AIS Equipment Maintenance Management and Troubleshooting Guide

Maintenance management of AIS equipment (full volume of technical regulations)

Maintenance and Management of AIS Equipment

I. Routine maintenance process of AIS

(i) AIS equipment inspection

After the installation of the AIS shipboard equipment is completed, the electrical and electronics officer or the pilot (second mate) is required to inspect the equipment. At the end of the inspection, the results are to be reported to the ship's captain, who will sign to confirm the results. During the operation of the ship, the AIS equipment has to be inspected annually. In addition, every voyage or every month (whichever is shorter), the static information and voyage related information sent by the equipment should be inspected, and the inspection results should be recorded in the logbook. The specific inspection procedures are as follows:

1. AIS equipment installation inspection

(1) The electrical and electronics clerk or driver (second mate) will check the product certificate and inspection mark of the AIS equipment.

(2) Perform a cosmetic inspection of the unit to verify that there is no damage to the unit's exterior or interfaces.

(3) Check the connecting cables and power supply unit etc. of the equipment to ensure that the cables are firmly connected and there is no danger of electric shock. At the same time, make sure that the equipment is installed in a location that is convenient for operation and maintenance, and check that the AIS equipment is properly grounded in accordance with the requirements of the drawings, and that the wiring layout is consistent with the AIS equipment system diagram.

(4) Check the installation of the transceiver antenna of the AIS equipment and the built-in and external GNSS antennas, and make sure that the installation position matches with the drawing markings and static information records, and that the antenna is firmly installed.

(5) After confirming that the system is properly connected, energize the unit and perform the following tests:

① Check that the sensor connected to the AIS device is working properly.
② Perform a self-test using the internal self-test function (BIIT) of the AIS device and confirm that the result is normal.
③ Confirm that the AIS device shall be in the position where the external sensor has a valid input signal. 2min (b) To operate normally within and transmit the ship's messages at the specified reporting intervals.
④ Follow the AIS device initialization checklist to confirm that the static information of the vessel has been correctly entered.
⑤ Confirm that the information from the sensor is identical to the information collected and displayed by the AIS device, and that the accuracy of the data meets the requirements of the performance standards.
(vi) Turn on equipment such as MHF and radar when the AIS equipment is in normal operation to ensure that the AIS equipment can still operate normally when other equipment is transmitting.
(vii) Observe the targets reported by the AIS and compare them with the radar tracking targets to confirm that the targets observed by the two are the same, and the exact location of the targets can be realized through other means of communication if necessary. If there is a large error in the target, the cause of the error should be further investigated.
⑧ simulation of a man-made failure (such as GNSS loss of position), should be in the driver's station through the external alarm unit issued by the audible alarm, in the display unit to show the alarm information and the actual failure situation is consistent.
⑨ If feasible, test the remote communication capabilities of the AIS device.

2. Operational inspection of AIS equipment

AIS equipment is subject to the following inspections in conjunction with annual and periodic/re-certification inspections of safety equipment:

(1) Check the appearance of equipment, connecting cords, pilot outlets, power conversion devices, etc., to make sure that cables are not loose, detached, or otherwise damaged, are grounded reliably, and that there is no danger of electric shock.

(2) Check the AIS equipment and the connected GNSS antenna to make sure that there is no serious rust or peeling off of the outer skin, and that the antenna cable connection and the area through the bulkhead are well waterproofed.

(3) Check that the ship's static information and voyage-related information is displayed correctly and matches the actual situation.

(4) Confirm that the sensors are working properly and that the sensor information displayed by the device is consistent with the actual information.The self-test results of the AIS device after powering on are normal and can be used in the 2min within the normal operation.

(5) Confirmation of target information by VHF or other means of communication, or comparison with radar-tracked targets.

(6) Confirm that the equipment transmits the ship's AIS information at the specified intervals.

(7) Simulate a fault situation and check that the alarm message given by the MKD is correct.

