WATERCRAFT AUTOMATION AND AQUATIC EFFORT DATA UTILIZATION

• US 20090105952A1
• Filed: 10/19/2007
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Garmin Switzerland GmbH (Garmin Limited)
• Original Assignee: Ryan T. Grace, Ted V. Grace
• Inventors: Grace, Ryan T., Grace, Ted V.
• Granted Patent: US 8,082,100 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/300
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 83/02 Expanding fish-hook assembly
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 85/00 Artificial bait for fishing
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 85/02 with means for concealing or protecting hooks, e.g. to prevent entanglement with weeds
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 91/08 Trolling devices
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 93/02 with signalling devices
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 97/00 Accessories for angling fish stringers A01K65/00; landing-nets or landing-spoons for fishing A01K77/00
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2201/18 Sonar
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2211/02 Oceanography
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2213/02 using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. the Global Positioning System GPS
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 51/00 Marking of navigation route
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 79/15 for monitoring environmental variables, e.g. wave height or weather data
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 79/40 for controlling the operation of vessels, e.g. monitoring their speed, routing or maintenance schedules
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 20/007 Trolling propulsion units trolling plates for slowing down B63H25/50; dynamo-electric machines of trolling units H02K
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 2021/216 using electric control means
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 2025/045 making use of satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. the Global Positioning System [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 2025/425 Propulsive elements, other than jets, substantially used for steering or dynamic anchoring only, with means for retracting, or otherwise moving to a rest position outside the water flow around the hull
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 21/21 Control means for engine or transmission, specially adapted for use on marine vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 25/04 automatic, e.g. reacting to compass
• CPC Class Codes: B63J 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 : Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/89 : for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 : Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0206 : specially adapted to water vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 3/00 : Control of position or direction G05D1/00 takes precedence; numerical control to execute positioning G05B19/18
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 : Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 : communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/02 : Registering or indicating driving, working, idle, or waiting time only apparatus forming part of taximeters G07B13/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/80 : in fisheries management

Abstract

Watercraft automation and aquatic data utilization for aquatic efforts are disclosed. In one aspect, an anchor point is obtained and a watercraft position maintenance routine is actuated to control the watercraft to maintain association with the anchor point. In another aspect, prior aquatic effort data is obtained in association with an anchor point. In yet another aspect, current aquatic effort data is generated in association with an anchor point. In still another aspect, current aquatic effort data and prior aquatic effort data are utilized for prediction generation. In yet another aspect, current aquatic effort data and prior aquatic effort data are utilized to obtain another anchor point for a watercraft.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for anchoring a watercraft with a position maintenance routine associated with an anchor point, the method comprising:

obtaining an anchor point identifier associated with an anchor point of a watercraft;

actuating a position maintenance routine for automatically anchoring the watercraft within a tolerance of the anchor point, wherein the position maintenance routine includes;

determining a current position of the watercraft;

determining whether the current position is within the tolerance of the anchor point;

when the current position is not within the tolerance of the anchor point, determining a direction to the anchor point; and

causing a trolling device to propel the watercraft in the determined direction.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the position maintenance routine further comprises:

determining an anchor point duration;

determining whether the anchor point duration is expired;

maintaining the anchor point when the anchor point duration has not expired; and

when the anchor point duration is expired,

obtaining another anchor point,

determining a direction to the another anchor point, and

causing a trolling device to propel the watercraft in the determined direction.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the position maintenance routine further comprises:

obtaining current aquatic effort data;

comparing current aquatic effort data to prior aquatic effort data to obtain another anchor point;

determining a direction to the another anchor point, and

causing the trolling device to propel the watercraft in the determined direction.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a second anchor point identifier associated with a second anchor point of a watercraft, wherein the second anchor point is associated with a different location than the first anchor point;

actuating a second position maintenance routine for automatically anchoring the watercraft within a tolerance of the second anchor point, wherein the second position maintenance routine includes;

determining a current position of the watercraft;

determining whether the current position is within the tolerance of the second anchor point;

when the current position is not within the tolerance of the second anchor point, determining a direction to the second anchor point; and

causing a second trolling device to propel the watercraft in the determined direction.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the tolerance includes at least one member of a group comprising:

a position tolerance, a drift tolerance, and no tolerance.

