Forward depth display

• US 9,829,321 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2016
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Navico Incorporated (Brunswick Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Navico Holding A.S. (Brunswick Corporation)
• Inventors: Steward, Lucas Dale, Scott, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafi, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US15/018,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20160153785A1
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• Field of Search: 701454, 702 5, 702 2, 702 18, 702166, 702152, 702153, 702142, 367127, 367124, 367 15, 367 99, 367 33, 367 68, 367 9, 348116, 348113
• 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: B63B 79/40 for controlling the operation of vessels, e.g. monitoring their speed, routing or maintenance schedules
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/203 Specially adapted for sailing ships
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs

Abstract

Various implementations described herein are directed to an apparatus for displaying marine electronic navigation data. The apparatus comprises one or more processors, a screen configured to display marine data, and a memory having a plurality of executable instructions. The executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, may cause the one or more processors to determine a location of a vessel and at least one of a heading or a projected direction of travel of the vessel, retrieve a bathymetric chart corresponding to the location, analyze the bathymetric chart, the location, and the at least one heading or projected direction of travel of the vessel to determine a plurality of depths that each correspond to one of a plurality of locations corresponding to the heading or the projected direction of travel of the vessel, and display the plurality of depths on the screen.

Claims

1. An apparatus for displaying marine electronic navigation data, the apparatus comprising:

one or more processors;

a screen configured to display marine data; and

a memory having a plurality of executable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

determine a current location of a vessel and at least one of a heading or a projected direction of travel of the vessel;

determine, based on at least one of the heading or the projected direction of travel of the vessel, a plurality of locations along at least one of the heading or the projected direction of travel of the vessel;

retrieve, from the memory, a bathymetric chart that includes the current location and the plurality of locations along at least one of the heading or the projected direction of travel of the vessel;

determine, based on the bathymetric chart, the current location, and the plurality of locations along at least one of the heading or the projected direction of travel of the vessel, a plurality of depths that each correspond to one of the plurality of locations; and

display, on the screen, the plurality of depths along a line or curve extending from a representation of the vessel, wherein the plurality of depths are displayed on a chart at each corresponding one of the plurality of locations, and wherein the line or curve extends from the representation of the vessel in at least one of the heading or the projected direction of travel of the vessel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions are further configured to cause the one or more processors to display the plurality of depths on a navigation chart.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions are further configured to cause the one or more processors to display the plurality of depths on the screen using one or more colors, wherein different colors are associated with different depth ranges.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising executable instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to display a warning if at least one of the plurality of depths is less than a preset minimum depth.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions are further configured to cause the one or more processors to analyze one or more depth contours on the bathymetric chart to determine an estimated depth for each of the plurality of depths.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the executable instructions are further configured to cause the one or more processors to average two or more of the depths contours on the bathymetric chart to determine the estimated depth for at least one of the plurality of depths.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions are further configured to cause the one or more processors to display the plurality depths on a graph comprising a horizontal axis and a vertical axis, and wherein the horizontal axis corresponds to a distance from the vessel and the vertical axis corresponds to a depth.

8. A method for displaying marine electronic navigation data, the method comprising:

determining, by a processor, a current location of a vessel and at least one of a heading or a projected direction of travel of the vessel;

determining, based on at least one of the heading or the projected direction of travel of the vessel, a plurality of locations along at least one of the heading or the projected direction of travel of the vessel;

retrieving, from at least one of a memory or a remote server, a bathymetric chart that includes the current location and the plurality of locations along at least one of the heading or the projected direction of travel of the vessel;

determining, based on the bathymetric chart, the current location, and the at least one heading or projected direction of travel of the vessel, a plurality of depths that each correspond to one of the plurality of locations; and

displaying, on a screen, the plurality of depths along a line or curve extending from a representation of the vessel, wherein the plurality of depths are displayed on a chart at each corresponding one of the plurality of locations, and wherein the line or curve extends from the representation of the vessel in at least one of the heading or the projected direction of travel of the vessel.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein displaying the plurality of depths on the screen comprises displaying the plurality of depths on a navigation chart.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein displaying the plurality of depths on the screen comprises displaying the plurality of depths on the screen using one or more colors, wherein different colors are associated with different depth ranges.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising displaying a warning if at least one of the plurality of depths is less than a preset minimum depth.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein analyzing the bathymetric chart to determine a plurality of depths comprises analyzing one or more depth contours on the bathymetric chart to determine an estimated depth for each of the plurality of depths.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein analyzing the bathymetric chart to determine a plurality of depths comprises averaging two or more of the depths contours on the bathymetric chart to determine the estimated depth for at least one of the plurality of depths.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein displaying the plurality of depths on the screen comprises displaying the plurality depths on a graph comprising a horizontal axis and a vertical axis, and wherein the horizontal axis corresponds to a distance from the vessel and the vertical axis corresponds to a depth.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

determine a current location of a vessel and at least one of a heading or a projected direction of travel of the vessel;

determine, based on at least one of the heading or the projected direction of travel of the vessel, a plurality of locations along at least one of the heading or the projected direction of travel of the vessel;

retrieve, from at least one of a memory or a remote server, a bathymetric chart that includes the current location and the plurality of locations along at least one of the heading or the projected direction of travel of the vessel;

determine, based on the bathymetric chart, the current location, and the at least one heading or projected direction of travel of the vessel, a plurality of depths that each correspond to one of the plurality of locations; and

display, on the screen, the plurality of depths along a line or curve extending from a representation of the vessel, wherein the plurality of depths are displayed on a chart at each corresponding one of the plurality of locations, and wherein the line or curve extends from the representation of the vessel in at least one of the heading or the projected direction of travel of the vessel.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the computer-executable instructions further comprise computer-executable instructions that cause the computer to display the plurality of depths on the screen using one or more colors, wherein different colors are associated with different depth ranges.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the computer-executable instructions further comprise computer-executable instructions that cause the computer to display the plurality depths on a graph comprising a horizontal axis and a vertical axis, and wherein the horizontal axis corresponds to a distance from the vessel and the vertical axis corresponds to a depth.