Specification of the Patent of Invention for: "A SYSTEM FOR REMOTELY CONTROLLING AND MONITORING CRAFTS ".

The present invention relates to a system for monitoring and remotely controlling crafts through a wireless communication network. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system that enables one to monitor and control the navigation and security of a craft, in addition of its entertaining equipment and comfort functions, from a remote terminal such as, for instance, a cellular telephone connected to a wireless communication network provided by a cellular-telephony company. Description of the prior art

At present, crafts such as boats and ships, do not have automation capability to navigate under remote control. A few more sophisticated models enable the control of basic commands such as turning on the engine or blocking the use thereof. Even so, such a control is not performed in a simple, easy and user-friendly manner. In many cases, control performed directly by the user is not possible; it is necessary for the latter to connect himself to a central station, so as to have access to the craft. The need for a central station raises the cost of implanting the system; besides, the user has to pay for the services rendered. On the other hand, a considerable part of the more sophisticated crafts has an "automatic pilot" system, which controls the helm and the rotation of the engine (s), so that the boat will travel a determined route, leaving the commander free to perform other tasks, such as, for instance, enjoying a walk, sleeping, etc,., while the vehicle remains in the correct route selected previously. Most of such "automatic pilot" systems comprise quite sophisticated pieces of equipment and uses satellite global positioning system (GPS) for enabling one to keep the craft in the route.

Besides the question of navigation, the solutions for safety of the presently known crafts are based only on passive measures that use data from the GPS, that is to say, blocking the navigation of the craft is carried out when an unauthorized movement of the craft is detected. The safety problems also comprise theft of equipment and belongings contained in the craft

when it is at rest.

Also, one does not know any way to monitor and control remotely pieces of equipment installed in the craft, such as DVD player, stereo apparatus, air conditioner, television, etc. Thus, one does not known any form of remote control of comfort situations such as reducing the intensity of light in rooms in the craft, lowering curtains or Persian blinds, etc., what is made at present only when the user is within the craft.

On the other hand, the cellular telephones produced at present have high processing capacity, so that graphic applications can be carried out. This high processing capacity makes the modern digital cellular telephones extremely flexible, versatile and apt for performing a number of tasks and function, if the adequate software is installed.

One has not yet developed any system for monitoring and controlling a craft remotely and that can be actuated by means of a cellular tele- phone set having a friendly graphical user interface to operate as a simulator of the control panel of the craft itself in real time.

Hereinafter are presented a few known technique and solutions for monitoring and controlling vehicles remotely, which show the known situation described before. Canadian document CA 2174482 relates to a system for stopping a vehicle engine at a distance (preferably an automobile), controlling and operating a safety system actuated remotely by means of a cellular telephone. Such a control is carried out by associating commands to be carried out and numerical sequences, so that a given sequence of figures inputted (as if it were a telephone number, for example) means that one wishes to carry out a determined command. Evidently, one should know beforehand which numeric sequence gives each command so that it can be correctly carried out, a solution that is far from suitable for the user.

This document does not describe the use of a friendly user inter- face reproducing (simulating) the control panel of the vehicle on the display of the cellular telephone for monitoring/controlling the vehicle.

Brazilian document BR PI0016731 -2 relates to a system and me-

thod for communication between a central station and remote objects, as for example, an automobile, a craft or a stationary piece of equipment. This system comprises a central station and at least one mobile or stationary object at a distance. The communication (transmission of information and com- mands) is carried out by means of transmitting and receiving means. For this purpose, at least one of the objects (vehicle, craft or stationary equipment) comprises a cellular telephone provided with a private subscription, for exclusive use of the operator of the object or driver/pilot. There is also a selectio- nable subscription for transmitting and handling the action to be taken (for instance, transmission of operation, positioning, diagnosing/maintaining situation). These data will be informed via the central station.

