Apparatus and methods for routing

• US 9,405,445 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2014
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Navionics SRL (Garmin Limited)
• Original Assignee: Navionics Spa (Garmin Limited)
• Inventors: Carnevali, Giuseppe
• Primary Examiner(s): MARC-COLEMAN, MARTHE Y
• Application Number:
  US14/146,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20140200806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 701/21, 701/409, 701/533, 340/995.19, 345/426
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/203 Specially adapted for sailing ships
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/377 for mixing or overlaying two or more graphic patterns G09G5/02, G09G5/397 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 70/00 Maritime or waterways transport

Abstract

An electronic navigational system may automatically develop nautical routes, may retrieve previously-developed nautical routes, or may combine previously developed route(s) or route segment(s) with an automatically developed route or route segment(s).

Claims

1. A marine electronic system, comprising:

a graphical user interface including an input device and a display; and

a processor to;

control the display to generate and display marine cartographic information, including water depths associated with marine locations;

control the display to generate and display a highlighted range of depths in the display of cartographic information in response to a user request through the graphical user interface for the highlighted range; and

employing water depth information obtained from SONAR logs from a plurality of independent measurement devices to generate and display cartographic information to a user, wherein the cartographic information includes updates from at least one measurement device independent of the marine electronic system.

2. The marine electronic system of claim 1, wherein the processor is responsive to user input by highlighting a desired fishing range by displaying cartographic information for a range of depths, the range displayed in a color different from other displayed depths.

3. The marine electronic system of claim 2, wherein the processor is responsive to user input by displaying a fishing range in white.

4. A marine electronic system, comprising:

a graphical user interface including an input device and a display; and

a processor to;

control the display to generate and display marine cartographic information, including water depths associated with the marine locations;

control the display to generate and display cartographic information including contour lines corresponding to water depths associated with the contour lines; and

generate and display cartographic information to a user employing water depth information obtained from SONAR logs from a plurality of independent sources, wherein the depth information includes updates from at least one measurement device independent of the marine electronic system.

5. The marine electronic system of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to display a region between two contour lines as a continuously variable shade of a display color.

6. The marine electronic system of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to display regions on either side of a contour line as a continuously variable shade of a display color.

7. The marine electronic system of claim 5, wherein the display color is blue.

8. A marine electronic system, comprising:

a graphical user interface including an input device and a display; and

a processor to;

control the display to generate and display marine cartographic information;

generate and display cartographic information including contour lines corresponding to water depths associated with the contour lines, whereby the processor is responsive to user input by offsetting the values of the displayed contour lines from cartographic information; and

generate and display cartographic information to a user employing water depth information obtained from SONAR logs from a plurality of independent sources, wherein the cartographic information includes updates from at least one measurement device independent of the marine electronic system.

9. The marine electronic system of claim 8, wherein the processor is responsive to user input by controlling the display to generate and display a region of dry land as water-covered in response to an offset input by a user.

10. The marine electronic system of claim 8, wherein the processor is responsive to user input by controlling the display to generate and display a submerged area as dry land in response to an offset input by a user.

11. An electronic navigational system, comprising:

a graphical user interface including an input device and a display;

a processor to;

control the display to generate and display marine cartographic information; and

store a developed navigational route that is developed using water depth information obtained from SONAR logs from a plurality of independent sources, wherein the water depth information includes updates from at least one measurement device independent of the electronic navigational system.

12. The electronic navigational system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to save a developed navigational route locally.

13. The electronic navigational system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to save a developed navigational route remotely.

14. The electronic navigational system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to save a developed navigational route in the form of a navigated track.

15. The electronic navigational system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to save an automatically developed navigational route.

16. An electronic navigational system, comprising:

a processor configured to store nautical navigation routes derived from SONAR logs from a plurality of marine electronic systems, each of which is developed using water depth measurements produced by a plurality of independent measuring devices; and

the processor responsive to requests by providing saved nautical navigation routes to a marine electronic system for use in navigation.

17. The electronic navigational system of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to provide a saved nautical navigation route to a marine electronic system other than the one from which the route was received.

18. A marine electronic system, comprising:

a processor configured to retrieve a stored nautical navigational route that has been developed using measurements of water depth from SONAR logs obtained from a plurality of independent marine electronic systems;

the processor configured to edit the retrieved route; and

the processor configured to control a display to generate and display the edited route along with marine cartographic information.

19. The marine electronic system of claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to retrieve a stored navigational route from a remote location.

20. The marine electronic system of claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to edit a route by truncating a retrieved route.

21. The marine electronic system of claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to edit a route by leaving it intact.

22. The marine electronic system of claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to edit a route by linking a plurality of retrieved routes.

23. A nautical chart system, comprising:

electronic storage for a first electronic nautical chart including depth information;

a processor to access the first nautical chart; and

a communications link between the processor and a plurality of sonar logging systems, wherein the processor is configured to accept SONAR logs from a plurality of SONAR devices and to combine depth information from those SONAR logs with depth information from the first nautical chart to produce a second nautical chart.

24. The nautical chart system of claim 23, wherein the processor is configured to produce a second nautical chart with greater depth resolution than the first nautical chart.