Ship Situation Display Resolving Data Clutter via Spatial Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional systems for displaying meteorological and hydrographic information to ship operators become cluttered and difficult to navigate, especially when multiple observation points are involved, leading to confusion and inefficiency in obtaining relevant data.
Innovation Solution
A situation display device that acquires and selects relevant meteorological and hydrographic data within a predetermined range of a set course, displaying it in a three-dimensional graphic format on a vertically oriented screen, with data positions corresponding to their relation to the course, allowing operators to intuitively understand the ship's location and important observation data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If meteorological and hydrographic information is acquired from multiple observed locations, then the comprehensiveness of information is improved, but the display becomes messy and difficult to navigate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the observation data display by spatial relationship to the course. Data are divided into different zones (within predetermined range from course, beyond predetermined range) and displayed at different positions on the screen. This segmentation allows comprehensive data to be presented in an organized, non-cluttered manner, resolving the contradiction between quantity of data and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by displaying observation data with different visual characteristics based on their relevance to the course. Data within the predetermined range from the course are displayed with higher prominence at specific screen positions, while data beyond the range are displayed differently. This allows operators to quickly identify relevant information without being overwhelmed by all available data.
2Loss of information
If all observation data from multiple locations are displayed, then information completeness is improved, but confusion is caused due to excessive information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and highlights only the most relevant observation data by displaying them at specific screen positions based on their spatial relationship to the course. Data within the predetermined range from the course are extracted and displayed prominently, while other data are displayed in a less prominent manner. This extraction approach maintains information completeness while reducing display complexity and operator confusion.
3Device complexity
If observation data is displayed without spatial context, then display simplicity is improved, but the relation between data and ship location becomes unclear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a spatial dimension to the display by positioning observation data on the screen according to their geographical relationship to the course and ship location. Instead of displaying all data uniformly, the system maps the spatial relationships onto the two-dimensional screen, creating a three-dimensional understanding of data relevance. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining simplicity while preserving spatial context.
Data Source
AI summary
A situation display device is provided. The device includes: an observation data acquiring module configured to acquire observation data, and information of observed locations of the observation data; a data selecting module configured to select the observation data within a predetermined range from a course of the device; and a display unit configured to display a location of the device on a bottom side of a display screen, and display the course linearly such that its traveling direction extends upward from the bottom side. The display unit displays, a predetermined area in an upward tapering shape, and displays the selected observation data at a position that indicates a relation between the course and the observed location, the displayed position of the device in the perpendicular direction being corresponding to an offset of the location of the device from the course.