Such a system does not disclose the possibility of actuating the vehicle of its subsystems or controlling its navigation remotely. Moreover, this document does not disclose a user-friendly graphical interface in the form of a simulated panel corresponding to the vehicle on the display of the cellular telephone.

Brazilian document BR PI9802827-4 relates to a system for controlling equipment and machines at a distance, wherein the machine or e- quipment comprises a radiofrequency receiving electronic circuit and a func- tion-interpreting circuit, which receive, decode and perform various control functions sent by a central station, acting directly on the operation of this machine or equipment. The commands transmitted by the central station are previously received by an operator via telephone or in some other manner.

Such a system does not disclose the possibility of actuating the vehicle or its subsystems via cellular telephone in a direct way, without using a central station, or controlling its navigation remotely. Moreover, this document does not disclose a user-friendly graphical interface in the form of a simulated panel corresponding to the vehicle on the display of the cellular telephone. The European document EP 1000826 relates to a remote-control system for a engine-driven vehicle, composed of a station/base (which may be a cellular-telephony antenna or a satellite). In a possible embodiment, the

vehicle comprises a cellular telephone. The central station makes the call and, as soon as the cellular telephone of the vehicle answers, it receives a piece of information or a code such that the system will recognize the call as being a vehicle-situation controlling call, and then goes on receiving and sending information about the vehicle, which enables one to control it remotely.

In the system disclosed in this document, the cellular telephone is located in the controlled vehicle, not in the hands of the user who wishes to control it. Such a system does not disclose the possibility of actuating the vehicle or its subsystems via cellular telephone, in a direct manner, without using a central station and does not disclose a friendly interface in the form of a simulated panel corresponding to the vehicle on the display of the cellular telephone. Objectives of the invention The objective of the present invention is to provide a system for monitoring and controlling remotely a craft, which enables direct access in real time to the craft by means of a remote terminal. In this way, a user located away from the craft should be capable of monitoring and controlling the navigation and safety of said craft, in addition to its pieces of equipment and comfort functions.

Brief description of the invention

The objective of the present invention is achieved by providing a remote monitoring and control system, particularly for monitoring and controlling a craft remotely, which comprises at least one control panel, the craft being accessible by at least one remote terminal through at least one wireless communication network, the remote terminal being capable of monitoring and controlling the craft, the remote terminal being provided with a simulating software that interacts with at least one user through an interface that reproduces graphically the control panel. Brief description of the drawings

The present invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 represents a first preferred embodiment of a system for monitoring and controlling crafts remotely, according to the present invention;

- Figure 2 represents a preferred embodiment of an automation module comprised by the craft of figure 1 ;

- Figure 3 represents a second, more complete preferred embodiment of the system for monitoring and controlling crafts remotely, according to the present invention;

- Figure 4 is a schematic representation of a craft provided with a control system - "automatic pilot";

- Figure 5 is a first schematic representation of a cellular telephone monitoring the operation of a craft.

- Figure 6 is a second schematic representation of a cellular telephone monitoring the operation of a craft. Detailed description of the figures

The system 1 for remotely monitoring and controlling a craft 100 according to the present invention, illustrated schematically in figure 1 , comprises a remote terminal apparatus such as a cellular telephone 301 , a PDA 302, a computer 303 or any other compatible equipment capable of acting as a remote terminal 300 in real time. The remote terminal 300 is provided with at least one simulating software 113, which interacts with at least one user through a graphical interface that reproduces (simulates) a control panel (101 ) installed in the craft 100, that is to say, the display of the remote terminal 300 reproduces graphically navigation means and parameters of said craft 100, in addition to other means, pieces of equipment and monitorable and controllable parts of the craft 100, which will be described later.

This system further comprises at least one wireless communication network 400, which is preferably provided with at least one wireless network provider 200. Hereinafter each part of this system will be described in detail.

