SYSTEMS AND ASSOCIATED METHODS FOR UPDATING STORED 3D SONAR DATA

• US 20160259050A1
• Filed: 04/10/2015
• Published: 09/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Navico Holding A.S. (Brunswick Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Navico Holding A.S. (Brunswick Corporation)
• Inventors: Proctor, Alan Lee, Parks, David Austin, Horner, Ronald Joe, Hunt, Matthew David
• Application Number:
  US14/683,586
• Publication Number:
  US 20160259050A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/003 Bistatic sonar systems; Multistatic sonar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/876 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S15/872 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8902 Side-looking sonar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/521 Constructional features
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/524 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/526 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/54 with receivers spaced apart
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/56 Display arrangements short-range imaging G01S7/52053
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/6245 Stereoscopic displays; Three-dimensional displays; Pseudo-three dimensional displays
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/629 the display being oriented or displaced in accordance with the movement of object carrying the transmitting and receiving apparatus

Abstract

Provided are a method, apparatus, and computer program product for updating stored 3D mesh data from live 3D mesh data. The method may include processing, by a sonar signal processor, first sonar return data and second sonar return data from first and second transducer elements of at least one transducer array to generate live 3D mesh data. The method may include determining a position associated with the live 3D mesh data that corresponds to the position of the watercraft when the first sonar return data and the second sonar return data was received, and may include updating a stored 3D mesh data with at least a portion of the live 3D mesh data based on the position.

Claims

1. A method for updating stored 3D mesh data from live 3D mesh data, the method comprising:

processing, by a sonar signal processor, first sonar return data received from a first transducer element of at least one transducer array and second sonar return data received from a second transducer element of the at least one transducer array to generate live 3D mesh data, wherein the at least one transducer array is positioned within a housing mountable to a watercraft capable of traversing a body of water and aimed at least downwardly from the watercraft;

determining a position associated with the live 3D mesh data that corresponds to the position of the watercraft when the first sonar return data and the second sonar return data was received; and

updating a stored 3D mesh data with at least a portion of the live 3D mesh data based on the position associated with the live 3D mesh data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored 3D mesh data is stored in a local memory.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored 3D mesh data is stored in a remote server.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

processing the first sonar return data and the second sonar return data to generate a set of 2D sonar data; and

generating the live 3D mesh data based on the set of 2D sonar data.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

generating a plurality of sets of 2D sonar data as the watercraft traverses the body of water; and

generating the live 3D mesh data based on the plurality of sets of 2D sonar data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the stored 3D mesh data comprises automatically updating the stored 3D mesh data as the live 3D mesh data is generated.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the stored 3D mesh data comprises:

determining a position in the stored 3D mesh data that corresponds to the position of the live 3D mesh data; and

updating at least a portion of the stored 3D mesh data at the position with at least a portion of the live 3D mesh data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the stored 3D mesh data comprises:

updating a locally stored 3D mesh data in a memory; and

transmitting the live 3D mesh data to a server for updating of a remotely stored 3D mesh data in a memory of the server.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein updating the locally stored 3D mesh data and transmitting the live 3D mesh data to the server are performed simultaneously.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the stored 3D mesh data comprises replacing at least a portion of the stored 3D mesh data with at least a portion of the live 3D mesh data.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the stored 3D mesh data comprises combining at least a portion of the stored 3D mesh data with at least a portion of the live 3D mesh data.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a resolution of the stored 3D mesh data is lower than a resolution of the live 3D mesh data.

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

process first sonar return data received from a first transducer element of at least one transducer array and second sonar return data received from a second transducer element of the at least one transducer array to generate live 3D mesh data, wherein the at least one transducer array is positioned within a housing mountable to a watercraft capable of traversing a body of water and aimed at least downwardly from the watercraft;

determine a position associated with the live 3D mesh data that corresponds to the position of the watercraft when the first sonar return data and the second sonar return data was received; and

update a stored 3D mesh data with at least a portion of the live 3D mesh data based on the position associated with the live 3D mesh data.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the stored 3D mesh data is stored in a local memory.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the stored 3D mesh data is stored in a remote server.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 further configured to:

process the first sonar return data and the second sonar return data to generate a set of 2D sonar data; and

generate the live 3D mesh data based on the set of 2D sonar data.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 further configured to:

generate a plurality of sets of 2D sonar data as the watercraft traverses the body of water; and

generate the live 3D mesh data based on the plurality of sets of 2D sonar data.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, further configured to update the stored 3D mesh data by automatically updating the stored 3D mesh data as the live 3D mesh data is generated.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, further configured to update the stored 3D mesh data by:

determining a position in the stored 3D mesh data that corresponds to the position of the live 3D mesh data; and

updating at least a portion of stored 3D mesh data at the position with at least a portion of the live 3D mesh data.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, further configured to update the stored 3D mesh data by:

updating a locally stored 3D mesh data in a memory; and

transmitting the live 3D mesh data to a server for updating of a remotely stored 3D mesh data in a memory of the server.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further configured to update the locally stored 3D mesh data and transmit the live 3D mesh data to the server simultaneously.

22. The apparatus of claim 13, further configured to update the stored 3D mesh data by replacing at least a portion of the stored 3D mesh data with at least a portion of the live 3D mesh data.

23. The apparatus of claim 13, further configured to update the stored 3D mesh data by combining at least a portion of the stored 3D mesh data with at least a portion of the live 3D mesh data.

24. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein a resolution of the stored 3D mesh data is lower than a resolution of the live 3D mesh data.

25. Computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having program code portions stored thereon, the program code portions configured, when said program product is run with a sonar signal processor, to:

process first sonar return data received from a first transducer element of at least one transducer array and second sonar return data received from a second transducer element of the at least one transducer array to generate live 3D mesh data, wherein the at least one transducer array is positioned within a housing mountable to a watercraft capable of traversing a body of water and aimed at least downwardly from the watercraft;

determine a position associated with the live 3D mesh data that corresponds to the position of the watercraft when the first sonar return data and the second sonar return data was received; and

update a stored 3D mesh data with at least a portion of the live 3D mesh data based on the position associated with the live 3D mesh data.