(8) Check the equipment's own record of the last 10 times it did not work to see how it worked and was used.

(9) If conditions permit, contact the AIS base station to send an inquiry to the vessel to confirm that the equipment is responding correctly.

(ii) Maintenance of AIS equipment

The main points of maintenance of AIS equipment are as follows:

(1) The electrical and electronics clerk will know and mark the position of the control switches for the equipment's dual power supply.
(2) Regularly check the primary and backup power supplies of the AIS to confirm that they are functioning and switching properly.
(3) Periodically check the antenna cable connections, as well as the fixing and waterproofing of the adapter.
(4) Familiarize yourself with antenna and cable adapter replacement methods.
(5) Inspection of pilot ports and pilot connections installed in accordance with special requirements of the Panama Canal and conforming to the United States NEMA 14-30R (or NEMA 6-15R) A standard three-phase power outlet rated at 120V AC, and is reliably connected to the emergency power supply.

Second, AIS common equipment failure to determine the method of

In order to ensure proper operation of AIS shipboard equipment, the electronic electrician should be aware of the various equipment alarms that may be generated during system operation and eliminate routine faults or hazards as early as possible.

(i) Equipment alarms

Equipment alarms are operational faults caused by equipment malfunction or loss of sensing signals, usually giving an alarm code or fault indication. Equipment alarms vary from manufacturer/model to manufacturer, but are generally similar. Table 3-2-1 shows the main types of equipment alarms.

Table 3-2-1 Major Equipment Alarm Types (Summary)
Includes: TX failure, antenna VSWR alarm, GNSS signal loss, sensor input failure, power supply abnormality and other core alarms.

Important Tip:Alarm signal per 30s Repeat the transmission until the EE confirms the operation. If such a situation occurs, the EE is required to immediately report the details of the failure of the ship's AIS equipment to the Master and record the failure in the logbook. When the ship is navigating in mandatory reporting waters, the master is required to report the failure of the AIS equipment to the competent authority in a timely manner.

(ii) Exception handling

Obvious anomalies are observed during the use of the AIS, but there is no clear alarm code and the system provides target data. This should be brought to the attention of the navigator. Table 3-2-2 lists some of the major anomalies and their possible causes.

Table 3-2-2 Major AIS Anomalies and Possible Causes (Summary)
Includes: target loss, position offset, signal overlap, time desynchronization, etc. and the link/antenna reasons behind them.

(iii) Checking alarm status

The alarm status log shows the most recent 25 times The date and time when the alert was triggered. We can view the faults through the alerts. The steps are as follows:

On the plotter display, press four times in a row to“DISP”keypad“ALARM STATUS”display, as shown in Figure 3-2-1.

Figure 3-2-1 ALARM STATUS Display

(iv) Self-testing of AIS shipboard equipment DIAGNOSTICS

When troubleshooting AIS equipment, diagnostic tests are usually performed to determine the operational status of each module, as follows FURUNO FA-150 The example of the Model AIS illustrates a diagnostic test to check that the monitor unit and the radar transponder unit are functioning properly.

1. Monitor test (MONITOR TEST)

(1) Press“MENU”key to open the main menu.

(2) Use Cursor Pad option“DIAGNOSTICS”(Diagnostics), then press the“ENT”Key.

(3) Selection“MONITOR TEST”(monitor test), and then press the“ENT”Key:

① The screen displays the program number.
② Highlight the message“PUSH KEY”Press each key and arrow on the Cursor Pad one at a time. Press each button and arrow on the Cursor Pad one at a time to make sure the name appears next to “KEY”.
③ Check the ROM, RAM and I/O ports (special test connector required). The result is shown as OK 或 NG (not normal)。
④ Check whether the contrast is changed automatically.
⑤ Check LCD: All LCDs are turned on for 2s and then off for 3s, the screen turns black and then white.

(4) Exit: When “PUSH KEY” is displayed in the highlighting, press the “MENU” key three times consecutively.

Figure 3-2-2 Monitor Test Interface