Radar apparatus

• US 5,426,436 A
• Filed: 01/06/1994
• Issued: 06/20/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kelvin Hughes Limited
• Original Assignee: Smiths Industries Public Limited Company
• Inventors: Davis, John H., Kirkbride, Stuart, Gould, Russell C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B.
• Application Number:
  US08/178,361
• Time in Patent Office: 530 Days
• Field of Search: 342/182, 342/176, 342/177, 342/179, 342/183
• US Class Current: 342/182
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/22 Producing cursor lines and indicia by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

A marine radar has a screen on which is displayed a radar image and several representations of the different control functions of the radar such as range, gain and sea clutter setting. The radar also has a key pad with three keys and a tracker ball that is connected to the radar control unit. The control unit generates a marker on the screen that is movable by the tracker ball. To change one of the control functions, the tracker ball is displaced until the marker moves into the region of the representation of the appropriate control function. The control unit then produces three boxes on the screen below the control function to indicate the different options available for that function. The user can select the desired option by pressing the appropriate one of the three keys.

Claims

1. In radar apparatus of the kind comprising a radar display screen, a display control unit for providing on the screen a radar display image, and a user entry device for selecting a control function of the apparatus, the improvement wherein said display control unit is arranged to provide on the screen at least one representation of a control function of the apparatus and a movable marker, said user entry device comprising a plurality of keys and a manually-displaceable member that is displaceable to control the position of the marker on the screen, said keys being located close to said manually-displaceable member so that the keys can be operated by the same hand of the user that controls the manually-displaceable member such that positioning of the marker in the region of a representation of the control function is sufficient in itself to cause said display control unit to automatically display on the screen a plurality of representations of options for the control function equal to the number of keys on said user entry device, each of said keys being associated with a different one of the options displayed on the screen so that the user can switch the radar apparatus to the desired option for the control function solely by actuation of the appropriate one of said keys.

2. Radar apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user entry device includes not more than five keys.

3. Radar apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the user entry device has three keys.

4. Radar apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the manually-displaceable member is a tracker ball.

5. Radar apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit provides representations on the screen of different ones of said control functions which functions can be individually selected by moving the marker into the screen region of the appropriate representation.

6. Radar apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one or more representation of a control function includes a numerical value, and wherein the control unit alters the numerical value after actuation of a key on the entry device and in response to displacement of the manually-displaceable member.

7. Radar apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the representation of a control function is selected from a group comprising:

range, orientation of radar image, gain, sea clutter and radar clutter.

8. Radar apparatus comprising:

a radar display screen;

a display control unit for providing on the screen a radar display image, a movable marker and a plurality of representations of different control functions of the apparatus;

a user entry device including three keys and a manually-displaceable member, the keys being located close to the manually-displaceable member so that the keys can be operated by the same hand of the user that controls the manually-displaceable member; and

means connecting the user entry device to the control unit such that displacement of the manually-displaceable member causes the control unit to displace the marker on the screen, the control unit being operative, solely in response to the positioning of the marker in the region of a representation of a control function, to automatically provide on the screen displays representing three different options for that control function, each of said keys being associated with a different one of the options displayed on the screen, and the control unit being further operative to switch the radar apparatus to one of said three different control function options solely in response to the user'"'"'s actuation of a corresponding one of the three keys on the user entry device after said three different control function options have been displayed on the screen.

9. A method for controlling the operation of a radar apparatus having a screen on which a radar image is displayed, the method including the steps of providing on the screen at least one representation of a control function of the apparatus and a movable marker;

displacing a manually-displaceable member with one hand to move the marker to the region of the representation of the control function so as to cause a plurality of different options for the control function automatically to be displayed on the screen solely in response to movement of said marker to said region; and

subsequently actuating one of a plurality of keys located for operation by the same hand used to displace the manually-displaceable member, the number of keys being equal to the number of said options so that actuation of different ones of said keys selects corresponding different ones of said options and thereby changes the operation of the radar apparatus in accordance with a selected option solely in response to actuation of the one of said keys corresponding to the selected option.