Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/048—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
  • G06F3/0481—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] 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
  • G06F3/04815—Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01C—MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY
  • G01C21/00—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00
  • G01C21/20—Instruments for performing navigational calculations
  • G01C21/203—Specially adapted for sailing ships
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B49/00—Arrangements of nautical instruments or navigational aids
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B79/00—Monitoring properties or operating parameters of vessels in operation
  • B63B79/10—Monitoring properties or operating parameters of vessels in operation using sensors, e.g. pressure sensors, strain gauges or accelerometers
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
  • G08G3/00—Traffic control systems for marine craft
  • G08G3/02—Anti-collision systems

Definitions

• the present invention relates generally to aids for maneuvering boats.
• It relates more particularly to a method for controlling the display of information on one or more screens fitted to a boat gangway control station.
• a boat gangway control station comprising a canopy open towards the front of the boat and at least one control console placed at the rear of the canopy.
• It also relates to a boat equipped with such a control station.
• the information acquired by these computer systems is generally scheduled to be processed and then displayed on screens fitted to the ship's gangway.
• This information can therefore prove difficult to capture for the officer on watch, who may sometimes find it difficult to link the information displayed on the screen with his view of the environment through The canopy.
• the solution is to equip ships with head-up display systems, such as those currently found in cars. These systems are then arranged in a fixed manner, facing the watch officer's chair.
• the present invention proposes to use a screen strip (s) located along the canopy, above or below it.
• the invention proposes a method for controlling the display of information on a screen strip (s) fitted to a boat gangway control station, the control station comprising at least one sensor for forward-facing images of the boat.
• the method comprises:
• the invention also provides a device for assisting the piloting of a boat comprising:
• a computer which is adapted to be connected to at least one image sensor oriented towards the front of the boat, and which is adapted to control the screen strip according to a piloting method as mentioned above.
• the invention also provides a boat gangway control station, comprising a canopy open towards the front of the boat, at least one control console placed at the rear of the canopy, a screen strip (s) located between the canopy and the control console, at least one image sensor oriented towards the front of the boat, and a computer adapted to control the screen strip (s) according to a piloting method as mentioned above.
• the screen banner (s) can display a view of the environment which is substantially identical to that which the watchkeeper has through the canopy, by adding useful information to it.
• This screen banner does not therefore change the officer's habits watch, which can also move around the bridge while taking advantage of the information displayed on the screen banner (s).
• This screen strip is preferably located above or below the canopy, so that the view through the canopy is superimposed on the view displayed on the screen strip, which facilitates understanding by the watch officer of the information displayed.
• control station comprising a control console and a canopy open towards the front of the boat, at the piloting stage, the image displayed on the screen banner presents a view of the environment homologous to that visible at across the canopy from the control desk;
• said graphic element is a symbol adapted to highlight the remarkable area on said image
• said graphic element is a thumbnail displaying information characterizing the remarkable area
• the boat comprising at least one other sensor adapted to acquire external data other than images, which external data being relative to the environment of the boat, at the acquisition stage, provision is made to acquire at least one data external using said other sensor, during the processing step, provision is made to check the correspondence between said remarkable zone and said external datum, and, if the correspondence is verified, at the display step, the thumbnail displays information from said external data;
• said other sensor is an automatic boat identification system (AIS) or a remote sensing system (RADAR, SONAR, LIDAR ).
• AIS automatic boat identification system
• RADAR remote sensing system
• SONAR SONAR
• LIDAR remote sensing system
• the screen strip is located above the canopy
• the screen strip includes several screens distributed in an arc around the control console;
• the screen strip includes between 1 and 7 screens
• the canopy has panes which are all inert.
• the invention also relates to a boat comprising a control station as mentioned above.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a control station according to the invention.
• FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic views, from the back and from the side, of the control station of the figurel;
• FIG. 4 is illustrations of the views that can be displayed by the panel of screens of the control station in Figure 1;
• FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of a ship equipped with the control station of Figure 1.
• FIG 6 there is shown a boat, and more precisely a ship 1 designed to navigate on open seas.
• This ship 1 conventionally comprises a hull 3 surmounted by a gangway 2 which houses the control station 10 of this ship 1.
• FIGS. 1 to 3 an exemplary embodiment of this control station 10 is shown.
• control station 10 is installed at the rear of a canopy 20 formed by a row of windows formed in a front wall of the gangway 2 and overlooking the bow of the ship 1.
