Adjustable range viewing of sonar imagery during trip replay

• US 10,365,366 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2016
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Navico Incorporated (Brunswick Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Navico Holding A.S. (Brunswick Corporation)
• Inventors: Lauenstein, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Hulka, James R
• Application Number:
  US15/188,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20170363739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: 367111
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/10 using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves determination of distance by phase measurement G01S15/32
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/86 Combinations of sonar systems with lidar systems; Combinations of sonar systems with systems not using wave reflection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8902 Side-looking sonar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/56 Display arrangements short-range imaging G01S7/52053

Abstract

Sonar imagery captured during a trip on a body of water can be played back to users, forming a trip replay. However, since the depth of the body of water varies drastically over the course of the trip, the resulting sonar image captured and played over the trip replay may result in loss of detail near shallow depths (even though such detail was captured and is available). Embodiments of the present invention seek to provide the ability to zoom in on portions of the sonar image during trip replay. Additionally, further zoom features, such as bottom lock and canopy lock, provide additional functionality.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a processor and a memory including computer program code, the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:

retrieve trip replay data associated with a past trip of a user of a watercraft on a body of water, wherein the trip replay data includes track data associated with a traveled path of the watercraft during the past trip and sonar image data associated with sonar images that were captured by a sonar system attached to the watercraft during the past trip;

display, on a first portion of a screen, the track data on a chart such that the traveled path of the watercraft during the past trip is displayed over the chart;

determine the position of the watercraft along the traveled path;

display, on a second portion of the screen, the sonar image data captured at the position of the watercraft such that the sonar image data corresponding to a first depth range is viewable on the second portion of the screen;

receive user input indicating a desire to zoom in on a portion of the sonar image data being displayed; and

display a zoomed in view of the portion of the sonar image data such that the sonar image data corresponding to a second depth range is viewable, wherein the second depth range is less than the first depth range.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user input further indicates a desire to lock the zoomed in view onto a bottom of the body of water, wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:

determine a depth associated with the bottom of the body of water at the position of the watercraft, wherein the position of the watercraft corresponds to the displayed sonar image data; and

determine, based on the determined depth, the portion of the sonar image data to be zoomed in on such that the bottom of the body of water is within the portion of the sonar image data, wherein the second depth range corresponding to the determined portion includes the determined depth.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to, as the position of the watercraft changes, automatically determine the portion of the sonar image data to be zoomed in on such that the bottom of the body of water is within the portion of the sonar image data and automatically cause the zoomed in view to adjust the second depth range corresponding to the automatically determined portion of the sonar image data so as to lock onto the bottom of the body of water as the position of the watercraft and corresponding displayed sonar image data changes.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user input further indicates a desire to lock the zoomed in view onto vegetation within the body of water, wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:

determine a depth associated with vegetation within the body of water at the position of the watercraft, wherein the position of the watercraft corresponds to the displayed sonar image data; and

determine, based on the determined depth, the portion of the sonar image data to be zoomed in on such that the vegetation within the body of water is within the portion of the sonar image data, wherein the second depth range corresponding to the determined portion includes the determined depth.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to, as the position of the watercraft changes, automatically determine the portion of the sonar image data to be zoomed in on such that the vegetation within the body of water is within the portion of the sonar image data and automatically cause the zoomed in view to adjust the second depth range corresponding to the automatically determined portion of the sonar image data so as to lock onto the vegetation within the body of water as the position of the watercraft and corresponding displayed sonar image data changes.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:

determine a lowest point of a bottom of the body of water within the sonar image data; and

remove a portion of the sonar image data below the lowest point of the bottom from the trip replay data to enable a higher resolution image of remaining sonar image data.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the received user input includes hovering over the portion of the sonar image data being displayed, and wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to display the zoomed in view of the portion of the sonar image data by displaying a separate pop-up window of the zoomed in view of the portion of the sonar image data.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to display the zoomed in view of the portion of the sonar image data by replacing the sonar data that was being displayed on the second portion of the screen with the zoomed in view of the portion of the sonar image data.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:

receive second user input indicating a desire to pan the portion of the sonar image data that is being zoomed in on in one of an up direction, a down direction, a left direction, or a right direction; and

cause panning of the zoomed in view of the portion of the sonar image data in the indicated up direction, down direction, left direction, or right direction.

