Sonar history display control systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10852429-B2
Application number	US-201816029497-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 6, 2018
Priority date	May 30, 2014
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to provide accurate and intuitive control over the display of sonar image data provided by sonar systems for mobile structures. A sonar system includes a user interface and a logic device configured to receive and display multiple different sonar image data sets from multiple different types of transducer modules to a user. The logic device is configured to render a historical view selector on a display of the user interface, where the historical view selector is configured to provide for selection of a particular view time in a period of time corresponding to the first and/or second sonar image data, receive user input identifying a selected view time within the range of time, and render first and second portions of the first and second image data corresponding to the selected view time on the display of the user interface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a user interface configured to accept user input and display at least first and second sonar image data sets to a user of a mobile structure, wherein the first and second sonar image data sets are derived from corresponding first and second time series of acoustic returns received by respective first and second sonar transducer modules coupled to the mobile structure; and
a logic device configured to communicate with the user interface, wherein the logic device is configured to:
render a historical view selector on a display of the user interface, wherein the historical view selector is configured to provide for selection of a particular view time in a period of time associated with the first and/or second sonar image data sets;
receive user input identifying a selected view time within the period of time; and
render first and second portions of the respective first and second image data sets, corresponding to the selected view time, on the display of the user interface.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the historical view selector comprises:
a timeline indicator comprising a length corresponding to the period of time associated with the first and/or second sonar image data sets; and
a user selector rendered over or adjacent to a portion of the timeline indicator, wherein the user input identifying the selected view time comprises user input manipulating a position of the user selector along the length of the timeline indicator.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the historical view selector comprises:
a history buffer indicator rendered on a first side of the length of the timeline indicator relative to the user selector and/or a future buffer indicator rendered on a second side of the length of the timeline indicator relative to the user selector, different from the first side of the length of the timeline indicator.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the mobile structure comprises a watercraft, and wherein the historical view selector comprises:
a timeline indicator comprising a length corresponding to the period of time associated with the first and/or second sonar image data sets;
a depth profile indicator rendered along the length of the timeline indicator; and
a water temperature profile indicator rendered along the length of the timeline indicator.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the historical view selector comprises:
a timeline indicator comprising a length corresponding to the period of time associated with the first and/or second sonar image data sets; and
one or more waypoint indicators rendered along the length of the timeline indicator and configured to indicate corresponding one or more waypoint view times corresponding to when the waypoint was selected, identified, and/or detected within the first and/or second sonar image data sets.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the historical view selector comprises:
a timeline indicator comprising a length corresponding to the period of time associated with the first and/or second sonar image data sets; and
a view time indicator rendered over at least a portion of the timeline indicator and configured to provide visual feedback of the selected view time relative to the length of the timeline indicator.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the received user input comprises:
selection of a user selector rendered as part of the historical view selector;
selection of a physical button of the user interface;
movement of a joystick, controller, or cursor of the user interface in a direction against or along a temporal scrolling direction of the first or second sonar image data sets;
swiping, on a touch screen display of the user interface, the first or second sonar image data sets against or along a temporal scrolling direction of the first or second sonar image data sets; or
tapping and holding, on a touch screen display of the user interface, a particular position within the first or second sonar image data sets corresponding to the selected view time.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the logic device is configured to render a user-selectable timeline play button on the display of the user interface, and wherein:
a first user selection of the timeline play button starts playback of the first and second sonar image data sets from the selected view time at a substantially real time playback speed;
a plurality of user selections of the timeline play button starts playback of the first and second sonar image data sets from the selected view time at a multiple of the substantially real time playback speed; and/or
a double user selection of the timeline play button resets the selected view time to a present time and starts a real time playback of the first and second sonar image data sets.

9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising the first and second sonar transducers, wherein:
the first and second sonar transducer modules comprise two different sonar transducer modules selected from the set of a multichannel sonar transducer module, a side view transducer module, and a down view transducer module.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the user interface is configured to display at least a third sonar image data set to the user of the mobile structure;
the third sonar data set is derived from a corresponding third time series of acoustic returns received by a third sonar transducer module coupled to the mobile structure;
the historical view selector is configured to provide for selection of a particular view time in a period of time associated with the first, second, and/or third sonar image data sets; and
the logic device is configured to render a third portion of the third image data set, corresponding to the selected view time, on the display of the user.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein:
the first, second, and third sonar transducer modules comprise three different sonar transducer modules selected from the set of a multichannel sonar transducer module, a side view transducer module, and a down view transducer module.

12. A method comprising:
rendering a historical view selector on a display of a user interface configured to accept user input and display at least first and second sonar image data sets to a user of a mobile structure, wherein the first and second sonar image data sets are derived from corresponding first and second time series of acoustic returns received by respective first and second sonar transducer modules coupled to the mobile structure, and wherein the historical view selector is configured to provide for selection of a particular view time in a period of time associated with the first and/or second sonar image data sets;
receiving user input identifying a selected view time within the period of time; and
rendering first and second portions of the respective first and second image data sets, corresponding to the selected view time, on the display of the user interface.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the historical view selector comprises:
a timeline indicator comprising a length corresponding to the period of time associated with the first and/or second sonar image data sets;
a user selector rendered over or adjacent to a portion of the timeline indicator, wherein the user input identifying the selected view time comprises user input manipulating a position of the user selector along the length of the timeline indicator; and
a history buffer indicator rendered on a first side of the length of the timeline indicator relative to the user selector and/or a future buffer indicator rendered on a second side of the length of the timeline indicator relative to the user selector,

Assignees

• FLIR Belgium BVBA

Inventors

• Gatland Christopher D

Classifications

• G01S15/96

  for locating fish · CPC title

• G01S7/6281

  Composite displays, e.g. split-screen, multiple images · CPC title

• G01S7/524

  Transmitters · CPC title

• G01S15/86

  Combinations of sonar systems with lidar systems; Combinations of sonar systems with systems not using wave reflection · CPC title

• G01S15/89

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title