Posts Tagged ‘Marine’

AIS On Ships Is Important To Safe Boating

Posted on June 11th, 2010 by Mike Jones  |  No Comments »

Automatic Identification Systems, or AIS, are electronic transponders that are placed on ships or boats that identify it by name, position, type, & call sign. The signal is VHF that is continuously sent out over the course of the vessel’s travels.

The transponded information can then be received by other vessels to help them to determine its course and speed. The final result provides a visual reference about all enabled vessels that are transmitting within a VHF range. The system therefore provides a highly valuable service to water vessels in helping to track the progress of other watercraft in the nearby area. This decreases the chances of collision on the waterways. . The data that is received by other AIS-enabled vessels is primarily available on a computer monitor or placed as an overlay on a chart plotter. This can help to verify radar readout.

Ship navigators utilize AISAIS as a navigational tool to reduce the risk of collision and to chart a safe course to travel. This system also is a valuable tool to help search and rescue operations. The device can pinpoint the exact position of a ship in trouble regardless of weather conditions.

Avoiding collisions by programming of specific vessels is information that is exchanged automatically by the systems allowing for safer navigation. The International Maritime Organization requires these safety devices on all passenger and large shipping vessels (over 300 ton) to use the system. It is not required for recreational boats but it is increasingly becoming more popular. All over the world, it is thought to be used in over 40,000 vessels.

The number one use is for avoiding collisions. The tracking does not work alone. VHF radio communications can be limited and considering the fact that every vessel isn’t required to have it, it is not the perfect solution. It is not an automated collision avoidance system as defined by the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS). In the hands of a skilled captain however, it is one of many tools utilized for safe travel.

Sea captains often need help identifying other vessels in a local area in order to make the best decisions on course. That also does not necessarily mean that all other types of navigational observation is discarded. There is, obviously, visual observation in which the captain will often use binoculars to notice far away obstacles or ships. There can also be audio observational warnings that a captain has to pay attention for such as horns, whistles, or VHF radio. Last but not least, there is radar or Automatic Radar Plotting Aid (ARPA) that can provide beneficial navigational data to enhance what the AIS is plotting. Despite having all this kind of technology, accidents can even now occur. It is frequently due to time delays and limitations of radar or even just plain human error when this takes place. The graphical charts and all the other observational tools must be utilized if water travel is to be safe and AIS is a small part of that.

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An Overview Of Radio Frequency Identification Exactly What RFID?

Posted on April 21st, 2010 by Casey Smith  |  No Comments »

RFID is certainly not a new technology. It has been around for decades and it has by no means stopped broadening its use ever since the 1940s. Radio Frequency Identification or RFID is really a multi-component application. Equipment consist of micro transponders, readers, as well as modern day computer applications that set off a reliable feed of information.

An internal circuit and antenna happen to be crucial in each and every RFID transponder. The IC is implanted with an electronic product code (EPC) making it distinct among the remaining tagged items all over the world. When the label is located in range of an RFID scanner, information concerning the tagged piece is sent out over the antenna to the scanner, providing records to a processing device.

RFID strategy was formerly utilized by military use in World War 2. Since that time, it has been exploited in various fields of study and commerce. It became a really effective device in business, travel, & in the tracing of packaged articles.

Even though it was thought of as some sort of wireless bar coding system, RFID is better by far. Scanning with RFID transponder stays efficient even if obstacles stand somewhere between the item and the detector. In addition, these types of transponders can easily start reading an item as far as 90 feet away.

RFID is an autonomous determination system. This determination approach functions without the need of human supervision. It’s also able to understand numerous IDs at the same time and continues to be accurate in identifying the items.

Generally, RFID systems are categorized in 2 ways. The very first category springs from its storage and recovery benefits: Read-only or Read-write and Passive or Active land sources. The following is based on the frequency it utilizes: Ultra-high Frequency, High Frequency, or Low Frequency.

Read-only labels are only able to attain stored information such as a product description and stuff like that. Most of these systems can easily simplify fabrication and distribution methods. Read-write tags alternatively are purposefully designed to both interpret and input data.

Passively, a RFID reader delivers energy for the tag to become functional. Without a scanning device in close proximity, the ID couldn’t provide any info. Essentially, a passive scheme is inferior compared to an active system.

An active system offers electric packs included in tags to trigger transfer of data between tag and scanning device. These systems tend to be more urbane and are able to scan larger ranges. Latest models of these scanners may also come with thermal scanners.

Learn more about Automatic Identification Systems at RFID