Ship collision preventive aid apparatus

• US 4,706,090 A
• Filed: 01/22/1985
• Issued: 11/10/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Zosen Corporation, Kabushiki Kaisha Koden Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Zosen Corporation, Kabushiki Kaisha Koden Seisakusho
• Inventors: Hashiguchi, Shinji, Kimata, Hisayuki, Koga, Yukuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Tubbesing, T. H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barron, Jr., Gilberto
• Application Number:
  US06/693,099
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 343/5 EM, 343/455, 364/443, 364/461, 340/712, 342/41, 342/176, 342/177, 342/182, 342/183, 342/455
• US Class Current: 342/41
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/937 of marine craft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/06 Cathode-ray tube displays or other two dimensional or three-dimensional displays
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/902 Menu display

Abstract

The present application discloses a ship collision preventive aid apparatus in which a radar picture and a key picture are selected from all pictures displayed on a display means as transmitted through a touch panel, and the operator touches the surface of the touch panel, so that a program for an operation key name selected is executed. Predetermined collision preventive aid data required for collision avoidance are then displayed on a display screen.

With operation simplified, appropriate information concerning collision avoidance may be supplied and the entire construction is simplified.

Claims

1. A ship collision preventive aid apparatus comprising:

(1) a color cathode ray tube including a display screen for displaying the following pictures;

(i) a radar picture displayed on said display screen at the center thereof on which figures including arrows, circles, straight lines, and squares are overlapping displayed;

(ii)

(a) a first key picture for a command for automatic catching of either one or a combination of targets, including a designated target, wake display, or cancellation of a designated target,

(b) a second key picture for calling a command for setting either a guard zone, a suppress zone, or a fairway,

(c) a third key picture for either switching an ON-center/OFF-center of a bearing scale, selecting a bearing mode, or switching a display range,

said pictures (a), (b) and (c) being displayed on said display screen at a portion of the periphery thereof,

(iii) own ship data and other ship data displayed on said display screen at a different part of the periphery thereof,

(iv) alarm marks for informing the operator of the entrance of other ships either in or entering into the guard zone or error, said alarm marks being displayed on said display screen at a still different part of the periphery thereof,

(2) a touch panel for supplying position signals representing contact points on said panels contacted by the operator, said touch panel overlapping disposed on the display screen of said cathode-ray tube and transmitting pictures displayed on said display screen;

(3) a forming means for forming, based on said position signals, the coordinates of selected points on said display screen corresponding to said contact points on said panel;

(4) a judging means for judging, by output signals form said forming means, that the picture including the coordinates of said selected points is any of said key pictures, said radar picture or other picture than said key pictures and said radar picture,

(5) a processing means for executing predetermined programs, based on output signals from said judging means, thereby to perform the operations as follows;

(i) when said first or second key picture and the radar picture are continuously selected,

(a) a program corresponding to said first or second key picture selected is executed to overlappingly display, on said radar picture, predetermined ship collision preventive aid data such as cross marks representing designated targets which have been caught, the course and the wake of other ships designated, the guard zone, the suppress zone, or the fairway,

(b) data of the own ship and other ships caught as targets are computed based on said radar picture and disp1ayed on said display screen at the periphery thereof, and there are overlappingly displayed, on that portion of said radar picture showing other ships, figures such as small circles, or small squares, in respectively different colors dependent on the degree of danger of collison determined based on the data thus computed,

(c) when setting the guard zone, the suppress zone, the fairway or the like, said second key picture being temporarily changed to a setting command key picture for the guard ring, the suppress zone, or the fairway,

(ii) when said third key picture is selected, the program corresponding to said third key picture is executed for carrying out the operations including the display of the ON-center/OFF-center of said radar picture, the display of the head-up, the display of the north-up, the switching of the display range, and

(iii) when a picture other than any of said key pictures and said radar picture is selected, there is displayed an alarm mark informing the operator of the occurrence of an error, on said display screen at the periphery thereof.

2. A method for a ship collission prevention aid apparatus including a color cathode-ray tube having a display screen, and a substantially transparent touch panel overlying said display screen for providing position signals corresponding to contact points on said panel contacted by an operator, the method comprising the steps of:

(1) displaying on the display screen the following pictures;

(i) a radar picture displayed on said display screen at the center thereof on which figures including either one or a combination of arrows, circles, straight lines, relatively small circles, and relatively small squares are overlappingly displayed,

(ii)

(a) a first key picture for a command for automatic catching of targets, catching of a designated target, wake display, cancellation of a target designated, or the like,

(b) a second key picture for calling a command for setting a guard zone, a suppress zone, or a fairway,

(c) a third key picture for either switching an ON-center/OFF-center of a bearing scale, selecting a bearing mode or switching the display range,

said pictures of (ii) (a), (b) and (c) being displayed on said display screen at the periphery thereof,

(iii) own ship data and other ship data displayed on said display screen at a different part of the periphery thereof than the pictures of (ii) (a), (b) and (c),

(iv) alarm marks for informing an operator either of the entrance of other ships into a guard zone or an error, said alarm marks being displayed on said display screen at a still different part of the periphery thereof relative to other data,

(2) forming from said position signals, the coordinates of selected points on said display screen corresponding to said contact points on said panel;

(3) judging from said coordinates, output signals that the picture including the coordinates of said selected points is any of said key pictures, said radar picture or other picture than said key pictures and said radar picture,

(4) executing predetermined programs based upon the results of said judging step, thereby to perform the following operations;

(i) when said first or second key picture and the radar picture are continuously selected,

(a) a program corresponding to said first or second key picture selected being executed to overlapping display, on said radar picture, predetermined ship collision preventive aid data including cross marks representing designated targets which have been caught, the course and the wake of other ships designated, the guard zone, the suppress zone, or the fairway,

(b) data of own ship and other ships caught as targets being computed based on said radar picture and displayed on said display screen at the periphery thereof, and overlappingly displaying on that portion of said radar picture showing other ships, figures such as circles, and squares, in respectively different colors dependent on the degree of danger of collision determined based on the data thus computed,

(c) when setting the guard zone, the suppress zone, the fairway or the like, said second key picture being temporarily changed to a setting command key picture for the guard ring, the suppress zone, or the fairway,

(ii) when said third key picture is selected, the program corresponding to said third key picture being executed for carrying out the operations including the display of the ON-center/OFF-center of said radar picture, the display of the head-up, the display of the north-up, the switching of the display range,

(iii) when a picture other than any of said key pictures and said radar picture is selected, displaying an alarm mark on the periphery of said display screen for informing the operator of the occurrence of an error.