Docking Alert Interface With Biased Hazard Perimeter Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional directional control systems for vehicles, including watercraft, struggle with providing reliable and intuitive docking or parking assist, especially in crowded conditions and with external disturbances like wind or water currents.
Innovation Solution
A docking assist system that includes a logic device, sensors, actuators, and a user interface, which uses perimeter sensor data to determine control signals for navigation and displays a docking user interface to guide the user, enabling assisted and/or fully autonomous docking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional directional control systems are used for docking assist, then the system structure is simple, but the reliability and accuracy of docking in crowded conditions with external disturbances is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the docking assist function into multiple independent modules: perimeter ranging system for hazard detection, logic device for control signal determination, sensors for environmental monitoring, and actuators for execution. This modular segmentation improves reliability by isolating failure points while maintaining manageable system complexity through standardized interfaces between modules.
Solution Approach 2:
The perimeter ranging system continuously monitors the environment and identifies hazards before the docking maneuver begins. The logic device pre-calculates control signals based on detected hazards and external disturbances, preparing the system in advance for corrective actions, thereby improving docking reliability without requiring complex real-time reactions.
2Measurement precision
If conventional control systems are used, then the device complexity is low, but the measurement precision of perimeter monitoring and hazard detection is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple sensing capabilities (rangefinding, hazard detection, environmental monitoring) into an integrated perimeter ranging system. This consolidation achieves high measurement precision through coordinated sensor operations while managing complexity by providing unified data processing and a single point of control through the logic device.
Solution Approach 2:
The logic device acts as an intermediary between the perimeter ranging system and the actuators. It processes raw sensor data, determines hazard positions and threats, calculates appropriate control signals, and translates them into actuator commands. This intermediary layer enables precise hazard detection and response while keeping the overall system architecture manageable through clear separation of concerns.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional docking assist systems are used, then the ease of operation is limited, but the adaptability to different docking conditions and hazards is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts its behavior based on real-time conditions. The logic device continuously receives feedback from sensors and perimeter ranging data, modifies control signals accordingly, and adapts to varying hazard configurations, water currents, and docking scenarios. This dynamic adaptation improves versatility while maintaining ease of operation through automated adjustments that reduce user burden.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback loops where sensor data and perimeter ranging information are constantly monitored, control signals are adjusted based on detected conditions, and the results are fed back to further refine the docking maneuver. This feedback mechanism enables the system to adapt to different docking conditions automatically, improving versatility while keeping the user interface simple and easy to operate.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to provide graphical user interfaces for assisted and/or autonomous navigation for mobile structures. A navigation assist system includes a user interface with a display for a mobile structure and a logic device configured to render a docking user interface on the display. The logic device determines a direction and magnitude of a navigational bias associated with navigation of the mobile structure and determines a spatially biased safety perimeter and hazard monitoring area within a monitoring perimeter of a perimeter ranging system mounted to the mobile structure, based on the direction and magnitude of the navigational bias. The docking user interface includes a maneuvering guide with a virtual bumper perimeter intrusion indicator configured to indicate a relative position and/or proximity of a navigation hazard within the spatially biased hazard monitoring area.