6. A computer-implemented method for storing current aquatic effort data with an anchor point identifier associated with an anchor point, the method comprising:

obtaining the anchor point identifier associated with an anchor point of the watercraft, wherein the anchor point identifier identifies a data container for storing current aquatic effort data;

receiving current aquatic effort data; and

storing the current aquatic effort data in the data container identified by the anchor point identifier.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the current aquatic effort data includes data associated with a position maintenance routine for maintaining a watercraft within a tolerance of the anchor point.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the data associated with a position maintenance routine includes at least one member of a group comprising:

tolerance data, anchor point duration data, and anchor point location data.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the current aquatic effort data includes data received from sensors associated with the watercraft.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the current aquatic effort data includes internet services associated with the anchor point of the watercraft.

11. A computer-implemented method for obtaining prior aquatic effort data identified by an anchor point identifier, the method comprising:

obtaining an anchor point identifier associated with an anchor point of the watercraft;

determining whether the anchor point identifier associated with the anchor point of the watercraft implicates an anchor point identifier associated with a data container;

obtaining prior aquatic effort data associated with the data container when the anchor point identifier associated with the anchor point of the watercraft implicates the anchor point identifier associated with a data container.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the prior aquatic effort data includes prior data associated with a position maintenance routine for maintaining a watercraft within a tolerance of the anchor point.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the prior data associated with a position maintenance routine includes at least one member of a group comprising:

prior tolerance data, prior anchor point duration data, and prior anchor point location data.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the prior aquatic effort data includes data received from sensors.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the prior aquatic effort data includes internet services associated with the anchor point of the watercraft.

16. A computer-implemented method for generating a prediction suggestion based on current aquatic effort data and prior aquatic effort data identified by an anchor point identifier of an anchor point of a watercraft, the method comprising:

obtaining an anchor point identifier associated with an anchor point of a watercraft;

receiving current aquatic effort data;

associating the current aquatic effort data with the anchor point identifier;

obtaining prior aquatic effort data associated with the data container.

determining whether the current aquatic effort data matches the prior aquatic effort data; and

generating a prediction suggestion when the current aquatic effort data matches the prior aquatic effort data.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the prediction suggestion includes an equipment suggestion.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the prediction suggestion includes an internet based service.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the prediction suggestion includes another anchor point and causes a position maintenance routine to automatically navigate a trolling device to the another anchor point.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the prediction suggestion includes a default prediction suggestion when current aquatic effort data does not match the prior aquatic effort data.

21. A computer-implemented method for automatically navigating anchor points of an aquatic tour based on current aquatic effort data and prior aquatic effort data, the method comprising:

obtaining an anchor point identifier associated with an anchor point of a watercraft;

actuating a position maintenance routine for automatically anchoring the watercraft within a tolerance of the anchor point, wherein the position maintenance routine causes a trolling device to maintain the watercraft within the tolerance of the anchor point;

obtaining current aquatic effort data;

comparing the current aquatic effort data to prior aquatic effort data to determine whether another anchor point is implicated; and

causing the position maintenance routine to automatically navigate the trolling device to the another anchor point when the comparison of the current aquatic effort data to the prior aquatic effort data implicates the another anchor point.

22. The computer implemented method of claim 21, wherein the current aquatic effort data includes a current anchor point duration and the prior aquatic effort data includes an anchor point duration limit, wherein the another anchor point is implicated when the current anchor point duration exceeds the anchor point duration limit.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the current aquatic effort data includes a current aquatic quantity associated with an anchor point duration and the prior aquatic effort data includes an aquatic quantity associated with an anchor point duration limit, wherein the another anchor point is implicated when the current aquatic quantity associated with the anchor point duration implicates the aquatic quantity associated with the anchor point duration limit.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the prior aquatic effort data includes prior data associated with a position maintenance routine for maintaining a watercraft within a tolerance of the anchor point.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the current aquatic effort data includes data associated with a position maintenance routine for maintaining a watercraft within a tolerance of the anchor point.