Methods and systems for determining an anchoring location of a marine vessel

• US 9,188,448 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2012
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Fueller, Merien, Lutz, Andre, Grtner, Marco Franz, Godehart, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Jabr, Fadey
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHUDY, ANGELINA M
• Application Number:
  US13/683,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20140142845A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• Field of Search: 701/461, 701/21, 701/409, 701/484
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2021/009 Drift monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 3/00 Traffic control systems for marine craft marking of navigational route B63B22/16, B63B51/00

Abstract

A system for determining an anchoring location of a marine vessel. The system includes a first computing device configured to capture location data of the marine vessel along a route of the marine vessel, and a second computing device. The second computing device including a memory area, a location component that determines location data of a marine vessel, and a processor. The processor is programmed to receive, from the first computing device, the location data of the marine vessel, determine, from the location data, a location along a route of the marine vessel that the marine vessel traveled a distance less than a maximum threshold distance over a predefined period of time, and identify the location along the route of the marine vessel that the marine vessel traveled a distance less than the anchoring threshold distance over the predefined period of time as an anchoring location.

Claims

1. A system for determining an anchoring location of a marine vessel, the system comprising:

an anchorage database configured to store anchorage locations;

a first computing device configured to capture location data of the marine vessel along a route of the marine vessel; and

a second computing device comprising;

a memory area;

a location component that determines location data of the marine vessel; and

a processor programmed to;

receive, from the first computing device, the location data of the marine vessel, wherein the location data identifies that the marine vessel has maintained a location between a first location and a second location over a predefined period of time and does not identify the anchoring location of the marine vessel;

determine, from the location data, that a distance between the first location and the second location is less than a maximum threshold distance;

based on the determination that the marine vessel traveled a distance less than the maximum threshold distance over a predefined period of time, determine that the marine vessel is anchored; and

based on the determination that the marine vessel is anchored, identify an area between the first location and the second location as the anchoring location, wherein the anchoring location is a location not identified as one of one or more anchoring locations within the anchoring database or by the second computing device prior to determining that the marine vessel is anchored.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first computing device includes a global positioning system (GPS) device.

3. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the location data comprises location coordinates of the marine vessel.

4. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the memory area comprises a length of an anchor line on the marine vessel;

and

wherein the length of the anchor line is a factor in determining a length of the maximum threshold distance.

5. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the memory area comprises an identification of the marine vessel;

and

wherein the identification of the marine vessel is a factor in determining a length of the maximum threshold distance.

6. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the anchoring location is within a predefined distance from an additional anchoring location;

and

wherein the processor is further programmed to determine an average anchorage location based on a distance between the anchorage location and the additional anchorage location.

7. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to provide, from the anchorage database, one or more anchorage locations within the defined radius of a particular location.

8. The system in accordance with claim 7, wherein the particular location is a current location of the second marine vessel.

9. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the maximum threshold distance is based on one or more of the following:

a length of an anchor line for the marine vessel, a water depth between the first location and the second location, and a type of vessel the marine vessel is.

10. A computing device for determining an anchoring location of a marine vessel;

the computing device comprising;

an anchorage database configured to store anchorage locations;

a memory area;

a location component that determines location data of the marine vessel; and

a processor programmed to;

receive the location data of the marine vessel, wherein the location data identifies that the marine vessel has maintained a location between a first location and a second location over a predefined period of time and does not identify the anchoring location of the marine vessel;

determine, from the location data, that a distance between the first location and the second location is less than a maximum threshold distance;

based on the determination that the marine vessel traveled a distance less than the maximum threshold distance over a predefined period of time, determine that the marine vessel is anchored; and

based on the determination that the marine vessel is anchored, identify an area between the first location and the second location as the anchoring location, wherein the anchoring location is a location not identified as one of one or more anchoring locations within the anchoring database prior to determining that the marine vessel is anchored.

11. The computing device in accordance with claim 10, wherein the marine vessel comprises a communication device configured to provide the location data of the marine vessel along the route of the marine vessel.

12. The computing device in accordance with claim 11, wherein the communication device includes a global positioning system (GPS) device.

13. The computing device in accordance with claim 10, wherein the location data comprises location coordinates of the marine vessel.

14. The computing device in accordance with claim 10, wherein the memory area comprises an identification of the marine vessel;

and

wherein the identification of the marine vessel is a factor in determining a length of the maximum threshold distance.

15. The computing device in accordance with claim 10, wherein the anchoring location is within a predefined distance from an additional anchoring location;

and

wherein the processor is further programmed to determine an average anchorage location based on a distance between the anchorage location and the additional anchorage location.

16. A method for determining an anchoring location of a marine vessel, the method comprising:

receiving location data associated with the marine vessel, wherein the location data identifies that the marine vessel has maintained a location between a first location and a second location over a predefined period of time and does not identify the anchoring location of the marine vessel;

determining, by a processor, from the location data, that a distance between the first location and the second location is less than a maximum threshold distance;

based on the determination that the marine vessel traveled a distance less than the maximum threshold distance over a predefined period of time, determining that the marine vessel is anchored; and

based on the determination that the marine vessel is anchored, identifying an area between the first location and the second location as the anchoring location, wherein the anchoring location is a location not identified as one of one or more anchoring locations within an anchoring database coupled to the processor prior to determining that the marine vessel is anchored.

17. The method in accordance with claim 16, wherein the location data is received from a computing device on the marine vessel.

18. The method in accordance with claim 17, wherein the computing device is a global positioning system (GPS) device.

19. The method in accordance with claim 16, wherein the location data comprises location coordinates of the marine vessel.

20. The method in accordance with claim 16, further comprising using an identification of the marine vessel as a factor in determining a length of the maximum threshold distance.

21. The method in accordance with claim 16, wherein the anchoring location is within a predefined distance from an additional anchoring location, and wherein the method further comprises determining an average anchorage location based on a distance between the anchorage location and the additional anchorage location.

22. The method in accordance with claim 16, further comprising:

storing the anchoring location in the anchorage database.