• the control station 10 comprises at least one control console 200 allowing the officer on watch to maneuver the vessel 1 and to obtain the information necessary for the maneuver of this vessel 1.
• control station 10 here comprises two identical control panels 200, arranged side by side.
• control panels 200 can be briefly described.
• Each control desk 200 includes information display means 210 and a chair 220 (only one of the chairs has been shown in Figures 1 and 3 for the clarity of these figures).
• the information display means 210 here comprise two screens 211 fixed side-by-side in the same chassis, which chassis is itself fixed to the ground of the walkway 2 by means of a base 212.
• each base has pivoting mobility about a vertical axis.
• Each armchair 220 comprises a seat, a file articulated on the seat and two armrests equipped with means of piloting the ship 1.
• control means can for example be in the form of buttons, joysticks, touch screens ...
• These chairs 220 are mounted on the floor of the bridge 2 with sliding mobility towards the front or the rear.
• the armchairs 220 and the screens 211 are located so that the watchkeeper, once installed in one of the chairs 220, has a view of the entire canopy 20.
• the screens 211 are located at the bottom of his field of vision, while the canopy is halfway up his field of vision (when looking forward, in a horizontal direction).
• the cockpit 10 comprises a central console 300 disposed between the two armchairs 220.
• This central console 300 is provided with auxiliary control devices and / or auxiliary display devices.
• this central console 300 notably includes, in its upper part located near the armrests of the armchairs 220, a touch screen on which navigation information can be displayed, and a free area on which other applications can be added or displayed. in addition to those displayed on screens 211.
• control station 10 is further equipped with a screen strip (s) 100, which is here located at the top of the field of vision of the officer of the quarter.
• This screen strip 100 includes several screens 101 - 105 housed in separate or common boxes.
• the vessel 10 being of medium size, exactly five screens 101-105 are provided.
• This screen strip 100 is here located at a height greater than that of the upper edge of the canopy 20, so that it does not hide the latter, even when the watchkeeper is standing in the bridge 2.
• This screen strip 100 is located inside the bridge 2, between the canopy 20 and the control consoles 200, so that the watch officer can see these screens 101 - 105 when seated on his armchair 220.
• the screen strip 100 is centered relative to the canopy 20. Otherwise formulated, the center of the screen strip 100 and the center of the glass roof 20 are located in the same vertical plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vessel 1.
• the screens 101 - 105 are distributed in an arc around the two control panels 200.
• the screens 101 - 105 are arranged in a conical shape making it possible to optimize the viewing angle for the watch officer when the latter is seated in one or the other of the two armchairs 220.
• the screens 101 - 105 are thus located on a cone with a vertical axis, the angle of which at the top is between 40 and 90 degrees and is for example equal to 60 degrees.
• the control station 10 also comprises at least one image sensor which is oriented towards the front of the ship 1 so as to be able to acquire raw images on which the environment located at the front of the ship 10 appears.
• control station 10 may comprise a single camera, of the “panoramic” type, having a large field of vision (greater than 100 degrees).
• control station 10 will instead comprise several cameras oriented horizontally, in different directions.
• control station 10 has exactly three cameras, including a camera facing the front of the ship 1 and two cameras facing respectively to the right and to the left of the ship 1. These two cameras have optical axes which are then inclined relative to the optical axis of the first camera with an angle between 15 and 100 degrees, here equal to 45 degrees.
• the cameras 500 are fixed inside the gangway 2, behind the canopy 20. They can thus be fixed to the ceiling of the gangway. Alternatively, they can be fixed on the screen strip 100 so as to form with the latter a one-piece assembly. In this way, the cameras 500 are protected from the spray and the raw images are acquired from a viewing angle very close to the angle from which the watch officer observes the environment through the canopy 20.
• the cameras 501 could be fixed above the gangway 2, for example on a vertical mast.
• the cameras 501 will have a different angle of vision of the environment than that of the officer on watch, but they will be able to acquire images of parts of the environment that are not visible from the bridge 2.
• the cameras 500 are however used to capture raw images of the environment which is located in front of the ship 10.
• the screen banner 100 is mainly intended to display:
• control station 10 includes a computer 600.
• This computer 600 comprises at least one processor (CPU), at least one memory and various input and output interfaces.
• the computer stores data used in the process of correcting the estimated position described below.
• the computer 600 is adapted to drive the five screens 101 - 105 of the screen strip 100.
• the computer 600 is adapted to receive the raw images acquired by the three cameras 500. It is also suitable for collecting external data obtained using other equipment on the ship 10.
• the vessel 1 comprises for example an automatic vessel identification system, better known under the name of AIS (from the English "Automatic Identification System").
• It also includes, for example, a remote sensing system, and more precisely here a RADAR system.
• satellite geolocation system here a GPS system associated with an ECDIS mapping system.
• the computer 600 is suitable for implementing a screen control algorithm 101 - 105 which comprises three main stages, namely:
• the computer 600 acquires the last raw image captured by each of the cameras 500.
• image Img1 merges the three raw images acquired so as to form a single image to be displayed, hereinafter called “image Img1”.
