Method and device for displaying information

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10317513-B2
Application number	US-201615250578-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 29, 2016
Priority date	Sep 8, 2015
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

An information display device (100) is provided, which includes a distance setting module (20) configured to set a distance, a closest approach position estimating module (32) configured to estimate a closest approach position (Psa, Psb) of a first ship (S) and a closest approach position (Pa, Pb) of a second ship (Ea, Eb) at a time point when the first and second ships (S, Ea, Eb) approach each other the closest, based on navigational information of the ships (S, Ea, Eb), and a display controlling module (35) configured to cause a display screen to display the estimated closest approach position (Pa, Pb) of the second ship (Ea, Eb), a risk area (Aa, Ab), and current positions of the ships (S, Ea, Eb), the risk area (Aa, Ab) formed into a circle based on the set distance, centering on the estimated closest approach position (Psa, Psb) of the first ship (S).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An information display device, comprising:
a distance setting module configured to set a distance;
a closest approach position estimating module configured to estimate a closest approach position of a first ship and each of a plurality of second ships at a time point when the first ship and each of the plurality of second ships approach each other the closest, based on navigational information of the first and second ships from the plurality of second ships; and
a display controlling module configured to cause a display screen to display the estimated closest approach position of each ship of a first subset of ships from the plurality of second ships, a risk area for each ship of the first subset of ships, and current positions of the first ship and each ship of the first subset of ships, the risk area formed into a circle based on the set distance, centering on the estimated closest approach position of the first ship, wherein the display controlling module is further configured to prevent the display of the estimated closest approach position and a risk area of each ship of a second subset of ships from the plurality of second ships, wherein the first subset of ships comprise ships determined to be within the risk area at a point in time when closest to the first ship and the second subset of ships comprise ships determined to not be within the risk area at a point in time when closest to the first ship.

2. The information display device of claim 1 , wherein the display controlling module causes the display screen to display a closest approach period of time that is an estimated period of time until the first ship and a ship from the first subset of ships reach the closest approach positions, respectively.

3. The information display device of claim 2 , wherein the display controlling module causes the display screen to display the closest approach time period near one of the closest approach positions.

4. The information display device of claim 1 , wherein the display controlling module causes the display screen to display a predicted track of a ship from the first subset of ships as a line connecting the current position and the closest approach position of the ship from the first subset of ships.

5. The information display device of claim 1 , wherein the closest approach position for each ship of the first subset of ships and the risk area for each ship of the first subset of ships are displayed by the display controlling module when overlapped with each other.

6. The information display device of claim 1 , wherein the closest approach position for each ship of the first subset of ships and the risk area for each ship of the first subset of ships are displayed by the display controlling module when a closest approach period of time that is an estimated period of time until the first ship the ship of the first subset of ships reach the closest approach positions, respectively, is below a given period of time.

7. The information display device of claim 1 , further comprising a target ship selecting module configured to select one of the ships of the first subset of ships to be a target ship,
wherein the display controlling module causes the display screen to display in an emphasized manner the risk area corresponding to the selected target ship and the closest approach position of the target ship.

8. The information display device of claim 1 , further comprising a target ship selecting module configured to select one of the ships of the first subset of ships to be a target ship,
wherein, among the risk areas and the closest approach positions of the first subset of ships, the display controlling module causes the display screen to only display the risk area corresponding to the selected target ship and the closest approach position of the selected target ship.

9. The information display device of claim 1 , wherein the display controlling module causes the display screen to display a trace of at least one of the closest approach positions of the first ship and a ship from the first subset of ships, corresponding to a time lapse.

10. The information display device of claim 1 , wherein the display controlling module causes the display screen to display the risk area and the closest approach position of at least one ship of the first subset of ships, in a different mode than at least one other ship from the first subset of ships.

11. The information display device of claim 1 , wherein each ship of the first subset of ships is associated with different levels of risk, and the display controlling module causes the display screen to display at least one of the risk area and the closest approach position of a ship from the first subset of ships, in a different mode than at least one other ship from the first subset of ships.

12. The information display device of claim 1 , wherein the first subset of ships comprises one or more ships.

13. The information display device of claim 1 , wherein the second subset of ships comprises one or more ships.

14. An information display device, comprising a processor programmed to at least:
set a distance,
estimate a closest approach position of a first ship and each of a plurality of second ships at a time point when the first ship and each of the plurality of second ships approach each other the closest, based on navigational information of the first and second ships from the plurality of second ships,
cause a display screen to display the estimated closest approach position of each ship of a first subset of ships from the plurality of second ships, a risk area for each ship of the first subset of ships, and current positions of the first ship and each ship of the first subset of ships, the risk area formed into a circle based on the set distance, centering on the estimated closest approach position of the first ship, and
omit the display of the estimated closest approach position and a risk area of each ship of a second subset of ships from the plurality of second ships, wherein the first subset of ships comprise ships determined to be within the risk area at a point in time when closest to the first ship and the second subset of ships comprise ships determined to not be within the risk area at a point in time when closest to the first ship.

15. A method of displaying information, comprising:
estimating a closest approach position of a first ship and each of a plurality of second ships at a time point when the first and second ships approach each other the closest, based on navigational information of the first ship and each of the plurality of second ships;
generating a risk area for each ship of a first subset of ships from the plurality of second ships formed into a circle based on a set area distance, centering on the estimated closest approach position of the first ship;
displaying the estimated closest approach positions of the first ship and each ship of the first subset of ships, the generated risk area for each ship of the first subset of ships, and current positions of the first ship and each ship of the first subset of ships; and
omitting the display of the estimated closest approach position and a risk area of each ship of a second subset of ships from the plurality of second ships, wherein the first subset of ships comprise ships determined to be within the risk area at a point in time when closest to the first ship and the second subset of ships comprise ships determined to not be within the risk area at a point in time when closest to the first ship.

Assignees

• Furuno Electric Co

Inventors

• Nakahama Masahiro
• Kubo Takatsugu

Classifications

• G01S13/937 Primary

  of marine craft · CPC title

• G01S7/12

  Plan-position indicators, i.e. P.P.I. · CPC title

• G08G3/02 Primary

  Anti-collision systems · CPC title

• G01S7/062

  in which different colours are used · CPC title

• G01S7/24 Primary

  the display being orientated or displaced in accordance with movement of object carrying the transmitting and receiving apparatus, e.g. true-motion radar · CPC title