Patent US5633644A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5633644A
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US
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Process for monitoring ship traffic at sea while recognizing oil spills and potential ship collisions
Assignee: Dornier GmbH
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Filing: 1996-06-27
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Granted: 1997-05-27
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Expires: 2016-06-27
Abstract
Abstract The invention provides a system and a method for detection of oil spills and icebergs at sea and for aiding the navigation of ship traffic to avoid collisions between ships and icebergs. A constellation of polar orbiting satellites is used to determine the position of icebergs and oil spills within an observation area, and this information is transmitted to a data processing center which also receives information concerning the position of ships within the observation area. The data processing center uses this information to evaluate the likelihood of collisions between ship and icebergs and sends warning signals to the ships, alerting them to the danger. The data processing center also correlates the position of ships and oil spills to determine the likely cause of the latter.
Inventors
- 👤 Harald Schussler
- 👤 Jorg Herrmann
- 👤 Manfred Langemann
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 05:10
CPC Classifications
G; G08; G08G; G08G3/00; G08G3/02; G01; G01S; G01S13/00; G01S13/88; G01S13/91; G01S13/917; G01S13/93; G01S13/937; G01S13/87; G01S13/89; G01S13/90; G01S13/95; G01S13/955; G01S13/02; G01S2013/0236; G01S2013/0245; G01S2013/0263; G01S7/00; G01S7/003; Y; Y02; Y02A; Y02A90/00; Y02A90/10
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
159 words
A system for monitoring ship traffic comprising: a plurality of earth orbiting satellites, each having at least a synthetic aperture radar microwave sensor for observing the earth's surface, said satellites being deployed in staggered orbits whereby successive such satellites observe any particular point on the earth's surface at predetermined intervals; a data processing center for receiving and processing data transmitted from said satellites concerning position of icebergs, oil spills and ships detected by said microwave sensors; said data processing center also having means for receiving and processing information concerning position of ships in an area observed by said satellites; said data processing center having means for correlating said information concerning position of said ships, icebergs, and oil spills to evaluate a possibility of collisions between ships; a possibility of collisions between ships and icebergs; and possible causes of oil spills; and said data processing center also having means for transmitting warning signals to ships concerning said possibilities of collisions.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
159 words
A system for monitoring ship traffic comprising: a plurality of earth orbiting satellites, each having at least a synthetic aperture radar microwave sensor for observing the earth's surface, said satellites being deployed in staggered orbits whereby successive such satellites observe any particular point on the earth's surface at predetermined intervals; a data processing center for receiving and processing data transmitted from said satellites concerning position of icebergs, oil spills and ships detected by said microwave sensors; said data processing center also having means for receiving and processing information concerning position of ships in an area observed by said satellites; said data processing center having means for correlating said information concerning position of said ships, icebergs, and oil spills to evaluate a possibility of collisions between ships; a possibility of collisions between ships and icebergs; and possible causes of oil spills; and said data processing center also having means for transmitting warning signals to ships concerning said possibilities of collisions.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising means for controlling said synthetic aperture radar microwave sensors to rotate an observing axis thereof to an alignment which is transverse to an orbital path of the satellite.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said synthetic aperture radar microwave sensors have phased array antennas.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising position determining devices mounted on ships within an area observed by said satellites for providing position information to said data processing center.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said position information is transmitted to said data processing center by relay from said satellites.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
147 words
Method for monitoring ship traffic comprising the steps of: monitoring position of ocean borne icebergs and oil spills by means of a plurality of earth orbiting satellites, each having at least a synthetic aperture radar microwave sensor for observing the earth's surface, said satellites being deployed in staggered orbits whereby successive such satellites observe any particular point on the earth's surface at predetermined intervals; transmitting position information concerning said icebergs and oil spills from said satellites to a data processing center; monitoring position of ships within an area observed by said satellites and transmitting position information concerning said ships to said data processing center; correlating said position information concerning said icebergs, oil spills and ships to evaluate a possibility of collisions between ships; a possibility of collisions between ships and icebergs; and possible cause of oil spills; and transmitting warning signals to said ships concerning possible collisions.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
147 words
Method for monitoring ship traffic comprising the steps of: monitoring position of ocean borne icebergs and oil spills by means of a plurality of earth orbiting satellites, each having at least a synthetic aperture radar microwave sensor for observing the earth's surface, said satellites being deployed in staggered orbits whereby successive such satellites observe any particular point on the earth's surface at predetermined intervals; transmitting position information concerning said icebergs and oil spills from said satellites to a data processing center; monitoring position of ships within an area observed by said satellites and transmitting position information concerning said ships to said data processing center; correlating said position information concerning said icebergs, oil spills and ships to evaluate a possibility of collisions between ships; a possibility of collisions between ships and icebergs; and possible cause of oil spills; and transmitting warning signals to said ships concerning possible collisions.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-05-26 | 2000-11-25 | 2001-05-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-05-26 | 2004-11-25 | 2005-05-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-05-26 | 2008-11-25 | 2009-05-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |