Navigation assistance device, navigation assistance method, and program

Abstract

The invention provides a navigation support device capable of realizing combination of judgment references of collision risks. The navigation assistance device comprises: a first acquisition unit that acquires first ship data indicating the position and speed of a first ship; a second acquisition unit that acquires second ship data indicating the position and speed of a second ship; a first calculation unit that calculates a first collision risk value on the basis of the time when the second ship approaches the first ship, on the basis of the first ship data and the second ship data; a second calculation unit that calculates a second collision risk value based on the distance between the first ship and the second ship on the basis of the first ship data and the second ship data; and a determination unit that determines whether there is a risk of collision between the first ship and the second ship on the basis of the first collision risk value and the second collision risk value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a navigation assistance device, a navigation assistance method and a program. Background Art

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a technology for calculating the future collision risk between the own ship and other ships when the own ship is sailing based on a navigation plan, and weighting the calculated collision risk by the time until the future state is formed, thereby sequentially calculating the collision risk taking into account the temporal certainty.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-272999 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] Conventionally, a CPA (Closest Point of Approach) collision alarm is known. In a CPA collision alarm, the issuance of an alarm is determined based on the time it takes for another ship to approach the host ship.

[0008] However, the timing to start paying attention to other ships with a high collision risk generally varies among helmsmen. Some helmsmen use the time when other ships approach as a basis, some use the distance between the own ship and other ships as a basis, or some use both time and distance as a basis.

[0009] Therefore, a collision alarm such as a CPA collision alarm, which is based on the time until another ship approaches the own ship, does not conform to the helmsman's feeling based on the distance between the own ship and the other ship.

[0010] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and a main object thereof is to provide a navigation assistance device, a navigation assistance method, and a program that can realize a complex judgment criterion of collision risk.

[0011] Means used to solve problems

[0012] To address the above-mentioned issues, a navigation assistance device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: a first acquisition unit for acquiring first ship data indicating the position and speed of a first ship; a second acquisition unit for acquiring second ship data indicating the position and speed of a second ship; a first calculation unit for calculating a first collision risk value based on the time at which the second ship approaches the first ship based on the first and second ship data; a second calculation unit for calculating a second collision risk value based on the distance between the first and second ships based on the first and second ship data; and a determination unit for determining whether there is a collision risk between the first and second ships based on the first and second collision risk values. This allows for a complex set of criteria for determining collision risk.

[0013] The above-described method may further include a control unit that adjusts one or both of the weight of a reference time at which the first collision risk value changes from a value indicating no collision risk to a value indicating a collision risk, and the weight of a reference distance at which the second collision risk value changes from a value indicating no collision risk to a value indicating a collision risk. This increases the degree of freedom of the judgment criteria.

[0014] In the above aspect, the control unit may link the weight of the reference time with the weight of the reference distance, thereby facilitating weight setting.

[0015] In the above aspect, the control unit may increase the weight of the reference time or the reference distance and decrease the other weight, thereby making one of the judgment criteria more prominent.

[0016] In the above embodiment, the navigation assistance device may further include a display unit configured to display an image showing a first range of values ​​within which the first collision risk value indicates a collision risk, and a second range of values ​​within which the second collision risk value indicates a collision risk, based on the first ship. This facilitates visual understanding of the complex judgment criteria.

[0017] The above embodiment further comprises a receiving unit configured to receive an operation input from a user in a first direction and an operation input in a second direction opposite to the first direction, wherein the control unit may increase the weight of the reference time based on the operation input in the first direction and increase the weight of the reference distance based on the operation input in the second direction. Thus, the weights can be easily set.

[0018] The above embodiment further comprises: a display unit that displays a graph having a first axis corresponding to the weight of the reference time and a second axis corresponding to the weight of the reference distance; and a receiving unit that receives an operation input from a user specifying a position within the graph, wherein the control unit can adjust one or both of the weight of the reference time and the weight of the reference distance based on the position within the graph specified by the user. Thus, the weights can be easily set.

[0019] The above embodiment further includes a display unit configured to display an image representing the positional relationship between the first ship and the second ship based on the first ship data and the second ship data, wherein the display unit is configured to distinguish and display, in the image, a symbol representing the second ship determined to have a collision risk based on the first collision risk value and a symbol representing the second ship determined to have a collision risk based on the second collision risk value. This facilitates visual understanding of the collision risk based on either judgment criterion.

[0020] In the above aspect, the determination unit determines whether or not an alarm needs to be issued based on the presence or absence of the collision risk. This allows the alarm to be issued based on a complex determination criterion.

[0021] Another aspect of the present invention includes a navigation assistance method comprising: acquiring first ship data indicating the position and speed of a first ship; acquiring second ship data indicating the position and speed of a second ship; calculating a first collision risk value based on the time at which the second ship approaches the first ship based on the first ship data and the second ship data; calculating a second collision risk value based on the distance between the first ship and the second ship based on the first ship data and the second ship data; and determining whether there is a risk of collision between the first ship and the second ship based on the first collision risk value and the second collision risk value. This allows for a complex collision risk determination criterion.

[0022] In another embodiment of the present invention, a program causes a computer to execute the following steps: acquiring first ship data indicating the position and speed of a first ship; acquiring second ship data indicating the position and speed of a second ship; calculating a first collision risk value based on the time at which the second ship approaches the first ship based on the first ship data and the second ship data; calculating a second collision risk value based on the distance between the first and second ships based on the first and second ship data; and determining whether there is a collision risk between the first and second ships based on the first and second collision risk values. This allows for a complex set of criteria for determining collision risk. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing an example of a shipboard system.

[0024] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing an example of a navigation support device.

[0025] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing another example of a ship management database.

[0026] Figure 4 This is a diagram for explaining CPA.

[0027] Figure 5 This is a diagram for explaining BCT.

