal 138 draws data from the GPS terminal (preferably including information on the location and speed of the vessel, and the weather conditions, and the like) and sends the data to Inmarsat-C Satellite 40 which redirects the data to the satellite down-link service providers 45 situated at a ground station. Once Inmarsat satellite service providers 45 receive the data, it will be transmitted into ARKO computer system 50 for processing as described above. Cargo Monitoring Subsystem A representation of the system flow of the cargo monitoring system is set out in FIGURE 3. A key feature of this system is the use and application of video cameras 82, which captures visual images. The visual images become video data sent to one of the Inmarsat-C Satellites 40, which will then transmit the data to one of satellite service providers 45. The various video cameras 82 will preferably be installed at various places throughout the whole course of a commercial transaction. For example, in a preferred application of the cargo monitoring system concerning trading of coal, video cameras are installed at coal mines, railway stations or other depots, and loading ports, on vessels and at unloading ports. It is also contemplated that the cargo may be ore from any type of mining operation. Hardware Description of AVMS The computer system consists of two servers: Communication Server 60 and a Database Server 90. Communication Server 60 is preferably configured as follows: i) Intel® Pentium® III 700 MHz CPU ii) 256M PC-133 RAM iii) Ultra 160 SCSI Hard Disk, and iv) Internet and intranet connectivity. Database Server 90 and Web Server 100 are preferably configured as follows: i) Dual Intel Pentium III 700 MHz CPU ii) 512MPC-133 RAM iii) Ultra 160 SCSI Hard Disk, iv) RAM card support RAID Levels 1 and 2, and v) Internet and intranet connectivity. Hardware Functions of AVMS AVMS Communication Server 60 will send appropriate commands to the Inmarsat-C modem 140. These commands may include commands pursuant to the NMEA (National Marine Electronics Association) standard of electrical interfacing and data protocols for communications between marine instrumentation. Under the NMEA standard, all characters used are printable ASCII text and are sent at 4800 baud. For a more detailed description of this standard please see attached Appendix II. Inmarsat modem 140 then collects into data box 142 the raw data for transmittal to Communication Server 60. When Communication Server 60 receives the raw data, it will end the handshaking and disconnect from the modem. Raw data will input to Satellite To Internet Gateway 70 that is built into Communications Server 60. Satellites Internet Gateway 70 filters the garbage data and converts the useful raw data to computer readable format (ASCII). The processed data are then transferred to Database Server 90 for further analyzing and processing. When Database Server 90 collects the data form Gateway 70, it will provide data calculation and analysis. After the complicated calculating, the data will be coupled or embeded to a digital map. After embedding it will generate a web page, which contains a Java applet. The Java program will provide the ability of pan movement, i.e., to use the zoom in and zoom out functions. The map contains at a minimum the location, vessel information and weather data. The end-users can login to check the exact location and destination of the vessel and view the entire history of the route. When the clients login to, for example, www, arkoenergy. com. , the ASMS web homepage 110, users are required to enter the vessel reference number and password in order to check their vessel's status. Hardware Functions of the ACMS Video cameras 82 positioned at one or more locations (mine, loading and discharge at port) will capture the video data and transfer it to the mobile satellite 40. The data will be transmitted to satellite service provider 45 and redirected to Video Satellite To Internet Gateway 80 of the present invention. Gateway 80 will convert and decompress the satellite data. Afterwards, the processed data will downloaded to video server 160 by direct connections. Video Server 160 will encode these data to compressed video format such as MPEG, AVI, RA or WMA. Video server 160 will provide online streaming service (e.g., real server or MS streaming server) and store an electronic copy. When users login to the ACMS web homepage 110, the current flow and situation of their cargo can be viewed on real-time basis. For better service, users can also download the backup copy of the video file for future reference. Data Server 90, Web Server 100 and Video Server 160 serve separate functions and preferably form a network of servers. They can be combined into a single computer system at a central location. Hardware Descriptions of ACMS The computer system for the ACMS consists of Video Server 160. Video Server 160 preferably is configured is as follows: i) Intel Pentium M 700 MHz CPU ii) 256M PC-133 RAM iii) 160 Ultra SCSI Hard Disk iv) RAID card support RAID Levels 1 and 2, and v) Internet and intranet connectivity. Refering now to FIGURE 4, the block diagram of the steps of the data flow of the Satellite To Internet Gateway Process 200 for the combined AVMS and ACMS is shown. Data From Satellite 210 are passed during step 215 at 128 K bytes per second Satellite to Internet Gateway 220. In step 225, weather conditions, the geographical route of the vessel, status of the cargo and the log of the vessel at its current location and similar data are converted to Computer Related Format (ASCII) 230. In step 235, the converted data are downloaded by AVMS Database Server 240. In step 245, the video or other image data are downloaded, converted and compressed to Computer Related Format (RARAW/WMA) 250. Finally in step 255 the image data are downloaded and further process by ACMS VideoServer 260 as discussed above. Without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention, one of ordinary skill in the art can make various changes and modifications to the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions. For example, the method and system of the present invention has been illustrated using ASCII text under NMEA protocols. However, the invention is equally adaptive to the use of WAP browser and Wireless Markup Language (WML) that is likely to have widespread use in the future. As such, these changes and simiilar modifications are properly, equitably, and intended to be, within the full range of equivalents of the following claims.