Craft

The craft 100 may be represented by any vehicle capable of mo-

ving over water like a boat, ship, yacht, etc. Such a craft 100 is accessible by remote terminals 300 through a wireless communication network 400 and, in this way, the craft 100 can be monitored and controlled (parametered and commanded) by the remote terminals (300. The monitoring and control ena- ble one to check, follow up, view and actuate the conditions and parameters of the craft 100 related to its navigation (velocity, position, fuel level, water level, engine actuation, helm position, indication reading of the GPS navigation system, etc.), safety (presence detector, watch cameras, visual and sound alarms, etc.) comfort (temperature, humidity, luminosity, air conditioning sys- tern, etc.) and entertainment (television, DVD player, stereo apparatus, videogame, image projectors, cable-TV-signal receivers, etc.).

In addition, if any of the pieces of equipment and devices being monitored exhibits an operation failure, the system is capable of detecting the origin of this failure and reporting it to the user located remotely or locally with respect to the craft 100, thereby enabling the diagnosing function, in which the possible defects presented can be automatically reported to the user and/or to a technical-assistance central station. This brings a great advantage of facility and comfort for the user of the craft, who does not need to worry about detecting the defect and contacting the technical assistance. For this preferred embodiment, the craft 100 comprises at least:

- one control panel 101 provided with at least navigation actuation (control) means such as buttons, switches, keys, actuation cut-off switches and direction control, besides navigation parameter indicators for indicating velocity, fuel level, water level, location (positioning: latitude and longi- tude, preferably by means of a GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation system 109), environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, pressure, wind, etc), etc.;

- a general safety means 103, composed, for instance, by sensors for detecting movement of doors, windows and people, in addition to watch cameras, etc.;

- a general control device 104, composed, for instance, by light, temperature and humidity sensors, actuators (on Persian blinds, etc.), air

conditioning and humidifying, in order to monitor and control the intensity of light, temperature and humidity of an internal environment of the craft 100;

- at least one piece of general entertainment equipment, 105, for instance in the form of DVD players, television sets, stereo apparatus, etc. Evidently, such navigation controls, equipment, devices and parts are not limited to those mentioned herein and may extend to analogous and/or different pieces of equipment.

Preferably, the more expensive and sophisticated crafts which one wishes to monitor have a complex automated control system 150, popu- larly referred to as "automatic pilot" (illustrated in figure 4), which, by means of previous programming, enable the craft to follow a determined route without the presence of a conductor/commander at the command post to manipulate the controls. Thereby, the craft conductor can devote himself to other tasks, as for example, enjoy the trip, work, rest, and so on, while the craft follows its predetermined course and route.

The "automatic pilot" system comprises a microprocessed central controller 151 , which processes the information received for determination of a route and, based on it, controls the operation of the craft in such a manner that such a route will be followed. The checking of the maintenance of the route by the craft while it moves is carried out by means of the GPS positioning system 109.

In order for the route to be maintained, the central controller 151 controls the operation of the engine (s) 153, of the sails (if any) and of the helm (s) 154 of the craft, so that alterations in the course of the craft caused by winds, bad weather and aquatic streams are compensated for by altering the operation of the engine (s) and helm (s). In order to actuate these components, one can use any suitable means, such as electric servo-motors.

The operation of the "automatic pilot" is simple. The commander of the craft feeds the 152 the equipment with the data relating to the route which it should follow (direction, coordinates, velocity, time of travel, etc.) and, in possession of these values, the central controller 151 actuates and begins to control the engine 9s) 153 and the helm (s) 154 of the craft, with a view to

follow the route in the predetermined conditions.

The GPS positioning system 109 monitors, instant by instant, the positioning of the craft and this information is used by the central controller 151 , which begins to compare it with the traced route. In a craft that is on the desired route, the engine and helm controls continue to operate in those conditions, while in the event of diversion from route, there is alteration of the helm and engine operation conditions, so that the craft will return to the initially traced route.