[0028] Figure 6 : is a diagram showing an example of collision risk value.

[0029] Figure 7 This is a diagram used to illustrate a certain distance.

[0030] Figure 8 It is a diagram for explaining the bumper area.

[0031] Figure 9 This is a diagram for explaining an example of weight adjustment.

[0032] Figure 10 This is a diagram for explaining an example of an alarm line.

[0033] Figure 11 This is a diagram for explaining an example of an alarm line.

[0034] Figure 12 This is a diagram for explaining an example of an alarm line.

[0035] Figure 13 This is a diagram for explaining an example of weight adjustment.

[0036] Figure 14 This is a diagram for explaining an example of an alarm line.

[0037] Figure 15 This is a diagram for explaining an example of an alarm line.

[0038] Figure 16 It is a figure which shows a display example.

[0039] Figure 17 It is a figure which shows a display example.

[0040] Figure 18 It is a figure which shows a display example.

[0041] Figure 19 It is a diagram showing an example of a navigation support method. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0043] Figure 1 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a shipboard system 100. The shipboard system 100 is a system mounted on a ship. In the following description, the ship equipped with the shipboard system 100 is referred to as "the ship itself," and other ships are referred to as "other ships."

[0044] The shipboard system 100 includes a navigation assistance device 1, a display unit 2, a radar 3, an AIS (Automatic Identification System) 4, a camera 5, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 6, a gyroscope 7, an ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems) 8, a wireless communication unit 9, and a ship handling control unit 10. These devices are connected to a network N, such as a LAN (Local Area Network), enabling network communication with each other.

[0045] The navigation assistance device 1 includes a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), nonvolatile memory, and input / output interfaces. The CPU of the navigation assistance device 1 executes information processing based on programs loaded from the ROM or nonvolatile memory into the RAM.

[0046] The program may be provided via an information storage medium such as an optical disk or a memory card, or may be provided via a communication network such as the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network).

[0047] The display unit 2 displays a display image generated by the navigation support device 1. The display unit 2 also displays radar images, camera images, electronic nautical charts, and the like.

[0048] The display unit 2 is, for example, a display device with a touch sensor, a so-called touch panel. The touch sensor detects the position indicated by the user's finger or the like on the screen. However, the display unit 2 is not limited thereto, and the indicated position may also be input using a pointing device such as a trackball.

[0049] The radar 3 emits radio waves around the ship and receives reflected waves, generating echo data based on the received signals. The radar 3 also identifies target objects from the echo data and generates TT data (Target Tracking Data) indicating the position and velocity of the target objects.

[0050] The AIS (Automatic Identification System) 4 receives AIS data from other ships or land-based control stations in the vicinity of the vessel. This data is not limited to AIS; VDES (Very High Frequency Data Exchange System) can also be used. AIS data includes the other vessel's identification code, name, position, course, speed, type, length, and destination.

[0051] The camera 5 is a digital camera that captures the exterior of the vessel and generates image data. The camera 5 is installed on the bridge of the vessel, for example, facing the bow. The camera 5 is a so-called PTZ camera with a pan / tilt function and an optical zoom function.

[0052] The camera 5 may include an image recognition unit that estimates the position and type of an object such as a ship contained in the captured image using an object detection model. The image recognition unit is not limited to the camera 5 and may also be implemented by other devices such as the navigation support device 1.

[0053] The GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 6 detects the position of the vessel based on radio waves received from the GNSS. The gyroscope 7 detects the heading of the vessel. The gyroscope is not limited to the gyroscope; a GPS compass may also be used.

[0054] ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems) 8 acquires the ship's position from GNSS receiver 6 and displays it on an electronic nautical chart. ECDIS 8 also displays the ship's planned route on the electronic nautical chart. This is not limited to ECDIS; GNSS plotters can also be used.

[0055] The wireless communication unit 9 includes a wireless device that realizes satellite communication. In addition, the wireless communication unit 9 also includes a wireless device that realizes wireless communication using, for example, ultra-short wave, ultra-short wave, short wave, medium-short wave or medium wave.

[0056] The ship handling control unit 10 is a control device for realizing autonomous navigation, and controls the steering gear of the ship. In addition, the ship handling control unit 10 can also control the engine of the ship.

[0057] In the present embodiment, the navigation assistance device 1 and the display unit 2 are independent devices, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The navigation assistance device 1 and the display unit 2 may be an integrated device.

[0058] Furthermore, although the navigation assistance device 1 is an independent device, it is not limited thereto and may be integrated with other devices such as the ECDIS 8. In other words, the functional parts of the navigation assistance device 1 may be realized by other devices.

[0059] Furthermore, although the display unit 2 is also an independent device, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a display unit of another device such as the ECDIS 8 may be used as the display unit 2 for displaying the display image generated by the navigation support device 1 .

[0060] Furthermore, although the navigation assistance device 1 is mounted on a ship in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the navigation assistance device 1 may be installed in a control station on land to determine the risk of collision between ships.

[0061] Figure 2 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the navigation support device 1. The navigation support device 1 includes a control unit 20. The control unit 20 is a computer including a CPU, RAM, ROM, nonvolatile memory, an input / output interface, and the like.

[0062] The control unit 20 includes a own-ship data acquisition unit 11, another-ship data acquisition unit 12, an operation input reception unit 13, a time-based risk calculation unit 14, a distance-based risk calculation unit 15, a parameter control unit 16, an alarm issuance determination unit 1, and a display control unit 18. These functional units are implemented by the CPU of the control unit 20 executing information processing according to a program.

[0063] The own-ship data acquisition unit 11 is an example of a first acquisition unit, and the other-ship data acquisition unit 12 is an example of a second acquisition unit. The time-based risk calculation unit 14 is an example of a first calculation unit, and the distance-based risk calculation unit 15 is an example of a second calculation unit. The parameter control unit 16 is an example of a control unit, and the alarm issuance determination unit 17 is an example of a determination unit.