10. A method comprising:

retrieving trip replay data associated with a past trip of a user of a watercraft on a body of water, wherein the trip replay data includes track data associated with a traveled path of the watercraft during the past trip and sonar image data associated with sonar images that were captured by a sonar system attached to the watercraft during the past trip;

displaying, on a first portion of a screen, the track data on a chart such that the traveled path of the watercraft during the past trip is displayed over the chart;

determining the position of the watercraft along the traveled path;

displaying, on a second portion of the screen, the sonar image data captured at the position of the watercraft such that the sonar image data corresponding to a first depth range is viewable on the second portion of the screen;

receiving user input indicating a desire to zoom in on a portion of the sonar image data being displayed; and

displaying a zoomed in view of the portion of the sonar image data such that the sonar image data corresponding to a second depth range is viewable, wherein the second depth range is less than the first depth range.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the user input further indicates a desire to lock the zoomed in view onto a bottom of the body of water, wherein the method further comprises:

determining a depth associated with the bottom of the body of water at the position of the watercraft, wherein the position of the watercraft corresponds to the displayed sonar image data; and

determining, based on the determined depth, the portion of the sonar image data to be zoomed in on such that the bottom of the body of water is within the portion of the sonar image data, wherein the second depth range corresponding to the determined portion includes the determined depth.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising, as the position of the watercraft changes, automatically determining the portion of the sonar image data to be zoomed in on such that the bottom of the body of water is within the portion of the sonar image data and automatically causing the zoomed in view to adjust the second depth range corresponding to the automatically determined portion of the sonar image data so as to lock onto the bottom of the body of water as the position of the watercraft and corresponding displayed sonar image data changes.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the user input further indicates a desire to lock the zoomed in view onto vegetation within the body of water, wherein the method further comprises:

determining a depth associated with vegetation within the body of water at the position of the watercraft, wherein the position of the watercraft corresponds to the displayed sonar image data; and

determining, based on the determined depth, the portion of the sonar image data to be zoomed in on such that the vegetation within the body of water is within the portion of the sonar image data, wherein the second depth range corresponding to the determined portion includes the determined depth.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising, as the position of the watercraft changes, automatically determining the portion of the sonar image data to be zoomed in on such that the vegetation within the body of water is within the portion of the sonar image data and automatically causing the zoomed in view to adjust the second depth range corresponding to the automatically determined portion of the sonar image data so as to lock onto the vegetation within the body of water as the position of the watercraft and corresponding displayed sonar image data changes.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

determining a lowest point of a bottom of the body of water within the sonar image data; and

removing a portion of the sonar image data below the lowest point of the bottom from the trip replay data to enable a higher resolution image of remaining sonar image data.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprised of at least one memory device having computer program instructions stored thereon, the computer program instructions being configured, when run by a processor, to:

retrieve trip replay data associated with a past trip of a user of a watercraft on a body of water, wherein the trip replay data includes track data associated with a traveled path of the watercraft during the past trip and sonar image data associated with sonar images that were captured by a sonar system attached to the watercraft during the past trip;

display, on a first portion of a screen, the track data on a chart such that the traveled path of the watercraft during the past trip is displayed over the chart;

determine the position of the watercraft along the traveled path;

display, on a second portion of the screen, the sonar image data captured at the position of the watercraft such that the sonar image data corresponding to a first depth range is viewable on the second portion of the screen;

receive user input indicating a desire to zoom in on a portion of the sonar image data being displayed; and

display a zoomed in view of the portion of the sonar image data such that the sonar image data corresponding to a second depth range is viewable on the second portion of the screen, wherein the second depth range is less than the first depth range.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the user input further indicates a desire to lock the zoomed in view onto a bottom of the body of water, wherein the computer program instructions are further configured, when run by the processor, to:

determine a depth associated with the bottom of the body of water at the position of the watercraft, wherein the position of the watercraft corresponds to the displayed sonar image data; and

determine, based on the determined depth, the portion of the sonar image data to be zoomed in on such that the bottom of the body of water is within the portion of the sonar image data, wherein the second depth range corresponding to the determined portion includes the determined depth.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the computer program instructions are further configured, when run by the processor, to, as the position of the watercraft changes, automatically determine the portion of the sonar image data to be zoomed in on such that the bottom of the body of water is within the portion of the sonar image data and automatically cause the zoomed in view to adjust the second depth range corresponding to the automatically determined portion of the sonar image data so as to lock onto the bottom of the body of water as the position of the watercraft and corresponding displayed sonar image data changes.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the user input further indicates a desire to lock the zoomed in view onto vegetation within the body of water, wherein the computer program instructions are further configured, when run by the processor, to:

determine a depth associated with vegetation within the body of water at the position of the watercraft, wherein the position of the watercraft corresponds to the displayed sonar image data; and

determine, based on the determined depth, the portion of the sonar image data to be zoomed in on such that the vegetation within the body of water is within the portion of the sonar image data, wherein the second depth range corresponding to the determined portion includes the determined depth.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the computer program instructions are further configured, when run by the processor, to, as the position of the watercraft changes, automatically determine the portion of the sonar image data to be zoomed in on such that the vegetation within the body of water is within the portion of the sonar image data and automatically cause the zoomed in view to adjust the second depth range corresponding to the automatically determined portion of the sonar image data so as to lock onto the vegetation within the body of water as the position of the watercraft and corresponding displayed sonar image data changes.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the computer program instructions are further configured, when run by the processor, to:

determine a lowest point of a bottom of the body of water within the sonar image data; and

remove a portion of the sonar image data below the lowest point of the bottom from the trip replay data to enable a higher resolution image of remaining sonar image data.