It should be noted that the "automatic pilot" systems can assume the most varied configurations and have different particularities, without the invention ceasing to be included in the protection scope defined in the claims.

The craft 100 further comprises at least one automation module

102, the function of which is to inject, centralize and automate the control panel 101 and all the pieces of equipment, devices and parts of the craft 100 that one desires to monitor/actuate, and communicate with the remote terminal 300. the communication is of the bi-directional type, enabling the exchange of input and output data and information of the craft 100. The output data are those intended for monitoring by the clients (users). The input data are those used for controlling the navigation parameters, safety, entertainment and comfort of the craft 100.

The automation module 102, shown in figure 2, is preferably an electronic integrated circuit board of the PCB type, comprising at least:

- a programmable microprocessor 107, capable of performing monitoring, automation, control and communication routines. The micropro- cessor 107 is provided with management software 106 that contains all the routines necessary to enable the integration, monitoring (including diagnostic) and control of all the pieces of equipment and devices. In addition, this management software 106 comprises a firewall, the function of which is to provided protection and safety to the communication between the remote terminal 300 and the craft 100, preventing any unauthorized person from having access to the automation module 102. Thus, the firewall guarantees that all the monitoring and controlling parameters of the craft 100 be conducted in

a safe data channel, without the risk of unauthorized people intercepting the transmission/reception signal. Optionally, the firewall may be implemented via hardware.

- a memory 108 for storing data of sequential and instantaneous events of the control panel 101 , of the safety means 103, of the comfort means 104 and of the entertainment equipment 105;

- said GPS positioning system 109, which is part of the automated control system 150 ("automatic pilot"), capable of enabling one to monitor the position (location) of the craft; - a remote-communication sub-module component 110, capable of connecting to the wireless communication network 400 provided by the wireless-network provider 200; and

- a local-communication sub-module component 111 for enabling the association of the control panel 101 , of the safety means 103, of the com- fort means 104 and of the entertainment equipment 105 to the microprocessor 107. Such association may be made by means of wires and cables or wireless, through a short-range wi-fi network or by Bluetooth connection, for instance, or in any other manner.

Evidently, the control panel 101 , each piece of equipment, device and function (safety and control) of the craft 100 to be monitored/controlled should be adapted or compatible for use of this local communication technology. The methodology of introduction of such a local communication will not be detailed herein, since such a technology is already known, spread and widely used in various other applications, besides not being the focus of the present invention. Anyway, it is necessary to have a set of electronic components for carrying out the connection between the microprocessor and 107, the memory 108, the GPS positioning system 109 and the remote 110 and local 111 communication sub-modules.

The automation module 102 is not necessarily a single electronic plate and may even be formed by a number of sub-plates, in case this solution is the most adequate and/or advisable.

The automation module 102 is installed in and internal compart-

merit of the craft 100 and is further associated to a local terminal 112 such as a LCD display, preferably a touch screen one, which enables, through its interface, the monitoring and control of all the pieces of equipment, devices, control and safety functions of the craft, besides its navigation and positio- ning. Optionally, the automation module 102 and the local terminal 1 12 can be comprised in a single piece of equipment. If the LCD display is not a touch screen one, a keyboard or mouse may be used to make the adjustment of control parameters, or any other technically feasible solution may be employed. The automation module 102 communicates with the remote terminal 300 through a wireless communication network 400 provided by the wireless network provider 200. This configuration free from a central station facilitates the implementation of the system, reducing the installation, operation and maintenance costs for the user. Thus, the automation module 102 installed/integrated/embedded in the craft 100 is capable of being controlled locally and at a distance (remotely), enabling, in addition to the determination and obtainment of a number of operation and safety conditions of the craft, the control of the entertainment equipment and of the comfort conditions on board. Alternatively, one can conceive a craft where the above- mentioned pieces of equipment vary, without it ceasing to be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Wireless communication network

As already mentioned before, in the preferred embodiment shown in figures 1 and 3, the wireless network provider 200 enables communication between the craft 100 and the remote terminals 300 by providing the wireless communication network 400. Preferably, this communication may be implemented through a cellular telephony network of the GSM or CDMA type. Other types of network can be used, as long as they are adequate to the transfer of data of this application. Thus, the operation of the craft 100 can be monitored and controlled from any distance, provided that it is covered by the cellular telephony network.