[0064] The own ship data acquisition unit 11 acquires own ship data indicating the position and speed of the own ship. The own ship is an example of a first ship, and the own ship data is an example of the first ship data. Speed ​​is a vector represented by ship speed and heading, and ship speed is a scalar.

[0065] Specifically, the ship data acquisition unit 11 sequentially acquires the ship's position detected by the GNSS receiver 6 and calculates the ship's speed based on the temporal changes in the ship's position. However, this is not limiting; the ship's speed could also be acquired using a speedometer (not shown) or the ship's heading could be acquired using the gyroscope 7.

[0066] The other ship data acquisition unit 12 acquires other ship data indicating the position and speed of the other ship. The other ship is an example of the second ship, and the other ship data is an example of the second ship data. The other ship data is generated based on data detected by the radar 3, AIS 4, or camera 5 mounted on the host ship.

[0067] Specifically, the other ship data acquisition unit 12 sequentially acquires, as other ship data, TT data generated by the radar 3, AIS data received by the AIS 4, or identification data obtained by recognizing images captured by the camera 5. The other ship data acquisition unit 12 registers the acquired other ship data in an other ship management database constructed in the memory.

[0068] like Figure 3 As shown, the other ship management database includes fields such as "Ship ID," "Source," "Position," "Speed," and "Heading." "Ship ID" is an identifier assigned to other ships. "Source" indicates whether the other ship data was generated by radar 3, AIS 4, or camera 5.

[0069] "Position" indicates the location of the other vessel. The location of the other vessel is expressed in latitude and longitude. Since the location of the other vessel detected by radar 3 or camera 5 is expressed relative to the own vessel, the own vessel's position detected by GNSS receiver 6 can be converted to an absolute position.

[0070] "Ship speed" indicates the speed of the other ship. "Heading" indicates the heading of the other ship. The speed and heading of the other ship detected by the radar 3 or the camera 5 can be estimated based on the temporal change in the position of the other ship in the image.

[0071] Furthermore, if the position of other ship data originating from one of the radar 3 , AIS 4 , and camera 5 is the same as or similar to the position of other ship data originating from another, these other ship data are aggregated as a record related to the common other ship.

[0072] return Figure 2 The operation input receiving unit 13 receives an operation input from the user. Specifically, the operation input receiving unit 13 receives an operation input from the user to designate a position within the screen from the display unit 2 which is a touch panel.

[0073] Alternatively, the operation input receiving unit 13 may receive an input from an operating member such as a button 21 or a knob 22 provided on the navigation assistance device 1 or the display unit 2 (see FIG. Figure 17 ) accepts user operation input.

[0074] The time-based risk calculation unit 14 calculates a time-based collision risk value based on the time when the other ship approaches the own ship, based on the own ship data acquired by the own ship data acquisition unit 11 and the other ship data acquired by the other ship data acquisition unit 12. The time-based collision risk value is an example of a first collision risk value.

[0075] The time-based collision risk value is a collision risk value that varies based on a time indicator representing the time it takes for another vessel to approach the host vessel. Examples of time indicators include TCPA (Time to Closest Point of Approach) and BCT (Bow Crossing Time) in a CPA collision alert.

[0076] like Figure 4 As shown, TCPA is the time until the other ship OP approaches the own ship PS. DCPA (Distance to Closest Point of Approach) is the distance when the other ship OP approaches the own ship PS. TCPA and DCPA are calculated based on the relative velocity vector RVL between the velocity vector VL of the own ship PS and the velocity vector VL of the other ship OP.

[0077] like Figure 5 As shown, BCT is the time until the other ship OP crosses the bow line of the own ship PS. BCR is the distance to the position where the other ship OP crosses the bow line of the own ship PS. BCT and BCR are also calculated based on the relative velocity vector RVL between the velocity vector VL of the own ship PS and the velocity vector VL of the other ship OP.

[0078] The time-based collision risk value is determined based on the relationship between a time indicator, such as TCPA or BCT, and a specified reference time. The reference time is the time at which the time-based collision risk value changes from a value indicating no collision risk (e.g., 0) to a value indicating a collision risk (e.g., 1). The reference time is also called a threshold.

[0079] like Figure 6 As shown, the time-based collision risk value is represented by a step function that is 0 when a time index such as TCPA or BCT is greater than a reference time and becomes 1 when the time index is less than or equal to the reference time.

[0080] Not limited to this, the time-based collision risk value may vary smoothly around the base time, and may be represented by a nonlinear function such as a Sigmoid function, for example.

[0081] The distance-based risk calculation unit 15 calculates a distance-based collision risk value based on the distance between the own ship and the other ship, based on the own ship data acquired by the own ship data acquisition unit 11 and the other ship data acquired by the other ship data acquisition unit 12. The distance-based collision risk value is an example of a second collision risk value.

[0082] The distance-based collision risk value is a collision risk value that changes according to a distance index representing the distance between the own ship and another ship. The distance index is, for example, the distance itself between the own ship and the other ship.

[0083] Similar to the time-based collision risk value described above, the distance-based collision risk value is determined based on the relationship between the distance index and a specified reference distance. The reference distance is the distance at which the reference collision risk value changes from a value indicating no collision risk (e.g., 0) to a value indicating a collision risk (e.g., 1). The reference distance is also called a threshold.

[0084] exist Figure 7 In the example shown, when the distance between the own ship PS and the other ship OP is greater than the reference distance CD, the distance reference collision risk value is 0, and when the distance between the own ship PS and the other ship OP is less than or equal to the reference distance CD, the distance reference collision risk value becomes 1.

[0085] In other words, when there is another ship OP outside the circle CC (also called the circular bumper area) with the ship PS as the center and the reference distance CD as the radius, the distance reference collision risk value is 0. If the other ship OP enters the inside of the circle CC, the distance reference collision risk value becomes 1.

