Navigational danger identification and feedback systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11892298-B2
Application number	US-202017642531-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2020
Priority date	Sep 17, 2019
Publication date	Feb 6, 2024
Grant date	Feb 6, 2024

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods for navigational danger identification and feedback. A navigation system may include one or more navigation sensors coupled to and/or associated with a mobile structure and a logic device. The one or more navigation sensors are configured to provide navigational data associated with the mobile structure. The logic device is configured to receive navigational data from the one or more navigation sensors; determine a virtual model comprising at least one navigational hazard based, at least in part, on the received navigational data; and generate a navigation display view comprising a virtual model view based, at least in part, on the determined virtual model, wherein the virtual model view comprises at least one navigation threat indicator corresponding to the at least one navigational hazard.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
one or more navigation sensors coupled to and/or associated with a mobile structure and configured to provide navigational data associated with the mobile structure; and
a logic device configured to execute instructions to communicate with the one or more navigation sensors and to:
receive navigational data from the one or more navigation sensors;
determine a virtual model comprising at least one navigational hazard based, at least in part, on the received navigational data;
generate a navigation display view comprising a virtual model view based, at least in part, on the determined virtual model, wherein the virtual model view comprises at least one navigation threat indicator corresponding to the at least one navigational hazard;
determine a prospective virtual model based, at least in part, on the determined virtual model; and
generate an updated navigation display view comprising a prospective virtual model view based, at least in part, on the determined prospective virtual model.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a user interface coupled to and/or associated with the mobile structure, wherein the user interface comprises a display, and wherein the logic device is configured to execute instructions to:
render a threat timeline selector within the navigation display view via the display of the user interface;
receive a selected timeline event or prospective threat evolution duration from the user interface; and
determine the prospective virtual model based, at least in part, on the determined virtual model and the selected timeline event or the prospective threat evolution duration.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the one or more navigation sensors comprises a position sensor configured to provide an absolute position of the mobile structure and an imaging module configured to provide image data of a navigable area about the mobile structure;
the logic device is configured to execute instructions to determine the virtual model comprising the at least one navigational hazard based, at least in part, on one or more absolute positions of the mobile structure provided by the position sensor; and
the generating the navigation display view comprises generating a camera view disposed above and aligned with the virtual model view based, at least in part, on the image data provided by the imaging module.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein:
the imaging module comprises a visible spectrum imaging module configured to provide visible spectrum image data of the navigable area about the mobile structure and/or an infrared imaging module configured to provide thermal image data of the navigable area about the mobile structure.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the logic device is configured to execute instructions to:
identify a portion of the camera view corresponding to the at least one navigational hazard based, at least in part, on the determined virtual model;
receive user selection of the at least one navigation threat indicator within the virtual model view; and
highlight the at least one navigation threat indicator within the virtual model view and the portion of the camera view corresponding to the at least one navigational hazard.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the logic device is configured to execute instructions to determine a navigation exclusion zone corresponding to the at least one navigational hazard based, at least in part, on the determined virtual model; and
the virtual model view comprises a navigation exclusion zone indicator corresponding to the determined navigation exclusion zone.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein:
the navigation display view comprises a heading indicator implemented as a horizontal meter configured to indicate a heading corresponding to a perspective of the generated virtual model view and/or a heading of the mobile structure; and
the heading indicator comprises a heading exclusion indicator corresponding to headings for the mobile structure that maneuvers the mobile structure into the determined navigation exclusion zone.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more navigation sensors comprises a plurality of navigation sensors, and wherein the logic device is configured to execute instructions to:
determine that the mobile structure is approaching the at least one navigational hazard based, at least in part, on the determined virtual model; and
generate a visual and/or audible proximity alarm based, at least in part, on a status of the mobile structure comprising one of a close quarter maneuvering status, a restricted waterway maneuvering status, an open water maneuvering status, and an oceanic navigation maneuvering status.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein:
the alarm corresponds to a subset of available alarms associated with an activated alarm preset; and
the virtual model view comprises a three-dimensional perspective view, a two-dimensional plan or chart view, or a radar chart view.

10. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a user interface coupled to and/or associated with the mobile structure, wherein the user interface comprises a display, and wherein the logic device is configured to execute instructions to:
render, along a threat timeline within the navigation display view via the display of the user interface, a plurality of prospective threat events and their associated predicted times at which the mobile structure will encounter the threat events; and
dynamically update the prospective virtual model to animate motion of the threat events corresponding to points in time in response to a user manipulation of the threat timeline.

11. A method comprising:
receiving navigational data from one or more navigation sensors coupled and/or in proximity to a mobile structure and configured to provide navigational data associated with the mobile structure;
determining a virtual model comprising at least one navigational hazard based, at least in part, on the received navigational data;
generating a navigation display view comprising a virtual model view based, at least in part, on the determined virtual model, wherein the virtual model view comprises at least one navigation threat indicator corresponding to the at least one navigational hazard;
determining a prospective virtual model based, at least in part, on the determined virtual model; and
generating an updated navigation display view comprising a prospective virtual model view based, at least in part, on the determined prospective virtual model.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
rendering a threat timeline selector within the navigation display view via a display of a user interface coupled to and/or associated with the mobile structure;
receiving a selected timeline event or prospective threat evolution duration from the user interface; and
determining the prospective virtual model based, at least in part, on the determined virtual model and the selected timeline event or prospective threat evolution duration.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the one or more navigation sensors comprises a position sensor configured to provide an absolute position of the mobile structure and an imaging module configured to provide image data of a navigable area about the mobile structure;
the method comprises determining the virtual model comprising the at least one navigational hazard based, at least in part, on one or more absolute positions of the mobile structure provided by the position sensor; and
the generating the navigation display view comprises generating a camera view disposed above and aligned with the virtual model vie

Assignees

• FLIR Belgium BVBA

Inventors

• Rivers Mark
• Johnson Mark
• Tugcetin Cenk
• Gatland Christopher

Classifications

• G01C21/203 Primary

  specially adapted for water-borne vessels · CPC title

• G01S19/13

  Receivers · CPC title

• G08G3/02

  Anti-collision systems · CPC title

• B63B49/00

  Arrangements of nautical instruments or navigational aids (nautical measuring instruments G01C; radio navigation, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) · CPC title

• G01C21/005 Primary

  with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching (G01C21/30 takes precedence) · CPC title