Other types of communication technology such as a long-range wi-fi network could also be employed. In this case, the need to subscribe a cellular telephony provider would be dispensed with. However, the data- transfer technologies such as EDGE or GPRS, executable on a GSM net- work provided by the cellular telephony operating company, offer a high rate of data transfer and cost saving to the client, since it is not necessary to implement a dedicated and exclusive system for carrying out the communication between the craft 100 and the remote terminal 300, and an existing and efficient network infrastructure can be used. Thus, the automation module 102 of the craft 100 can access the wireless network 400 through its remote communication sub-module 110, which in turn functions as if it were receiver/transmitter of a cellular telephone set, for instance. Evidently, the user or owner of the craft 100 should provide a contract whatever with the cellular telephony operating company for rende- ring services.

Optionally, if the remote terminal 300 is sufficiently close to the craft 100, the communication between both can be made, for instance, via long-range Bluetooth or wi-fi.

Therefore, the wireless communication network 400 should be understood as the various possible types, such as CDMA, GSM, wi-fi (either long or short range), Bluetooth and others.

Preferably, the system is capable of selecting automatically the available and more efficient communication network at the connection moment, without the need for interference by the user. Such functionality de- pends intrinsically on the capacity of the remote terminal 300 and the simulating software 113.

The use of technologies based on the use of wires and cables would be unfeasible in this case due to the impossibility of implementing such technologies in the aquatic medium in a feasible manner. Remote terminals

The remote terminals 300 are preferably cellular telephones, PDA (or hand-held), smartphones or any other portable equipment capable

of accessing the wireless communication network 400.

The remote monitoring and control of the craft 100 are carried out through the remote terminal 300, which is programmed so as to operate as an extension of the automation module 102 of the craft 100 in real time. In practice, the remote terminal 300 becomes an extension of the control panel

101 and of all the other automated functionalities of the craft 100.

Preferably, the remote terminals 300 access the craft 100 through a public information network such as the Internet. Thus, the cellular telephony operation company or any other wireless network provider 200 should be capable of providing the user with access to the Internet through, for instance, his cellular telephone set. Optionally, it is possible to use a private information network such as an Ethernet instead of the public information network Internet. However, in this case, the cellular telephony operating company should be capable of offering this service, or the user himself should implement a long-range wi-fi network, or some other suitable long-range wireless technology network.

In order for the remote terminal 300 to be able to operate accordingly, it is necessary to install the simulating (program) software 113 therein, to enable remote monitoring and control of the craft 300 through its graphical user interface. This simulating software 113 enables the remote terminal 300 to send commands and receive a feedback of the status of the equipment being controlled, transforming the remote terminal 300 into a bidirectional interactive equipment.

The simulating software 113, upon being initiated by the user through, for example, his cellular telephone, will make a connection with the wireless communication network 400. Thus, the craft 100 is accessed by the cellular telephone through the pre-established IP (Internet protocol) number, which represents the virtual address of the craft 100 in a public information network like the Internet, or in a private information network (Eternet). After the connection has been carried out, the user will have total access to the craft 100 by means of the simulating software 113 installed in his cellular telephone or any other remote terminal 300.

As already mentioned before, such a simulating software 113 enables one to monitor and control the craft 100 through a graphical user interface (GUI) that reproduces (simulates), on one of its displays, the control panel 101 of the craft 100. Such reproduction is not only the viewing of pa- rameters of the control panel 101 , but also provides the user with active interaction in real time, and he can control the direction, velocity and actuation of the engine by means of the cellular-telephone keyboard, as if this were a videogame, without having to resort to the pre-established numerical sequences or to complicated commands. For instance, each key of the keyboard of the cellular-telephone set can be associated to a specific command to be carried out by the craft 100, such as "increase velocity", "decrease velocity", "turn right", "turn left", "turn out the engine", and so on.