[0086] exist Figure 8 In the example shown, when another vessel OP is outside the bumper area BP set with respect to the own ship PS, the distance-based collision risk value is 0. If the other vessel OP enters the inside of the bumper area BP, the distance-based collision risk value becomes 1. The bumper area BP is determined by a reference distance that varies according to the bearing with respect to the own ship PS.

[0087] The bumper area BP is preferably set such that the range between the bow direction and the starboard direction of the own ship PS, which is the direction in which the own ship PS is obliged to avoid when another ship OP exists, is larger than other ranges.

[0088] return Figure 2 The alarm issuance determination unit 17 determines whether there is a collision risk between the own ship and another ship based on the time-based collision risk value calculated by the time-based risk calculation unit 14 and the distance-based collision risk value calculated by the distance-based risk calculation unit 15 .

[0089] The alarm issuance determination unit 17 determines whether to issue an alarm based on whether there is a collision risk. That is, the alarm issuance determination unit 17 issues an alarm if there is a collision risk, and does not issue an alarm if there is no collision risk.

[0090] Specifically, upon receiving a value indicating the presence of a collision risk from either the time-based risk calculation unit 14 or the distance-based risk calculation unit 15 , the warning issuance determination unit 17 determines that there is a collision risk.

[0091] In other words, if either the time-based collision risk value or the distance-based collision risk value changes from a value indicating no collision risk to a value indicating there is a collision risk, the alarm issuance determination unit 17 determines that there is a collision risk.

[0092] If an alarm is required, the alarm issuance determination unit 17 drives the display control unit 18 to display an image for the alarm on the display unit 2. In addition, the alarm issuance determination unit 17 can either cause a speaker (not shown) to output a sound for the alarm or activate a warning light (not shown).

[0093] Based on the user's operation input received by the operation input receiving unit 13, the parameter control unit 16 adjusts one or both of the weight of the reference time used to calculate the time-based collision risk value in the time-based risk calculation unit 14 and the weight of the reference distance used to calculate the distance-based collision risk value in the distance-based risk calculation unit 15.

[0094] The reference time weight is a parameter for adjusting the reference time. The reference time weight can also be said to be a parameter for adjusting the sensitivity of the time-based collision risk value.

[0095] As the weight of the reference time increases, that is, as the reference time increases, the time index of the time-based collision risk value indicating a collision risk increases (see Figure 6 On the other hand, if the weight of the reference time decreases, that is, if the reference time decreases, the time index, which is the value indicating the existence of the collision risk, becomes smaller.

[0096] Similarly, the reference distance weight is a parameter for adjusting the reference distance. The reference distance weight can also be said to be a parameter for adjusting the sensitivity of the distance reference collision risk value.

[0097] As the weight of the reference distance increases, that is, as the reference distance increases, the distance index indicating that the reference collision risk value is a value that indicates a collision risk increases. On the other hand, as the weight of the reference distance decreases, that is, as the reference distance decreases, the distance index indicating that the reference collision risk value is a value that indicates a collision risk decreases.

[0098] The parameter control unit 16 links the weight of the reference time and the weight of the reference distance together. The so-called weight linkage means that if one of the weight of the reference time and the weight of the reference distance changes, the other also changes accordingly.

[0099] Specifically, the parameter control unit 16 increases the weight of either the reference time or the reference distance and decreases the other. That is, if the weight of the reference time increases, the weight of the reference distance decreases, and if the weight of the reference distance increases, the weight of the reference time decreases.

[0100] Figure 9 This figure illustrates an example of a judgment trend graph used to adjust weights. The horizontal axis represents the time-based judgment trend, and the vertical axis represents the distance-based judgment trend. The time-based judgment trend corresponds to the weight of the reference time, and the distance-based judgment trend corresponds to the weight of the distance reference.

[0101] The judgment trend graph shows a performance curve PL, which represents the relationship between the weight of the reference time and the weight of the reference distance. The performance curve PL is defined such that as the weight of the reference time increases, the weight of the reference distance decreases, and as the weight of the reference distance increases, the weight of the reference time decreases.

[0102] On the performance curve PL, a control point CP is set to determine the weight of the reference time and the weight of the reference distance. The control point CP is set to be movable on the performance curve PL. In other words, the control point CP can take any position on the performance curve PL.

[0103] The parameter control unit 16 applies the reference time weight and reference distance weight determined by the control point CP to the time-based risk calculation unit 14 and the distance-based risk calculation unit 15. Furthermore, the parameter control unit 16 moves the control point CP on the performance curve PL in accordance with the increase or decrease of the adjustment parameter specified by the operation input receiving unit 13.

[0104] Point P1 is a point where the weight of the reference time and the weight of the reference distance are both medium. Figure 10 This is a diagram showing the alarm line AL based on the own ship PS when the control point CP is located at point P1.

[0105] The alarm line AL is a line that indicates a collision risk when another vessel OP approaches, and an alarm is issued. Specifically, the alarm line AL is a line where either the time-based collision risk value or the distance-based collision risk value changes from a value indicating no collision risk to a value indicating a collision risk.

[0106] Specifically, the alarm line AL includes a time-based alarm line TL and a distance-based alarm line DL.

[0107] The time-based warning line TL is the boundary where the time-based collision risk value changes from a value indicating no collision risk to a value indicating a collision risk. The time-based warning line TL corresponds to the first range. For example, the time-based warning line TL has an elliptical shape extending along the bow direction of the host ship PS.

[0108] The distance reference warning line DL is a line where any of the distance reference collision risk values ​​changes from a value indicating no collision risk to a value indicating a collision risk. The distance reference warning line DL corresponds to the second range. For example, the distance reference warning line DL is a circle that extends uniformly around the ship PS.

