Patent ID: 8788241

Claim:
A system ( 2 ) for inspecting the hull ( 52 ) of a vessel ( 50 ), comprising: a movable machine ( 4 ) with a movement means configured for movement on the surface of the hull of the vessel; and a positioning means that determines a position of the machine relative to a reference point fixed in space, the positioning means comprising first and second encoding wheels ( 32 , 34 ) which are provided on the machine, which are coaxial and separated from each other by an inter-wheel spacing (D) along a transverse axis ( 4 ) perpendicular relative to a longitudinal movement axis (X) of the machine, which are in contact with the hull of the vessel, and which are capable of measuring first and second instantaneous linear movements of the machine, first and second inclinometers ( 42 , 44 ) which are provided on the machine and which are arranged so as to measure instantaneous inclinations, relative to a frame of reference direction, of a first axis and a second axis of a frame of reference linked to the machine, respectively, and a processing means ( 24 ) which receives, as inputs, the first and second instantaneous linear movements and the first and second instantaneous inclinations and which is capable of calculating an instantaneous variation of the position of the machine in the frame of reference linked to the machine, and which is capable of integrating successive instantaneous position variations, from a known initial position (P 0 ), in order to determine an instantaneous position of the machine in the frame of reference fixed in space.