Remotely controlling the engine (s) 153 and helm (s) 154 of the craft 100 by means of the commands at the remote terminal 300 is possible by virtue of the existence of the automated control system 150, in which the central controller 151 already has the capacity of remotely commanding such controls. In this way, it is easy to apply the remote control of the engine (s) and helm (s), since the whole infrastructure for this purpose exists.

This means that the commands for moving and controlling the craft remotely (starting, accelerating, decelerating and turning off the engine (s) 153, controlling the helm (s) 154, actuating the transfer boxes and rever- ser (s) (not shown)) can be emitted from the remote terminal 300 and will be operationally executed by the existing mechanisms for the operation of the automated control system 150, so that this system 150 is an indispensable part of this purpose. In the absence thereof, the craft should be equipped with mechanisms (for example, servo-motors and the like) that enable remote control of the engine (s), helm (s), reverser (s), etc.

The simulating software 113 of the remote terminal further comprises other displays for monitoring and controlling parameters of the safety 103 and comfort 104 devices, in addition to the entertainment equipment 105).

Thus, by manipulating the remote terminal 300, one can stay "off

line" with the automated entertainment equipment 150, which makes it possible to turn on, for example, a home-theater set in any operation condition, making any kind of selection, such as A/V input, volume, various adjustments, choice of channels, equalization, all of this having the information from the equipment being controlled on a display of the remote terminal 300. It is further possible to view, on the display of the remote terminal 300, on which station or channel the sound volume, the light intensity, the Persian blinds positioning, the air-conditioner function, etc, is selected.

One can also implement keys (buttons) of rapid access, called also macro-commands (presets). Some macro-commands can come previously programmed. For instance, the DVD function: in order to see DVD or the "alarm" function: to activate all the movement sensors and safety alarms. Other macro-commands can be programmed by the user. For example, "cinema": does the same thing on the DVD display, besides commanding a scene in the room, controlling the operation of the lights, Persian blinds and air conditioner. The "safety" function: does the same thing as the "alarm" function, besides blocking all the doors and windows of the craft 100 automatically.

Another possibility is to know whether the craft 100 is being un- duly conducted, without consent of the owner. In this case, through the panel of the remote terminal 300, one can check the status of the boat (whether the engine(s) is operating or not), position of the helm (s) and its position in the space with the GPS positioning system 109, etc.), so that even its velocity and its route can be calculated with great precision. A possible embodiment for this simulating software 113 enables one to open the door or window of the craft 100 remotely, without the need for a biometric reader (which reads, for example, the digital imprecision). The simulating software 113 asks for the password that has been recorded in the memory of the automation module 101. One may also record, alter or exclu- de users in/from the memory of the apparatus, revoke permissions or alter the parameters of each user individually. There is a wide range of operations which this module can carry out, depending only on the number of pieces of

equipment and devices that are installed on the craft 100.

The simulating software 113 of the remote terminal 300 also e- nables the user to obtain a listing of the history of the latest operations that were carried out, stored in the memory 108. All the control operations, both of navigation and of safety, or comfort, entertainment and diagnosis, etc., are available.

Preferably, the simulating software 113 uses the Java platform, since most of the cellular telephone sets and hand-held sets produced and commercialized at present support Java-type applications. However, any o- ther platform could be used, as long as it enables active graphic interaction by the user in the craft 100.