[0109] Within each angle range centered on the own ship PS, the boundary between the time-based alarm line TL and the distance-based alarm line DL, which is located on the side farther from the own ship PS, becomes the alarm line AL.

[0110] The alarm line AL at point P1 consists of the time-based alarm line TL in its forward portion, including the bow direction, relative to the ship PS, and the distance-based alarm line DL in its remaining portion. Therefore, the alarm line AL is circular in shape, with its forward portion convex toward the bow.

[0111] In this way, by combining the time-based alarm line TL and the distance-based alarm line DL into the alarm line AL, it is possible to have the advantages of both and compensate for the disadvantages of both.

[0112] Specifically, within the time-based warning line TL, a wide range is secured in front of the host ship PS, which is critical when determining collision risk, while the ranges to the sides and rear of the host ship PS are narrowed. Within the distance-based warning line DL, a certain range is secured around the host ship PS, while the range in front of the host ship PS is narrowed.

[0113] In contrast, by forming an alarm line AL composed of a time-based alarm line TL and a distance-based alarm line DL as in this example, a wide range in front of the ship PS can be ensured, and a certain range can also be ensured to the sides and rear of the ship PS.

[0114] Figure 11 This is a diagram showing the alarm line based on the own ship PS when the control point CP is at point P2. Point P2 is a point where the weight of the reference time is close to the maximum value and the weight of the reference distance is close to the minimum value (see Figure 9 ).

[0115] At point P2, the time-based alarm line TL is sufficiently larger than the distance-based alarm line DL. Therefore, the alarm line AL is mainly composed of the time-based alarm line TL and has, for example, an elliptical shape extending in the bow direction of the host ship PS.

[0116] Figure 12 This is a diagram showing the alarm line based on the own ship PS when the control point CP is at point P3. Point P3 is a point where the weight of the reference distance is near the maximum value and the weight of the reference time is near the minimum value (see Figure 9 ).

[0117] At point P3, the distance-based alarm line DL is sufficiently larger than the time-based alarm line TL. Therefore, the alarm line AL is mainly composed of the distance-based alarm line DL and is, for example, a circle that uniformly expands around the ship PS.

[0118] As described above, the weight of the reference time and the weight of the reference distance can be adjusted according to the user's operation input, and thus the judgment of the collision risk suitable for the feeling of each helmsman can be provided.

[0119] In the above example, Figure 9 In the judgment trend curve diagram shown in FIG, the moving range of the control point CP is limited to the performance curve PL, but is not limited thereto. Figure 13 As shown, the control point CP can also be moved to a position deviating from the performance curve PL.

[0120] Point P4 is a point where the weight of the reference time is increased while the weight of the reference distance is maintained from the position of the control point CP. In other words, point P4 is a point where the weight of the reference time is near the maximum value and the weight of the reference distance is moderate.

[0121] Moving the control point CP in the horizontal direction, that is, moving the control point CP parallel to the first axis, means adjusting only the weight of the reference time out of the weight of the reference time and the weight of the reference distance.

[0122] like Figure 14 As shown, at point P4, the time-based alarm line TL is maximized and the distance-based alarm line DL is intermediate. Therefore, the alarm line AL has a shape such that an ellipse of the same width overlaps the front of a circle surrounding the ship PS.

[0123] Point P5 is a point where the weight of the reference time is maintained and the weight of the reference distance is increased according to the position of the control point CP. In other words, point P5 is a point where the weight of the reference time is medium and the weight of the reference distance is near the maximum value.

[0124] Moving the control point CP in the vertical direction, that is, moving the control point CP parallel to the second axis, means adjusting only the weight of the reference distance out of the weight of the reference time and the weight of the reference distance.

[0125] like Figure 15As shown, at point P5, the time-based alarm line TL is at a medium level, and the distance-based alarm line DL is at its maximum. Therefore, the alarm line AL is, for example, a large circle with a front portion slightly convex toward the bow.

[0126] As described above, by allowing the control point CP to be moved to a position deviating from the performance curve PL, the degree of freedom in adjusting the weight of the reference time and the weight of the reference distance can be further increased.

[0127] return Figure 2 The display control unit 18 displays an image showing the positional relationship between the own ship and other ships on the display unit 2 based on the own ship data acquired by the own ship data acquisition unit 11 and the other ship data acquired by the other ship data acquisition unit 12 .

[0128] Specifically, if Figure 16 As shown, the display control unit 18 displays an image MG including a symbol PB representing the own ship and symbols OB representing other ships on the display unit 2. The image MG is, for example, a radar image, an electronic nautical chart, or a composite image thereof.

[0129] The symbol PB representing the own ship is placed at a position in the image corresponding to the actual position of the own ship. The symbols OB representing other ships are placed at positions in the image corresponding to the actual positions of the other ships. The symbol PB representing the own ship may be omitted.

[0130] Furthermore, the display control unit 18 highlights and displays symbols OB1 and OB2 indicating other ships determined by the alarm issuance determination unit 17 to have a collision risk.

[0131] At this time, the display control unit 18 identifies and displays the symbol OB1 and the symbol OB2, where the symbol OB1 represents other ships that are judged to have a collision risk based on the time-based collision risk value calculated by the time-based risk calculation unit 14, and the symbol OB2 represents other ships that are judged to have a collision risk based on the distance-based collision risk value calculated by the distance-based risk calculation unit 15.

[0132] The distinguishing display is achieved by, for example, making the colors, patterns, shapes, or sizes of the symbols OB1 and OB2 representing other ships different from each other. This allows the user to visually understand whether the collision risk is determined by using the time-based collision risk value or the distance-based collision risk value.

[0133] In addition, Figure 17 As shown, the display control unit 18 may also display the alarm line image LG and the judgment trend image PG on the display unit 2. The alarm line image LG is a diagram showing the above-mentioned alarm line AL (see Figures 10 to 12 、 Figures 14 to 15) image. The judgment trend image PG is an image showing the judgment trend graph (see Figure 9 、 13 ) images.