• the Img1 image obtained has a panoramic shape, and proportions (height / width) corresponding to the proportions of the assembly formed by the five screens 101-105 of the screen strip 100.
• This merging operation can consist simply in attaching the raw images (with a possible overlapping of the raw images if areas of the environment appear on several raw images), then in cutting this set to the desired dimensions.
• the computer also acquires external data from the AIS and RADAR and ECDIS systems.
• the computer 600 applies to the image Img1 a processing algorithm allowing to detect remarkable areas of this image.
• a remarkable area corresponds to an area of the environment useful to know in order to maneuver the vessel 1 in complete safety.
• the computer 600 stores the results of the image processing Img1 in the database provided for this purpose.
• This database could for example include a record for each remarkable zone Z0, Z1, Z2 detected.
• Each record will have several fields, including:
• the coordinates, in longitude and latitude, of the remarkable area on the terrestrial globe can be deduced from the coordinates, in pixels, of the remarkable area on the image Img1, as well as the heading of the ship 10 and the GPS position of the ship 10 .
• the computer 600 checks whether there is a correspondence between these results and the data from the AIS, RADAR and ECDIS systems (mapping). We can also foresee that it checks whether there is a correspondence between these results and data from other sensors possibly installed on board.
• the computer 600 determines whether each remarkable zone Z0, Z1, Z2 detected is also mapped by the ECDIS system and / or referenced by the AIS system and / or detected by the RADAR system.
• the computer 600 verifies that the coordinates, in longitude and latitude, of each remarkable area classified as a “fixed obstacle” indeed correspond to a danger listed by the ECDIS system and / or to a danger seen by the RADAR system. Alternatively, it could also use other mapping systems to verify that the coordinates of each remarkable area classified as a "fixed obstacle” correspond to a listed hazard.
• the computer 600 also verifies that the coordinates, in longitude and latitude, of each remarkable zone classified as “bitter” do correspond to a bitter indexed by the ECDIS system. Again, alternatively, it could use other mapping systems.
• the computer 600 finally checks that the coordinates, in longitude and latitude, of each remarkable area classified as “boat” correspond to a boat listed by the AIS system.
• the record associated with the corresponding remarkable zone is stored in the database separately, and remains accessible by the calculator if necessary.
• the computer 600 controls the display of the image Img1 by the screens 101 - 105 of the screen strip 100 (see FIG. 4).
• the watch officer can therefore observe substantially the same view through the canopy 20 and on the screen strip 100.
• An information filtering application is made available to the watchkeeping officer.
• This application here developed in WEB technology, can be displayed on an Internet browser installed on a workstation connected to the network (this workstation being incorporated into the cockpit or a mobile tablet or chair 220).
• This application allows you to filter types of objects to be highlighted in augmented reality on the screen strip 100. It also makes it possible to ensure that objects located at a distance greater than a determined threshold are not displayed or highlighted.
• the computer 600 can control the display, in superposition of the image Img1, of graphic elements making it possible to distinguish the remarkable zones Z0, Z1, Z2 from the rest of the image Img1 (see figure 5).
• the computer 600 can thus control the display of a symbol 150 such as a circle around each remarkable zone Z0 corresponding to a fixed obstacle.
• the sticker can display information from the ECDIS system (or other mapping systems) and characterizing this bitter (GPS position of the bitter, heading to the bitter, name of the bitter ).
• this sticker 152 can also control the display of a sticker 152 next to each remarkable zone Z2 corresponding to a boat, this sticker 152 displaying information from the AIS system and characterizing this boat (name of the boat, GPS position, heading, speed. ..).
• the computer can be programmed so that the screen banner can display any geo-referenced information transmitted by the piloting system (zones, routes or special points in the ECDIS system, tracks transmitted by the RADAR system or by any other other sensor), whether or not there is a correlation between the results from the image processing step and the data from the control system.
• the piloting system zones, routes or special points in the ECDIS system, tracks transmitted by the RADAR system or by any other other sensor
• the screen banner comprises a single screen, in panoramic format.
• applications other than that mentioned above, related to the seafaring profession typically ARPA, CONNING ... applications or interfaces representing the data transmitted by the navigation sensors (repeaters).
• the image Img1 displayed on the screen strip 100 is a view which is close to that which the watchkeeper has from his chair 220 when he looks through the canopy 20.
• This view could also be displayed on a portable screen (tablet, binoculars, ).

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
• Remote Sensing (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
• Controls And Circuits For Display Device (AREA)
• Traffic Control Systems (AREA)
• Computer Vision & Pattern Recognition (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=65861370

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (1)

Family Cites Families (6)

• 2018
  • 2018-10-22 FR FR1859748A patent/FR3087413A1/fr active Pending
• 2019
  • 2019-10-18 US US17/287,008 patent/US20210389131A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2019-10-18 EP EP19813071.8A patent/EP3871074A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2019-10-18 WO PCT/FR2019/052480 patent/WO2020084232A1/fr unknown

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