Optionally, any authorized user who has access to the Internet (or to the private network) by any other adequate remote terminal 300 (a desktop computer 303 or portable computer 303) can monitor and control the crafts 100 anywhere in the world, at any moment, in real time. It should be noted that, if the access is by the Internet, one cannot dispense with the cellular telephony operating company or any other wireless network provider 200, because the craft 100 needs them for assignment of the IP address to them. Operation of the invention

For the present invention to operate, the user first actuates the remote terminal (for instance, a cellular telephone 301), starting the simulating software 113 which, upon being operative, will make the connection with the wireless communication network 400. In this way, the craft 100 is acces- sed by means of the cellular telephone with a pre-established IP (Internet Protocol) number, which represents the virtual address of the craft 100 in a public information network such as the Internet or in a private information network (Ethernet). After making the connection, the user will have total access to the craft 100 by means of the simulating software 113 installed in his cellular telephone.

As soon as the connection is completed, all the comfort, safety, instrument-panel, GPS, etc, devices send information to the automation mo-

dule 102, which then enables one to send these items of information to the cellular telephone 301 , which are made available on the display.

At this moment, one can view on the display of the telephone a reproduction of the instrument panel of the craft, showing information such as situation of the engine (s) 153 (on, off, running with how many rotations per minute, etc.), the positions of the helm (s) 154, various indicators of engine conditions (fuel level, temperature, oil pressure, etc.), among others.

By consulting other displays, one can view, monitor and control various monitoring systems of the craft, already mentioned before, as for e- xample, the safety 103 and comfort 104 devices and entertainment equipment 105.

If desired, the user can actuate such devices as he needs or wishes. Each actuation command inputted on the cellular telephone 301 is transmitted by the wireless network as far as the automation module 102, which then sends it to the corresponding device. For instance, a command for checking whether a lamp in the craft cabin has been turned on or not is sent by the cellular telephone to the automation module 102, which then sends the information back, confirming whether the lamp is on or not. If the command is to turn a light on, the automation module sends a command to the comfort means, which enables the lamp to be turned on.

Thus, by manipulating the remote terminal 300, one can stay "on line" with the entertainment pieces of equipment 105 automated, which makes it possible, for instance, to turn on a home-theater set in any operation condition, making any kind of selection, such as A/V input, volume, various adjustments, choice of channels, equalization. It is further possible to view, on the display of the remote terminal 300, on which station of channel the sound volume, the light intensity, the positioning of Persian blinds, the operation of the air conditioner, etc, is selected, as well as to actuate and change the operation pattern of these computers. The respective commands emitted by the cellular telephone 301 are transmitted by the wireless network to the automation module 102, which then sends them to the corresponding device, which then sends the informa-

tion back, confirming whether the light is on or off. If the command is for actuating this device, the automation module 102 sends a command to the respective device, which enables it to be actuated.

Therefore, there is a two-way communication between the auto- mation module and all the other devices involved, which is symbolically represented in figure 3.

In the case of the instrument panel 101 , preferably the pieces of information displayed by it are previously processed by an on-board computer (which can, for instance, calculate the range, etc) and it is this on-board computer 140 that communicates with the automation module, "translating" the information indicated by the meters and panel lights. However, the existence or non-existence of the on-board computer 140 and its particularities are absolutely irrelevant for the identification of the protection scope of the present invention. In the case of controlling the craft remotely, when the user sends, over the cellular telephone 301 , a command for actuating a engine 153 and moving the helm, such commands are received by the automation module 102 and sent to the automated control system 150, since it is by means of the latter that the engine (s) 153 and helm (s) 154 are actuated. The positioning of the craft is reported to the user on the display of his cellular telephone 301 , and this is possible thanks to the GPS positioning system 109, which sends information continuously to the automation module, which passes this information on to the cellular telephone 301 , and at the same time he can see the operation status of the engine (s) and helm on the display. In this way, one manages to pilot the boat remotely, knowing through the GPS the position, route and velocity of the craft.

A preferred embodiment having been described, one should understand that the scope of the present invention embraces other possible variations, being limited only by the contents of the accompanying claims, which include the possible equivalents.