[0134] The navigation assistance device 1 may include, for example, a button 21 or a knob 22 capable of bidirectional operation input. The parameter control unit 16 may adjust the weight of the reference time and the weight of the reference distance based on the operation input from the button 21 or the knob 22 .

[0135] The two-directional operation input by the button 21 is, for example, up and down, or + and - directions, etc. The operation input by the knob 22 is clockwise and counterclockwise.

[0136] The parameter control unit 16 increases the weight of the reference time according to the first-direction operation input from the button 21 or the knob 22 , and increases the weight of the reference distance according to the second-direction operation input.

[0137] Specifically, the parameter control unit 16 makes the judgment trend graph (see Figure 9 、 13 ) moves along the performance curve PL in a direction in which the weight of the reference time increases and the weight of the reference distance decreases (lower right direction in the figure).

[0138] On the other hand, the parameter control unit 16 moves the control point CP in the determination trend graph along the performance curve PL in a direction where the weight of the reference distance increases and the weight of the reference time decreases (upper left direction in the figure) in response to the operation input in the second direction.

[0139] In addition, if Figure 18 As shown, the parameter control unit 16 may change the position of the control point CP according to the position in the determination trend graph designated by the user in the determination trend image PG displayed on the display unit 2 .

[0140] If the control point CP moves through operation input from the button 21 or the knob 22 or designation of a position within the screen, the display control unit 18 updates the position of the control point CP in the judgment trend image PG displayed on the display unit 2 and updates the shape of the alarm line AL in the alarm line image LG.

[0141] As described above, by displaying the warning line image LG and the determination trend image PG on the display unit 2 and updating the display as parameters are changed, the user can visually grasp the judgment criteria of the collision risk.

[0142] Figure 19This is a flowchart mainly showing an example of the sequence of processing related to the judgment of the collision risk in the navigation assistance method implemented in the navigation assistance device 1. The control unit 20 of the navigation assistance device 1 periodically executes the information processing shown in this figure according to a program.

[0143] First, the control unit 20 acquires own ship data indicating the position and speed of the own ship from the GNSS receiver 6 or the like ( S11 , as processing of the own ship data acquisition unit 11 ).

[0144] Next, the control unit 20 acquires other ship data indicating the position and speed of the other ship from the radar 3 , the AIS 4 , or the camera 5 ( S12 , as processing of the other ship data acquisition unit 12 ).

[0145] Next, the control unit 20 calculates a time-based collision risk value based on the own ship data acquired in S11 and the other ship data acquired in S12 ( S13 , as processing of the time-based risk calculation unit 14 ).

[0146] Similarly, the control unit 20 calculates a distance-based collision risk value based on the own ship data acquired in S11 and the other ship data acquired in S12 ( S14 , as processing of the distance-based risk calculation unit 15 ).

[0147] Next, the control unit 20 determines whether there is a collision risk based on the time-based collision risk value calculated in S13 and the distance-based collision risk value calculated in S14 ( S15 , processing by the alarm issuance determination unit 17 ).

[0148] If it is determined that there is a risk of collision (S15: YES), the control unit 20 issues an alarm (S16, as processing of the alarm issuance determination unit 17).

[0149] On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no collision risk ( S15 : NO), the control unit 20 directly ends the process.

[0150] As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the embodiment mentioned above, It is needless to say that it is possible for a person skilled in the art to make various changes.

[0151] Representative embodiments of the present invention are listed below. (1)

[0153] A navigation aid device, comprising:

[0154] a first acquiring unit for acquiring first ship data indicating the position and speed of the first ship;

[0155] a second acquiring unit for acquiring second ship data indicating the position and speed of a second ship;

[0156] a first calculation unit for calculating a first collision risk value based on a time when the second ship approaches the first ship based on the first ship data and the second ship data;

[0157] a second calculation unit for calculating a second collision risk value based on the distance between the first ship and the second ship based on the first ship data and the second ship data;

[0158] The determination unit determines whether there is a risk of collision between the first ship and the second ship based on the first collision risk value and the second collision risk value. (2)

[0160] The navigation assistance device according to (1), wherein

[0161] The navigation aid device further comprises:

[0162] The control unit adjusts one or both of a weight of a reference time for changing the first collision risk value from a value indicating no collision risk to a value indicating a collision risk and a weight of a reference distance for changing the second collision risk value from a value indicating no collision risk to a value indicating a collision risk. (3)

[0164] The navigation assistance device according to (2), wherein

[0165] The control unit links the weight of the reference time and the weight of the reference distance together. (4)

[0167] The navigation assistance device according to (2) or (3), wherein:

[0168] The control unit increases one of the weight of the reference time and the weight of the reference distance and decreases the other. (5)

[0170] The navigation assistance device according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein:

[0171] The navigation assistance device further includes a display unit that displays an image showing a first range in which the first collision risk value indicates a collision risk and a second range in which the second collision risk value indicates a collision risk, based on the first ship. (6)

[0173] The navigation assistance device according to any one of (2) to (5), wherein:

[0174] The navigation assistance device further includes: a receiving unit that receives an operation input from a user in a first direction and an operation input in a second direction opposite to the first direction;

[0175] The control unit increases the weight of the reference time according to the operation input in the first direction, and increases the weight of the reference distance according to the operation input in the second direction. (7)

[0177] The navigation assistance device according to any one of (2) to (6), wherein:

[0178] The navigation aid device also has:

[0179] a display unit that displays a graph having a first axis corresponding to the weight of the reference time and a second axis corresponding to the weight of the reference distance; and

[0180] an accepting unit that accepts an operation input from a user for designating a position within the graph,

[0181] The control unit adjusts one or both of the weight of the reference time and the weight of the reference distance according to a position in the graph specified by the user. (8)

[0183] The navigation assistance device according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein:

[0184] The navigation assistance device further includes a display unit configured to display an image indicating a positional relationship between the first ship and the second ship based on the first ship data and the second ship data.