Claims: WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: 1. A method of satellite monitoring the course of travel of a vessel or vehicle and cargo being transported on the vessel or vehicle, comprising the steps of: a) determining the location of the vessel or vehicle using the GPS global positioning system by means of a GPS receiver located on the vessel or vehicle and generating position data that specifies said location; b) sending said position data from the GPS receiver to a communications satellite; c) obtaining visual images of the cargo at one or more locations and converting said visual images into image data; d) sending said image data to said communications satellite; e) downloading said position data and said image data from said communications satellite to a communications server; f) storing said position and image data in a database server; and g) coupling said position and image data to a web server to enable on-line access to said data via the Internet. 2. The method of Claim 1 wherein said position data are sent to one of a plurality of Inmarsat communication satellites during step b). 3. The method of Claim 2 wherein the visual image data of step c) are sent to one of said Inmarsat communication satellites during step d). 4. The method of Claim 3 wherein said position and image data are downloaded from said Inmarsat communication satellite to said communication server during step e). 5. The method of Claim 4 wherein said position and image data are downloaded to one of a plurality of satellite services providers prior to being downloaded to said communication server and then sent from said communication server to said database server for storing during step f). 6. The method of Claim 5 wherein said positioning and image data from said communication server are converted into computer-readable data format in an Internet gateway prior to being stored in said database server during step f) and being coupled to said web server during step g). 7. The method of Claim 6 wherein the stored data are accessed by subscribers on the Internet via one or more web pages using any suitable device. 8. The method of Claim 1 wherein said image data are sequentially obtained on a real-time basis from a plurality of video cameras positioned at various locations throughout the course of travel of the vehicle, vessel, or combination of vehicle and vessel. 9. The method of Claim 8 wherein the cargo is being transported from a source and said cameras are installed at the source, at a vehicle depot, and at loading and unloading ports of the vessel. 10. The method of Claim 9 wherein a subscriber having access to said data via the Internet can obtain real-time images of the cargo and the exact location of the cargo throughout the course of its travel. 11. A method of satellite monitoring the course of travel of a vessel or vehicle and cargo being transported on the vessel or vehicle, comprising the steps of: a) determining the location of the vessel or vehicle using one of a plurality of GPS satellites by means of a GPS receiver located on the vessel or vehicle and generating position data that specifies said location; b) sending said position data to one of a plurality of communication satellites; c) obtaining visual images of the cargo sequentially obtained from a plurality of video cameras positioned at various locations throughout the course of travel of the vehicle, vessel, or combination of vehicle and vessel and converting said visual images into image data; d) sending said image data to said communication satellite; e) downloading said position and image data from said communications satellite to a satellite services provider; f) downloading said position and image data from said satellite services provider to a communication server; g) converting said position and image data into computer- readable data format in an Internet gateway; and h) storing said converted position and image data in and coupling to a database server and web server in digital map formal to enable on-line access by a subscriber to said stored data via an Internet web page using any suitable device. 12. The method of Claim 11 wherein the cargo is coal or ore from a mine and said cameras are installed at the mine, at a depot, and at loading and unloading ports of the vessel. 13. The method of Claim 12 wherein a subscriber having access to said data via the Internet can obtain real-time images of the coal or ore and the exact location of the coal or ore throughout the course of its travel. 14. The method of Claim 11 wherein each vessel or vehicle has an uplink terminal, modem, data box and antenna for two-way communication with said communication satellite, and said GPS receiver including a GPS antenna for one- way communication with said GPS satellite. 15. The method of Claim 14 wherein said uplink terminal transmits position data along with said image data from said data box to said communication satellite. 16. The method of Claim 15 wherein said uplink terminal also transmits vessel speed and weather conditions to said communication satellite for subsequent downloading to said communication server. 17. A system for satellite monitoring the course of travel of a vessel or vehicle and cargo being transported on the vessel or vehicle, comprising: (a) a GPS receiver located on the vessel or vehicle in one-way communication with one of a plurality of GPS global positioning system satellites for determining the position of the vessel or vehicle and for generating position data that specifies said location; (b) one or more cameras located on the vessel or vehicle for obtaining visual images of the cargo at one or more locations and converting said visual images into image data; (c) one of a plurality of communication satellites; (d) uplink terminal located on the vessel or vehicle for transmitting said position and image data to said one of a plurality of communication satellites; (e) a communication server located at a ground station removed from said vehicle or vessel for downloading said position data and said image data from said communications satellite; (f) Internet gateway means for converting said data from said communication server into computer-readable data format; (g) a database server located at said ground station for downloading said converted position data and said image data from said communications server and for storing said converted position and image data; and (h) means for coupling said position and image data stored in said data base server to a web server at said ground station to enable on-line access to said data via the Internet. 18. The system of Claim 17 which also comprises one of a plurality of satellite services providers to which said positioning and image data are downloaded prior to being downloaded to said communication server. 19. The system of Claim 18 which also comprises an uplink terminal, modem, data box and antenna for two-way communication with said communication satellite, and said GPS receiver including a GPS antenna for oneway communication with said GPS satellite. 20. The system of Claim 19 which also comprises a video server for encoding said image data into compressed video format. 21. The system of Claim 19 wherein said database server and said web server form a single computer system. 22. The system of Claim 19 wherein said database server, said web server, and said video server form a single computer system.

Inventors: AU HO WAH, CHUN KAM CHIU, AU, HO, WAH, CHUN, KAM, CHIU
Applicants: AU HO WAH, CHUN KAM CHIU, WINKO SATELLITE LTD, AU, HO, WAH, CHUN, KAM, CHIU, WINKO SATELLITE LIMITED
Application year: 2001
Main classification: G01S5
IPC codes: G01S5