Ship Collision Risk Display Using Course-Line Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ship navigation assisting devices fail to provide clear and accurate guidance for helmsmen to avoid collisions, particularly when multiple ships are at risk, as they often display disorganized information regarding collision risk areas and prioritize order, making it difficult to determine whether to change speed or heading and in which direction.
Innovation Solution
An information display device that estimates the closest approach position and time of each ship, displays risk areas as circles centered on the first ship, and allows for the selection of target ships, providing an organized and intuitive representation of positional relationships and priority orders, enabling the helmsman to steer the ship accurately and efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If collision risk areas are displayed based on target ship courses, then the helmsman can see where collisions may occur, but the display becomes disorganized when multiple target ships exist, making it difficult to grasp priority order
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the collision risk information by organizing it according to the first ship's course line rather than displaying separate collision risk areas for each target ship. Multiple risk areas are projected onto a common reference frame (the first ship's course), creating distinct segments along the course line that represent different risk levels and priorities in sequential order.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the display from a two-dimensional spatial representation (collision risk areas around each target ship) to a one-dimensional representation along the first ship's course line. This dimensional change consolidates multiple risk areas into a linear sequence, making priority order immediately visible along the course from nearest to farthest risk points.
2Loss of information
If multiple collision risk areas are displayed simultaneously, then comprehensive risk information is provided, but the helmsman receives a disorganized impression and cannot easily determine priority order
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple collision risk areas that would otherwise be displayed separately for each target ship into a unified representation along the first ship's course line. By projecting all risk areas onto the common reference frame of the first ship's intended path, the system combines multiple pieces of risk information into a single organized display structure that shows priority order naturally.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dimensional transformation by converting multiple two-dimensional collision risk areas into a one-dimensional linear arrangement along the course line. This reorganization reduces display complexity while preserving all risk information, as the sequential positions along the course line inherently indicate priority order.
3Device complexity
If only current collision risk is displayed, then the display remains simple, but the helmsman cannot determine whether to change speed or heading or in which direction to change
Solution Approach 1:
The patent displays collision risk areas along the first ship's course line in advance, showing where risks will occur if the current course is maintained. This preliminary visualization of future risk positions enables the helmsman to plan steering actions before reaching the risk zones, determining both whether and in which direction to change heading based on the displayed risk positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent provides visual feedback by displaying the relative positions of collision risk areas along the course line, which immediately informs the helmsman about the nature and direction of required steering actions. The spatial arrangement of risk areas along the course provides intuitive feedback on whether to turn left or right and how urgently action is needed.
Data Source
AI summary
An information display device (100) is provided, which includes a distance setting module (20) configured to set a distance, a closest approach position estimating module (32) configured to estimate a closest approach position (Psa, Psb) of a first ship (S) and a closest approach position (Pa, Pb) of a second ship (Ea, Eb) at a time point when the first and second ships (S, Ea, Eb) approach each other the closest, based on navigational information of the ships (S, Ea, Eb), and a display controlling module (35) configured to cause a display screen to display the estimated closest approach position (Pa, Pb) of the second ship (Ea, Eb), a risk area (Aa, Ab), and current positions of the ships (S, Ea, Eb), the risk area (Aa, Ab) formed into a circle based on the set distance, centering on the estimated closest approach position (Psa, Psb) of the first ship (S).