Navigation aid method, device and program

• US 8,423,278 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2009
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Furuno Electric Co, Ltd
• Original Assignee: Furuno Electric Co, Ltd
• Inventors: Kondo, Motoji, Yanagi, Katsuyuki, Inaoka, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan K
• Application Number:
  US12/621,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20100153013A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• Field of Search: 701/21, 701/532, 701/301, 701/408, 342/41, 342/176, 342/95
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 49/00 Arrangements of nautical instruments or navigational aids nautical measuring instruments G01C; radio navigation, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S

Abstract

This disclosure provides a navigation aid device that includes a calculation time setting module for setting two or more calculation points of time for calculating trial information, a ship-concerned information acquisition module for acquiring ship-concerned information including a position of a ship concerned at every predetermined ship-concerned information acquisition time, a ship-concerned trial information calculating module for calculating ship-concerned trial information including the position of the ship concerned at each calculation point of time based on the ship-concerned information acquired at the newest information acquisition time with respect to the calculation point of time.

Claims

1. A navigation aid device, comprising:

a calculation time setting module for setting two or more calculation points of time for calculating trial information;

a ship-concerned information acquisition module for acquiring ship-concerned information including a position of a ship concerned at every predetermined ship-concerned information acquisition time;

a ship-concerned trial information calculating module for calculating ship-concerned trial information including future positions of the ship concerned at the respective two or more calculation points of time based on the most-recently acquired ship-concerned information;

a display module for simultaneously displaying on a screen the future positions of the ship concerned so as to correspond to respective positions on the screen;

a target-object information acquisition module for acquiring target-object information including a position of a target object other than the ship concerned at every predetermined target-object information acquisition time; and

a target-object trial information calculating module for calculating target-object trial information including future positions of the target object at the respective two or more calculation points of time based on most-recently acquired target-object information;

wherein the display control module causes the display module to simultaneously display the future positions of the target object at the respective two or more calculation points of time, the future positions of the target object being displayed so as to correspond to respective positions on the screen.

2. The navigation aid device of claim 1, further comprising:

a display time setting module for setting a display point of time at which the future position of the ship concerned is displayed so as to correspond to each calculation point of time; and

a display control module for causing the display module to display at each display point of time the future position of the ship concerned at each calculation point of time corresponding to the display point of time.

3. The navigation aid device of claim 2, wherein the ship-concerned information acquisition module acquires the ship-concerned information before each display point of time.

4. The navigation aid device of claim 1, wherein the target-object information acquisition module acquires the target-object information before each display point of time.

5. The navigation aid device of claim 4, further comprising an information acquisition control module for controlling whether the ship-concerned information acquisition module and the target-object information acquisition module acquire the ship-concerned information and the target-object information before each display point of time, respectively.

6. The navigation aid device of claim 5, wherein the ship-concerned information includes at least one of a speed and a bearing of the ship concerned.

7. The navigation aid device of claim 6, further comprising a ship-concerned travel setting module for setting information including a target speed and target heading of the ship concerned at an arbitrary time.

8. The navigation aid device of claim 7, wherein the target-object information includes at least one of a moving speed and a moving direction of the target object.

9. The navigation aid device of claim 8, wherein the target-object information acquisition module includes a stationary target object memory module for storing a position of a stationary target object, the position of which does not change with time.

10. The navigation aid device of claim 9, wherein the ship-concerned information acquisition module includes:

a ship-concerned information input module for inputting the ship-concerned information; and

a ship-concerned information storing module for storing the ship-concerned information and outputting the ship-concerned information according to a request from the ship-concerned trial information calculating module.

11. The navigation aid device of claim 10, wherein the target-object information acquisition module includes:

a target-object information input module for inputting the target-object information; and

a target-object information storing module for storing the target-object information and outputting the target-object information according to a request from the target-object trial information calculating module.

12. The navigation aid device of claim 11, further comprising an alert determination module for comparing a ship-concerned/target-object relation defined by information including the position of the ship concerned and the position of the target object at each calculation point of time with an alert condition including a predetermined spatial relationship between the ship concerned and the target object, and outputting a signal when the ship-concerned/target-object relation falls under the alert condition.

13. The navigation aid device of claim 12, wherein the ship-concerned/target-object relation includes a course of the ship concerned and a moving direction of the target object in addition to the position of the ship concerned and the position of the target object.

14. The navigation aid device of claim 13, wherein the display module displays the position of the target object fell under the alert condition at a calculation point of time when the ship-concerned/target-object relation falls under the alert condition based on the signal so that the position of the target object can be discriminated form a displayed position of the target object at another calculation point of time.

15. The navigation aid device of claim 1, wherein the calculation time setting module sets the calculation point of time based on a calculation time interval from a calculation start time at which the calculation starts and a calculation start time defined by the reference time and a lapsed time, or based on the reference time and a lapsed time from the reference time.

16. The navigation aid device of claim 15, wherein the calculation time setting module includes:

an object moving module for causing a movement of a peripheral part of a cylindrical or spherical object in response to an external force being applied; and

a time setting module for setting the lapsed time and the calculation time interval corresponding to an amount of the movement to set the calculation point of time.

17. A navigation aid method, comprising:

setting two or more calculation points of time for calculating trial information;

acquiring ship-concerned information including a position of a ship concerned at every predetermined ship-concerned information acquisition time;

calculating ship-concerned trial information including future positions of the ship concerned at the respective two or more calculation points of time based on the most-recently acquired ship-concerned information;

simultaneously displaying on a screen the future positions of the ship concerned so as to correspond to a display position;

acquiring target-object information including a position of a target object other than the ship concerned at every predetermined target-object information acquisition time; and

calculating target-object trial information including future positions of the target object at the respective two or more calculation points of time based on most-recently acquired target-object information;

wherein the future positions of the target object at the respective two or more calculation points of time are simultaneously displayed on the screen, the future positions or the target object being displayed so as to correspond to respective positions on the screen.

18. The navigation aid method of claim 17, further comprising:

acquiring target-object information including a position of a target object other than the ship concerned at every predetermined target-object information acquisition time;

calculating target-object trial information including future positions of the target object at the respective two or more calculation points of time based on the most-recently acquired target-object information; and

simultaneously displaying with the future positions of the ship concerned the future positions of the target object.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium on which is stored a navigation aid program which, when executed by a computer, causes a computer to perform a process comprising:

inputting two or more calculation points of time for calculating trial information;

inputting ship-concerned information including at least one of a position, a speed, and a bearing of a ship concerned at every predetermined ship-concerned information acquisition time;

calculating ship-concerned trial information including future positions of the ship concerned at the respective two or more calculation points of time based on the most-recently acquired ship-concerned information; and

inputting target-object information including at least one of a position, a moving speed, and a moving direction of a target object other than the ship concerned at every predetermined target-object information acquisition time;

calculating target-object trial information including future positions of the target object at the respective two or more calculation points of time based on the most-recently acquired target-object information;

simultaneously displaying on a screen the future positions of the ship concerned and the target object so as to correspond to respective positions on the screen;

acquiring target-object information including a position of a target object other than the ship concerned at every predetermined target-object information acquisition time; and

calculating target-object trial information including future positions of the target object at the respective two or more calculation points of time based on most-recently acquired target-object information;

wherein the future positions of the target object at the respective two or more calculation points of time are simultaneously displayed on the screen, the future positions or the target object being displayed so as to correspond to respective positions on the screen.