[0185] The display unit distinguishably displays, in the image, a symbol indicating the second ship determined to have a collision risk based on the first collision risk value and a symbol indicating the second ship determined to have a collision risk based on the second collision risk value. (9)

[0187] The navigation assistance device according to any one of (1) to (8), wherein

[0188] The determination unit determines whether an alarm needs to be issued based on the presence or absence of the collision risk. (10)

[0190] A navigation assistance method, comprising:

[0191] acquiring first ship data representing a position and a speed of the first ship;

[0192] obtaining second vessel data representing a position and a speed of a second vessel;

[0193] calculating, based on the first ship data and the second ship data, a first collision risk value based on a time when the second ship approaches the first ship;

[0194] calculating a second collision risk value based on the distance between the first ship and the second ship according to the first ship data and the second ship data; and

[0195] Whether there is a collision risk between the first ship and the second ship is determined according to the first collision risk value and the second collision risk value. (11)

[0197] A program that causes a computer to perform the following steps:

[0198] acquiring first ship data representing a position and a speed of the first ship;

[0199] obtaining second vessel data representing a position and a speed of a second vessel;

[0200] calculating, based on the first ship data and the second ship data, a first collision risk value based on a time when the second ship approaches the first ship;

[0201] calculating a second collision risk value based on the distance between the first ship and the second ship according to the first ship data and the second ship data; and

[0202] Whether there is a collision risk between the first ship and the second ship is determined according to the first collision risk value and the second collision risk value.

[0203]

the term

[0204] Not all purposes, effects, and advantages can be achieved by any specific embodiment described in this specification. Thus, for example, one skilled in the art will recognize that a specific embodiment can be configured to achieve or optimize one or more of the effects and advantages taught in this specification without necessarily achieving other purposes, effects, and advantages as taught or suggested in this specification.

[0205] All processes described in this specification can be implemented and fully automated by software code modules executed by a computing system including one or more computers or processors. The code modules can be stored in any type of non-transitory computer-readable medium or other computer storage device. Part or all of the methods can be implemented using dedicated computer hardware.

[0206] It is known from the present disclosure that, in addition to the contents described in this specification, there are many other variations. For example, depending on the implementation, any specific actions, events or functions in the algorithms described in this specification can be performed in different sequences and can be appended, combined or omitted entirely (for example, not all of the actions or events described are necessary to execute the algorithm). Furthermore, in certain implementations, actions or events can be executed in parallel, for example, via multithreading, interrupt processing, or multiple processors or processor cores, or on other parallel architectures, in a non-sequential manner. Furthermore, different tasks or processes can also be executed by different machines and / or computing systems that can work together.

[0207] The various exemplary logic blocks and modules described in connection with the embodiments disclosed in this specification can be implemented or executed by a machine, such as a processor. The processor can be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor can be a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, or a combination thereof. The processor can include circuitry configured to process computer-executable instructions. In another embodiment, the processor includes an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable device that performs logical operations without processing computer-executable instructions. The processor can also be a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a digital signal processor (DSP) and a microprocessor; a plurality of microprocessors; one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core; or any other similar configuration. Although primarily described in this specification with respect to digital technology, the processor can also include primarily analog components. For example, some or all of the signal processing algorithms described in this specification can be implemented using analog circuitry or a combination of analog and digital circuitry. The computing environment includes computer systems based on microprocessors, mainframe computers, digital signal processors, portable computing devices, device controllers, or computing engines within devices, but can also include any type of computer system, without limitation.

[0208] Unless expressly stated otherwise, conditional language such as "may," "could," "might," or "has the potential to" should be understood as meaning in the context of conventional usage to convey that a particular embodiment includes particular features, elements, and / or steps but does not include other embodiments. Thus, such conditional language does not generally imply that features, elements, and / or steps are required of any method in more than one embodiment, or that more than one embodiment necessarily includes logic for determining whether such features, elements, and / or steps are included in or performed by any particular embodiment.

[0209] Unless otherwise specified, disjunctive language such as "at least one of X, Y, and Z" should be understood in the context of ordinary usage to indicate that an item, term, or the like can be any one of X, Y, and Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, and Z). Therefore, such disjunctive language generally does not mean that a particular embodiment requires the presence of at least one X, at least one Y, or at least one Z, respectively.

[0210] It should be understood that any process description, element, or module in the flowcharts described in this specification and / or shown in the accompanying drawings potentially represents a portion of a module, segment, or code, which includes one or more executable instructions for implementing a specific logical function or element in the process. Alternative implementations are included within the scope of the implementations described in this specification, wherein, as understood by those skilled in the art, elements or functions can be deleted from the content shown or described or executed in a different order in a substantially simultaneous or reverse order based on the relevant functionality.

[0211] Unless otherwise specifically stated, numerals such as "an" and the like should generally be interpreted to include more than one of the described items. Thus, a statement such as "a device configured to..." is intended to include more than one of the enumerated devices. Such one or more enumerated devices may be collectively configured to perform the described references. For example, "a processor configured to perform the following A, B, and C" may include a first processor configured to perform A and a second processor configured to perform B and C. In addition, even if a specific number of enumerations of an introduced embodiment has been explicitly enumerated, those skilled in the art will understand that such an enumeration generally means at least the number enumerated (e.g., a simple enumeration of "two enumerations" without other modifiers generally means at least two enumerations or more than two enumerations).

[0212] Generally, those skilled in the art will be able to judge that the terms used in this specification should generally be interpreted as "non-restrictive" terms (for example, the term "including" should be interpreted as "more than these, at least including...", the term "having" should be interpreted as "at least having...", the term "comprising" should be interpreted as "including the following but not limited to these".

[0213] For purposes of this specification, the term "horizontal" as used herein is defined as a plane parallel to the floor plane or surface of the area in which the described system is used, or the plane in which the described method is carried out, regardless of direction. The term "floor" may be replaced by the terms "ground" or "water surface." The term "vertical" refers to a direction perpendicular to a defined horizontal line. Terms such as "upper side," "lower side," "down," "up," "side," "higher," "lower," "upward," "over," and "below" are defined relative to a horizontal plane.

[0214] Unless otherwise specified, the terms "attached," "connected," "paired," and other related terms used in this specification should be interpreted as including removable, movable, fixed, adjustable, and / or removable connections or couplings. Connections / couplings include connections with direct connections and / or intermediate structures between the two components described.

[0215] Unless otherwise specified, terms such as "approximately," "about," and "substantially" used in this specification to modify quantities include not only the recited quantity but also indicate an amount close to the recited quantity that achieves the desired function or achieves the desired result. For example, unless otherwise specified, "approximately," "about," and "substantially" refer to values ​​that are less than 10% of the recited value. As used in this specification, terms such as "approximately," "about," and "substantially" modify and disclose features of embodiments that also indicate a degree of variability in achieving the desired function or achieving the desired feature.

[0216] A number of variations and modifications may be added to the above embodiments, and these elements should be understood to be in other permissible examples. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention and protected by the following claims.

[0217] Description of Reference Numerals

[0218] 1 Navigation aids

[0219] 2 Display

[0220] 3 Radar

[0221] 4AIS

[0222] 5 cameras

[0223] 6GNSS receiver

[0224] 7. Gyroscope

[0225] 8ECDIS

[0226] 9 Wireless Communications Department

[0227] 10 Ship Control Department

[0228] 20 Control Unit

[0229] 11 Own ship data acquisition unit (example of the first acquisition unit)

[0230] 12 Other Ship Data Acquisition Unit (Example of Second Acquisition Unit)

[0231] 13 Operation input receiving unit

[0232] 14 Time-Based Risk Calculation Unit (Example of the First Calculation Unit)

[0233] 15 Distance-based risk calculation unit (example of the second calculation unit)

[0234] 16 Parameter control unit

[0235] 17 Alarm Issuance Judgment Unit

[0236] 18 Display control unit

[0237] 100 Shipboard Systems

Claims

1. A navigation aid device, wherein: have: a first acquiring unit for acquiring first ship data indicating the position and speed of the first ship; a second acquiring unit for acquiring second ship data indicating the position and speed of a second ship; a first calculation unit for calculating a first collision risk value based on a time when the second ship approaches the first ship based on the first ship data and the second ship data; a second calculation unit for calculating a second collision risk value based on the distance between the first ship and the second ship based on the first ship data and the second ship data; The determination unit determines whether there is a risk of collision between the first ship and the second ship based on the first collision risk value and the second collision risk value.

2. The navigation aid device according to claim 1, wherein: The navigation aid device further comprises: The control unit adjusts one or both of a weight of a reference time for changing the first collision risk value from a value indicating no collision risk to a value indicating a collision risk and a weight of a reference distance for changing the second collision risk value from a value indicating no collision risk to a value indicating a collision risk.

3. The navigation aid device according to claim 2, wherein: The control unit links the weight of the reference time and the weight of the reference distance together.

4. The navigation aid device according to claim 2, wherein: The control unit increases one of the weight of the reference time and the weight of the reference distance and decreases the other.

5. The navigation aid device according to claim 1, wherein: The navigation aid device also has: The display unit displays an image showing a first range in which the first collision risk value is a value indicating a collision risk and a second range in which the second collision risk value is a value indicating a collision risk, based on the first ship.

6. The navigation aid device according to claim 2, wherein: The navigation assistance device further includes: a receiving unit that receives an operation input from a user in a first direction and an operation input in a second direction opposite to the first direction; The control unit increases the weight of the reference time according to the operation input in the first direction, and increases the weight of the reference distance according to the operation input in the second direction.

7. The navigation aid device according to claim 2, wherein: The navigation aid device also has: a display unit that displays a graph having a first axis corresponding to the weight of the reference time and a second axis corresponding to the weight of the reference distance; as well as an accepting unit that accepts an operation input from a user for designating a position within the graph, The control unit adjusts one or both of the weight of the reference time and the weight of the reference distance according to a position in the graph specified by the user.

8. The navigation aid device according to claim 1, wherein: The navigation assistance device further includes a display unit configured to display an image indicating a positional relationship between the first ship and the second ship based on the first ship data and the second ship data. The display unit distinguishably displays, in the image, a symbol indicating the second ship determined to have a collision risk based on the first collision risk value and a symbol indicating the second ship determined to have a collision risk based on the second collision risk value.

9. The navigation aid device according to claim 1, wherein: The determination unit determines whether an alarm needs to be issued based on the presence or absence of the collision risk.

10. A navigation assistance method, wherein: include: acquiring first ship data representing a position and a speed of the first ship; obtaining second vessel data representing a position and a speed of a second vessel; calculating, based on the first ship data and the second ship data, a first collision risk value based on a time when the second ship approaches the first ship; calculating, based on the first ship data and the second ship data, a second collision risk value based on a distance between the first ship and the second ship; as well as Whether there is a collision risk between the first ship and the second ship is determined according to the first collision risk value and the second collision risk value.

11. A program that causes a computer to perform the following steps: acquiring first ship data representing a position and a speed of the first ship; obtaining second vessel data representing a position and a speed of a second vessel; calculating, based on the first ship data and the second ship data, a first collision risk value based on a time when the second ship approaches the first ship; calculating, based on the first ship data and the second ship data, a second collision risk value based on a distance between the first ship and the second ship; as well as Whether there is a collision risk between the first ship and the second ship is determined according to the first collision risk value and the second collision risk value.

Images